[crumpler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not to mention comfort and looks.

Yup! Comfort and weight were one of the reasons i took the plunge as well. I used to have a pair of Shure SRH840s and they were really hurting my neck after a prolong session of listening.

I swore off them and promptly sold them for something way way more comfortable but didn't sound quite as good with music (Bose AEs) and just remembering the discomfort i felt with the SRH840s on more than makes up for the lack of sound quality on the Bose.

With the SA5000s on the way, i might just have my cake and be able to eat it!

 

[crumpler]

My MDR-SA5000 just arrived this morning and i've been piping music through it all morning! The vocals are thin and veiled now but it sure is a detailed phone.

Will allow more hours of burn-in and report back!

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crumpler /img/forum/go_quote.gif My MDR-SA5000 just arrived this morning and i've been piping music through it all morning! The vocals are thin and veiled now but it sure is a detailed phone.

What amp do you use with these? They really open up into something wonderful with a decent Tube. I owned the SA3000 for a while with a Singlepower PPX3 SLAM and it did wonders for the tone, solid-state however didn't sound very textured, it really lacked body.

 

[crumpler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism /img/forum/go_quote.gif What amp do you use with these? They really open up into something wonderful with a decent Tube. I owned the SA3000 for a while with a Singlepower PPX3 SLAM and it did wonders for the tone, solid-state however didn't sound very textured, it really lacked body.

I'm using the Nuforce HDP, its a solid state amp. And its the only amp i have with me at the moment. I've read that the SA5000 can sound cold and analytical so they might do well with the warmth of a tube amp.

I'll just let the SA5000 burn-in and see how things go from there!

It does wonders for conversations in movies i'ld have to add!

 

[leeperry]

how is the isolation from outside noise?

the drivers are really angled to death like on the cd3k: http://www.buy988.com/uploadpic/prod...0151320103.jpg

I think I'll fall for a sa3k + sa5k earpads

I cannot stand dual ended headphones and I'll play around at modding the sa3k to my taste...the service manual should be helpful to see how the sa5k differs, apparently they use the same drivers so they won't be the bottleneck.

I'd use a discrete and a tube headamp, that should deliver.

 

[crumpler]

The isolation is typical of open headphones i guess. The leather earpads of the SA5000 are really comfy and do well to mold the headphones against your head.

And i have the service manual in softcopy if you need it. And they do use the same drivers both the SA3000 and SA5000.

Drop me a PM with your email and i could send them over to you.

Please do let us know what you think of pairing it with a tube amp as well!

 

[leeperry]

yes, I've got the service manual too..thanks!

I've never used open headphones tbh, but my cd1k(same drivers as the cd3k) has a really lousy isolation..the cd3k is already said to be semi-closed, but my modded cd1k is even worse...a far cry from a DT770.

FWIR, the isolation on the K702 is inexistent...it's literally 0dB, can you hear yourself typing on a keyboard w/ the sa5k on your ears?

I know s2audio modded a sa1k w/cd3k drivers, and that it killed...so another solution would be either this or dx1k drivers + sa5k ear pads...need to think about it

I'm just hesitant whether those sa5k drivers would be an improvement over cd3k's..I've got a hard time believing that the world stopped spinning in 1991, but you never know

 

[crumpler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes, I've got the service manual too..thanks! I've never used open headphones tbh, but my cd1k(same drivers as the cd3k) has a really lousy isolation FWIR, the isolation on the K702 is inexistent...it's literally 0dB, can you hear yourself typing on a keyboard w/ the sa5k on your ears? I know s2audio modded a sa1k w/cd3k drivers, and that it killed...so another solution would be either this or dx1k drivers + sa5k ear pads...need to think about it I'm just hesitent whether those sa5k drivers would be an improvement over the cd3k's..

Yeah, that's one of the traits of open headphones. And in that sense, yes, i think the isolation of these SA5000s are comparable to the K702s. I can hear myself typing over the music unless i jack the volume way up.

I think there are several articles (both on head-fi and google) comparing the SA5000 drivers to the CD3000s so ya might wanna look it up before deciding. For what its worth, i've never heard such details on a open headphones so i pretty pleased with my purchase so far.

And did i mention the comfort? Incredible!

 

[leeperry]

yes, the headband looks awesome

ok, so if there's no music playing, the isolation is 0dB basically? it's the same as not wearing the sa5k at all? my cd1k isolates the trebles, but the mids do get through a HELL lot.

Ah well, it's only a matter of getting used to it I guess.

 

[crumpler]

Yeah, without any music playing, its the same as not wearing the headphones at all.

But, IMO its a matter of preference and getting used to it. Works fine for me! The level of detail more than makes up for the lack of isolation!

 

[leeperry]

ah well, we all hear differently...so reading opinions on the web is utterly pointless.

this cd3k lover calls the sa5k "awful": Sony MDR-CD3000 Reviews :: Headphone Reviews

and this sa5k lover says "the Sony MDR-SA5000 trounces all those other headphones in terms of speed, agility and dynamic extension, although the now discontinued Sony MDR-CD3000 does come close": Sony MDR-SA5000 Reviews

I hate bassy cans, I'm a mids head...I think the sa3k+sa5k ear pads would hit the spot

hmm, this guy says that the SS width lacks compared to the cd3k: http://www.headphonereviews.org/head...ony/MDR-SA5000

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crumpler /img/forum/go_quote.gif The level of detail more than makes up for the lack of isolation!

yes, I think the cd3k has such an amazing SS because it's semi-closed...look at the SS on a DT770

, isolation carries a hefty price tag indeed.

they decided to go open because it allows for a much more 3D SS I guess....now the question is whether the drivers are even more refined than the cd3k's, because its trebles feel so nice and clear, yet not agressive or clinical

OTOH, going tubey is an answer to clinical sound anyway

I'd use either of these two amps:
Tube Headphone Amp - Little Country III
Burson Headamp 160

 

[crumpler]

Hah! Nothing like a lot of words in 2 opposing reviews that say nothing useful at all!

I guess if the lack of isolation on the K702s really did bother you, you would be better off with a pair of closed cans that you're so used to.

And just a word on the SA5000s, the bass is definitely present and accurate much like the UM3X i have.

I might say it preserves all the good traits in the UM3X albeit in a pair of open headphones.

And thanks for the link for the tube amps. I guess i'll have to take a long hard look at them if the SA5000s don't open much more.

Maybe you should start a thread on the CD3000s VS SA5000s and see if there are indeed other head-fiers stuck in this predicament as well.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif ah well, we all hear differently...so reading opinions on the web is utterly pointless. this cd3k lover calls the sa5k "awful": Sony MDR-CD3000 Reviews :: Headphone Reviews and this sa5k lover says "the Sony MDR-SA5000 trounces all those other headphones in terms of speed, agility and dynamic extension, although the now discontinued Sony MDR-CD3000 does come close": Sony MDR-SA5000 Reviews I hate bassy cans, I'm a mids head...I think the sa3k+sa5k ear pads would hit the spot

Someone who I trust, says the CD3000 is like a mini R10, & is comparable to the R10 more so then any other headphone he has owned, which includes, the HD800/K1000/SA5000/STAX, etc..

 

[leeperry]

yeah ok, I guess the world did stop spinning in 1991 then

and details are not everything to me...because the trebles were VERY detailed on the genuine leather DT770/600Ω, but it wasn't playing any music...it was doing its monitoring job, which is to allow you to hear defects...the cd3k plays music and hides the defects essentially.

the R10 is also said to be quite colored, just like tubes color the sound as well...we all want accuracy w/ a sweet sound basically, but that doesn't really exist