number1sixerfan
Headphoneus Supremus
I received the CD3000 as of Saturday afternoon. I must say that I am truly impressed. From reading up on them, I expected them to sound artificial and a bit thin albeit with a very impressive soundstage. Well, this was very far from the truth...they are a very, very solid pair of headphones.
Right off the bat what impressed me most was the fact that they seem to do a lot of things right. Soundstage is among the best I've heard, including the W5000 and the K1000. Detail is as resolving as can be. As a matter of fact, they will expose a bad recording more than any other can I have. I do not know what to contribute this to, besides detail resolution. Additionally, they excel at PRaT while maintaining a decent amount of noticeable decay.
In regards to their tonal balance, they are *slightly* on the brighter side. No where near grados or the ALO HFI-780 I just parted with. I was afraid they would be a bit too bright according to the reviews. However, they are no where near fatiguing. I am wondering if this is because of product variation, because from reading other reviews, it seems that they would be extremely bright. Maybe in the future I will run across another pair to compare and contrast against.
Furthermore, the positioning of vocals and instruments is spot on. They are slightly forward and feels just right. The imagining and separation of instruments is done nicely as well. Part of this is due to the CD3000's immense and at times, artificial sounding soundstage. The soundstage is very holographic and makes you wonder whether you are listening to headphones or not at times. In very *few* instances it sounds artificial due to its resonance and decay although I have not found it bothersome.
Now, on to the not so positive. There is only one thing that bothers me with these cans. This is the fact their their is an ever so slight veil present within the vocals. I read before owning this can that they can sound slightly artificial, and I believe that this is the major reason why. The vocals are just a bit muffled, which can be bothersome at times. It's as if I wished that I could just remove the very thin layer preventing them from the natural sound that they could potentially reach.
Comparisons
In comparison to the W5000, there are more similarities than differences. There are two main differences. The first being that the W5000 simply removes the slight veil that is present with the CD3000. The midrange seems to become scarily realistic with the AT's in comparison to the Sony's. The second, is that the Sony's add a bit of weight and texture to the music. This proved to be very, very enjoyable. Their is more bass and the music has just a bit more weight in every bit of the spectrum. The third and final difference is the fact that the CD3000's move everything a *tad* bit forward. The vocals and instruments are slightly more forward and it was no suprise that I enjoyed this as I love a forward sound, because it seems more realistic. Music should sound like it is coming from in front of you rather than from the sides or behind. What the CD3000 and the W5000 have in common are their ability to create a very holographic and astonishing soundstage and positioning of sound. The W5000 extends farther from front to back, but the CD3000 extends farther from left to right. Either way, they are both just draw dropping in this regard.
In comparison to the HD650, they are total opposities. The HD650 with emphasis on texture and weight comes in appearing slower and less detailed. The CD3000 is nearly thin in comparison(just as the W5000) and is faster, with more emphasis on the open and holographic soundstage. I almost felt as if comparing these two was like comparing apples and oranges. Both are enjoyable, but both are very, very different. The Senns are more relaxing and mellow due to their darker nature, whereas the Sony's provide much more energy but less balance. Because these are so different, I compared them less than I did with the AT's.
The Final Say
I will be keeping the Sony's without a doubt, unless an emergency comes up. They are a very good contrast to both of my other cans. I am very glad I had the chance to snag them. I will be sending them to Larry at Headphile in the summer to get them restored as well as to add wooden cups.
I will post pics within the next couple of hours...enjoy!
Right off the bat what impressed me most was the fact that they seem to do a lot of things right. Soundstage is among the best I've heard, including the W5000 and the K1000. Detail is as resolving as can be. As a matter of fact, they will expose a bad recording more than any other can I have. I do not know what to contribute this to, besides detail resolution. Additionally, they excel at PRaT while maintaining a decent amount of noticeable decay.
In regards to their tonal balance, they are *slightly* on the brighter side. No where near grados or the ALO HFI-780 I just parted with. I was afraid they would be a bit too bright according to the reviews. However, they are no where near fatiguing. I am wondering if this is because of product variation, because from reading other reviews, it seems that they would be extremely bright. Maybe in the future I will run across another pair to compare and contrast against.
Furthermore, the positioning of vocals and instruments is spot on. They are slightly forward and feels just right. The imagining and separation of instruments is done nicely as well. Part of this is due to the CD3000's immense and at times, artificial sounding soundstage. The soundstage is very holographic and makes you wonder whether you are listening to headphones or not at times. In very *few* instances it sounds artificial due to its resonance and decay although I have not found it bothersome.
Now, on to the not so positive. There is only one thing that bothers me with these cans. This is the fact their their is an ever so slight veil present within the vocals. I read before owning this can that they can sound slightly artificial, and I believe that this is the major reason why. The vocals are just a bit muffled, which can be bothersome at times. It's as if I wished that I could just remove the very thin layer preventing them from the natural sound that they could potentially reach.
Comparisons
In comparison to the W5000, there are more similarities than differences. There are two main differences. The first being that the W5000 simply removes the slight veil that is present with the CD3000. The midrange seems to become scarily realistic with the AT's in comparison to the Sony's. The second, is that the Sony's add a bit of weight and texture to the music. This proved to be very, very enjoyable. Their is more bass and the music has just a bit more weight in every bit of the spectrum. The third and final difference is the fact that the CD3000's move everything a *tad* bit forward. The vocals and instruments are slightly more forward and it was no suprise that I enjoyed this as I love a forward sound, because it seems more realistic. Music should sound like it is coming from in front of you rather than from the sides or behind. What the CD3000 and the W5000 have in common are their ability to create a very holographic and astonishing soundstage and positioning of sound. The W5000 extends farther from front to back, but the CD3000 extends farther from left to right. Either way, they are both just draw dropping in this regard.
In comparison to the HD650, they are total opposities. The HD650 with emphasis on texture and weight comes in appearing slower and less detailed. The CD3000 is nearly thin in comparison(just as the W5000) and is faster, with more emphasis on the open and holographic soundstage. I almost felt as if comparing these two was like comparing apples and oranges. Both are enjoyable, but both are very, very different. The Senns are more relaxing and mellow due to their darker nature, whereas the Sony's provide much more energy but less balance. Because these are so different, I compared them less than I did with the AT's.
The Final Say
I will be keeping the Sony's without a doubt, unless an emergency comes up. They are a very good contrast to both of my other cans. I am very glad I had the chance to snag them. I will be sending them to Larry at Headphile in the summer to get them restored as well as to add wooden cups.
I will post pics within the next couple of hours...enjoy!
