fogia.4
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2005
- Posts
- 243
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I'll start this thread off with a review of the Sony MDR-SA5000. As I did not see many of those as of yet, I'll take the plunge and give it a shot.
Introduction
I've always been a Grado fanboy. First the sr60s, quickly followed by the 225s, the silver 325s, RS-1s, and last but not least the sr325i. I've always liked that upfront presentation of the music that is typical of the Grado line. As much as I love Grados, my first pair of Sony MDR-SA5000 really amazed me, and convinced me to stick with them rather than the praised SR325i.
As much as I enjoyed the Grado sound, it was fatigue that put me off after awhile. I usually listen to music for four to six hours without pause, and Grados' sound does get a little fatiguing after so much time. What I mean exactly by fatiguing is that they're very dynamic headphones, with an accent on the treble which can be painful after many hours of non-stop listening. The flat pads also are quite uncomfortable after so long, which causes the top part of my ear to hurt.
However, sound being my primary concern, I forgot about these "little" problems and kept at it with the sr325i, which really satisfied me soundwise. It was only after reading users' opinions that I slowly but surely started being interested in the SA5ks.
As things usually go on Head-Fi, I kept reading more and more about the SA5ks, and after some weeks of debating with my inner self and more than reluctant wallet, I decide to give them a shot and bought a used pair.
Specifications
+ Type: Closed end headphones. This means the driver is wrapped completely over your ear, leaking very little sound.
+ Weight: 260g including the stock cable.
+ Impedance: 70 ohms.
+ Sensitivity: 102dB/mW.
+ Plug type: Standard headphone 1/4" jack.
Equipment used
M-Audio Audiophile USB soundcard
Blue Dragon Digital RCA to BNC Coaxial cable and Cardas XLR to RCA adapters
Benchmark DAC-1
DIY Silver Interconnects with Eichmann Bullet plugs
RA-1 clone by MisterX with its Elpac WP1224 power supply
Sony MDR-SA5000 (comes with a stand)
The sound
Bass
I would start off by saying that bass isn't exactly the strong point of the SA5ks for most people. They are definately not the bassy headphones, with the typical bloomy overpowering bass that bassheads love. The bass of the SA5000s is tight, controlled, detailled, fast and the most exact I've however yet to hear. What I mean is, the bass while not being overpowering or bloomy, is very easy to pick out as it is well balanced with the other instruments. No decay, no distortion of any kind. A very pure, natural sounding bass, which isn't as fun as the Grado "boom boom" bass, but is certainly more true to the music with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Dire Straits...
The right amount of reverb makes it a very fun bass with jazzy music such as John Coltrane, Charles Mingus or Louis Armstrong. Not overpowering, but just the right amount of bounciness to make it a very fun experience. Definately one of the best bass reproduction attempt I've ever heard.
Midrange
Midrange is very pleasing with the SA5000s. While not as impactful as the SR325i, it is quicker and more detailled, to the point where you can very easily tell apart each notes, even in the fastest drum solos. While not as impactful, the difference is still very slight, and most certainly due to the more upfront presentation of the Grados. Vocals are also good, very well, though politely reproduced, they may not be as good as the 325i with music sung with the guts, however, vocals are very well balanced with the rest, which makes it that much more enjoyable.
I would like to emphasize the speed of the SA5k's midrange, which surprised me at first. Listening to songs such as Van Halen - Hot for Teacher, with the great "engine-like" drums at the beginning, was a whole new experience with the SA5k. You can really easily tell apart every single hit of the sticks on the drum, which really go fast in that song. It was to the point where it left my bottom jaw hanging in surprise, if you like tapping your foot to the drums, you better hope you have quick footing, cause you'll most likely want to follow these
Treble
Treble now, which is probably the most discussed aspect of the SA5ks. The SA5000 have a very strong treble, not rolled off at all, but that stand out a bit more than midrange or bass. These are indeed Bright headphones with a capital B. Somewhere in between SR325i<?<silver 325s I would say. However, listening to electric guitar is absolutly wonderful. The faster the better pretty much, that is probably the best thing about the SA5k: speed. Guitars keep their shrill due to the metallic parts of the SA5k, and due to the high level of detail and speed, picking out every single note of Impellitteri's race into the Night's solo, Hendrix's awesome woah woah pedal skills in Voodoo Child, or Page's touch in Heartbreaker, has become a very easy thing.
I personally like a slightly "above average" treble, as I listen to mostly rock, but such a treble can be annoying after long sessions, or when listening to some genres. I'm hoping pairing the SA5k with a decent tube amp will make such a treble enhanced for Jazz, Blues etc. More to come on that when I receive my Singlepower MPX3
Conclusion
These are definately the best headphones I've heard yet. The speed and detail is what comes closest to electrostatics without losing a very decent bass. They're certainly not headphones for everyone, being very analytical they may sound a bit "dry" to you, but I would say the metal parts color the sound just enough to get some of the typical "Grado fun" which could be very pleasing to those of you who like the 325/325i/MS-2/MS-2i, and have a desire for wider soundstage, more detail and speed.
Introduction
I've always been a Grado fanboy. First the sr60s, quickly followed by the 225s, the silver 325s, RS-1s, and last but not least the sr325i. I've always liked that upfront presentation of the music that is typical of the Grado line. As much as I love Grados, my first pair of Sony MDR-SA5000 really amazed me, and convinced me to stick with them rather than the praised SR325i.
As much as I enjoyed the Grado sound, it was fatigue that put me off after awhile. I usually listen to music for four to six hours without pause, and Grados' sound does get a little fatiguing after so much time. What I mean exactly by fatiguing is that they're very dynamic headphones, with an accent on the treble which can be painful after many hours of non-stop listening. The flat pads also are quite uncomfortable after so long, which causes the top part of my ear to hurt.
However, sound being my primary concern, I forgot about these "little" problems and kept at it with the sr325i, which really satisfied me soundwise. It was only after reading users' opinions that I slowly but surely started being interested in the SA5ks.
As things usually go on Head-Fi, I kept reading more and more about the SA5ks, and after some weeks of debating with my inner self and more than reluctant wallet, I decide to give them a shot and bought a used pair.
Specifications
+ Type: Closed end headphones. This means the driver is wrapped completely over your ear, leaking very little sound.
+ Weight: 260g including the stock cable.
+ Impedance: 70 ohms.
+ Sensitivity: 102dB/mW.
+ Plug type: Standard headphone 1/4" jack.
Equipment used
M-Audio Audiophile USB soundcard
Blue Dragon Digital RCA to BNC Coaxial cable and Cardas XLR to RCA adapters
Benchmark DAC-1
DIY Silver Interconnects with Eichmann Bullet plugs
RA-1 clone by MisterX with its Elpac WP1224 power supply
Sony MDR-SA5000 (comes with a stand)
The sound
Bass
I would start off by saying that bass isn't exactly the strong point of the SA5ks for most people. They are definately not the bassy headphones, with the typical bloomy overpowering bass that bassheads love. The bass of the SA5000s is tight, controlled, detailled, fast and the most exact I've however yet to hear. What I mean is, the bass while not being overpowering or bloomy, is very easy to pick out as it is well balanced with the other instruments. No decay, no distortion of any kind. A very pure, natural sounding bass, which isn't as fun as the Grado "boom boom" bass, but is certainly more true to the music with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Dire Straits...
The right amount of reverb makes it a very fun bass with jazzy music such as John Coltrane, Charles Mingus or Louis Armstrong. Not overpowering, but just the right amount of bounciness to make it a very fun experience. Definately one of the best bass reproduction attempt I've ever heard.
Midrange
Midrange is very pleasing with the SA5000s. While not as impactful as the SR325i, it is quicker and more detailled, to the point where you can very easily tell apart each notes, even in the fastest drum solos. While not as impactful, the difference is still very slight, and most certainly due to the more upfront presentation of the Grados. Vocals are also good, very well, though politely reproduced, they may not be as good as the 325i with music sung with the guts, however, vocals are very well balanced with the rest, which makes it that much more enjoyable.
I would like to emphasize the speed of the SA5k's midrange, which surprised me at first. Listening to songs such as Van Halen - Hot for Teacher, with the great "engine-like" drums at the beginning, was a whole new experience with the SA5k. You can really easily tell apart every single hit of the sticks on the drum, which really go fast in that song. It was to the point where it left my bottom jaw hanging in surprise, if you like tapping your foot to the drums, you better hope you have quick footing, cause you'll most likely want to follow these
Treble
Treble now, which is probably the most discussed aspect of the SA5ks. The SA5000 have a very strong treble, not rolled off at all, but that stand out a bit more than midrange or bass. These are indeed Bright headphones with a capital B. Somewhere in between SR325i<?<silver 325s I would say. However, listening to electric guitar is absolutly wonderful. The faster the better pretty much, that is probably the best thing about the SA5k: speed. Guitars keep their shrill due to the metallic parts of the SA5k, and due to the high level of detail and speed, picking out every single note of Impellitteri's race into the Night's solo, Hendrix's awesome woah woah pedal skills in Voodoo Child, or Page's touch in Heartbreaker, has become a very easy thing.
I personally like a slightly "above average" treble, as I listen to mostly rock, but such a treble can be annoying after long sessions, or when listening to some genres. I'm hoping pairing the SA5k with a decent tube amp will make such a treble enhanced for Jazz, Blues etc. More to come on that when I receive my Singlepower MPX3
Conclusion
These are definately the best headphones I've heard yet. The speed and detail is what comes closest to electrostatics without losing a very decent bass. They're certainly not headphones for everyone, being very analytical they may sound a bit "dry" to you, but I would say the metal parts color the sound just enough to get some of the typical "Grado fun" which could be very pleasing to those of you who like the 325/325i/MS-2/MS-2i, and have a desire for wider soundstage, more detail and speed.
![[AK]Zip](https://cdn.head-fi.org/avatars/m/20/20281.jpg?1273083491){kind=avatar}
