[montell]

Why has the sleek audio SA6 dropped off the radar? A few months ago these were the absolute hype around here. Many considered them the be one of the best. A single driver beating triple drivers that are double the price. It was so popular that spme even got the custom versions too. But nowadays it doesnt get any recommendation at all. Not even a vague reference to them in any of the threads.

I had them and I admit I was not that impressed (mainly because of its price and fit). Nevertheless I thought they had an extremely balanced (flat, neutral or whatever its called) and clear sound. But these were insanely popular and that was the reason I got them. I dont get why the ER4 for example are still popular yet these arent? I believe the build quality is not an issue as even the custom does not get discussed at all. FOTM perhaps? Or is this just the silence before the storm for when the SA9 is released

 

[Bonthouse]

Bad build quality mostly, but the Phonak Audeo PFE, Westone 3 and Sennheiser IEx series also came along.

 

[tstarn06]

Speaking only for myself, I really was an early supported of the SA6s, and still feel they delivered a very good sound. However, I had to send two sets of drivers back within a relatively short time, plus, I was never really happy with fit (finally settled on the olives, but still they felt too compressed). I could live with it though. Also, I found the sound tubes to be very fragile, as they seemed to crack, and once they had been removed more than a few times, they started to not stay put.

Anyway, not sure if this is even relevant, in a sense. On the upside, I liked the replaceable cable, and the sound was very good to me.

Then, the Westone 3s came out, and my wife offered to buy them for me (at the low price I was able to get) for Xmas and that made the SA6s expendable. So I sold them. I hope the buyer has had good luck with them durability-wise.

Now, trying to remember back, I find the Phonaks deliver sound along the same lines (though I prefer the PFE sound quality to the SA6s), but without the hassle factor (build, etc.), at a lower cost. Still own the W3s, and use them too.

As for Sleek, they are an excellent customer service company, and they were nothing but fantastic in all my dealings. From that standpoint, I recommend them to anyone who wants to buy their stuff.

Not sure that helps, but it's my story on the SA6s.

 

[Beyerfan70]

definitely build quality,and considering the price they feel cheap and nasty.
Sound is ok but nothing special.
My left treble filter broke the first time i changed it,not to mention the casing on the same ear became loose the same day.
Would never buy that brand again.

 

[walkingman]

Many new models has been released in the past couple of months, IE series (IE 6, 7, 8), Westone 3, PA PFE, Super.fi 5 v2 etc, overshadowing not only the SA6 but many other good IEMs.

 

[Taikero]

I'm going to point out build quality once again. See enough threads about a particular IEM breaking over and over again and it causes people to be cautious, both about buying and recommending.

 

[Dominat0r]

i just sold my sleeks after owning them for like 8 months.

I really enjoyed them, however they did get alittle choke up on music with alot going on.

I upgraded (hasnt arrived yet) to the SE530s...wanted to try a triple driver and see what it was all about.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

I have used mine for a long time now and have not had any problems with them. A lot of people still like the way the SA6s sound, I my self is one. The arrival of their custom in-ears and wireless system has also switched focus a bit.

The shear amount of mid to high end in-ears released over the last half a year makes it hard for a product not to be overshadowed by the new. As far as people go they are always attracted to whats is new and exciting, we as humans are generally curious about new stuff.

On this type of forum it is also very hard to judge whether there is a genuine durability problem since we do not know the general return rate of the product. Maybe Sleek sell 10 or 100 times as many in-ears as some of the other competing brands, and therefore a high number of people with defective units, although the return rate is low (just speculation). This site is also easily recognizable via Google, because Sleek-Audio is a sponsor which of course guides a lot of both happy and unhappy customers to the site.

Wait a month and see if the Phonaks are durable. The way I see it a lot of the Sleeks that die do so because of excessive or overly forceful treble tube changing (this part of the design needs to be redone in my opinion).

I think every set of in-ears has minor build quality issues or design errors, the Klipsch X10s and X5s suffer from the cable falling apart near the entry to the ear piece because it gets pushed against ones ear (deep insertion only though).

 

[tstarn06]

I agree that the ability to change out the treble tubes, while very innovative and cool, is one reason for problems with the SA6. Both of my issues were related (one time, the plastic lip around the tube input fell apart, the other time I could only get sound by pressing on the tube, so it was related to the treble tube again). I waited more than a month, in fact. I had mine about 6 months.

Not sure I agree that all IEMs have minor build/design quality issues, but I could be wrong, of course. I think design and durability are separate aspects of an in-ear, though the former can certainly affect the latter (which I agree might be the cause in the case of the SA6. Too many things to go wrong by virtue of a modular system, with many interchangeable parts). I haven't had any issues with any of my other phones, even the X10s (no cable fraying/cracking, for instance). But I also tend to be very kind to my portable phones.

 

[shigzeo]

i loved their sound - one of my favourites: chalky dry bass that is deep and plentiful but the fit and build quality is poor. the fit is up to an individual but for the price, they have the worst build i have seen: cable that broke was the best part of the unit. also design is too space age and flashy.

the unit is so fragile unfortunately as i loved these badboys for the sound they presented

 

[TheMarchingMule]

1.) fragile cable/housing units

2.) IMO, one of the worst mids I have ever heard

3.) The swappable tubes to alter the treble and/or bass was a one-trick pony

4.) Blurred every instrument together in a claustrophobic soundstage

Of course, at the start they had amazing customer service. Dunno how they're doing now though. I do recall how mine came DOA.

 

[shigzeo]

i have had good contact with sleek though have not needed any fixes at all. they are a very respectable company. i think there are just teething problems.

 

[slwiser]

When I get a good seal the sound is top notch. My problem is my ears I guess and I have issues apparently with any IEM. The wireless unit that I have works great.

 

[musicmind]

I'm still enjoying mine and haven't had any problems. Bass is tight, mids are warm and there isn't any sibilance or harshness up top, though its not rolled off either.
Worst mids you've ever heard? I've actually thought the mids are quite good, and ClieOS who has reviewed almost every IEM has also commented that it has some of the best mids. Guess we all hear differently.
I do think the SA6 storage case could have been a bit more practical though.

 

[epithetless]

epithetless' story: I still revisit my SA6 from time to time, and I still enjoy their sound and modularity, but when one of the plastic ends holding the treble tube simply fell apart while I was changing sleeves (changing sleeves, not even treble tubes), and then my replacement set arrived with loose chrome housing, the SA6 soured a bit for me. Since my IEMs typically function as on-the-go headphones, and I don't want to worry that they'll disintegrate during normal use, I started using other IEMs in transit and keeping my SA6 at home. Thus began the dust-collecting.

I'm still very curious to see what the SA9 will bring to the table, sonically and -- especially -- durability-wise. I truly hope we see some lessons learned and a more physically robust implementation of Sleek's winning modular concept.