[daba]

Anyone have their SA5000's balanced? I was thinking about doing this ever since my new balanced HD650's have been outperforming them in every category with the Dynamight.

According to Moon Audio, it's the 'Poor Man's Qualia Killer.' Any experiences?

 

[Vic]

Very interested myself. I did ask the same question several times but never got a reply; hope somebody will this time.
There are certain things I like in the SA5000 and I believe they can be improved even by just changing the cable. ATM they pale on my Supra XLR compared to the balanced HD650, but if they really scale when balanced I would do it.
The problem is that I will have to send them to the US for that, so it must be really worth.

 

[agile_one]

...

Deleted

- wrong thread

 

[grandenigma1]

It doesn't take much to kill the 010 let alone the SA5ks. Though I suppose if you hate bass and really enjoy those earpiercing highs then these might be for you.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandenigma1 It doesn't take much to kill the 010 let alone the SA5ks. Though I suppose if you hate bass and really enjoy those earpiercing highs then these might be for you.

Very YMMVG. The Qualia had some of the best bass I've heard. These headphones are very lote/hate.

 

[daba]

So who actually owns a pair?

 

[Zenja]

Man, you guys always make me rethink my plan about buying an SA5000.

 

[jjcha]

CD44hi used to own one. Yikes also has a balanced SA5k. You should try it - you've got the amp for it.

Tho I will say, if they are a poor man's 010 killer, you'd have to be a very very poor man...

Best,

-Jason

 

[Svperstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenja Man, you guys always make me rethink my plan about buying an SA5000.

Listening to Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here right now on my SA5000s, and I can hear things in the music not present on any other can

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svperstar Listening to Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here right now on my SA5000s, and I can hear things in the music not present on any other can

Any? I'll bet you your SA5000s that that's a porky.

 

[skyline889]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svperstar Listening to Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here right now on my SA5000s, and I can hear things in the music not present on any other can

I heard things I've never heard with other cans too! What was it called...

















Oh yeah, sybillance. Though I must admit, I owned a pair of Black Dragon recabled SA3000s and they weren't half bad. Think Grado SR125 but more refined and of course more expensive.

 

[Svperstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyline889 I heard things I've never heard with other cans too! What was it called... Oh yeah, sybillance. Though I must admit, I owned a pair of Black Dragon recabled SA3000s and they weren't half bad. Think Grado SR125 but more refined and of course more expensive.

Talking about the SA5000s, not 3000s.

BTW your brain doesn't fully develop till you are around 23 years old, so being in High School I don't think you can really have an opinion yet since the sound proccessing center of your brain might not be fully burned in kkthanks.

 

[skyline889]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svperstar Talking about the SA5000s, not 3000s. BTW your brain doesn't fully develop till you are around 23 years old, so being in High School I don't think you can really have an opinion yet since the sound proccessing center of your brain might not be fully burned in kkthanks.

So was I. I just added the bit about the 3000 since I don't feel the entire line is rubbish and they can be improved upon. The bit about your brain not fully developing til you're 23, might be true physically and possibly mentally but not hearing wise. True I might only be 16 however, I have probably owned and auditioned a lot more gear than you have. But yes, you must be correct. I guess I don't know what I'm talking or thinking about and therefore am not entitled to my own opinion.

 

[Yikes]

I rewired my SA5000’s with Siltech G5. Even though my chosen amp is Single Ended I decided to do the rewire as balanced. For two reasons, having end runs does sound better (One positive and one negative per channel) even when using a single ended amp, and I wanted to be able to try all of the balanced amps that everyone raves about.

My first observation about the various balanced amps that I have tried (Most). I haven’t listened to a bad sounding balanced amp. They all tend to be exceptional designs. However it is my belief that they tend to be exceptional because such amplifiers are designed and built to much higher standards than many (Most) SE amps. When I have had my SE amp available to compare with these balanced designs none of them absolutely trounced my amp. Some might have been marginally better, albeit at a much greater cost.

So as with most technical endeavors it is to a great extent the implementation that matters the most, as opposed to the basic technology. My point is that many act as if running “Balanced” is some sort of a panacea; it is not automatically superior to a Single Ended design. I have commissioned a new custom statement amplifier. I have every confidence that it will be an amazing amp. One thing this custom amplifier will not be is balanced.

The SA5000’s are a very polarizing headphone. With many amps the SA5000’s can be over the top. Once rewired with true high quality wire this characteristic is to a large extent ameliorated. Like the 010’s they will show every flaw in the chain. Every chink in the amour is revealed. More than any other headphones the old excuse of “It’s your system that’s at fault” rings true with the SA5000’s. Every experienced Head-Fier (Even those who have disliked stock SA5000’s) has had extremely positive impressions of my rewired SA5000’s.

I prefer my rewired SA5000’s to all other real world headphones; this includes the vaunted 010’s. The 010’s image better, but they have a Honky aspect to the midrange that ruins it for me. I prefer my rewired SA5000’s to the K701’s by a very small degree. I plan on getting a set of K701’s and rewiring them. I believe that the K701’s rewired have a chance at being the very best, but that has yet to be demonstrated.

So in closing; the SA5000’s responds extremely well to rewiring and going balanced.

 

[luidge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svperstar Talking about the SA5000s, not 3000s. BTW your brain doesn't fully develop till you are around 23 years old, so being in High School I don't think you can really have an opinion yet since the sound proccessing center of your brain might not be fully burned in kkthanks.

What the hell are you talking about, anyone who know from facts about what he is talking about is sure to be more on point about a subject, even if he is younger. Go and put a 20 years old history student (wich don't have a fully developed brain) beside a 40 year old man who don't know nothing about history and ask them to debate about the Israeli - Libia conflict and see who is gonna have the edge. So if this 16 year old student audition a lot of headphones i think he might have a good idea of what he is talking about. I am sure that this is not the opinion of everybody who listen to the SA3000-5000 but i believe that is he get them a listen he can tell about his experience. BTW sorry about your weakass theory of the developed brain but i don't think it can goes against the experience one man have.