[Guyferd]

Hi,
thinking of getting sony cd3k as my next upgrade (from dt880)
I am using corda ha-1 , taralabs ref gen II ic, marantz cd6000OSE
will the sony cd3k fit this setup well?

and how much improvement can I expect from the 880?
the only thing I like about the 880 is that it's very unfatiguing, very airy sound with large soundstage, and very smooth.

Will I be blown away by the cd3k?
Do note I've heard the cd3k but I can't really make up my mind. So those of you who've heard/owned both please help me to make the decision.

Thanks alot. I feel sorry to my wallet now

 

[radrd]

It might help if you say what you don't like about the 880 and what you are looking for in a headphone (in general, like music tastes). That way, if there might be something better than the CD3000 for you out there, people will be more likely to chime in with suggestions. Also, are you wanting a closed or open headphone (as the 880 is neither IIRC)?

 

[ablaze]

guyferd, you're a funny guy

you had the chance to hear both already. in your mind, you should've decided if you'd want to upgrade. if you haven't, why let people decide for you? why should what people tell you matter more than what your OWN EARS have already?

 

[Guyferd]

LOl.. I am 80 percent decided already. Just need a bit more of push to assure 100 percent.

Furthermore, I am afraid that what I heard during the meet may not be what I can expect, considering that it was hooked up to high end gears. So I need to be realistic

, thus the listing of my gears.

Ok radrd,
I mainly listen to pop, alternative rock, and a bit of rock. I don't listen to classical , jazz, chamber and stuffs hee hee..
Open or closed does not matter to me.. I only want 'good' sound

Ok.. perhaps to make it easier. I am looking for hp with sweet midrange, good bass, big soundstage, separation/air ard the instruments, timbral accuracy . That's basically it.

Ok what I think can be improved on the 880: midrange. It's alright but not very sweet and captivating as some out there. Also bass, I feel that 880 is a lil on the lean side. Maybe speed and attack too? on some tracks, they're just plain boring. Makes you wanna sleep.. no 'wow' factor at all..

Thanks

 

[gus_tavo]

Guyfred, I believe the DT880 need's something more than the HA-1. Fred would agree.

Turboroller: The DT880s finally find their soulmate with the MKII, and they bring the lower frequencies to your ears in a most revealing and accurate manner.

 

[Guyferd]

well.. I can't really afford any new amp for now

..

furthermore, the complaint of ha-1 seems to be the harsh hi freq, but I don't really feel so in my case. It's just the overall presentation of the cans..
I don't know. I might need to look for an entirely different cans rather than just getting a slight improvement in sound.

 

[gus_tavo]

hmmm...coincidences. I'm just sent another post that might help. Synergy.

 

[Guyferd]

Quote:

Originally posted by gus_tavo hmmm...coincidences. I'm just sent another post that might help. Synergy.

thanx for the link. It's interesting how the ha-1 mkii matches very well with the dt880..
well perhaps I can ask someone to help me do corda blue mod. Wonder if it will help much to change the ha-1 sound though

 

[gus_tavo]

Good call, I believe instead of jumping for the price of the CD3K, giving the DT880 better power would give a presentation that a lot of selected loaded members here seem to enjoy. Joelongwood's thread is also a good read.

I don't know if it would help but Tina PM'd me about the sound of the Kurt's hot rod mod Corda with the DT880 a few weeks ago. She seem to find that Max'd out Meta42 (AD8620) seems to power the Beyers slightly better than the Corda. But she admitted that the DT880 and the Corda Blue is "awesome" on it's own.

Do tell us what you think!!!

Gus

 

[pbirkett]

This thread has once again got me thinking about the HA-1, and whether its really all that good an amplifier. I have now decided to try my Rotel integrated amplifier again, the last time it was with the 770's but this time it is with the 880's.

Well, I can definetly say that compared to the HA-1, the Rotel (an RA-01) is down right opulent in the bass with the 880's. This thing has bass depth and slam in droves, and it seems just as smooth and detailed to me, the 880's sound a *LOT* more exciting out of the RA-01 than out of the HA-1.

So my question is, is the HA-1 really as good as its hyped up to be? Thats now four sets of headphones (senn HD497, Beyer DT931, 770 and 880) that sound either just as good, or better than the HA-1 out of this integrated amp that was originally cheaper than the HA-1 (but in defence of the Rotel, is a stunning amplifier for the money IMO).

 

[Barradio]

guyferd, PM me your HP.

Can lend you my CD 3000 to hook up with your system and you can audition it to see it suit your setup.

 

[Guyferd]

I don't know..
probably it just really sounds good.. or maybe it has synergy with all your cans?
But I find the corda ha-1 kicks ass in the <300 dollar amp region. They are much better than creek obh-11se, and I prefer them over x-can.
Not sure about others though
compared to a 500 dollar v2, I prefer the v2, but not by 'that' much. V2 has smoother, more engaging sound, and deeper bass.
Still for the price, ha-1 is a good amp with 2 jacks .. very versatile

 

[JaZZ]

Guyferd...

...I second the idea with the Blue mods for your HA-1 instead of a headphone upgrade. I was very happy with what KurtW made out of it, and I'm sure it is an almost ideal match for the DT 880, since the Corda Blue has even slightly stronger bass than the HA-2, which I find to be a dream amp for the DT 880.

If you're feeling the urge to change your headphones later, you have the better basis, and from what I've read I guess the CD3000 wouldn't be an ideal match with the stock HA-1 as well.

 

[shafu]

Right now I have both the DT880 and CD3K next to me (borrowing Macdef's DT880). First impressions are that the two headphones have a pretty distinct difference in the sound and presentation. I've also read about people complaining about the DT880's treble, but for me, it seems quite a bit darker than the CD3K (depending on the recording).

The other thing is, the CD3K sounds wider (more separation between the sounds) while the DT880 sounds more narrow but deeper. This could just be a personal, but also the bass sounds less in control than the CD3K. The DT880 sounds a lot closer to the Sennheiser HD600 from what I remember.

These are just preliminary thoughts so far though. It could change over time...

Listening through my MicroZotl. (It's also up for sale.

)

 

[sacd lover]

I have a set of cd3000's coming (thanks Tom Hankins) and I will be comparing them to the dt 880s on my gilmores in a few days. I have been curious about these for a long time. I need a good closed phone and I just want to hear the cd3000. I almost hope I dont like them (cd3000) but there really arent that many headphones left for me to audition. I have owned almost all the grados new and old, senn hd 580, jvc's, stax etc.. and the sr-225s/ rs-1s and the beyers are my favorites. If the cd3000s end up in this select group that will hopefully be the end

The senn hd650 could be another option but I have not warmed up to the senn sound so far. I will pass my opinion on to you once I have one.