[taymat]

If you don't know what's wrong then you can't hear what's right. Perhaps the testers fit this phrase, as some of them appear to be little kids that don't know any better. I can't read Swedish so I don't know how much of a part they played in analysing these headphones, but I bet they don't care about sound quality. I mean when I was that age £10 was a lot of money and just listening to my own music was a treat!

 

[Richard Martin]

OMG!! Eriksson! Please post translation of Pioneer SE A1000! I have tried about 6 phones to replace the unit supplied with the Pioneer SE XB1 Wireless Surround system, but none have been able to compare in terms of airiness and detail [Beyer DT 860, Senn 595, A-T DCL3000, etc.). Problem is the supplied cans tend to crack up at max volume, and max volume is needed for some sad reason (a common complaint on the Pioneer surround units). THESE MIGHT BE THE ONES! THANK YOU!

 

[Rodent]

sry, wrong

 

[eriksson]

Pioneer SE-A1000

Pioneer has mostly been producing DJ headphones to match their sophisticated DJ-CD players. It was a real surprise when we got hold of the retro-hip SE A-1000, a magnificent can with big comfy and airy earpads that fit better than any of the other cans in this test. Though we do wonder what the 6 meter cord is for.

Mighty muscle
The Pioneer headphone does remind us a lot of the Philips HP1000: the same saturated ring, same warmth and the same firm grip of the music. Pioneer is a bit more sharp cut in the top and also gives more body to the sound together with the beefy bass bottom. The can also plays straighter towards the listener and really broadens the stereo pictures tighter upon the ears. Together with the high sensitivity (really 2-3 dB higher even though a lower specification) the Pioneer mangles the listener with more sound than the Philips. A wonderfully generous and determined can that plays in the same division as Philips HP1000. Pioneers higher sensitivity is also a extra plus.

 

[Daroid]

EDIT: Hehe

Looks like he was still awake.... Ignore this post.

----
It's late over here, so Eriksson probably won't see your post before tomorrow. I'll give it a whirl.

Pioneer SE-A1000

Pioneer has mostly focused on making DJ headphones to accomplish their sophisticated DJ-CD players. We were of course surprised and excited about this new retro-stylish SE-A1000, a large headphone with wonderfully large, fluffy ear pads that fits great on the head (and ears), greater than any other of the included headphones in this review/test. But we don't understand why you'll need a cable length of 6 m.

Big muscles
Unexpectedly, the Pioneer headphone reminds (us) very much of the Philips HP1000: Same full sound, same warmth, and the same hard grip and handling of the music. The pioneer is less grainy in the treble (or emphasized), and even adds more body to the sound together with a more muscular deep bass. The headphone is upfront, and spreads the soundstage/stereo image wider and get's closer to the ears. Together with the higher sensitivity (actually 2-3 dB higher than specified) the Pioneer (?manglar? - could be "brings") more sound to the listener compared to the Philips. A wonderful, generous and decisive headphone that is in the same class as the Philips HP-1000. The higher sensitivity of the SE-A1000 is another plus.

Price: 1500 SKr
Type: Open, Dynamic
Sensitivity: 102 dB (1.5W max)
Impedance: 45 Ohm
Weight: 280 g (w/o cable)
1/8" jack: Yes
Cable length: 6 m
Info: Pioneer Scandinavia AB, www. pioneer.se

Sound, Hifi: 8/10
Sound, Music: 9/10
Comfort: 10/10
Sensitivity: 10/10
Bang-for-the-buck value: 10/10

 

[bigears]

Any Generous Soul with Swedish know-how...
can translate the says of the Beyer Dt880 ?

Many thanks in advance

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

At least we now know that the Bose Triport is every bit the equal of the HD600...

Tonight I can sleep soundly with this knowledge...

 

[PeterR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eriksson If there's anything specific you want translated, just ask Daroid: Yes, thats correct..

If it's not too much trouble, just the gist of what they had to say about the SA5000 would be great...
They seem to differentiate between "hifi sound" and "music sound"? What are they listening to if not music

?

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver That magazine review is biased, generally favouring the mass-market electronics brands like Philips and Sony over the more specialised brands like Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic. Moreover, they felt that the mid-range Senns like the HD 555 and the HD 595 didn't sound any better, and sometimes sounded worse, than some of the cheap full-sized Sonys like the MDR-XD400 - at least on their testing rig.

Very well said.

Quote:

Most of us knew better than that. Huh?

So it appears.

 

[Azure]

Why did the Bose Triports get such a high rating? I thought Bose was supposed to suck when it came to headphones? Are they actually good?

 

[bigears]

With the help of our Swedish Headfiers and some nice Hosters...

I made a table with the headphones with the most data,
both in description and in number of criteria of the review.


The Swedish headphones prices are way overpriced,

must be list prices...

Just for a example, in Europe:
the Sennheiser HD650 can be had at 260 €uros (not 496 €),
the Beyerdynamic DT880 at 200 €uros (not 329 €),
and Philips SBC HP1000 at 93 €uros (not 143 €).

I think can be found headphone prices 40% lower or more that those Swedish prices ...



See [size=medium]post number 43[/size] with the edited table of the headphone review.

 

[RMgX]

For sure you'll only get those prices if you go to the most expensive audio/video dealers in Sweden, if they had bothered to do a search on pricerunner ( swedish pricesearch site ) they would have gotten way different prices, if they had checked US and german prices also it would have been even more different.

 

[Richard Martin]

Thanks for the Pioneer translation, fellas! I ordered a pair from AudioCubes. Does anyone think it's very strange no one has posted about headphones as highly rated as the Pioneer SE A1000?

If they're as good as this mag suggests, then they're a steal at $139 US.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

As I looked over the table above, I've noticed the compression of the results with unamped portable/computer sources compared to the results with hi-fi sources. For the most part, the rankings of the headphones remain constant with both types of sources. But notice that no headphone in that group received a 10 unamped - nor did any receive a rating lower than a 6 in such an application. In hi-fi apps, however, one headphone (Technics RP-DH1200) received a rather poor rating of 4 (it was tied for lowest in portable apps, with a rating of 6) - while another (Sony MDR-SA5000) got a 10 in hi-fi apps (but is not one of the very best with less-than-stellar sources).

Quite a few of these high-end headphones (for example, the Sony MDR-SA#### series) will never be officially distributed in North America (or at least their makers have no current plans to do so). You see, headphone owners in North America (US and Canada) are far less likely to use headphones with full-sized home hi-fi equipment (most hi-fi owners use only loudspeakers with such equipment over here) compared to headphone owners in Europe. And headphone owners in North America are much more likely than European headphone owners to restrict headphone use to unamped portable equipment.

 

[Daroid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigears Any Generous Soul with Swedish know-how... can translate the says of the Beyer Dt880 ? Many thanks in advance

DT531's elder/big brother DT880 looks nearly like a closed back headphone, but in fact, it is called semi-open: The sound is slightly more distant and more integrated and connected than with the cheaper headphone.

Brilliant Perfectionist
Even though they are in family and have a something in common, the DT880 has a completely different grasp/hold of the bass and a significant better resolution. The treble has another special point about it and has sharper details, yes in fact it is on par with some electrostatic headphones, since they both share this "golden-ness" and freshness.
In all areas this is an impressive headphone which we know has a lot of fans/supporters. Furthermore, the DT880 is a headphone which is also appreciated by people who like classical/accoustical music, because the DT880 is experienced as a headphone that is well balanced/rounded and clear/polite. Here you won't find the upfront type of sound that you can find in Philips, Pioneer or the different Sony headphones. In this regard, the cheaper Beyer headphone and our old reference, the Sennheiser HD580 are more alive.