Mercuttio
Key Conspirator in the Quest to Murder Music
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Posts
- 5,803
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- 154
The first time I heard a pair of SA5000, I hated them. Pulled them off my ears right away and said "That's not how I want my music to sound."
A little while later, I got CPads for my MS2i. A not-so-subtle change in sound occured there, and I think somehow it changed my actual listening preferences. My HD650 ended up sharing a lot of time with the CPadded MS2i because I started becoming very interested in a brighter, faster performance to compliment the dark bassy 650.
So, fast forward a month or so to Saturday night, when I heard jjcha's SA5K again. Oddly, I didn't hate them anymore. In fact, of all the headphones there (and jjcha's literally a freaking LIBRARY of headphones) they ended up on my head over and over again. The nice guy he is, he let me borrow his pair.
While they are indeed somewhat fatiguing (sp?) they really haven't left my head that often. I cannot get over how dynamic and graceful they can be. At times, they simply vanish all-together, leaving just this quick airy sound that seems to just float near my head. I can't describe it. Swapping back to the Grados, I can find more of a warm tasty midrange, but the higher end of the SA5K and accurate mids somehow trump this. I don't know how or why. Vocalists, in particular females, are heart-breakingly beautiful sounding.
Most of all, Piano music is stunning. I've listened to all of my piano music several times over. It is absolutely perfect. If I somehow forgot I had headphones on and had my eyes closed, I'd think there was a piano in the room.
Oddly, I don't find them unpleasant out of my 5G iPod, unamped. Certainly nothing NEAR what they do out of a proper amp, but actually fairly listenable. Hearing differences in source / amp is unbelievably easy with the SA5K. They're quite senitive.
One thing I hate though: the cable. Every single time it brushes on something, SUCH a racket.
I just don't understand how this happened. I could actually see the SA5K sharing equal ear-time with my HD650... how's that for yin and yang headphones?
A little while later, I got CPads for my MS2i. A not-so-subtle change in sound occured there, and I think somehow it changed my actual listening preferences. My HD650 ended up sharing a lot of time with the CPadded MS2i because I started becoming very interested in a brighter, faster performance to compliment the dark bassy 650.
So, fast forward a month or so to Saturday night, when I heard jjcha's SA5K again. Oddly, I didn't hate them anymore. In fact, of all the headphones there (and jjcha's literally a freaking LIBRARY of headphones) they ended up on my head over and over again. The nice guy he is, he let me borrow his pair.
While they are indeed somewhat fatiguing (sp?) they really haven't left my head that often. I cannot get over how dynamic and graceful they can be. At times, they simply vanish all-together, leaving just this quick airy sound that seems to just float near my head. I can't describe it. Swapping back to the Grados, I can find more of a warm tasty midrange, but the higher end of the SA5K and accurate mids somehow trump this. I don't know how or why. Vocalists, in particular females, are heart-breakingly beautiful sounding.
Most of all, Piano music is stunning. I've listened to all of my piano music several times over. It is absolutely perfect. If I somehow forgot I had headphones on and had my eyes closed, I'd think there was a piano in the room.
Oddly, I don't find them unpleasant out of my 5G iPod, unamped. Certainly nothing NEAR what they do out of a proper amp, but actually fairly listenable. Hearing differences in source / amp is unbelievably easy with the SA5K. They're quite senitive.
One thing I hate though: the cable. Every single time it brushes on something, SUCH a racket.
I just don't understand how this happened. I could actually see the SA5K sharing equal ear-time with my HD650... how's that for yin and yang headphones?