I have my new $31 CD780s - compare notes in this thread if you like

[hottyson]

I have done plenty of listening with the Sony MDR-CD780. I like it very much. Note that all of my impressions were made with amplification from a meta42. They may and probably do have very different sound with a lower amplified setup.

I compared the Sony MDR-CD780 side by side to the Sennheiser HD-280pro. The CD780 seems to have a much broader sound stage than the HD-280. I hear more of the music with the HD-280 but of what I do hear with the CD780 it sounds more convincing. It is difficult to fooling ears into believing that there actually is a real musical instrument in your listening space. I have not been able to do this yet but the CD780 comes a little step closer than the HD-280 in regards to music.

Through the Sony MDR-CD780 I particularly noticed that the reverberation so prevalent in Enya’s vocals could sometimes have a high resonant sound like a drop of water landing in a puddle in some large cavern. (Wow, that sentence was way too long.) Through the CD780 this was very clear. Through the HD-280 I could still hear this but the effect was less cavern like. In fact overall music sounded more closed-in through the HD-280. Switching back to the CD780 it seemed that a door had been previously closed had opened up allowing the music to flow without obstruction.

The solid deep bass of the HD-280 is it’s real strong point. This made the HD-280 sound great for movies. I also tried both headphones with Dolby Headphone. The added acoustics of this processing fixed a lot of the HD-280 problems that I had mentioned earlier during music playback. I will still continue to use the HD-280 for music when I have Dolby Headphone in use. Without Dolby Headphone, I will just have to sacrifice deep bass for the more realistic sound of the CD780.

One really big problem that my ears had with the CD780 was with the overbearing highs. This really hurt my ears. On dynamic passages I found myself leaping for the volume knob. I will have to adjust to listening to music at lower sound levels when using the CD780.

Because of comparing these two headphones, I have starting eyeing the Beyerdynamic DT770. I am hoping that it will have some of the realistic sonic characteristics of Sony headphones but with bass surpassing the Sennheiser HD-280. Otherwise I may not achieve relative satisfaction until I get a doobooloo made bass boosted PPA and Sony MDR-CD3000 combination.
-hottyson

 

[puppyslugg]

After reading the manual, there may be a issue as to which cables were sent/received with the mdr cd780. The 780 should come with a OFC litz cable. According to the manual, only the 780 comes with the litz cable. The cables that came with my pair were labeled for cd480. So i'm thinking I got the wrong cable(?). Which may account for some the listening differences noted on this thread.

 

[mxs1030]

I don't think there are any actual differences in sound quality between the cloth cable and the regular cable, its just all in your head

.

I got both cables ( I ordered two, one came with the regular rubber, the other came with cloth ) and they both sound exactly the same to me.

 

[puppyslugg]

Not that much big deal to me, as I was planning making my own cables anyway. I just like get what I paid for. And I do believe an OFC litz cable is better than ordinary cables.

 

[Superbaldguy]

As I type, I'm using the CD780's directly from my MZ-R909 and these can be easily driven from an MD unit. Amazing.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

The team "RBISHE YO!" has overhyped these headphones to the point of insanity. You see, based on my experience and the listening auditions at the Chicago meet this past Saturday, the CD2K, which shares the same basic design but uses different drivers and housings, proved disappointing.

As for the CD780, it may be worth the $31 refurbished price that most of you got it from. But it's a bit overpriced even at the $80 discounted price brand-new. Get over it, Team "RBISHE YO!".

 

[blessingx]

Eagle_Driver it's probably always good to hear the phones you're criticizing, but which comments of these posts have "overhyped these headphones to the point of insanity". It seems most have tempered their comments and often referenced their price. I find them worth their street retail, though nowhere near they MSRP of $200. At $100 (or as you mention $80) they're in 280's, Eggos, SR80/125, V6, etc. territory. Are you saying they're far inferior to these?

If so we definitely disagree.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by blessingx At $100 (or as you mention $80) they're in 280's, Eggos, SR80/125, V6, etc. territory. Are you saying they're far inferior to these? If so we definitely disagree.

Nope, I'm not saying that they're far inferior. In fact, I'd peg their true value at between $60 and $70 new. Which puts them clearly in the V6/SR-60/HD497 class.

 

[blessingx]

Well, here's a vote for the 780's over those three phones (and except for the V6's, which I've owned twice, I'm a fan of each of them).

 

[AlphaHX]

not to start flaming or anything but i would have to agree with Eagle Driver. i was thinking the cd780 was just too good to pass up for 31 bucks so i hopped onto the bandwagon and bought a pair.
i have to say, these a great pair of headphones for 31 bucks. but after reading this thread for the passed couple of weeks, its getting a bit overhyped. i see it being compared to 580s, 600, sr80, sr125, sr225, v6, and so on and so forth.
i own a hd600 and sr225. i have to say it probably does rock better than the 600 and it probably does classical better than the 225 so does that make it a better headphone? imo... no. if im gonna listen to rock, ill pick the 225 anyday over the 780 and if i was going to listen to anything else, ive got my 600. i know everyone is entitled to their own opinion but u guys are just dragging it on and on.
basically we've all got the msg, for 31 bucks the 780 is hard to beat. for the retail price of 80... its considerable based on ur preference but it still may be hard to beat. but basically i say leave the 780 be. this thread will be everlasting for anyone else who comes around looking for a headphone to buy and its now known to be a considerable headphone.
but u guys are making it sound as if the 780 are the best headphones out there... even if thats not ur intention. people get too caught up in the hype so try not to over do it and make people buy headphones just for the sake of being on the bandwagon.
anyways... not to rub it in or anything but i didnt have a refurbished sticker on mine!! mwahaha... no team rbishe yo for me!!
good for the price, great for the bang for the buck but i just like the 600 better. just my 2 cents. those who love it...
happy listening!

 

[Steve999]

(The below quote was taken badly out of context to feed the hype.)

Quote:

Originally posted by AlphaHX i have to say [the CD780] probably does rock better than the 600 and it probably does classical better than the 225...

Seriously, though, if you want to see through the hype, to me, the CD780s are a little bright and the bass goes quite deep but it's a little soft.

Still, you see here that they are being compared to world-class phones and that they are splitting the difference betwen the two, and this from a skeptic. All I can say is: RBISHE YO, baby!!!!!

But oh, those mids, mmmmmmmmm, and the comfort, ahhhhhhhhh....

 

[Earwax]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver Nope, I'm not saying that they're far inferior. In fact, I'd peg their true value at between $60 and $70 new. Which puts them clearly in the V6/SR-60/HD497 class.

Hey! a $70 headphone for $31 ($36 delivered to my door) I'd say that deserves a little hype! (Though it's probably unfair to those who missed the sale to keep bringing it up)

I bought the V6 and the CD780 at nearly the same time, these are my first "good" headphones. The V6 has more solid bass, but the CD780 beats it in most other respects, with a fuller, more natural sound. I'll keep both of them, V6 for portability and isolation, CD780 for everything else.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally posted by AlphaHX not to start flaming or anything but i would have to agree with Eagle Driver. i was thinking the cd780 was just too good to pass up for 31 bucks so i hopped onto the bandwagon and bought a pair. i have to say, these a great pair of headphones for 31 bucks. but after reading this thread for the passed couple of weeks, its getting a bit overhyped. i see it being compared to 580s, 600, sr80, sr125, sr225, v6, and so on and so forth. i own a hd600 and sr225. i have to say it probably does rock better than the 600 and it probably does classical better than the 225 so does that make it a better headphone? imo... no. if im gonna listen to rock, ill pick the 225 anyday over the 780 and if i was going to listen to anything else, ive got my 600. i know everyone is entitled to their own opinion but u guys are just dragging it on and on. basically we've all got the msg, for 31 bucks the 780 is hard to beat. for the retail price of 80... its considerable based on ur preference but it still may be hard to beat. but basically i say leave the 780 be. this thread will be everlasting for anyone else who comes around looking for a headphone to buy and its now known to be a considerable headphone. but u guys are making it sound as if the 780 are the best headphones out there... even if thats not ur intention. people get too caught up in the hype so try not to over do it and make people buy headphones just for the sake of being on the bandwagon. anyways... not to rub it in or anything but i didnt have a refurbished sticker on mine!! mwahaha... no team rbishe yo for me!! good for the price, great for the bang for the buck but i just like the 600 better. just my 2 cents. those who love it...

Okay, I just went back and reread the entire thread. Once again, could someone point me to the specific posts that have over-hyped these phones?

At best I've found one member say they had a similar signature to the CD3000's and that he preferred the CD780's to HD580's (careful to qualify it as "my own personal taste"). I said the CD780's were close enough to the SR225's to satisfy status as secondary fun phones (behind Etys for critical listening and what most people want from the Grados - a dynamic engaging sound). That's about as high as the praises have been. Where has anyone called or implied these are "the best phones that have ever been"? Again I believe they're very good even at their normal street price.

And I doubt too many would be surprised your SR225/HD600 combo (or either individually which both have a significantly higher retail) beats the 780's.

 

[Steve999]

Eagle --

Your point is well-taken, and indeed has merit, although I have been careful to point out the CD780 demerits. However, I must warn you, Team RBISHE YO only welcomes dissent, because it only FEEDS THE HYPE!!!!

FYI, the CD780s go after a CD3000 type sound signature, while FR graphs seem to suggest the CD2000s go after a Senn HD600 type sound signature, so while they may be the same design, sound-wise, the CD780s and CD2000s are likely apples and oranges, IMHO.

The CD580s (Senn HD600 sound signature) and CD780s (Sony CD3000 sound signature) also share this distinction. Get the real McCoy, for much more $$$$, and you may well get more and better.

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver The team "RBISHE YO!" has overhyped these headphones to the point of insanity. You see, based on my experience and the listening auditions at the Chicago meet this past Saturday, the CD2K, which shares the same basic design but uses different drivers and housings, proved disappointing.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Steve999, though the CD780 shares the CD3K sound signature, only to a lesser overall quality than the CD3K, the CD2K IMHO does a mediocre imitation of the Sennheiser HD580/HD600 sound signature. The CD2K's bass is a bit loose and woolly and the treble is a bit harsh and grainy compared to the HD580/HD600.