Open high impedance headphones (Sony preferred)?

[ruthieandjohn]

I have a great portable chain of all-Sony components... ZX1 -> PHA3 -> Z7 or XBA Z5. To complement the closed Z7 headphones, I am looking for a pair of open headphones, Sony in particular, since Sony does so well with Sony.

The problem is that the output impedance of the PHA-3 is high... 10 ohms. That means that the input impedance of the headphones needs to be well above that, at least 40 ohms and preferably over 80 ohms.

The only open HD quality Sony headphones that I know of are the (discontinued) MDR-MA900, but they have a 12 ohm input, way too low.

Sony has SOOOO many headphones, they must have a high-quality open model with a high input impedance.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

 

[Music Alchemist]

High impedance open-back Sony, eh? Check out the MDR-SA5000, MDR-SA3000, and/or MDR-SA1000.

(I'm assuming you aren't willing to go for the very pricey and legendary Qualia 010.)

They're out of production, so be prepared to do some searching, and bear in mind that they may not come close to the performance of the better headphones you already have, such as the HD 800 and HE1000.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

@Music Alchemist thanks for the great leads. You must really know your Sony headphones, as I have found it quite hard to search either their site or this one for the combination of high impedance and open back. Thanks!

And the first Qualia’s I found were red and black, my favorite combination of colors and as I had my Sennheiser HDVD800 and HD800 colored. They were sold five years ago, and another ad had starting procemof $4,900, so they must be rare and special.

Now on to explore the MDR-SA series...

 

[Music Alchemist]

hehe. I remember when I met you and everything (from your clothes to your car to your audio gear) had the same color scheme.

(Those are also my two favorite colors. Not sure if I told you then...though I do prefer deeper red.)

Funny thing: I ordered an SA3000 from Walmart.com for a great price...but it turned out to just be an inventory glitch, so they refunded me.

The SA series is rare nowadays so you'll probably have to pay a premium for it unless you go with the cheapest model.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Red and Black? Who, ME????