Pioneer SE-A1000 (Sennheiser HD 650 for $45?)

[imagic]

I just want to share where I am at when it comes to listening to the SE-A1000. Because I am using the Can Opener, I can treat my headphones like a pair of speakers—and that includes programming a crossover and adding a sub. It even allows for "faking" the speaker distance settings, in order to time-align the sub with the headphones.

Anyone care to guess how the SE-A1000 sounds when you add a subwoofer? 

 The fact that the SE-A1000 doesn't attenuate outside sounds at all becomes a huge advantage, and frankly I don't know what else I could want from a listening experience. Applying a crossover to the headphones also helped cut down THD and tightened up the sound.

 

[RoMee]

(IMO) I'm sad to say I no longer have my SE-A1000. I sold it to fund a Q701 purchase. This is one of my worst headphone decision.
The Q701 has better clarity and build but it's so genre specific that no amount of eq can fix it. I'm not saying the Q701 is a bad headphone, it's just not the headphone for me and my music of choice. The SE-A1000 is not as good but it's more enjoyable and works better with more music genre (IMO) 


EDIT: Post 666

 

[Snoozles101]

Hey, fairly long time lurker here, sort of an on and off visitor to head-fi whenever I'm looking at new gear! Very interesting thread, albeit a controversial one... if the price in the UK was a little more in line with the US equivalent then I probably would have taken the plunge without coming here first, but I wanted to see if anyone had any comment about how these phones measure up to either:
 

1. Sennheiser HD555's  (had this for 4 and a bit years before eventually cracking and breaking, was fairly happy with it's performance overall)
2. Takstar HI 2050's  (which I actually ordered a few days ago based on favourable reviews, good bass response and detailing through mids and highs at an attractive price-point, has yet to arrive)

 
The Pioneers interest me because I'm hearing that they have impressive detail especially in the mids (which is something I felt my 555s provided quite well, I have very little experience with other phones though), and a nicely controlled bass that extends fairly deep (I'm more concerned with the quality of the bass than the quantity). I ordered the Takstars after quite a bit of extensive research, what sold me on those was the fairly neutral frequency response, good bass quantity and extension, natural sounding mids and the attractive price, seemingly without skimping on bass quality and detail. I was actually almost tempted to pull the trigger on the Beyer 990 Pro's although they were a bit over my budget, to experiment with a more "engaging" sound signature compared to my old Sennheisers... that is, until I discovered the takstars which actually seemed to compare fairly closely with these Beyers, not just in looks (which I find very attractive btw) but potentially also in terms of sound quality (though a little more neutral). So it seemed like a great choice that would at least provide a satisfying replacement to my 555s without taking a huge risk on more pricey phones.
 
Having bought the Takstars I couldn't help but dig a little deeper lol, and eventually I found that these Pioneers also seem to be good contenders as a replacement for my Senns, and I don't mind doing a slight bit of EQing where it is required if they respond well to it. As long as I can keep the overall presentation fairly close to neutral (for music production with FL Studio for example). It strikes me that the Takstars will require less EQing straight out of the box, but either way I was just wondering if any of you guys had any experience with these 3 phones (or their similar cousins) and could perhaps offer any insight into whether there is any clear winner in terms of overall SQ? Resolution, detail and naturalness is mainly what I'm after, and I wouldn't mind resorting to EQ tweaks to get the most out of the Pioneers if they do in fact beat out the Takstars in other areas.
 
If the Pioneers do offer an advantage over the Takstar HI 2050's then I may consider doing a switch. Really, just as long as either of these two phones match my old Senns, I would be satisfied!
 
Apologies for the long post, I know it's a bit on the lengthy side especially for just asking about a comparison, I do find it hard to be concise when it comes to questions of SQ and such... it's a tricky thing to articulate!

 

[CrystalT]

Mine was $80 clearance.

 

[Me x3]

Quote:

Hey, fairly long time lurker here, sort of an on and off visitor to head-fi whenever I'm looking at new gear! Very interesting thread, albeit a controversial one... if the price in the UK was a little more in line with the US equivalent then I probably would have taken the plunge without coming here first, but I wanted to see if anyone had any comment about how these phones measure up to either:
 

1. Sennheiser HD555's  (had this for 4 and a bit years before eventually cracking and breaking, was fairly happy with it's performance overall)
2. Takstar HI 2050's  (which I actually ordered a few days ago based on favourable reviews, good bass response and detailing through mids and highs at an attractive price-point, has yet to arrive)

 
The Pioneers interest me because I'm hearing that they have impressive detail especially in the mids (which is something I felt my 555s provided quite well, I have very little experience with other phones though), and a nicely controlled bass that extends fairly deep (I'm more concerned with the quality of the bass than the quantity). I ordered the Takstars after quite a bit of extensive research, what sold me on those was the fairly neutral frequency response, good bass quantity and extension, natural sounding mids and the attractive price, seemingly without skimping on bass quality and detail. I was actually almost tempted to pull the trigger on the Beyer 990 Pro's although they were a bit over my budget, to experiment with a more "engaging" sound signature compared to my old Sennheisers... that is, until I discovered the takstars which actually seemed to compare fairly closely with these Beyers, not just in looks (which I find very attractive btw) but potentially also in terms of sound quality (though a little more neutral). So it seemed like a great choice that would at least provide a satisfying replacement to my 555s without taking a huge risk on more pricey phones.
 
Having bought the Takstars I couldn't help but dig a little deeper lol, and eventually I found that these Pioneers also seem to be good contenders as a replacement for my Senns, and I don't mind doing a slight bit of EQing where it is required if they respond well to it. As long as I can keep the overall presentation fairly close to neutral (for music production with FL Studio for example). It strikes me that the Takstars will require less EQing straight out of the box, but either way I was just wondering if any of you guys had any experience with these 3 phones (or their similar cousins) and could perhaps offer any insight into whether there is any clear winner in terms of overall SQ? Resolution, detail and naturalness is mainly what I'm after, and I wouldn't mind resorting to EQ tweaks to get the most out of the Pioneers if they do in fact beat out the Takstars in other areas.
 
If the Pioneers do offer an advantage over the Takstar HI 2050's then I may consider doing a switch. Really, just as long as either of these two phones match my old Senns, I would be satisfied!
 
Apologies for the long post, I know it's a bit on the lengthy side especially for just asking about a comparison, I do find it hard to be concise when it comes to questions of SQ and such... it's a tricky thing to articulate!

 
Well, I have both (Pioneer Se-A1000 and Takstar Hi-2050)

Pioneer Se-A1000 is clearly a superior headphone.

Se-A1000 sounds fuller and more natural, with more impact and a warmer sound signature. Highs are sweet instead of quite cold and bright. Both are detailed headphones, but pioneers are better all-rounders, specially because there is a huge difference in voices reproduction.
Pioneers will sound great most of the times while Takstars improve a lot with really good recordings (audiophile recordings)

Talking about very good/audiophile recordings, out of my Fiio E07K Dac/Amp, I still preffer the Pioneers.

Last but not least, Pioneers are better built in my opinion.

On the other hand, Takstars Hi-2050 are just a little bit more confortable, because your ear hardly touch the driver, and I find its soundstage a little bit more defined (specially with binaural recordings)

Both are really enjoyable, but Pioneers are definately a better sounding headphone to me. I highly reccommend them.

Best Luck!

 

[robakri]

Quote:

 
Well, I have both (Pioneer Se-A1000 and Takstar Hi-2050)

Pioneer Se-A1000 is clearly a superior headphone.

Se-A1000 sounds fuller and more natural, with more impact and a warmer sound signature. Highs are sweet instead of quite cold and bright. Both are detailed headphones, but pioneers are better all-rounders, specially because there is a huge difference in voices reproduction.
Pioneers will sound great most of the times while Takstars improve a lot with really good recordings (audiophile recordings)

Talking about very good/audiophile recordings, out of my Fiio E07K Dac/Amp, I still preffer the Pioneers.

Last but not least, Pioneers are better built in my opinion.

On the other hand, Takstars Hi-2050 are just a little bit more confortable, because your ear hardly touch the driver, and I find its soundstage a little bit more defined (specially with binaural recordings)

Both are really enjoyable, but Pioneers are definately a better sounding headphone to me. I highly reccommend them.

Best Luck!

Wow, you just completely sold me the Pioneer Se-A1000. I have the Hi-2050 and while I think it is a great headphone it suffers from exactly what you describe. Are there any deals in europe that are close to the price in USA for the pioneers?

 

[Snoozles101]

Thanks Me x3 that's exactly the kind of response I was looking for. I really think these two open headphones should be considered and compared against each other a lot more often as they both seem to be unmatched at their current price, not to mention similar in performance.
 
I have to say it is tempting, like robakri I'm in the EU region and the main thing that's putting me off is the price here in the UK compared to the US. Domestically you guys have a great price, but when importing to the UK the shipping actually costs more than the headphone itself, which brings the total to around $106  (as opposed to the original $45, which it is still going for). This is literally the cheapest option I can find anywhere, and I've searched far and wide... so it's a big premium, more than double!
 
(Of course if there is anyone here who wants to sell off their used Pioneers and is willing to ship to the UK, I would gladly pay up to $80 for a pair including shipping. I do wonder how many want to let go of their pair though, but I'd thought I'd put that out there just in case!)
 
Comfort is also a concern here, and for someone with small-ish head the Takstars look like a clear winner here. My Sennheisers were super-comfy so I've been a bit spoiled in that regard, so the comfort is one of the big reasons why I opted for the Takstars. I could mod the Pioneers as shown on the first page but it seems like a bit of a gamble, I'm willing to try it though and ideally I'd want to compare these headphones for myself, if I can justify that significant price difference.
 
Having said all that, I may save up for a few weeks and take the plunge as I'm just too damn curious... they definitely sound closer to the sound I want - smooth yet detailed, not too overbearing on the highs, but I am skeptical that they would be worth paying almost double the price of the Takstar (in my case) to get that little bit more quality. Is it really worth almost double the price of the Takstars? If I can achieve a very similar sound through EQing the Takstars to sound a little closer to these Pioneers (lets say by taming the highs a little and adding a touch more warmth), I may have to give these a miss for the time being, at least until the price drops a little over here. Have you tried EQing the Takstars like this Me x3? It seems to me that the main difference between these two phones sonically is the slightly brighter highs on the Takstars, which make them sound a little more unforgiving in comparison, as you implied.
 
I guess what I'm asking is, is there a significant difference between these two after some careful tweaking of the EQ to get a Pioneer-esque sound signature?
 
I think it would be something worth trying, especially for those of us who can't immediately get our hands on the Pioneers for the same price as the Takstars. Both drivers seem very comparable in terms of quality and detail overall from what I've read, so I'm quite confident that something like this can be done with good results, despite their differences. It's something I'm going to attempt to do myself, though it would be far easier if I already owned both so I could switch between them while adjusting the EQ to match. Just wondering if you've attempted to do this yourself, though I know playing around with EQs is not for everyone!
 
One last thing... if you could expand upon what you said here, about voice reproduction, it would be much appreciated:
"Both are detailed headphones, but pioneers are better all-rounders, specially because there is a huge difference in voices reproduction."
 
I've head the quality of the midrange in the Takstars is also one of it's stronger points, would you say this is more of a difference in frequency response where the Pioneers sound decidedly more lush out of the box?
 
Cheers!

 

[bhazard]

Quote:

Thanks Me x3 that's exactly the kind of response I was looking for. I really think these two open headphones should be considered and compared against each other a lot more often as they both seem to be unmatched at their current price, not to mention similar in performance.
 
I have to say it is tempting, like robakri I'm in the EU region and the main thing that's putting me off is the price here in the UK compared to the US. Domestically you guys have a great price, but when importing to the UK the shipping actually costs more than the headphone itself, which brings the total to around $106  (as opposed to the original $45, which it is still going for). This is literally the cheapest option I can find anywhere, and I've searched far and wide... so it's a big premium, more than double!
 
(Of course if there is anyone here who wants to sell off their used Pioneers and is willing to ship to the UK, I would gladly pay up to $80 for a pair including shipping. I do wonder how many want to let go of their pair though, but I'd thought I'd put that out there just in case!)
 
Comfort is also a concern here, and for someone with small-ish head the Takstars look like a clear winner here. My Sennheisers were super-comfy so I've been a bit spoiled in that regard, so the comfort is one of the big reasons why I opted for the Takstars. I could mod the Pioneers as shown on the first page but it seems like a bit of a gamble, I'm willing to try it though and ideally I'd want to compare these headphones for myself, if I can justify that significant price difference.
 
Having said all that, I may save up for a few weeks and take the plunge as I'm just too damn curious... they definitely sound closer to the sound I want - smooth yet detailed, not too overbearing on the highs, but I am skeptical that they would be worth paying almost double the price of the Takstar (in my case) to get that little bit more quality. Is it really worth almost double the price of the Takstars? If I can achieve a very similar sound through EQing the Takstars to sound a little closer to these Pioneers (lets say by taming the highs a little and adding a touch more warmth), I may have to give these a miss for the time being, at least until the price drops a little over here. Have you tried EQing the Takstars like this Me x3? It seems to me that the main difference between these two phones sonically is the slightly brighter highs on the Takstars, which make them sound a little more unforgiving in comparison, as you implied.
 
I guess what I'm asking is, is there a significant difference between these two after some careful tweaking of the EQ to get a Pioneer-esque sound signature?
 
I think it would be something worth trying, especially for those of us who can't immediately get our hands on the Pioneers for the same price as the Takstars. Both drivers seem very comparable in terms of quality and detail overall from what I've read, so I'm quite confident that something like this can be done with good results, despite their differences. It's something I'm going to attempt to do myself, though it would be far easier if I already owned both so I could switch between them while adjusting the EQ to match. Just wondering if you've attempted to do this yourself, though I know playing around with EQs is not for everyone!
 
One last thing... if you could expand upon what you said here, about voice reproduction, it would be much appreciated:
"Both are detailed headphones, but pioneers are better all-rounders, specially because there is a huge difference in voices reproduction."
 
I've head the quality of the midrange in the Takstars is also one of it's stronger points, would you say this is more of a difference in frequency response where the Pioneers sound decidedly more lush out of the box?
 
Cheers!

 
Actually, the Pioneers are not better all-rounders at all. I do not have the 2050, but I do have the Pro 80 (Gemini HSR-1000) and the Superlux 681 Evo, and both of them are superior headphones for less money.
 
The Pioneers only do one thing well, which is in its imaging and soundstage. The mid highs and highs are bright, mid bass is slightly muddy, and bass under 50hz is non existant. The Superlux is semi open and comes the closest soundstage wise, but has a better, crisp, more neutral signature, with a lot more bass.
 
If you want an all-rounder, the Pioneer is not what you are looking for.

 

[Snoozles101]

Quote:

 
Actually, the Pioneers are not better all-rounders at all. I do not have the 2050, but I do have the Pro 80 (Gemini HSR-1000) and the Superlux 681 Evo, and both of them are superior headphones for less money.
 
The Pioneers only do one thing well, which is in its imaging and soundstage. The mid highs and highs are bright, mid bass is slightly muddy, and bass under 50hz is non existant. The Superlux is semi open and comes the closest soundstage wise, but has a better, crisp, more neutral signature, with a lot more bass.
 
If you want an all-rounder, the Pioneer is not what you are looking for.

Just goes to show you how subjective this whole business is... cheers for your input. If I happen across a better price for the Pioneers I may snap them up for the sake of direct comparison, but I do have a feeling the 2050s will do what I want them to do without much fuss. It's good to hear from people who own both, seems to me so far that the Pioneers are not necessarily the obvious choice between the two when talking about sound quality in general. Also, frequency response out of the box for me is less critical than how well the headphone responds to EQing in order to sound their best. Obviously it's better to have something sound more balanced by default, and even then that seems to be subject to individual preferences. As long as the Takstars are detailed with good imaging and soundstage, and at least match the Pioneers (and the Sennheiser HD 555s) in those areas, it seems that it makes more sense to stick with my current choice given the price situation.
 
I'll give my impressions of the Takstars when I get them, which should be in 2 days! Anyone else who has listened to both is welcome to chime in.

 

[Me x3]

Sometimes I prefer to equalize my Hi-2050 with the Fiio E07K EQ.
Bass (+2)
Treble (-2)

Everything I've said about the headphone was, of course, about the headphone without equalization.

I'm from Argentina, and I've paid about 60 dollars for my Takstars Hi-2050 and about 110 dollars for my Pioneers. I think if you want a better sounding headphone, twice the price at this price point (under 120) is ok. Do Pioneers sound twice as good as Takstars? Of course not. But this is the world that we live in. Do Beyerdynamics Tesla T1 sound 4 times better than DT880 Premium? Or do Stax Sr009 sound 3 times better than Sennheisers HD800? I think objectively talking the answer is always of course not. But most of us would often pay for them to get that extra refinement.

I've never compared (A/B) my Takstars with equalization to the Pioneers without equalization. I will compare them in a moment. Then I'll write here about how they compare and expand what I've said about voices reproduction.

(Sorry if my english is not perfect.)

 

[Snoozles101]

Awesome, that would be great if you could compare. I will be using my PC with a fairly 'accurate' multiband EQ in order to get the most refinement out of my Takstars if that's what they need. I also have a J3 media player which has a very good EQ albeit it only 6 bands, so not as controllable as on the PC. I think the Fiio provides a 3 band EQ so it only has basic control, but still worth comparing the results to an unequalized Pioneer I reckon.
 
I found a Japanese headphone review website that includes their own frequency response graphs for both the Pioneer SE-A1000 and the Takstar HI 2050.
Not sure how accurate they are but it's interesting to open them in two different tabs and compare them:
 
http://www.geocities.jp/ryumatsuba/se-a1000_f.gif
http://www.geocities.jp/ryumatsuba/hi2050_f.gif
 
Referring to this while doing some more fine EQing would make it easier to know what to aim for if you like the Pioneer's sound out of the box.
Interestingly the graph would suggest that the Takstar is actually "warmer" from 100Hz and up through the mids. It also has a 2-3KHz boost that is absent in the Pioneer, which may give it a slightly "harsher" sound out of the box. Lastly the Pioneer seems more rolled off in the post 10KHz range than the Takstar, while also being slightly less "bright" overall.
 
BTW, your english is just fine

 

[Me x3]

Here's the comparisson:
 

Comparisson (Best bang for the buck) : Pioneer Se-A1000 vs Takstar Hi-2050!!

http://www.head-fi.org/t/677868/comparisson-best-bang-for-the-buck-pioneer-se-a1000-vs-takstar-hi-2050
 
 
Best Luck!

 

[Snoozles101]

Well... I caved...

 
Decided to order a pair of these Pioneers to compare with the Takstar HI 2050s (which are still on the way).
This will be the first time I've ordered two headphones at once so I'm a little nervous, but I feel that I needed to jump for it in order make the most informed choice I could... at least that's what I'm telling myself right now
 
Couldn't find anything cheaper than just under £70 ($109) by the way, in case anyone else from the UK is wondering. If you're in Germany I noticed you get a slightly better deal, but the prices in the US are by far the best bang for the buck.
 
I don't plan on keeping both - I'll do a lot of listening with these two and give each of them time to really show their character. Chances are I'll enjoy both, but I can only afford to hold on to one.
I'll make sure to post my impressions in this thread, maybe also in the comparison thread above!
 
I'm coming from a solid 4 years of Sennheiser HD555s that I really enjoyed overall, so that will probably factor in to my opinions of these two headphones.
 
I'll check back soon... cheers!

 

[shirazir]

Just pulled the trigger on these! I'm a massive noob when it comes to headphones and I've only ever owned cheapo phones in the past so I'm excited to see just how awesome some quality phones will sound.

Not sure about you guys but I mainly listen at home on my desktop so the open design and long cord are a huge bonus. Currently, I'm running my speakers off of an Onkyo receiver so I'm thinking (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that plugging into that would afford me better sound than my computer's onboard audio.

Also, being a bit small headed, I'll likely have to mod the phones as per the guide in this thread. I was also thinking about making the cable removable so if there's a guide for that somewhere, please do share.

All in all, I'm super happy I checked out Head-Fi before buying the SR80s I was eyeing up as people have said these are a class above. Anyhow, glad to be a member here and looking forward to learning a lot from you lads!

Cheers!

 

[GearMe]

Congratulations!  I think you'll be very pleased with these as your new 'go-to' headphones. 
 
From my view, I would much rather have the Pioneers than the Grados if I had to choose between them and I have a pair of the SR60's (which I actually like better than the 80's).   
 
That said, a year from now you'll probably have 5 to 10 sets of headphones, a few iems, and a dedicated headphone amp (or two)...sorry about your wallet!