[Trenne]

Got mine a couple of days ago. The fit is a bit loose. They sound good, but I prefer my momentums. Maybe it´s because they are my first open hp´s.
But will give them a couple of hours more to burn in and try again. But considering the price they are really great. So anybody looking for a cheap open headphone that sounds good should look at these. Unfortently I get some hiss when I have these plugged in my magni.

 

[adee147]

I get a hiss too, just in my left ear.. when I'm not playing anything. Though being an electrical engineer, I believe that in my case, its not headphone's fault. Because they can't produce a sound unless they are being fed from AC source. So I'm pretty sure its my laptop, not the headphones

 

[Trenne]

I have the hiss in the right cup. But it´s the same when I try with my razer headset. So the problem lies with the amp or ac.
 These hp´s are sounding better and better. Bass and mids have really opened up now. Was going to buy the Philips x1 from the beginning but now I think I´ll stick with these untill I decide to buy something like the hd650.

 

[DigitalDreams]

  The fit is a bit loose.

Trenne, the loose fit was my only complaint with these cans. I took a look at warrenpchi's post on page 7 for tightening the elastic band and it was a super easy fix. Took me all of about 5 minutes. Made a huge difference. The sit much more securely on my head now. He suggests using a hot awl to make new holes in the elastic but honestly I just used a small phillips screwdriver and punctured new holes in the elastic.

 

[DozerCSX]

Had to add a great story to this thread - I only recently became a newbie headphone audio enthusiast, having a good friend convince me to spring a whopping $60 for a JDS Labs cmoybb headphone amp to mate with my Koss Portapros and portable FLAC player. "I never knew it could be so good" and proceeded to discover the joys of a decent set of cans, amp, and signal.

Soon the bug to escalate bit me, wondering if, in fact, there could be anything even better than my current audio nirvana... so I began searching for that magic set of $50 cans which might outdo my sweet Portapros. I began hitting this site in earnest, trying and maddeningly returning half a dozen inferior headphones (Wicked Epic, Sennheiser HD 205 ii, AKG k511, etc) seemingly resigned to my Koss as The Best There Is under $50...

Then, one day, walking thru my local Frys, I spied an open box, discontinued headphone, obviously last in stock pair of... Pioneer SE-A1000s. I dimly recalled from an earlier reading of this very thread that there might be something to these, and worth a gamble... there was no price on the box, so I asked the manager how much he'd take for 'em - he looked over the beat up box, and said "$25 bucks".

I took them home, plugged them in, spun my go-to HDTracks FLAC cut of Alison Krause and John Waits "Missing You"... and fell out of my chair! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! I listened again, then furiously scrambled through other pristine cuts, revealing long hidden nuances of singers taking breaths, musicians adjusting their chairs, with voices and notes and sounds revealed that were borderline unbelievable. I've never "heard the engineer" so darn obviously before these Pioneers - for $25. I'm stunned and overjoyed

I thought you all might appreciate what I think is the lowest price ever paid for these Pioneers, and the incredible gift they are giving me, which folks on this thread will understand.

 

[Phishin Phool]

Had to add a great story to this thread - I only recently became a newbie headphone audio enthusiast, having a good friend convince me to spring a whopping $60 for a JDS Labs cmoybb headphone amp to mate with my Koss Portapros and portable FLAC player. "I never knew it could be so good" and proceeded to discover the joys of a decent set of cans, amp, and signal.

Soon the bug to escalate bit me, wondering if, in fact, there could be anything even better than my current audio nirvana... so I began searching for that magic set of $50 cans which might outdo my sweet Portapros. I began hitting this site in earnest, trying and maddeningly returning half a dozen inferior headphones (Wicked Epic, Sennheiser HD 205 ii, AKG k511, etc) seemingly resigned to my Koss as The Best There Is under $50...

Then, one day, walking thru my local Frys, I spied an open box, discontinued headphone, obviously last in stock pair of... Pioneer SE-A1000s. I dimly recalled from an earlier reading of this very thread that there might be something to these, and worth a gamble... there was no price on the box, so I asked the manager how much he'd take for 'em - he looked over the beat up box, and said "$25 bucks".

I took them home, plugged them in, spun my go-to HDTracks FLAC cut of Alison Krause and John Waits "Missing You"... and fell out of my chair! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! I listened again, then furiously scrambled through other pristine cuts, revealing long hidden nuances of singers taking breaths, musicians adjusting their chairs, with voices and notes and sounds revealed that were borderline unbelievable. I've never "heard the engineer" so darn obviously before these Pioneers - for $25. I'm stunned and overjoyed

I thought you all might appreciate what I think is the lowest price ever paid for these Pioneers, and the incredible gift they are giving me, which folks on this thread will understand.

I certainly do and Alison Krause is an artist that I frequently listen to with these cans as to me they excel in female vocal timbres.

 

[GearMe]

  I certainly do and Alison Krause is an artist that I frequently listen to with these cans as to me they excel in female vocal timbres.

 
+1 on female vocals (Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Alicia Keys, even some Amy Winehouse)
 
a lot of guys vocals as well (JT, Eagles, even some Sting...Moon Over Bourbon Street live)

 

[DozerCSX]

Greetings - quick update on my earlier post - with about 20 hours on these Pioneers now, I can add a bit more descriptive inputs to the thread.
 
They do complex wave signals well (i.e., lots of instruments and voices) but they really come in to their own with simpler music, primarily comprised of voices and string instruments. To Die for through these cans are Chris Isaak's hidden gem Baja Sessions, practically any track, but in particular "Return To Me" - you can literally hear fingers slide over the guitar strings, and it's like you're standing in the middle of the recording session. VERY few headphones can render Isaak's lower octaves accurately, but these really bring him to life.  Other recommends are Rhonda Vincent's Destination Life, Michael Buble's Christmas (recorded a bit hot, but lively with the harmony tags and upright bass on "Jingle Bells") plus anything from Chanticleer's Let It Snow tracks (best is "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear).  As mentioned before, the airiness of the headphones make these cans killer for live or open studio cuts - alot of "outside the head" sounds get preserved in these Pioneers.
 
Bass is accurate, I wouldn't call it "thin" as it can get up for stronger recordings, but it's more about accuracy than bluster at the low end (unlike Dr. Dre's). I'm listening to see if it gets better/deeper after breakin, but no evidence yet.
 
Mids/vocals are where it shines (as per above).  Highs are interesting - these walk the fine line between accuracy (clear but not engaging), sparkle (think live cymbals) and sizzle (bad, fatiguing). I'd characterize the Pioneers as somewhere between high accuracy and a bit of sparkle, hear everything up high, but not tiring, unless the recording is poor. No sizzle at all.  For some perspective here, compare these Pioneers to their diametric opposite headphones, the closed Sony MDR-V6s, which to my ear fall squarely between sparkle and sizzle, and I just can't wear 'em for any length of time. And Pioneers are "smoothing out" as they break in, which I think makes an even better sound. Overall, I'm quite impressed with the ability of these headphones to render the human voice, both male and female.
 
 
Super comfortable - I've worn them for three hours, and forget I have them on. A bit like a Star Trek Transporter - put 'em on with a great cut, and all of a sudden you're in the middle of a performance somewhere else. Which also fits, since I totally look like a Martian with antennae when wearing these.  My head is a 7 1/2, and these just stay on lightly when I'm sitting in the listening chair. Not for moving around, dedicated listening only...
 
Only drawbacks so far - (1) my JDS Labs cmoyBB v2.03 works great with these, but the 9v rechargeable battery only lasts about two days driving these puppies (vs. a week with any other headphone I've got).  (2) Also, these are so NOT closed headphones - I can't wear 'em late night in bed as they wake up my wife! (3) I look like a martian wearing these, not necessarily a bad thing (apparently martians appreciate great sound).
 
Still, best $25 I've spent, like, EVER.

 

[Muzzy011]

 Actually Shure's one of the go-tos for closed cans as well. The 440, 840, and 940 are kings of their price range.

 
I haven't tried the 940 as yet but I did like the other two. In fact, I think I prefer the 840 over the AKG K550 (which I do quite like)!

What you like more on 840 over k550? Having k550 and liking them, woulbe nice if there is something even better for decent money

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

[Muzzy011]

 Would agree...mine work fine w/E10, Magni, and Bravo Ocean.

What about the soundstage with Fiio E10, is it largely reduced or just slightly? And gererally are amps making SE-A1000 sound much better or the change is not so hearable?

I have FiiO E10 and AUNE X1 MK2.
SE-A1000 sounds good on E10, but bass sounds tighter on aune, from very start. Not more of it, just tighter and better defined.
Maybe its good thing to cut cable short on pioneer (power hole) which might make difference.
Cheers!

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

[HiVLTAGE]

Sennheiser 558 or Pioneer SE-A1000?

 

[actorlife]

BUMP.

 

[actorlife]

Just ordered them. They are on sale: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8370045&CatId=6053

 

[Jo6Pak]

i'm in for a pair. ordered them last night from amazon. of course, today they are a few bucks cheaper (why does that always happen?).  i already own HD650s for tunes duty, so the pioneers will be slated for home theater use. that ~20ft cord will be mighty handy for getting another beer outta the fridge, mid-flick...

 

[Belial88]

  Sennheiser 558 or Pioneer SE-A1000?

I'd like to know the answer to exactly this as well.
 
I've never heard of these headphones, i never see them mentioned at all, and they are only $50. I can't tell if they are open or closed either. I would prefer open. I can't find any information on the sound profile, or comfort of these headphones as well (there's very little comparisons in this thread, yes I've read every page). 

How do these compare to the 558s? And how do they compare to other budget kings like the CAL, V6/7506, 2050, and most important, the 681 EVO (which I just ordered, which is similar/based off the AKG K240, Samson SR850, and superlux 681).
 
Thanks.