It seems like a false positive. There is a form to submit false positives here.
SASH Deux & Tres; impressive planars from Ukraine
- Thread starter Roderick
- Start date
thrillmetoo
100+ Head-Fier
I reported it. Thanks for the tip. For the time being I'll ignore the warning.
Blame Russia - Bitdefender has no issues with the site btw.
phthora
Headphoneus Supremus
After about a week with the SASH Tres SE, I'm comfortable declaring them the best headphones I've heard under $1300. To my ears, the HiFiMan Arya and Audeze LCD-XC, which clock in new right at that price, both offer a step up in sound quality. But the Tres SE beats everything else I've heard, and that's quite a few at this point, below that price. I got my Tres SE upgraded to Zebrano wood and had to pay two sets of processing fees through Wise, but still got them for $554. Frankly, that should embarrass a lot of other headphone manufacturers out there. These truly are giant killers without flaw when it comes to sound.
If I had to get nitpicky, there are a few things I'd like to see improved. First, I wish they came with a case. The copious bubble wrap got them to my door from Ukraine just fine, so you probably don't need to worry about damage in transit. But, the headphones have an usually wide resting stance, so finding a case is going to take some effort. (If anyone has a case to recommend, I'd really appreciate it.) The second and last thing is that the gimbles don't move to tilt the cups towards the head above and below the ears. Maybe it's not supposed to tilt like that, but the included Allen wrenches sort of suggest differently. As it turns out, the tilt is not needed to fit my particular head, so no big deal. The clamp is high on my pretty large head (that's pretty AND large, by the way), but not bothersome. I'd still like to ease it up a little though because I find it makes the bass a touch warmer when I manually ease up the clamp. Oh well. Perhaps in time that will loosen up naturally.
As far as the sound goes, it's very well-balanced leaning towards neutral bright. There is some extra presence in the treble, but it is well controlled and displays no audible glare, hashiness, or ringing. Both mids and treble sound clean and vibrant, not sterile, not dry, more like energetic and rich. Electric guitars sound killer here, detailed and lively. Vocals aren't the star here, but there is no sibilance or honk to them, just they aren't as forward in the mix. Cymbals cut through everything, but don't sizzle or splash too much. Just crisp. Bass doesn't have a ton of bloom, but is instead precise and controlled. You'll hear the bass notes with clear impact, but they don't linger. Again, bass becomes a bit more natural and present with the clamp eased up a bit, so YMMV. Bass responds to EQ alarmingly well. My standard bass boost proved surprisingly to be far too much. With even a couple db it becomes clear that bass impact and detail are real standouts here, blending the best features of planar bass with dynamic driver bass. Soundstage is fairly average for an open background, but separation and layering and lack of compression make up for that IMO.
The closest comparison I can think of is the Focal Clear OG. Similar tonal balance, but the Clear pulls ahead in soundstage and airiness. On the other hand, the SE isn't as bright and tinkling in the treble, doesn't have the slight honk to the upper mids, and has more detailed bass. I'd consider the two roughly even overall, coming down to personal preference. Give the SE about a 3 db shelf below 60 hz though and it wins for all but soundstage.
To sum up, the SASH Tres SE is easily the best all-rounder under $1k and competes with gear around $1300. That is insanely impressive.
If I had to get nitpicky, there are a few things I'd like to see improved. First, I wish they came with a case. The copious bubble wrap got them to my door from Ukraine just fine, so you probably don't need to worry about damage in transit. But, the headphones have an usually wide resting stance, so finding a case is going to take some effort. (If anyone has a case to recommend, I'd really appreciate it.) The second and last thing is that the gimbles don't move to tilt the cups towards the head above and below the ears. Maybe it's not supposed to tilt like that, but the included Allen wrenches sort of suggest differently. As it turns out, the tilt is not needed to fit my particular head, so no big deal. The clamp is high on my pretty large head (that's pretty AND large, by the way), but not bothersome. I'd still like to ease it up a little though because I find it makes the bass a touch warmer when I manually ease up the clamp. Oh well. Perhaps in time that will loosen up naturally.
As far as the sound goes, it's very well-balanced leaning towards neutral bright. There is some extra presence in the treble, but it is well controlled and displays no audible glare, hashiness, or ringing. Both mids and treble sound clean and vibrant, not sterile, not dry, more like energetic and rich. Electric guitars sound killer here, detailed and lively. Vocals aren't the star here, but there is no sibilance or honk to them, just they aren't as forward in the mix. Cymbals cut through everything, but don't sizzle or splash too much. Just crisp. Bass doesn't have a ton of bloom, but is instead precise and controlled. You'll hear the bass notes with clear impact, but they don't linger. Again, bass becomes a bit more natural and present with the clamp eased up a bit, so YMMV. Bass responds to EQ alarmingly well. My standard bass boost proved surprisingly to be far too much. With even a couple db it becomes clear that bass impact and detail are real standouts here, blending the best features of planar bass with dynamic driver bass. Soundstage is fairly average for an open background, but separation and layering and lack of compression make up for that IMO.
The closest comparison I can think of is the Focal Clear OG. Similar tonal balance, but the Clear pulls ahead in soundstage and airiness. On the other hand, the SE isn't as bright and tinkling in the treble, doesn't have the slight honk to the upper mids, and has more detailed bass. I'd consider the two roughly even overall, coming down to personal preference. Give the SE about a 3 db shelf below 60 hz though and it wins for all but soundstage.
To sum up, the SASH Tres SE is easily the best all-rounder under $1k and competes with gear around $1300. That is insanely impressive.
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Thomasr
500+ Head-Fier
I assume Sasha is still offering the option of a wooden box when you order? I decided against the box when I bought my Tres 45, and at some point I'm going to build a display case style stand for them - they're good enough to deserve it.
Funny ... on the 45ohm I feel like vocals (especially male vocals) are quite forward sounding in a way that reminds me of my Senny 660S.
Yes it's crazy how much you can push the bass on the 45ohm and they just maintain their effortless character and deliver with precision. After getting to know them, I think part of what I'm hearing is a modest plateau/resonance in the mid-bass region around 80-120hz, but it's delivered with such a delicious layer of harmonics that its impossible to find it annoying.
Pandasdontfly
New Head-Fier
Sadly when I ordered mine he said that he was not offering the boxes right now
phthora
Headphoneus Supremus
A wooden box is great for at-home display, but hauling it back and forth to work just wouldn't be practical. It would be one more thing to worry about getting damaged in the transit.
Gothrocker
New Head-Fier
Hello, first time poster here. I decided to get the Tres SE after lurking this thread for a couple of weeks. While I wait I'd like to move on from my Fiio K3 to something that will pair nicely with the Tres.
Read/watched a bunch of reviews and right now I'm looking at the SMSL D-6s for the DAC and the Topping A30 Pro or L50 for the amp. You guys think this will be a good combo for the Tres? Looking at these specifically, because they have enough inputs and outputs to accommodate input from both my PC and turntable, as well as output for a speaker amp, since I also want to get a pair of bookshelf speakers for them and an amp (maybe the PA5 II, not sure). Located in Europe as well, so I can't get JDS Labs stuff. I'm also avoiding Schiit, because the Magni I ordered died after literally a few hours of use.
Any advice is appreciated.
Read/watched a bunch of reviews and right now I'm looking at the SMSL D-6s for the DAC and the Topping A30 Pro or L50 for the amp. You guys think this will be a good combo for the Tres? Looking at these specifically, because they have enough inputs and outputs to accommodate input from both my PC and turntable, as well as output for a speaker amp, since I also want to get a pair of bookshelf speakers for them and an amp (maybe the PA5 II, not sure). Located in Europe as well, so I can't get JDS Labs stuff. I'm also avoiding Schiit, because the Magni I ordered died after literally a few hours of use.
Any advice is appreciated.
Alexsan
Head-Fier
Hi!
I think this is a very good combo. A30 Pro will easily push Sash Tres SE on medium gain.
fidgeraldo
Headphoneus Supremus
I will have to defend the honour of Magni
. I have one, and it has served me well since day one. What about a warranty?
Are there any particular things before ordering SASH...what's the difference between the three models, soundwise?
I will make a pre-order for one in March...
Cheers!
Thomasr
500+ Head-Fier
I have no complaints with my SMSL DO200mk2 / HO200 stack. Sounds sublime driving my Tres 45.
I'm happy with Schiit Jotunheim 2 Multibit.
fidgeraldo
Headphoneus Supremus
Hmm, or still not...yetI am happy with...I placed an order for SASH
I have a question for EU residents. Ukraine is not in the EU. Do you pay customs?
Thanks.
Cheers!
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