Sleek Audio SA1's

[ImmortalKenny]

I need some information/opinions on these as I can't find any worthwhile reviews. What genres do they do well in? I'm tempted to get them.

EDIT: Nevermind, just bought them. I was afraid they were going to be out of stock soon (if you're following SA on Twitter, you'll know what I mean )

I still would like some input though.

 

[pseudohippy]

Hardly anybody has them yet as they are brand new. But over on the Sleek sponsor forum it seems a couple of well know headfiers have already purchased them and I think are expecting them around Friday. I think by next week there will be plenty to read about them.

 

[dlbernau]

I got a pair yesterday. So far I am not terribly impressed, both the klipsch S4i and ADDIEM sound better to me, but I will burn them in for a few days before I decide if I am keeping them or not.

 

[average_joe]

OK, got these today at about 8 hours ago as I went away for the weekend and my UPS delivery time is between 4 and 6 PM, and they ended up sitting outside of my front door from Friday until today.

They look pretty cool and they are very small.

So, with 8 hours of burn in time, here are my initial thoughts:
- The installed tips both came off in my ears, the double flange tips need to be installed deeper on the nozzle.
- My collection of tips that work with this IEM are limited. Olives are too small to fit, most of my tips are too large, so I have to choose between the Sony's and the stock tips. The large dual flange sounds the best but they aren't the most comfortable.
- Tried them both with the cable down and the cable over the ear, prefer cable over the ear as it is easier for me to get a good insertion angle
- I changed the ports to the bass ports.
- Not sure if I prefer a deep insertion or a shallow insertion yet.

With the AMP3 as the source (no impedance adapter, 09 volume, Pro2 with stock firmware), they seem very bass light in the deep bass. They sound really good with pop and rock, but the lack of deep bass is noticeable in some songs.
The quick and dirty:
- Very good detail, but lack deep bass
- Seem more mid-forward than any other headphone I have at this time, but not as much as say the Cresyn C750E
- Good space 3D, good with, and believable presentation. If I close my eyes, I could imagine I was at a concert.
- Acoustic instruments have great instrument separation with a very detailed presentation
- When there is a bassy song, such as trance, the bass seems to distort a little
- Did I mention these have great detail? Well, they do!
- Even though they lack deep bass, they sound rich, not thin

So, these things seem to lack deep bass with the AMP3, how about with my sound card?
- Bass is much better. Still not up to par of say the IE8, WM2, C710, etc., but right around the RE252. I do think the 252 matches up better with the AMP3.
- Didn't hear any bass distortion
- Does not sound as good as when paired with the AMP3 for acoustic, as the AMP3 just has that special something with acoustic music
- Still has good space and width, but not quite as believable.
- Balance is different, and I think I would prefer the treble filters with my sound card.
- Still has great detail.

I have not had enough time with the SA1 to compare to other IEMs, and the driver is dynamic, so the sound may change with burn in. And I am going to burn them in for at least 100 hours. And I have to play around with tips and fit to find some magic.

But I do have to say I like them better than the ADDIEM for acoustic music, as they are detailed, yet smooth. It will be interesting (to me at least) to see if the WM2 is on par detail wise. I think they are, but they sound signature of the SA1 brings the details front and center.

 

[average_joe]

Update: If I had to describe these at this point (and I know a lot can change, but the changes are usually for the better), I would say they are detailed, yet fun with a good presentation!

And the bass distortion from the AMP3 is now gone. I bought a Sendstation Pocket Dock for my iPod and was using the included mini-mini from my modified griffin dock for my Fuze to my AMP3, as I am burning in the caps in the dock and my Pro2. So, I swapped that mini-mini with the Whiplash mini-mini and the distortion is gone.

I am actually liking these quite a bit. I was surprised at how much I liked the Cresyne C750E, and I would venture to say these are at least on par, if not better.

I need more time with them and A/Bing them with my other IEMs.

 

[j2kei]

if these use the same tip size as the SA6, the klipsch image gel tips work

 

[shigzeo]

Very nice for the price. I am not sure I agree with the big review which said they are worth double their asking price. 3 years ago, yes; but now, they are certainly a strong performer for under 100$. I am shooting for a review by next week or the week after. Complete with Sleek's excellent coaxial cable system, they are a big bargain - big bargain at their price point.

 

[average_joe]

Nice for the price, maybe, but a giant killer, probably not! I think they are a great change of pace from the other IEMs currently in my collection. Looking forward to your review sigzeo.

 

[Woody469]

Thank you Joe. Initial impressions sound promising although I have been leaning lately towards iems with deeper bass. Detailed, warm and (especially) fun are great qualities and hard to argue with though. From what I've read, some new technology is being used that allows the rather small driver to deliver bass quantity and quality beyond other drivers of the same size. I love new technology. Things can only get better. Will check in again after burn in to hear if any further changes have occurred. I bought a pair of these myself because to me they "look" fantastic and to experience for myself if Sleek's new offering is more marketing hype or a step in the right direction.

 

[tstarn06]

Well, I was going to post a mini-review, but Joe's review covers my feelings on the SA1s. Excellent detail, bass a bit recessed, but I also found them a little harsh, not a lot, out of the box. They calmed down very quickly, though. My problem with them is that I didn't care for the fit/design. They are relatively small, but I had trouble keeping the wire over my ear, and didn't like wearing them down. I also didn't like the fact that the bi-flanges (OEM, same as SA6) kept coming off in my ears. But be that as it may, they are balanced, detailed IEMs that are very crisp and clean for dynamics, following the trend of this type of under $100 dynamic that is far from muddy or bass heavy.

I guess my view is that since I already own the Klipsch S4s, a competitor certainly at this price point, and I am very happy with the S4s (after burn-in), the SA1s became expendable quickly. Unless they really blew me away, I wasn't going to keep them anyway.

Also, I recently picked up a pair of Cyclone PR1s (thanks !joker!) for $45, and to me, they are extremely well-detailed dynamics for the price, with a better bass delivery than the SA1s. I never owned the RE0, for example, but both joker and jant71 say the PR1s are 85-90 percent of the RE0s, which is good enough for me. Of course, the SA1s are from Sleek, based in the USA, so if they fail, there is a place to go. Not the same with the Cyclones, which are from China and who knows what I would do if they fail. So there is a risk there.

Anyway, back to the SA1s. I sold my pair to another HFer at a very good price since I got them discounted via the one-day 40 percent Sleek sale. They will ship out today or tomorrow. I think that buyer got an excellent deal, and will enjoy the SA1s. After the TF10 buying frenzy, I just felt I didn't need the SA1s in my collection, but still find them to be a very good value, even at $79.

I did try the black ports, but went back to silver (more treble, less bass). And the replaceable cable is nice.

I was an enthusiastic SA6 owner but finally grew tired of a nagging driver failure problem. The SA1s seem much more solid than the SA6s (version 1, mind you), so hopefully they will not suffer the same fate as their older cousins.

 

[average_joe]

OK, an update:

These have phenomenal space for acoustic music, with a very involving and believable presentation. I have been very surprised listening to these from my AMP3 (without an impedance adapter) and the bass ports. However, as I mostly listen to a large array of genres on random, they are not my preference for trance and R&B. And looking at my collection and how I listen to music, they will just sit in my drawer. So, less than a week in my hands (and with 70 hours of burn in), they are for sale.

 

[bjaardker]

Just a quick bump Engadget just posted a review of these and said something I'm sure would cause some murmuring here:

Sleek Audio SA1 (and Kleer W-1) earbud impressons -- Engadget

Quote:

"Compared to Klipsch's similarly priced Image S4, we'd say these could be equally (if not more) satisfying in terms of audio quality. We know it's hard to hear this, but both of these 'buds are equally excellent in our opinion, but you'll get "different" sounds out of each. Klipsch earbuds have an unmistakable "Klipsch sound," where the highs are pronounced and the lows are uniquely bellowing. The SA1 offers up a much more traditional sound (as you'd expect a studio engineer to hear it), but the flexibility offered in the tuning tips definitely adds an extra bonus that you won't find elsewhere."

In the end, their summary of the general sound signature is about the same as everyone else I've seen reviewing them.

Quote:

Generally speaking, we found the highs a bit too bright without tips or equalizer intervention, and the lows -- while remarkably accurate -- weren't as booming as some bass-heads will certainly desire. Clarity was exceptional and separation was equally impressive, and we couldn't help but think that these were delivering sound deserving of a higher MSRP.

 

[bcpk]

I don't pay attention to anything Darren Murph says.

 

[Woody469]

Breaks my heart. They are a beauty to behold. But....no bass, no deal.

 

[average_joe]

I do think these sound very good, and have bass extension, but not a ton of bass like the WM2, IE8, C710, CKS70, etc. I do think they perform much better with a shallow insertion, increasing the SQ all around.

For those that like jazz, soft rock, etc, these are great and offer detail without being overly analytical.