[Navyblue]

Never mind.

 

[Squirsier]

When I was looking at a new pair of IEM (my only experience with them being with the Sony MDR-EX71) to replace my BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro for everyday music listening (and to remove the umbilical cord I have with my laptop using those, and to be portable) I stumbled upon this thread, got inspired by the great reviews and the ability to tweak your own sound. Crying wallet in hand, I ordered a pair and ever since I received them, I have never looked back... I'm not by any mean a professional reviewer, just a "headphone enthusiast"

I know most people here will do a IEM vs. IEM review, I will however do something a bit different. Why? Well, because this is the first pair of IEM that I have the pleasure of listening to that blows anything I ever owned out of the water when it comes to sound quality. Doing a quick comparison between the SA6 and the DT770 Pro, using a 1st Gen iPod Shuffle (192k CBR mp3s) thru a HeadRoom Total Airhead amp (using crossfeed), I would say that the SA6 beats the DT770 Pro in almost every aspect. I used the Treble ++ and Bass + and the medium tips on the SA6.

The DT770 Pro has a bit more treble, but sounds colder. The SA6 has a wider soundstage, warmer middles and tighter bass. The SA6's sound isolation is also incredibly good. I can't hear the constant creaking sounds of my favourite lazy-boy chair when I'm gently rocking myself with them on. The only point I would give to the DT770 Pro over the SA6 is the middles. While they do sound warmer with the SA6, they seem to be slightly more upfront with the DT770 Pro, an impression which I realized after listening to Above & Beyond’s Tri-State (Robert Nickson Intro Remix). There is a synth sound that comes in about halfway through the song that is clearly more heard on the DT770 Pro than on the SA6, something I also noticed listening to I Awake’s “Journey” track (beautiful, can’t wait for the full album in May!).

I have been listening to a lot of Trance/Dance music lately, and regarding the bass… Well, it seems to largely depends on what album you are listening to. On Paul van Dyk’s La Dolce Vita from his latest CD “In Between” (that song sounds like a rip-off of 4 Strings’ “Take Me Away” song from 2003) the bass drum is solid and felt. On David Guetta’s “Baby When The Lights” the bass drum sounds a bit more recessed. Comparing the DT770 Pro with the SA6’s bass response, I would say that the SA6 has a slight edge over the DT770 Pro. The bass is just physically felt more w/o overpowering anything else.

Anyway, I’m not going to go into a mastering review, but suffice it to say that before you judge the SA6 abilities, listen to multiple albums. Mastering an album is an art in itself and differs greatly from artist to artist (not all types of music are mastered the same way either) and will impact how the SA6 performs, obviously.

So, as I said in the beginning, this review was more intended for someone looking to replace a good pair of headphones with a pair of IEM. Everything is subjective, so your experience might be different than mine. But at the moment, I completely stopped using the DT770 Pro and use the SA6 all the time now. Oh, and a quick note for those who own Sony’s MDR-EX71... Picture a very small and dark room. Now picture a large hall perfectly lighted up. This is how I felt when I tried the MDR-EX71 and then put on the SA6.

 

[tstarn06]

Nice review. Agree on the mastering/recording issue.

 

[Mush]

well i've mentioned before that i just ordered my SA6 from sound earphones, and i chose the free shipping fedex 3day or fedex Canada ground shipping, and itz been two days and the tracking number still doestn work...help?

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mush /img/forum/go_quote.gif well i've mentioned before that i just ordered my SA6 from sound earphones, and i chose the free shipping fedex 3day or fedex Canada ground shipping, and itz been two days and the tracking number still doestn work...help?

Maybe contact Sound Earphones themselves?

 

[Mush]

yea scratch that...>_> just emailed them and they sent them by USPS, and the email prior that confirmed it was shipped out said it was shiiped by Fedex.......so in short...the confirmation that the sa6 was shipped out sed it was sent by fedex and they gave me USPS tracking number lol

 

[elnero]

Coming into Canada USPS is probably better as well.

 

[Mush]

yup that what i chose, USPS, but on their receipt and when they emailed me about the sa6 has been shipped out both said it was sent by fedex...so...got confused

 

[whitevitz]

Wow another one from the BC getting SA6

You wont regret it.. as I am loving every moment with my SA6!

 

[Mush]

hehe hope so!!

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Recessed vocals, hollow percussion, lack of energy, stuck treble ports (took me 10 minutes to get one off just now), their sound signature reminds me almost of my old UE super.fi 5 Pro model, and I greatly prefer my Koss KSC75 over this.

And yes, I tried all the ports and their combinations; the things I noted in the first paragraph all carry the hint of all those characteristics in some way, shape, or form in the music.

Guess it's time to either get a refund or sell it here.

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Recessed vocals, hollow percussion, lack of energy, stuck treble ports (took me 10 minutes to get one off just now), their sound signature reminds me almost of my old UE super.fi 5 Pro model, and I greatly prefer my Koss KSC75 over this. And yes, I tried all the ports and their combinations; the things I noted in the first paragraph all carry the hint of all those characteristics in some way, shape, or form in the music. Guess it's time to either get a refund or sell it here.

Wonder if you got a defective set... or perhaps they just don't match up with your ear canal shape too well. I have been speculating that this is responsible for the wildly different opinions on some earphones that tend to get opinions mostly opposite. I had the same problem when I tried out the Klipsch Custom 3. Some raved about the deep accurate bass, and overall treble detail. I found everything to be exactly opposite. No matter what eartips I tried, no luck. I started to realize that an earphone designer/manufacturer cannot take into account all ear shapes and types.

Anyway, wish you the best of luck. Bummer you didn't find them to your liking.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Recessed vocals, hollow percussion, lack of energy, stuck treble ports (took me 10 minutes to get one off just now), their sound signature reminds me almost of my old UE super.fi 5 Pro model, and I greatly prefer my Koss KSC75 over this. And yes, I tried all the ports and their combinations; the things I noted in the first paragraph all carry the hint of all those characteristics in some way, shape, or form in the music. Guess it's time to either get a refund or sell it here.

Chris is right. You must be listening to a defective pair. I have Ksc75s, modded, and I can't even compare the two phones. Recessed vocals? Lack of energy? I just don't see, I mean, hear it. I'm sure you can get a refund. So far, you're the first Head-Fier with that specific complaint (recessed vocals). Just not your cup of tea, I guess. I use Shure yellow foamies with the Sleeks, and forward vocals are one of the strengths.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Recessed vocals, hollow percussion, lack of energy, stuck treble ports

I agree with cn11, this isn't how I feel about SA6 too. Than again there are many factors that can't be easily accounted for, so may be SA6 just not your cup of tea. Good luck.

 

[JoyEnergizer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Recessed vocals, hollow percussion, lack of energy, stuck treble ports (took me 10 minutes to get one off just now), their sound signature reminds me almost of my old UE super.fi 5 Pro model, and I greatly prefer my Koss KSC75 over this. And yes, I tried all the ports and their combinations; the things I noted in the first paragraph all carry the hint of all those characteristics in some way, shape, or form in the music. Guess it's time to either get a refund or sell it here.

I have ER4-P, q-Jays, SA6 and Triple-fi(just got them today).

I read again and again about member EyeAmEye was prefering SA6 over other high end phones like UE10 and Triples but can't agree. I know music listening is very subjective thing.

After I heard Triple-Fi, SA6 can't compete with Triples, they are totally in different league!!

I know the size issues and and comfort issues of Triples, however THEY SOUND AMAZING!!! totally make my SA6 sound like crap!!!

I am not joking, Triple-fi is better in EVERY ASPECTS in SS and SQ to my ears!! Sound or Headstage is wider and 3D like (I can listen the vertical soundstage), Treble is very Accurate and Smooth, Mid is laid back to other instrument but not missing anything, Bass is more articulate and Deep. Better Treble, Better Mid, Definitely Better bass than SA6.

SA6 is good for natural sounds like Jazz and Classics, upfront Mid of SA6 is very good when it comes to vocals and guitar but I found out when I listened to the musics that gets busy with many instruments sounds (specially in electronics like Trance, House, Rock) They Definitely missing and muffle some seperations and details.

However that's only when the music goes loud and busy but those musics are what I listen most of the time.

Maybe that's SA6's limit since it has only single amarture driver...

Did anybody experienced that sounds get mixed up badly and sounds like muffled when music get busy?

When the musics are busy, I definitely prefer Triples and q-Jays.

OMG Head-fi People, Triples are fantastic in SQ to my ears but they are also huge compare to SA6 and q-Jays.

SA6 and q-Jays handles the music differently... Why isn't there perfect phones!!!