So, SA5000s have arrived, and....................

[wnmnkh]

..........................K701s destroy them so badly that it is not funny at all.

I mean, no contest; K701s, while give me more natural sound than SA5000, they have more smooth bass, very nice mids, comparable highs, superior clarity and detail (yes, compare to K701s, SA5000s tend to hide detail) and superior sound stages.

Yes, I don't mean that SA5000s are bad headphones; they are surely better than QC2 and Skull Candy. Yeah, SA5000s are bright phones, but I don't think these are too bright; the brightness of these headphones are about same as DT880, which is comfortable to listen, for me.

If I do not have K701s, I might keep SA5000s. But, I do not see why I need to keep the headphones which are outclassed by the headphones I have (again, this is purely my opinion. There are people who prefer SA5000s over K701s. And I acknowledge them)

Again, today was the day I rediscover my K701s. I sometimes forget how great K701s are.... I should listen more less phones so I can remind myself.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnmnkh /img/forum/go_quote.gif ..........................K701s destroy them so badly that it is not funny at all. I mean, no contest; K701s, while give me more natural sound than SA5000, they have more smooth bass, very nice mids, comparable highs, superior clarity and detail (yes, compare to K701s, SA5000s tend to hide detail) and superior sound stages. Yes, I don't mean that SA5000s are bad headphones; they are surely better than QC2 and Skull Candy. Yeah, SA5000s are bright phones, but I don't think these are too bright; the brightness of these headphones are about same as DT880, which is comfortable to listen, for me. If I do not have K701s, I might keep SA5000s. But, I do not see why I need to keep the headphones which are outclassed by the headphones I have (again, this is purely my opinion. There are people who prefer SA5000s over K701s. And I acknowledge them) Again, today was the day I rediscover my K701s. I sometimes forget how great K701s are.... I should listen more less phones so I can remind myself.

I have both, & the 701's seem muffled in comparison.. The 701 is the better headphone overal, but the SA5000 have better bass extention & are faster with better seperation of the notes IMO.. I like both & doubt I would sell my SA5000..

Since I had my SA5000 recabled with the 650 stock cable they seemed to have inherted the Sen house sound.. The highs seem to be a bit muted. A lil less bright with more weight & tone.. I don't get the crystal clear sparkle like before.. Alex did a great job.. I'm not implying it has anything to do with his work at all.. Maybe it's all in my head..

 

[seacard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnmnkh /img/forum/go_quote.gif ..........................K701s destroy them so badly that it is not funny at all. I mean, no contest; K701s, while give me more natural sound than SA5000, they have more smooth bass, very nice mids, comparable highs, superior clarity and detail (yes, compare to K701s, SA5000s tend to hide detail) and superior sound stages. Yes, I don't mean that SA5000s are bad headphones; they are surely better than QC2 and Skull Candy. Yeah, SA5000s are bright phones, but I don't think these are too bright; the brightness of these headphones are about same as DT880, which is comfortable to listen, for me. If I do not have K701s, I might keep SA5000s. But, I do not see why I need to keep the headphones which are outclassed by the headphones I have (again, this is purely my opinion. There are people who prefer SA5000s over K701s. And I acknowledge them) Again, today was the day I rediscover my K701s. I sometimes forget how great K701s are.... I should listen more less phones so I can remind myself.

Give it a little time. As I said in the other thread, I think the K701 is a far superior headphone, but the SA5000 is not a bad headphone. It does need to break in a bit (as it sounds incredibly harsh at first). And if the headphone is already broken in, then you need to break in a bit. Every headphone takes a little getting used to, and the SA5000 probably takes more than anything else. It's got a very unique sound-signature. My guess is that you will still like the K701 better, but I'd be patient with the SA5000.

 

[wnmnkh]

OK, I must admit that this impression above is too quick and too rapid.

I just compared with my DT880 more seriously (HD650 and HD595.. they are totally different animals so I cannot compare them with SA5000s)

I am surprised that SA5000s are in fact less aggressive than DT880, and more comfortable and fun to listen.


Yeah, I am currently buring SA5000s. We will see.....

 

[AudioDwebe]

I feel the exact opposite. To my ears, the SA5000 provides me with so much more music on a recording than the 701's. I think the 701's have more of a relaxing character than the Sony's. This, however, is through an (Un)Slammed SP MPX3, from what I've read, really needs to get the Slam upgrade to do the 701's any justice.

 

[wnmnkh]

Update : I found that SA5000s are fantastic for rocks. Guess I need to give SA5000 a chance.


*The forum system is gone wrong. It says there are 4 replies in this thread, but actually there are 5 of them

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have both, & the 701's seem muffled in comparison.. The 701 is the better headphone overal, but the SA5000 have better bass extention & are faster with better seperation of the notes IMO.. I like both & doubt I would sell my SA5000..

x2

The SA5000's details and speed is especially good with electronica music.

 

[Asr]

>> (yes, compare to K701s, SA5000s tend to hide detail)

No offense, but you might need to re-think what you perceive as "detail." The SA5K is extremely detailed, almost overly so.

And it may very well be worth it to just keep listening to it, despite whatever impressions you have of it right now. You might find your opinion changes.

 

[DJShadow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since I had my SA5000 recabled with the 650 stock cable they seemed to have inherted the Sen house sound.. The highs seem to be a bit muted. A lil less bright with more weight & tone.. I don't get the crystal clear sparkle like before.. Alex did a great job.. I'm not implying it has anything to do with his work at all.. Maybe it's all in my head..

Yar I'll agree with you there. Cymbals are less incessant-with the stock cable it was the most prominent feature and could get distracting at times, deviating from the entire presentation. The highs are now slightly more subdued and overall sound more balanced (neutral?) allowing you to focus on relatively contiguous music. And it eliminates the horrible microphonics.

I've never heard the K701, but since its very similar in character to Senns (from what I've read) I'll probably pass.

 

[Patu]

IMO SA5000 is better.

Faster sound, better detail, more comfortable and much better for rock and metal music which are my favorite genres. SA5000 still produces the best electric guitar sound I've ever heard. Even RS-1 or RS-2 couldn't do electric guitar that well.

K701 had more open sound (wider soundstage) and more neutral sound but who likes neutral anyway.

 

[ken36]

Probably be best to crank them up, put them under a box and break in for a week. IMO.

 

[wnmnkh]

Ok, I burned them all last night.

Listen again, the harshness is a bit down (still similar to DT880s. Again, I am ok for such harshness anyway)
The bass is a bit deeper.

I compared again, and still K701s give more detail than SA5000s. Well, everyone's ears are different.

 

[EternalShadow]

701s with a good amp will provide just as much detail as the sa5k, the sa5k is too fast for me and separates a tad too much, thereby sounding "unnatural." I agree it is excellent for electronica where that speed is needed, though. The 701, while it doesn't separate as well, gives a far more natural presentation, and this I like mucho

 

[ast]

My SA5000 just arrived today.

I had K701, if memory serves, SA5000 has MUCH more details and clarity, yet sounds fuller due to its better bass extension. If I had to choose, I'd keep SA5000 ( oops I did

) I'm gonna do more comparison with 650, W5000. So far SA5000 is performing very well.

Make up the lack of pictures of OP ...

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnmnkh /img/forum/go_quote.gif ..........................K701s destroy them so badly that it is not funny at all. I mean, no contest; K701s, while give me more natural sound than SA5000, they have more smooth bass, very nice mids, comparable highs, superior clarity and detail (yes, compare to K701s, SA5000s tend to hide detail) and superior sound stages. Yes, I don't mean that SA5000s are bad headphones; they are surely better than QC2 and Skull Candy. Yeah, SA5000s are bright phones, but I don't think these are too bright; the brightness of these headphones are about same as DT880, which is comfortable to listen, for me. If I do not have K701s, I might keep SA5000s. But, I do not see why I need to keep the headphones which are outclassed by the headphones I have (again, this is purely my opinion. There are people who prefer SA5000s over K701s. And I acknowledge them) Again, today was the day I rediscover my K701s. I sometimes forget how great K701s are.... I should listen more less phones so I can remind myself.

If you find the 701's to be better then the SA5000, thats fine..But saying the SA5000 is less detailed is absurd.. The SA5000 are honestly brutal when it comes to recordings, & revealing micro detail..No dynamic can under 600 is as detailed as the SA5000!!