[matheis]

hello
there's alot of talk about the MDR-SA1/5k right now. there's virtually no talk of the SA3k. the SA3k is at a price point where it's directly competing with the senn hd580 in the us. so i'm sure someone out ther must have purchased these headphones by now. please give us your impressions

i know i'm curious and might have a headphone purchase riding on some impressions on how the SA3k compare with other headphones at that price point. a few things i'm specifically interested in are...
how detailed are they (the SA5k are described as extremely detailed)
balance of sound between lows, mids, highs
open, semi-closed, closed
value compared to similarly-priced headphones you've heard
thanks!
nikolaus

 

[Ko Nectic Jazz]

Audition them before buying them !
I auditioned a SA-3k on Thursday, and I have been really ! disappointed.
I tried it on a Talisman amp, from a Marantz cd67 MKII OSE, with some electro musics and classical.

No way to know where is the sound ! Neither in middle of your head, nor infront, nor back in your back, it is melting everywhere : very hard and uncomfortable to listen to. It was burnt in of more then 300 hours.

Otherwise, it is classy and pretty with a huge headband that couldn't fit my head properly ! When the headband was in place, the drivers where not, and vise-versa. Furthermore, the drivers can't rotate. Then no way to adjust the sa3k to your head, excepted for the height of your head.

Very disappointed.
This is why I say "Audition them before buying them !" I don't even want to try the sa5k. Way too expensive for what it gives. Even my Ms1 does better.

PS : the Talisman is a simply marvelous ! Especially with the DT-831 !! I'm in love !