[purk]

Quote:

My Qualia arrived the other day, and I've been enjoying it since then. It's truly a work of art in every respect. My next big headphone purchase will more than likely be the SR-009, so I'll have a chance to compare them.
 

What do you think of the Qualia vs. your new W3000AVN?  You will need hear them running balanced, just very superb.

 

[warubozu]

Purk are your Qualias balanced? I thought they weren't.

 

[purk]

Quote:

Purk are your Qualias balanced? I thought they weren't.

My Qualia is balanced with an option b/w Black & Blue Dragon cable.  I also have the stock cable, but not used currently. I run the Qualia single-end at work out of my DHA3000 and balanced at home out of Gilmore Balanced Reference (GSX).

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

Just curious, the grill that covers the driver (ear side) on the Qualia, SA5000 etc. Is it plastic or Magnesium?

 

[MuppetFace]

The Qualia is such an amazing headphone. The sense of air around each note, the layers of sound that effortlessly materialize out of thin air all around you, and some of the most hauntingly life-like vocals of any headphone I've ever heard make for a truly captivating listening experience. The 010 pushes all of my buttons, and for my personal taste I prefer it to almost everything else out there.
 
I'll definitely need to do more listening to compare them to the W3000ANV, but so far I'd say they each have their own unique strengths. For example, the W3000ANV presents vocals in such a romantic, passionate, and emotional way. The Qualia on the other hand doesn't color the vocals but puts them right there in the room with you, as if being sung by someone actually there. The former makes the heart quicken its pace, while the latter makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end.

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

I'm also curious about the actual engineering differences between the Qualia and SA5000. Does anyone know if there are differences in the voice coil or magnet structure? Any other differences that could effect the sound?
 
thanks,
 
Joshua

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

I'm also curious about the actual engineering differences between the Qualia and SA5000. Does anyone know if there are differences in the voice coil or magnet structure? Any other differences that could effect the sound?
 
thanks,
 
Joshua

http://www.head-fi.org/t/568977/qualia-010-sa5000-and-sa3000-comparison-pics
 
That was posted earlier in this thread. Don't know how much help you'll find it, but it's worth checking out if you haven't already.

 

[purk]

Quote:

The Qualia is such an amazing headphone. The sense of air around each note, the layers of sound that effortlessly materialize out of thin air all around you, and some of the most hauntingly life-like vocals of any headphone I've ever heard make for a truly captivating listening experience. The 010 pushes all of my buttons, and for my personal taste I prefer it to almost everything else out there.
 
I'll definitely need to do more listening to compare them to the W3000ANV, but so far I'd say they each have their own unique strengths. For example, the W3000ANV presents vocals in such a romantic, passionate, and emotional way. The Qualia on the other hand doesn't color the vocals but puts them right there in the room with you, as if being sung by someone actually there. The former makes the heart quicken its pace, while the latter makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end.

MuppetFace,
 
You owe it to yourself to build a balanced system for your Qualia.  Nothing scale like them in balanced amplification, not even the R10.  

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

MuppetFace,
 
You owe it to yourself to build a balanced system for your Qualia.  Nothing scale like them in balanced amplification, not even the R10.  

 
I've got a balanced Beta 22, and I may end up getting the new DNA 2A3 amp which has balanced output as an option. My current source and upcoming DAC support going balanced too. I just need to acquire the right cables for the Qualia.

 

[Radio_head]

.

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

Quote:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/568977/qualia-010-sa5000-and-sa3000-comparison-pics
 
That was posted earlier in this thread. Don't know how much help you'll find it, but it's worth checking out if you haven't already.

Yup I saw that before I posted but pics don't help much. I wish I could speak to an actual Sony engineer that designed these headphones. I'm curious about the exact differences in materials and design of the drivers used. I suspect that the actual differences in the drive units are relatively minor and come down more to better quality control and pair matching on the Qualia but that most of the added expense is the carbon fiber headband and such. Many companies will slightly "cripple" the performance of a secondary level product so it doesn't overshadow the performance of a "statement" product so they have an excuse to offer that "statement" product at ridiculous price levels. I'm not saying Sony did that, but it wouldn't surprise me.
 
 

 

[ypark12]

I own a pair of R10, and have compared my R10's to Qualia 010 before. Qualia seems to have a sharper treble that is very difficult to control... I guess if you want to go for a comfy sound, you would want to get R10's.