[Yada]

Hi, Can anyone who has heard both please compare the two? What are the difference and how big are they?

Also, is anyone with either user the ASL MG Head DT OTL mkIII Headphone Amplifier? Thoughts on the Sony + ASL mkIII combinatinon? Thanks again

 

[Sovkiller]

Read in the link below a few comments about both and and even about others.....I posted my impressions here about both and the long story short, I bought the SA5000, tried them for a few days, sold them again and I still have the CD3000, of course that means nothing but preference, the SA5000 are darn fine cans, but not my cup of tea...read more details here, not only my commnets, there are other interesting comments from other members, comparing them with some other headphones (and please avoid the idiotic arguments, OK?):

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ghlight=SA5000

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yada Hi, Can anyone who has heard both please compare the two? What are the difference and how big are they? Also, is anyone with either user the ASL MG Head DT OTL mkIII Headphone Amplifier? Thoughts on the Sony + ASL mkIII combinatinon? Thanks again

The people with the the better and more expensive CD players seem to prefer the SA5000 but you can read as well as I can.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I present the advantages of each phone (though I have not compared them directly, I did own the CD300 for a good six months, during which I used them four hours per day), IMO:

SA5000
Better bass & treble extension
more balanced frequency response
more detailed
better instrument seperation
tighter imaging
tighter bass
more comfortable
higher build quality
real leather earpads instead of pleather
includes a stand

CD3000
Wider soundstage
single-sided cable
includes a nice carrying/storage case

Size-wise, both are large, but the CD3000's double headband and massive earcups give them the crown for "most likely to make you look like an air traffic controller."

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer I present the advantages of each phone (though I have not compared them directly, I did own the CD300 for a good six months, during which I used them four hours per day), IMO: SA5000 Better bass & treble extension more balanced frequency response more detailed better instrument seperation tighter imaging tighter bass more comfortable higher build quality real leather earpads instead of pleather includes a stand CD3000 Wider soundstage single-sided cable includes a nice carrying/storage case Size-wise, both are large, but the CD3000's double headband and massive earcups give them the crown for "most likely to make you look like an air traffic controller."

What he said.

 

[Yada]

Hi I_D,

Thanks - I got a very good chuckle of your Air Traffic Controller comment

Ok, so those are the differences - but how big are they?. Overall if the SA5000 happened to be a 10 sonically on a scale of 1-10, what would is the CD3K?

Thanks again

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yada Hi I_D, Thanks - I got a very good chuckle of your Air Traffic Controller comment Ok, so those are the differences - but how big are they?. Overall if the SA5000 happened to be a 10 sonically on a scale of 1-10, what would is the CD3K? Thanks again

Hmm, well right now, to me the SA5K is perfect, or as close to it as I've heard, and everything else seems flawed by comparison. Within those boundaries though, I guess I'd say the CD3K is an 8, under the best circumstances. You have to have sympathetic gear for the CD3K to sound good though, it was too bright with my DAC1, though it did a good job livening up more dull sounding sources. If you have a good setup for them, the CD3K will sound darn good, and if you haven't heard the SA5K, you'll have no idea what you're missing. I couldn't believe the gap was as much as it was when I first mounted the SA5K's.

 

[james__bean]

I got a chance to do a little A/B testing with them at a recent meet. The main advantage of the SA5000 for me (besides some of the things Iron Dreamer has already stated) was the fact that it was so incredibly detailed, but still not sibilant like the CD3k's. Personally, I'd take the SA5000 over the CD3000's any day.

 

[EdipisReks]

i personally find the comments about the CD3000's being sibilant kind of strange. i don't hear any sibilance that isn't in the music. just goes to show that we all hear differently. i'm looking forward to hearing a pair of SA5000's, and if they are as good as people say, i will probably buy a pair. the comments about the SA5000's having a more extended treble than the CD3000's blows my mind

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

When put on good gear, I never found the CD3K sibilant, just bright. Perhaps some people are confusing the two?

 

[EdipisReks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer When put on good gear, I never found the CD3K sibilant, just bright. Perhaps some people are confusing the two?

that's entirely possible. audio terms aren't exactly an exact science

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks i'm looking forward to hearing a pair of SA5000's, and if they are as good as people say, i will probably buy a pair. the comments about the SA5000's having a more extended treble than the CD3000's blows my mind

Don't worry IMO and IME this is not true at all, the SA5000 does not extend more than the CD3000 in any direction highs nor lows) It may have other good qualities, that could be better depending on the preference of the listener, but the extension is not one of them....


Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks "....i personally find the comments about the CD3000's being sibilant kind of strange. i don't hear any sibilance that isn't in the music. just goes to show that we all hear differently...."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer "...When put on good gear, I never found the CD3K sibilant..."

Well, finally it seems that it is not only me who find not accurate the comment about the sibilance....I even began to worry....

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks that's entirely possible. audio terms aren't exactly an exact science

That is true, and what is even more curious to me is that the same people that find bright the CD3000, does not find bright the SA5000....

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer Hmm, well right now, to me the SA5K is perfect, or as close to it as I've heard, and everything else seems flawed by comparison. Within those boundaries though, I guess I'd say the CD3K is an 8, under the best circumstances. You have to have sympathetic gear for the CD3K to sound good though, it was too bright with my DAC1, though it did a good job livening up more dull sounding sources. If you have a good setup for them, the CD3K will sound darn good, and if you haven't heard the SA5K, you'll have no idea what you're missing. I couldn't believe the gap was as much as it was when I first mounted the SA5K's.

Really? The CD3000 is not that picky, my systems never make it sound that wrong as some people state....but definitelly if you do a search and you will find some opinions that consider the DAC1 as a bright source, and a bright source will never be a good match for the CD3000, of course...

About the comparison between the two headphones, I had the two, side by side here, and compare both here, and all what I can tell you is that I do not believe that I was missing absolutelly anything with my CD3000, to the point that I decided to keep it, and sell the SA5000 again.....

 

[james__bean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller Really? The CD3000 is not that picky, my systems never make it sound that wrong as some people state....but definitelly if you do a search and you will find some opinions that consider the DAC1 as a bright source, and a bright source will never be a good match for the CD3000, of course...

When I compared the CD3000 and the SA5000 I was actually using a DAC1

. Still, I've heard the CD3000's in the past and I consider them to be a little too bright for my tastes. The sibilance I referred to with the CD3000's wasn't apparent with every song. What I was actually referring to was the fact that some songs that had sibilance with the CD3000's didn't have it with the SA5000. The CD3000's may have simply picked out some faults in the compressed audio that was being used. (Ape and 320kbps mp3's). It was just more frequent with the CD3000's than it was with the SA5000's. With the SA5000's I didn't hear any sibilance unless it was obviously coming from the recording.

 

[Zoide]

What about the midrange? Did you feel the SA5000 to be like the CD3K in that sense? When I had the CD3K, I usually got this feeling that they were somewhat thin and cold, and where just lacking something "in the middle" (midrange, I guess!). I was only mostly satisfied in this respect by using the bass boost of the PPA.