[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari I have SA5000 and SA1000. But the SA5000s are beat up...I need to find a pukka pair for the comparison. It will be interesting to throw the Qualia 010 into the mix wouldnt it Now who has the SA3000 and when can they send it my way?

Heh, I'll get this sorted out when I get to NYC... I'll probably be settled in by mid September.

Best,

-Jason

 

[patrox89]

so do you have a pair of the sa3000's jjcha? if so would you say that they are a very good headphone for the price? The extra ~$200 is a big step for me to take for the 5k's

oh and i probably will only be getting a low end amp and a chaintech av710 soundcard, computer as source obviously.

i guess i jus want to know if the extra money is worth it for the 5k's if my source isnt that great and neither is my amp.

suggestions anybody?

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrox89 i guess i jus want to know if the extra money is worth it for the 5k's if my source isnt that great and neither is my amp.

I do own the SA3k and SA5k. I've always been of the opinion that it's worth the money to go up to the SA5k. These aren't bass-heavy phones to begin with and do lean on the thin side, and the SA3k has less bass and sounds thinner than the SA5k.

But I think gsferrari was quite impressed with the performance of the SA1k, especially for the price. Only you can really judge what the money means for you.

Be careful about the rest of your system - I wasn't a big fan of the SA5k with the iPod + SR-71. I don't think that was a very synergistic combination.

Best,

-Jason

 

[Xxtest83]

Gsferrari, you said "With the right amp - the SA5000 is better than the SR-404 out of the Stax 007T". On which amp did you get that result with your SA5000 and what was the source ?

 

[patrox89]

well id mainly be running my computer as a source, might buy a chaintech av710 and run 2 soundcards, but thats for another thread, and also my sony nw-hd3 which can put out pretty full bass, so i think the hd3 would do well with the mdr sa line. i will not be using them portably tho, only around my house.
if i do get either of these im going to buy the MINT amp from fangmasterflex in the for sale forum, a simple straight forward amp for a good price.
with that set up do you think that buying the 3000s would be justified price wise? Would they still sound good? or will just going for the 5ks be worth it for the better bass?

 

[gsferrari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xxtest83 Gsferrari, you said "With the right amp - the SA5000 is better than the SR-404 out of the Stax 007T". On which amp did you get that result with your SA5000 and what was the source ?

Check my profile for information on my setup. I also had excellent results with the Raptor and MPX3.


Quote:

Originally Posted by patrox89 if i do get either of these im going to buy the MINT amp from fangmasterflex in the for sale forum

bad choice of amp. The MINT enhances a nasal quality with the SA headphones. I have several CMOYs and 2 MINT amps built by different manufacturers. Not a good match with the SA series. You need an amp with more voltage swing and current delivery.

Either that or forget about the amp with the SA1000.

Quote:

with that set up do you think that buying the 3000s would be justified price wise? Would they still sound good? or will just going for the 5ks be worth it for the better bass?

I havent heard the SA3000 yet but I cannot imagine that they would be good value for money. The SA1000 is impressive and the SA5000 is excellent...is there room for the SA3000 in the middle?

I dont think so...

Stay with the extremes to avoid getting burned.

 

[Xxtest83]

i saw the grace m902 in your profile. how does the SA5000 match with it in your opinion ?

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xxtest83 i saw the grace m902 in your profile. how does the SA5000 match with it in your opinion ?

I like the combo a lot, but I don't have much experience with the competition. Here's a thread with some other opinions, especially on the Benchmark.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=124062

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Stay with the extremes to avoid getting burned.

Heh, I think you're probably right - kinda reminds me of the ignored middle child. (heh, for you Brady Bunch fans, I can hear "Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!", every time...)

Best,

-Jason

 

[seeberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Heh, I think you're probably right - kinda reminds me of the ignored middle child. (heh, for you Brady Bunch fans, I can hear "Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!", every time...) Best, -Jason

Kind of like peoples' regard for the SR80 and SR125 between the SR60 and SR225. Two middle children this time, and people go for the SR60 and SR225 much more than the other two from my experiences.

,
Abe

 

[Xxtest83]

on which source does the m902 SA5000 combo sound well ? should it be a high end SACD player?
thanks

 

[sigmatron]

hmmmmmmmm my new sa1000 have had ~52 hours of burn-in they are still so high pich that makes it very Painful.

and there hotter then my pro4aat (some how).

 

[amartignano]

I've re-listened yesterday to my SA1000, and I've decided to not sell it anymore.

I find them balanced, only a bit mid-highs characterized (similar somehow to the sound of the ATH-AD2000).

Imho is a very good headphone, with a very high q/p ratio, even if a bit "coloured" in the sound.

bye
Andrew

 

[465]

Where's the SA3K review? Am I missing something?

 

[kool bubba ice]

I will soon be a member of the SA5000 club..

 

[sigmatron]

I cant say much but the build quality less then normal.