Sony?
Mar 21, 2006 at 1:58 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 31

Ruppin

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Among discussions of the best current (yes, I know it is subjective) headphones, I rarely see Sony mentioned. Are the AS5000s worth considering next to the Senn 650s, ADG701s etc.?

Just curious. Is it that Sony uses different dealers, or that they're not high on most lists?

Thanks.
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 2:12 PM Post #2 of 31
Well, their high-end cans seem to have a fairly... special presentation (more geared towards Japanese listening tastes I guess). Besides, the pricing of these here in ol' Europe is *ouch* (and they have a lot of good competitors here anyway).
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 2:37 PM Post #3 of 31
I would say that the SA5000 are worth considering with the AKG701 or Senn HD650s. The SA5000, to me, have more detailed bass, and faster, more articulate sound than either the 650s or 701s. But the SA5000 has it flaws. To me, they are no worse than the flaws of the HD650. The 701 is in the middle. In my opinion, the least flawed of the the three.
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 2:53 PM Post #4 of 31
Ever heard the HD650? The SA5k is its evil opposite brother.
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 3:38 PM Post #5 of 31
Quote:

Ever heard the HD650? The SA5k is its evil opposite brother.


Yes sir. Ever heard DT880? It's the sa5k lovely sister.
tongue.gif
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 12:01 AM Post #6 of 31
The Sony's have their own unique sound, however they aren't any worse than HD650, DT880, SR325i, etc, just different. I liked their sonic signature a lot, the only caveat being system matching for them is a little prickly.
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 12:08 AM Post #7 of 31
SA5000 is a tremendous headphone technically, and sounds great with a lot of music. It sounds a little dry at times, but I would definitely put it in the top tier of current headphones, along with the HD650, DT880, K701. Also, don't forget that Sony has 2 of the top headphones (in my opinion) ever made in R10 and Q010, so it's not like Sony is not respected here.
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 12:20 AM Post #8 of 31
I think Sony headphones suffer a bit from a lack of exclusivity. The cans aren't bad in themselves, but its the Sony brand. You can't get a Sennheiser or Grado TV.

A lot of audiophiles like to think of themselves as being 'out of the loop', as it were. Sony is definitely smack bang in the middle of this loop.
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 2:23 AM Post #9 of 31
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed
I think Sony headphones suffer a bit from a lack of exclusivity. The cans aren't bad in themselves, but its the Sony brand. You can't get a Sennheiser or Grado TV.

A lot of audiophiles like to think of themselves as being 'out of the loop', as it were. Sony is definitely smack bang in the middle of this loop.



For some reason, I think that there are actually a lot more HD650 than SA5000. It's much more difficult to get hold of the SA5000 in HK than it is to get a pair of HD650. I doubt there is a lack of exclusivity of the high end Sony cans.
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 4:06 AM Post #10 of 31
MDR-V300, baby.

Bloated, muddy bass. Lots of it. Quantity over quality, yeah! I mean, a 500 crumpled dollar bills are better than 50 crisp ones, right?

Mediocre mids. Axl Rose sounds good, though. If you are looking to soften annoying male vocals, these are the cans you need!

Amputated highs. But you can't say they're "fatiguing!"

Lots of other better options for $50, or so I have read.

They get a 3.5 or 4.0 out of 10 on my scale.

Thank God for head-fi.org. I'd probably be buying Triports now if not for head-fi.org!
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 4:30 AM Post #11 of 31
Quote:

Originally Posted by luckybaer
MDR-V300, baby.

Bloated, muddy bass. Lots of it. Quantity over quality, yeah! I mean, a 500 crumpled dollar bills are better than 50 crisp ones, right?

Mediocre mids. Axl Rose sounds good, though. If you are looking to soften annoying male vocals, these are the cans you need!

Amputated highs. But you can't say they're "fatiguing!"

Lots of other better options for $50, or so I have read.

They get a 3.5 or 4.0 out of 10 on my scale.

Thank God for head-fi.org. I'd probably be buying Triports now if not for head-fi.org!



It always struck me as odd that you could get a CDxxx series phone for the the same price as a Vxxx series, but people still bought the Vxxx. Go figure.
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 5:22 AM Post #12 of 31
Quote:

Originally Posted by seacard
SA5000 is a tremendous headphone technically, and sounds great with a lot of music. It sounds a little dry at times, but I would definitely put it in the top tier of current headphones, along with the HD650, DT880, K701. Also, don't forget that Sony has 2 of the top headphones (in my opinion) ever made in R10 and Q010, so it's not like Sony is not respected here.


Indeed. The SA5K is one of the BEST headphones IMO for the money. Very detailed, lovely bass impact, and very alive. As seacard mentions, the Q010 and R10 are two of the best headphones EVER made IMO (right up there with the HE-90 and other high-end esoteric cans).
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 12:57 PM Post #14 of 31
Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder
For some reason, I think that there are actually a lot more HD650 than SA5000. It's much more difficult to get hold of the SA5000 in HK than it is to get a pair of HD650. I doubt there is a lack of exclusivity of the high end Sony cans.


Read my post thoroughly. I didn't say anything about Sony Headphones in themselves. They could have a limited edition $5000 model that only a handful of people had, but just the fact they had 'Sony' stamped on them puts them into the same bracket of any Sony electrical goods to a 'norm'.

I reckon Sony should maybe rename their headphones, perhaps 'Qualia'? Sony could go on them but tiny and hardly noticeable.
 

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