[Caribou679]

Hi!
I was under the impression that Sony MDR CD3000 were headphones with such qualities that they positioned just below the R10 in the Sony's line up, or at least on the same level as SA5000.

However I saw 3 CD3000 in the FS section, in the $500 asking price, and not being sold!

I want to know why they did not sell? From my reading and searching here, they are superb hp.

Is it because they are discontinued and no available replacement parts exist?

I cannot believe they were FOTM!

If I had funds available I would have grabbed one pair!


regards,

 

[kernel_rulez]

That is hardly worth 500$

 

[b0dhi]

No longer FOTM.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

I don't think they were a FOTM, they're pretty good phones even at 500 bucks IMO, but as most revealing gear, not very easy to match into a system which is not in the high-end side of things.

These sales sometimes are epidemic, people having them but not using them very much, once they see other people selling their pairs, make their mind up. That's not very smart anyway, excess of offer never can lead to high prices

 

[lmilhan]

Because the Denon D5000s came along and crushed them into oblivion. Hell even the Denon D2000s top the CD3000s IMO.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

It is hard to keep a fan base when the product is no longer available. If it was available, I would buy one. I refuse to buy used.

 

[krmathis]

Because the FOTM (Flavor Of The Month) mostly changes from month to month...

 

[kool bubba ice]

They were never that great to begain with...Good enough that I want one, but over 500 is laughable. I seen these go as low as 200.00...Sellers must think they are better then they actually are...For 250 we can talk...

 

[hawat]

Everyone who knew about them already got them but not really talking about them and since they are no longer available not many new people are trying to get them.
They are also not really solid so getting them used and all torn for more than they costed new isn't really appealing as well I guess.
But I still think that they are great headphones

just not for 500$ used.

 

[IceClass]

I love my CD3Ks.

 

[Caribou679]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmilhan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Because the Denon D5000s came along and crushed them into oblivion. Hell even the Denon D2000s top the CD3000s IMO.

Well I am interested in the Sonys because I will not need to do ALL the mods people are going through with the Denons to have decent hi-fi.

Denon 2k-5K fully modded are not far from $500-$1100+ US. And would they "floor" the CD3k?

I still find it hard to consider the CD3000 as FOTM.

regards,

 

[vvs_75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caribou679 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi! I was under the impression that Sony MDR CD3000 were headphones with such qualities that they positioned just below the R10 in the Sony's line up, or at least on the same level as SA5000. However I saw 3 CD3000 in the FS section, in the $500 asking price, and not being sold! I want to know why they did not sell? From my reading and searching here, they are superb hp. Is it because they are discontinued and no available replacement parts exist? I cannot believe they were FOTM! If I had funds available I would have grabbed one pair! regards,

Few weeks ago there was used pair on the *Bay for sale for $300 and nobody want it. The seller relist it three weeks in a row and lowered the price to $100. And after the auction ended they were sold for $450.

The parts are still available to buy if you know where to look.

How much they worth is a personal thing. For some people they not worth even $200. I paid retail for the brand new and no regrets. Headphones for me not just about the sound, it's about feel, comfort and most important design and build quality. In that region CD3000 put the D2K and D5K under the ground. I owned D2000 and heard/borrowed D5000 hundred times. To me CD3000 better then ether of denons and they are on the same level as SA5000 which tells a lot. To those who trash them, need to put Sony’s in better/right system. After I got them and moded them a bit, I forgot when last time I listened to my Edt.9.
Just my 2c.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Yup, just want to add my 2 cents too. I hated them at first too, sounded like $hit when I first heard them. I wanted to sell them, then I heard it with different equipment and realized their potential. So, I'm keeping mine.

A pair sold for $650 on ebay a few months back. Almost mint condition. The ones that sold recently on ebay were beat up pretty badly....

Luckily mine are mint.
They are going into storage until I have more money to build a superb system around it. I just bought a ton of stax stuff, I'm broke right now.

I'd only sell them if I can't afford to build a system around them. For now at least, I'm hangin' on to mine. If you can't build a nice system around the CD3000, forget it, these are not forgiving phones. People say Stax systems are not forgiving? I'm listening to an under driven O2mk1 right now and I think they are more forgiving than the CD3000...

And yes, to those who thrash them, the CD3000 is among one of the pickiest phone I've heard. The crapiness you hear is from your system. To at least hear a glimpse of their potential, plug them into the Pico.

IME, these come quite close to (but can't beat) the electrostat sound. Details, speed and delicate layered bass are terms I'd use to describe the CD3000 SQ. I guess that might not be to some people's taste.

I prefer the CD3000 over the AD2k when both were driven from a Pico. This is coming from me, an AT fanboy...

Sorry AT mafia...

All of the above is IMHO, YMMV and IME.

 

[warubozu]

The CD3k remains as one of my favorite cans. As it has been mentioned earlier, they are a set of finicky cans and can sound terrible when mismatched with a bad source or amp. Everyone has a price they're willing to pay for a set of cans depending on how badly one wants them and if they feel it's sound signature and other quality meets their needs. Often certain headphone collectors are the ones willing to pay more than $500 for a pair of mint CD3ks. I personally wouldn't pay more than $400 for a mint pair although I've seen some pay more than $500 for a mint pair.

 

[IceClass]

Really *Mint* CD3Ks with case, go for over $600 quite regularly on fleabay.
For the most part, in average condition, they sell for around $400.
That said, "average condition" can vary considerably for these cans.
I'm really not sure howe Sony can market such an expensive set of cans when the materials they use obviously aren't built for the long term.
Headband and earpad wear on the CD3Ks is usually well above average for a can of the same vintage.

Soundwise though, the CD3Ks are indeed picky. My experience plugging them into my Melos was okay but I've yet to hear anything that comes close to the CD3K plugged into my Fisher 500C.