[Szadzik]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/528177/fake-sony-sa5000 http://www.head-fi.org/t/528177/fake-sony-sa5000
 
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Just be careful, there are some fakes or at the very least 'cheaper' versions knocking about...
 
Real:

 
Fake:


Well like most headphones they are advertised as leather but I believe they are pleather
.

According to this thread it is just Sony cutting corners and trying to save some money. No evidence of fakes.
 

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

According to this thread it is just Sony cutting corners and trying to save some money. No evidence of fakes.
 

But that's still speculation. Like I said it might just be a cheaper version, I would still avoid them and be pretty miffed if they looked like that. From looking at those 2 photos of the different pads there is no way they will sound identical, the pads are a large part of the sound... considering that's pretty much the only difference between the SA5k and 3k.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

Those pads are absolutely 100% NOT "fakes"!! I've had mine over a year and they still look exactly like the "fake" picture. To be honest, they really haven't gotten too much softer since day one. But I'll tell you this, they are so incredibly comfortable that I'd rather have this type. They are very light, you don't even feel them touching your ear. I wear them for hours with no problems at all. Please don't make anyone nervous thinking they have a fake product. Sony just took a different direction, and I myself prefer it to a beefy & soft pad.

 

[sunneebear]

I have two sets of pads, both real leather.  They do not look like the "fakes" pictured.  Could be cost cutting by using cheaper leather or just a poor sewing job but my pads are buttery soft from day one.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Those pads are absolutely 100% NOT "fakes"!! I've had mine over a year and they still look exactly like the "fake" picture. To be honest, they really haven't gotten too much softer since day one. But I'll tell you this, they are so incredibly comfortable that I'd rather have this type. They are very light, you don't even feel them touching your ear. I wear them for hours with no problems at all. Please don't make anyone nervous thinking they have a fake product. Sony just took a different direction, and I myself prefer it to a beefy & soft pad.

How do you know?
 
This goes for myself as well but unless you've compared them with, shall we call it an original SA5000, that they sound identical? The price jump from the 3000 to the 5000 is the metal construction and leather pads, the metal exterior won't change the sound but the pads do a great deal. I've had both and while I haven't tried the 5000s pads on the 3000 and vice versa the only reported difference is the ear pads. So my question is IF Sony purposely changed the pads why didn't they change the model number because without a doubt they will sound different.
 
I'm not trying to make anyone nervous but this should be brought to light.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

Quote:

How do you know?
 
This goes for myself as well but unless you've compared them with, shall we call it an original SA5000, that they sound identical? The price jump from the 3000 to the 5000 is the metal construction and leather pads, the metal exterior won't change the sound but the pads do a great deal. I've had both and while I haven't tried the 5000s pads on the 3000 and vice versa the only reported difference is the ear pads. So my question is IF Sony purposely changed the pads why didn't they change the model number because without a doubt they will sound different.
 
I'm not trying to make anyone nervous but this should be brought to light.

I definitely agree that a comparison made between the older and new versions would be beneficial. However my only gripe with your statement was the use of the word "fake". If mine are indeed fake, they are probably the most incredibly made counterfeit product ever made. If my fake pair sounds the way they do, I couldn't imagine what a real one would sound like, I could probably feel Norah Jones' spit on my forehead as she sings...
 

 

[Sil3nce]

I'm sure Graphicism only has good intentions, he has a point, Sony most likely ran out original earpads and decided to slap on those ones after a certain production number remained. Either that or they revised it without giving a notification, for mass assembling and cutting costs. It's sure happened times before with other companies.
No need to get riled up, If you don't think your cans are fake than good! All the more reason you should be listening right now. I don't like the direction this is going tbh.
Ps : There are no absolutes :]

 

[Dubstep Girl]

those "fake" pads are so ugly....major turn off for me lol.
 
 

 

[Anaxilus]

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i just don't know how they would stand up to more expensive headphones like my T1. 

Oh, the T1 is not my cup of tea.  I think the 'signature' is nice but there are other things going on that bother me that even the DT880 doesn't have.  Really though all 3, including the SA5K, are different flavors.  IMO.
 

 

[obobskivich]

They're real leather. They're comfortable and perform much better than the pleather pads I have (KH-K1000), I'd put them on par with the mystery-material that the ESP/950 pads are made out of (in that they don't stick to your head, are fairly comfortable, but aren't velour/fabric). They feel very durable, but I never test things like that with my own equipment.
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are the ear pads real genuine leather or imitation leather? Do you guys like the material of the ear pads?

 
This is all unfounded, there is no proof of the SA5000 ever being faked. Depending on the lighting and other situations, the SA5000 can look like either of those pictures; it's leather. If you're talking about lying in advertising ("most headphones") - only Denon has ever flirted with that (and they don't say "leather" - they say "skin-soft material" after they had to change the pre-release materials for the D7000 to remove "leather" from the rumor mills). The SA5000 is among a very small group of headphones that advertise (and deliver) real leather earpads (basically up there with most of the ATH-W/L series and most of the STAX SR series). It's a big no-no to promise something and not deliver it, and not even the Beats headphones commit that trespass. Now, some of them are likely "stiffer" than others, which is a result of the inconsistency of leather (you do know that leather is an organic product, and is not uniformly perfect, right?) and none will be perfectly identical as you'll get with an Escaine or Pleather product (and even those will have manufacturing inconsistencies). There's also a theory I've heard on and off that the SA5000 hasn't actually been in production for a few years, and all of the sets you can find from places like Amazon, HeadRoom, and Newegg (from time to time) are NOS and have been sitting on the shelf for a while - that would certainly "stiffen" things up a bit. 
 
Quote:

Just be careful, there are some fakes or at the very least 'cheaper' versions knocking about...
 
Real

Well like most headphones they are advertised as leather but I believe they are pleather
.

 
Sure you are! Spreading rumors about fake SA5000s and all that - how is that *not* making people nervous? Be honest. 
Yes, some of the cheaper Sony headphones are rampantly faked, but just because you've got two pictures of two different headphones in different light taken with different cameras at different times by different users and processed by different software doesn't prove a thing. Again, leather is not uniformly consistent (and even pleather pads can be inconsistent - Denon sometimes can't even get two pads of the same size on the AH-D series; are those fake too?). And all of this said, if you're buying from an authorized dealer none of this matters - Amazon and HeadRoom are probably the easiest place to find these headphones; both are authorized dealers and guarantee the real McCoy. It should go without saying that if you're making a purchase you should preference authorized dealers - for any product.
 
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I'm not trying to make anyone nervous but this should be brought to light.

And no, I don't mean to bite your head off, but spreading fantastic and unfounded rumors is in poor taste (and it sounds like you don't own a pair of these to begin with, so why do you care?).
 

 

[Szadzik]

I have the fake pads and even if they are fakes I do not really care. These are the best fakes to be ever seen on the face of the earth . 

 

[Raptor34]

Had mine for 2 months now and trust me, the pads are real leather.   I'm beginning to prefer the sa-5000's to most of my cans except my hd650's.  I believe they saved me a bundle as I have been eyeing the hd800's.   I'm truly surprised at this community for ignoring these fine headphones when junk cans get far more attention and praise than they deserve.  

 

[obobskivich]

I remember them being more popular when I was "new" but they were never FOTM as far as I'm aware. 
 
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Had mine for 2 months now and trust me, the pads are real leather.   I'm beginning to prefer the sa-5000's to most of my cans except my hd650's.  I believe they saved me a bundle as I have been eyeing the hd800's.   I'm truly surprised at this community for ignoring these fine headphones when junk cans get far more attention and praise than they deserve.  

 

 

[Sil3nce]

They're real leather. They're comfortable and perform much better than the pleather pads I have (KH-K1000), I'd put them on par with the mystery-material that the ESP/950 pads are made out of (in that they don't stick to your head, are fairly comfortable, but aren't velour/fabric). They feel very durable, but I never test things like that with my own equipment.



This is all unfounded, there is no proof of the SA5000 ever being faked. Depending on the lighting and other situations, the SA5000 can look like either of those pictures; it's leather. If you're talking about lying in advertising ("most headphones") - only Denon has ever flirted with that (and they don't say "leather" - they say "skin-soft material" after they had to change the pre-release materials for the D7000 to remove "leather" from the rumor mills). The SA5000 is among a very small group of headphones that advertise (and deliver) real leather earpads (basically up there with most of the ATH-W/L series and most of the STAX SR series). It's a big no-no to promise something and not deliver it, and not even the Beats headphones commit that trespass. Now, some of them are likely "stiffer" than others, which is a result of the inconsistency of leather (you do know that leather is an organic product, and is not uniformly perfect, right?) and none will be perfectly identical as you'll get with an Escaine or Pleather product (and even those will have manufacturing inconsistencies). There's also a theory I've heard on and off that the SA5000 hasn't actually been in production for a few years, and all of the sets you can find from places like Amazon, HeadRoom, and Newegg (from time to time) are NOS and have been sitting on the shelf for a while - that would certainly "stiffen" things up a bit. 

 



Sure you are! Spreading rumors about fake SA5000s and all that - how is that *not* making people nervous? Be honest. 
Yes, some of the cheaper Sony headphones are rampantly faked, but just because you've got two pictures of two different headphones in different light taken with different cameras at different times by different users and processed by different software doesn't prove a thing. Again, leather is not uniformly consistent (and even pleather pads can be inconsistent - Denon sometimes can't even get two pads of the same size on the AH-D series; are those fake too?). And all of this said, if you're buying from an authorized dealer none of this matters - Amazon and HeadRoom are probably the easiest place to find these headphones; both are authorized dealers and guarantee the real McCoy. It should go without saying that if you're making a purchase you should preference authorized dealers - for any product.

 


And no, I don't mean to bite your head off, but spreading fantastic and unfounded rumors is in poor taste (and it sounds like you don't own a pair of these to begin with, so why do you care?).

Whoa Whoa, These points are all well-founded but let's avoid a needless argument. As I mentioned earlier, it was all for good intentions. Graphicism has been nothing short of helpful and his reputation speaks for himself.
As for the fakes, I'm certain there were fakes floating around when I dropped by Shinjuku 3 years ago. What looked like the sa5000 but priced at an equivalent of 25 usd.

 

[obobskivich]

Like I said, I have no interest in having a "needless argument" - I do, however, consider it to be in extremely poor taste to promote such hysteria. That isn't "for good intentions" in my book; at least not when it's presented as "fakes certainly exist and these two pictures PROVE IT!" I just take an issue with how the whole thing was handled, and when counter-claims were provided they were dismissed with a lot of hand-waving and further speculation (and what point does that serve?). That's just very poor taste if you ask me. Sure, a lot of products get ripped off, and I'm not saying it's impossible here, but I've yet to see any substantive, verified, real, tangible evidence that such is the case - again, someone claiming to know something based on inference and speculation informed by sources that are not consistent or comparable does not establish any credibility. That isn't helpful. I can sit and speculate wildly too, that doesn't make it true (or false), even if I'm a very nice guy and generally very well liked. It might be worth stating something like "the pads may be inconsistent between examples" (which is true of Denon products in spades (and any genuine leather products as well), and as I asked before - are those somehow magical fakes now too?) or "there are potential production revisions as a result of these being out for over a decade" (which is true of some Sennheiser models - are those also magical fakes too?); don't go immediately to "oh these are different than the other one I saw in another picture, that means they're fake!" And finally, my complaint about spreading blatant misinformation stands - the pads are certainly genuine leather, and the insistence to the contrary is just ridiculous (why even make that claim? so what if "someone else" didn't honestly represent their product? grind your axe with them).
 
As a final reference point:
I've had two pairs of SA5000s delivered in the last six months, both from the same retailer (Amazon), neither of them matched either picture provided (so apparently they're neither "real" nor "fake") - the pads are neither extremely glossy nor extremely flat all the time. It depends on how you put them in light - just like wood. Both pairs had pads made of geniune leather (it's only stamped on the packaging and in the included literature about a thousand times, Sony seems incredibly pleased with themselves for using real leather here

). 
 
I'm really not trying to start up a firestorm here, I'm simply intending to provide accurate information based on actual experience and knowledge about the subject. If you've got similar information to interject, by all means, do share. If we're just going to sit and look at a few random pictures and decide the world, count me out. 

 
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Whoa Whoa, These points are all well-founded but let's avoid a needless argument. As I mentioned earlier, it was all for good intentions. Graphicism has been nothing short of helpful and his reputation speaks for himself.
As for the fakes, I'm certain there were fakes floating around when I dropped by Shinjuku 3 years ago. What looked like the sa5000 but priced at an equivalent of 25 usd.