[spraggih]

I've read reviews on the SA5000 and on headphonesreview.org- just about everybody likes it.

But even in SA3000 to SA5000 comparison reviews the SA3000 is not much mentioned - it gets a couple of seconds and then it turns into a lovefest of the SA5000.

Does anybody own the SA3000 and can offer a review?! At $186 (USD) or less it seems like a buy - ASSUMING it sounds anything like its bigger brother.

How does it do in terms of speed, detail, clarity, soundstage, bass?

ANYONE? ANYONE?! ANYONE!! pretty please...

 

[ANGEURL]

I like them. they are fitting perfect, and they have a very smooth voice reproduction. theyre sound is worth the money. well, the sa5000 ones are better. but not that much.

did you heard it? the sound is colored like the 1000 and 5000, very smooth and very much hights. the opposite of the dark sennheiser sound. the sa 1000 sound a little bit like cheap plastic (the best way to explain my feelings), the 3000 is closer to the 5000. both dont sound like plastic.

if you compare it direct with unknown music, i guess everyone will like it more than for example the hd 650.
but if you hear it longer... well, some love the taunus sound, some dont. the senns sound a lot relaxter if you hear longer time with it. the "wow" effect of the sonys can be annoying. an the "sz" sounds will be more aggressive than dark cans.

well, some say the senns sound muddy, if you are one of them you should try grado or sony in each case. not that high, but also nice... perhaps a 880 from beyer?

i like the dark and the high sound. senn dont have a such transparant soundstage and such transparent voices. the soundstage is... well, not "big"... but it seems very... well, transparent? its very tight... and bass? not that weak like a 501 from akg, but it is not a cheap and boomy koss can.

But i dont like sony. the build quality of all sony products i had was a shame. i wouldnt spend more than 10 € for a headphone from sony.

i made the mistake, and i bought sony in ears. they soundet great, for about 2 months. after that the isolating material from the cables feld of the cables. if it happens with a 29 € set it hurts. but i wouldnt like to spend 300 € for the sa3000. or even more for the sa5000....

 

[delphi]

i got mine after reading a side by side review of the 3k/5k/010

and summing it up the 3k sounds very very close to the 5k from an unamped source. if your planning on getting an amp down the road, i'd save for a lil bit longer and get the 5k. if you gonna use them streight out of your mp3 player or computer, then they sound very nice.

 

[spraggih]

delphi,

thanks! can you provide a link to the side by side review?

re: amp - suppose I am buying an inexpensive portable amp (go-vibe) would you still recommend saving up for the SA5K? the price difference is over $200 (USD).

I read the SA5K needs a very expensive amp to sound very good. Does the 3K sound thin at all?

 

[lmilhan]

It is all about extremes.

The SA3ks are the mid-range of the line. People normally go for either the low end, or the high end. Sad but true. I had a pair of SA3ks that I sold here on Head-Fi. Took the longest to sell them out of everything I have sold here.

The good news is that because the SA3ks are so unpopular, you can probably score a used pair here at Head-Fi for only a few peanuts more than what a brand new pair of SA1ks cost!

As far as my comments on the SA3ks, it has been quite a while since I heard them, but they impressed me enough to upgrade to the SA5ks (which I eventually sold - in the end, they just didn't do it for me. They were too unforgiving).

 

[delphi]

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ghlight=sa3000

 

[elrod-tom]

I think that the 3000's are decent, but not exactly my cup of tea. I HATED the 5000's...it's one of the worst headphones I've heard. I'm hopeful that they just weren't burned in, but they were overly bright and just not for me!!

 

[spraggih]

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphi http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ghlight=sa3000

Thanks for sending - I did a search before and tripped over this search result.

Much thanks!

I already ordered the SA3K assuming at $180 (USD) it was worth the try. Hopefully so - I think aggression and attack but I wonder if this will be overdone. Let's see - another $200 buys me the SA5K...

 

[spraggih]

You know before I came here (a month or two ago) I really enjoyed the Grado SR60. Man at times I enjoyed the any headphone over $20.

Now I am on some quest for the perfect headphone for an iPod. AN iPOD PEOPLE!! Come on I am kidding myself - how good can the sound get out of an iPod? But each headphone sounds a little different - offers a little more flair either in clarity, speed, bass or soundstage. So now I am on a search to find that perfect mix of speed, clarity and soundstage - I can live without bass assuming it does not sound thin.

The only headphones I have kept are the Sony Eggo (serves a special portable purpose) and the Sony MDR4000 (a wireless headphone for home theater). Traded in the SR60 for the something (can't even remember now); Something for the HD 555; bought the Eggos; traded in the 555 for the SR80; traded in the SR80 for 595 (on order); and now the SA3Ks. Bought a portable amp (Go-Vibe on order).

WHY?! Because YOU said so!

"The 595 is a great all around headphone - blahblahblah..."

"Norm is a great guy and the Go-Vibe V4 is a great little amp - blahblahblah..."

"The SA1Ks are great. The SA3Ks are good also - save up for the SA5Ks...blahblahblah"

"Eggos: best headphone for portable under $100 - get it from audiocubes.com blahblahblah..."

"555s - great headphone.... and so forth and so on."

I had never ordered from Japan before this site. I had never bought a headphone over $69 before this site. I had never bought an additional hard drive to store Apple Lossless songs before. (although the additional hard drive was a good buy as it provided a back-up device for other files).

I DECLARE February 1 as annual "HEAD-FI.ORG" BAN DATE - all of you will be ordered to stay away for 1 day!! The world economy will have to suffer.

 

[humanflyz]

Hey, those are all great phones in their own way; in fact, I would say that the phones you've owned (SR60, HD595, HD555, SR80) are all very worthy of being called audiophile. At least you sold the ones you didn't like, so you didn't lose out too much, unlike me, where I store all of my headphones. I'm still waiting to finish building a home rig that I'm happy with before I start selling my unused cans.

 

[spraggih]

Humanfly...

Yeah that's the solace. I was able to return each pair with little more than a restocking fee or no return charges. I am counting my blessings - thanks for the reminder. BTW the 595s are on order so we'll see if it turns into a return

Hope the home rig turns out great. But now I feel for you - creating a home rig is arduous, time-consuming and there are so so so many choices. Glad mine is done for now at least.

Thanks again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz Hey, those are all great phones in their own way; in fact, I would say that the phones you've owned (SR60, HD595, HD555, SR80) are all very worthy of being called audiophile. At least you sold the ones you didn't like, so you didn't lose out too much, unlike me, where I store all of my headphones. I'm still waiting to finish building a home rig that I'm happy with before I start selling my unused cans.

 

[nabwong]

I guess the SA3K suffers the same tragedy as the RS-2. Both are great cans but are competely ignored. I guess most people think, why not just make the next step up. SA5k and RS-1.

 

[RnB180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spraggih I've read reviews on the SA5000 and on headphonesreview.org- just about everybody likes it. But even in SA3000 to SA5000 comparison reviews the SA3000 is not much mentioned - it gets a couple of seconds and then it turns into a lovefest of the SA5000. Does anybody own the SA3000 and can offer a review?! At $186 (USD) or less it seems like a buy - ASSUMING it sounds anything like its bigger brother. How does it do in terms of speed, detail, clarity, soundstage, bass? ANYONE? ANYONE?! ANYONE!! pretty please...

there is an indepth comparison on this website comparing the sa3000 with the 5000 and qualias.

From what I read from that review, the 3000s are similar to the the 5000s but lack the refinement and bass response the 5000s have.

I believe this is why people usually skip the 3000s in favor for the superior 5000s. the 1000s get no love, its like the outcast

, I suppose out of the line it is the headphone that leaves the most to be desired and the most generic looking.

 

[spraggih]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 there is an indepth comparison on this website comparing the sa3000 with the 5000 and qualias. From what I read from that review, the 3000s are similar to the the 5000s but lack the refinement and bass response the 5000s have. I believe this is why people usually skip the 3000s in favor for the superior 5000s. the 1000s get no love, its like the outcast , I suppose out of the line it is the headphone that leaves the most to be desired and the most generic looking.

Thanks!

 

[splodinjoe]

I tried them out at the Sony Store and totally hated them. But I had just taken the HF-1s off so maybe the difference in sound signiture was so big that i couldnt really evaluate them properly. I remember thinking they had little midrange and like NO bass though.