Would the Sony SA3000 be an upgrade from the AT AD700?

[Steely Dan]

Pretty straight forward, I have the AD700 now and use them at home on my PC for a combination of listening to music and watching movies/TV shows.  I like that they're open, comfortable and pretty good for a lot of the stuff I listen to with clean instrumentals and female vocals.  Eventually I plan putting together a much better home setup with a dedicated DAC and AMP, and maybe some DT880s or something else that would really take advantage of it.  However for now I'd just like maybe a more balanced upgrade from the AD700 without spending a whole lot.  I've been considering the AD900 too, but the SA3000 is available fairly cheap, and I've seen it compared to the AD2000 as far as reproduction of female vocals.  Is it worth it?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Pretty straight forward, I have the AD700 now and use them at home on my PC for a combination of listening to music and watching movies/TV shows.  I like that they're open, comfortable and pretty good for a lot of the stuff I listen to with clean instrumentals and female vocals.  Eventually I plan putting together a much better home setup with a dedicated DAC and AMP, and maybe some DT880s or something else that would really take advantage of it.  However for now I'd just like maybe a more balanced upgrade from the AD700 without spending a whole lot.  I've been considering the AD900 too, but the SA3000 is available fairly cheap, and I've seen it compared to the AD2000 as far as reproduction of female vocals.  Is it worth it?

 
Heya,
 
Seeing as how the DT880 PRO 250ohm ($230) is only a little more expensive than the SA3000 ($135), I don't see much merit in buying yet another headphone like you already have, when you could save a little more and not have to spend twice as much later when you upgrade again and get yourself a world-class headphone that does everything.
 
Very best,

 

[Steely Dan]

Thanks for the reply, my plan had been to hold off on the DT880 until I had a setup that could properly drive the 600ohm model.  If you think I wouldn't really be missing anything by going with the 250ohm instead, maybe I'll go that route.  Is the general consensus on there that the SA3000 really isn't special enough to bother with?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Thanks for the reply, my plan had been to hold off on the DT880 until I had a setup that could properly drive the 600ohm model.  If you think I wouldn't really be missing anything by going with the 250ohm instead, maybe I'll go that route.  Is the general consensus on there that the SA3000 really isn't special enough to bother with?

 
Heya,
 
You're not going to miss anything between the 250ohm and 600ohm models. InnerFidelity measurements show they are essentially the same.
 
The SA3000 is one of those headphones that some people like, and a lot of people dislike. Usually revolves around the bass response.
 
Very best,