Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 (edited) After owning this headphone for sometime, I feel that it's time for me to contribute. Firstly, I've never had any headphones for too long. Most of them will only be around for 1-2 months. The longest that'd been with me was the beyer dt770pro. I am always very easily dissatisfied with my equipments. As such, for the last few months I've been buying and selling headphones/gears, till recently. I want you to keep in mind that I have by no means a golden ear . I don't even qualify as an audiophile. If I have to name myself, I will just say I am a casual music listener. Take note of the partnering equipments as they play an instrumental role in determining the final sound of the setup. My equipments: -Musical Fidelity A3CD -Corda HA-1 -Tara Labs Reference Generation 2 -Etymotic Er-4s -Belden 19364 power cord Some CDs used: -Chage Aska MTV unplugged (atmosphere, separation,air,acoustic guitars and vocals) -Cranberries - No need to argue -Fujii Fumiya - Retake (Japan Press) (superb recording, good acoustic guitars) -Kevin Kern - More than words , Winding path (new age, not a bad test for the piano) - and many more of my pop cds that mean nothing to you all audiophile Set up : Corda HA-1 with crossfeed to low, out of the 0 ohm jack If I consider the Sony MDR-R10 to be the best , then cd3000 is the second best. Note that I've not heard the Grado Hp-1000. The Sony is quite well built, though I would love to see more magnesium in its construction instead of plastic. The comfort is top notch. Nothing can touch the sony once they are on your head. The pad surround your ears like a pair of soft gloves. I can wear them for hours , except on some days where the weather can get a little warm. On to the sound. The sony has a massive and deep soundstage for a closed can. It beats some open air headphones out there handily. The soundstage has depth and extends all the way to the back. Besides, it has the reverb and the echo similar to what I've heard in a hall. I don't know if the designer purposely designed it that way, but I enjoy it tremendously. Listening to the sony makes you feel right there together with the performer. The band appears to be just right infront of you, singing just 1m away. It's that close! As such, I feel that they're very intimate, compared to many other headphones (like hd600 which is too laidback for my taste). The midrange is warm, full sounding and very life-like. There is no hint of sibilance with the right partnering equipments. At times when I got lost I feel that I'm really in the middle of the live concert(this is especially true with live recordings). Goosebump ! I agree with others' comments that this headphone can get a little bright. However, it never seems to invite the fatigue factor. The instrument like guitars are reproduced very realistically and with the right 'twang'. The only other headphone so far I've heard that can match it is the beyerdynamic dt880. But the sony has a little more sparkle to it and as such nicer sounding to me. Plus, in real life most acoustic guitars usually sound a little bright. DT880 is a little dark and sony is a little on bright side. The imaging is exceptional. You can pin-point the various players very easily. They also put the band right infront of you, not like some headphones whereby they struggle to produce this, even with the help of crossfeed. The drummer behind the vocalist is very well separated and not smeared with the vocalist altogether. The right and left guitars are very distinct and are scarily good especially in small ensemble and solo. With just one or two instruments playing, I daresay sony is a toughnut to crack. The bass is notorious. It has the slam, depth, tightness and speed. In this regard, the only one that can beat it is probably the beyer dt770pro for me. However, the beyer 770pro lacks the overall resolution and sound that I'm looking out for. As for me, the most important thing in a headphone is that everything plays coherently and not separated to the extent like they're all playing by themselves. I've owned the beyer dt880pro and at times I feel that this headphone seems to be separating too much and it gives a rather dull experience. With the sony cd3000, everything plays well altogether, the timing is dead on accurate, and very very coherent. The Sony also possesses the liquid and smooth transition. When the guitarist tends to get aggressive and increase his pace and rhythm, you can easily follow them. The note stops on time, and doesn't sound disjointed at all. There is air surrounding the instruments too. The decay is superb on the sony. I've never known what is decay. I always hear about decays on piano.. etc, but I've never been able to spot them until recently. When the piano stops, it will decay very smoothly, slowly . The same goes for the guitar. It's carried right till the last drop. You will never miss them. Listening to the sony has made me realise how good a sound from the headphone setup can be. I've heard some of the expensive speaker setup.. costing at least 4-5 times, but I don't think it can ever beat my setup. I feel that cd3000 can convey the emotion much much better than other setups that I've heard. Afterall, who wants to be listening to a music without any emotion? Well, at least I won't! The Sony also has everything that I've been searching. Warm vocals, dynamics, bass, soundstage, right timbre, coherence, decays. The list can go on forever. When I listen to the sony I feel like I'm already done and nothing else can be improved. Of course I know there is an R-10 but probably I can only dream about it. I've also posted the review here, albeit with a slight change to suit whatever necessary: http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_118039_2750crx.aspx edit: added the 'setup' Edited September 27, 2003 by Blues Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 One more pic.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 Last pic.. the cd3000 from the side! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sipher 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 nice review Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 Are you using the Sony out of the 120ohm jack of your Corda HA-1 or the 0 ohm jack? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 0 ohm jack.. I forgot to include! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 Nicely written. Eeek!!! Expensive headphone dangling precariously on the edge of the table! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northern Oak 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 If he spoils this, he'll go for the R10. Blues, go ahead! Drop it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 Nicely written. Eeek!!! Expensive headphone dangling precariously on the edge of the table! I lack of the headphone stand for now lol! Maybe I will go look for one next time.. they seem to 'hold on' better at the edge as compared to my previous cans though (DT880 which had dropped a few times ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 If he spoils this, he'll go for the R10. Blues, go ahead! Drop it! o-(* o *)-oNorthern Oak Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northern Oak 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 Ouch!!!! Nice Review. Next Stop : Change Power Cords? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 Oakley.. yeah.. I am thinking of changing the power cord.. but not anytime soon.Perhaps next year? My top priority right now is the amp change. I find that the HA-1 can't quite keep up with the rest of my equipments lol But will do it step by step. Right now I just want a little more warmth and resolution keke.. hm and the termination plug.. yeah.. I need to arrange with mackie one day to get it from him Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lekguan 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 Damn, after seeing this, I feel even more like a kid. Will the HP890 stand work? If can blues, go and get a HP890! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 As long as the MF is secure, drop the headphones never mind. It will never end by the looks of it. Amp, cables... the saga continues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2003 HP 890 should work.. I think. Uh but no... I am not paying 90 dollars just to get the stand Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
