Sony CD3000 impressions

[deepak]

I've put around 6 or 7 hours on these so far.

They're much, much better than when I last heard them.

-the treble isn't as tipped up as I remember (still on jazz that extends really high, it gets a little fatiguing)

-bass extension is not very good (audible at 30 Hz, very good down to 40 Hz)

-HF extension is good (~18 Khz)

-bass impact is an enigma. On certain albums it has a lot, other times you just hear the bass and it's not remotely palpable

-some funkiness going on in the midrange, almost like the upper midrange is slightly recessed

-soundstage can't figure this one out...the headstage is pretty small. But the drivers are angled towards your ears...

-imaging is not bad, but a bit fuzzy

-very enjoyable with large symphony music

-average PRaT

-they do particularly well with live rock music. The fishbowl soundstage makes them sound like a concert

-layering of instruments is cool

So the CD3000s biggest offense? Tone and timbre, it's not that great (reminds me of the SA5000 I had on loan). Tried with piano, violins and sitar. As an example when listening to some violin tracks there's nothing accurate about it. Undoubtedly you're hearing a violin, but that's it. With the HP-2 or K1000 I can listen to a strad and say "that's a damn fine violin" with the CD3000 not so much.

[deepak]

Oh yes my favorite album with them was Battles - Mirrored. Avant-garde/experimental rock that has a lot of percussion, electric guitar and electronic effects.

[qazwsx]

I read somewhere online that the SA series are all remakes of the discontinued low-end CD series. True? Likely not.

Anyhow I thought the 3000's I auditioned had really good soundstage, fairly good speed, sharp ass detail, but had three problems: too bright highs, a very recessed midrange and the sound was thin. It seemed like it had a good range but the sound was just all over the place. Not bad for a ~$200 headphone but $350? Forget about it!

[deepak]

Definitely not true about the SA being a remake of the CD series.

They're really not that detailed.

I don't think the midrange is that recessed, save for the upper mids. And the sound definitely isn't thin on my setup. What were the associated components you heard it with and for how long? And was it at a meet?

What are your headphones you're using as a reference? On Headfi it says KSC75 and K81DJ?

[qazwsx]

I auditioned it out of a HeadRoom Max & was comparing it to the Sennheiser HD280 and Grado SR225 (which I had at the time). Don't remember the actual source, just the amplifier. It wasn't amazingly thin in comparison, but I did think it was bright and had a recessed midrange.

[deepak]

I auditioned it out of a HeadRoom Max & was comparing it to the Sennheiser HD280 and Grado SR225 (which I had at the time). Don't remember the actual source, just the amplifier. It wasn't amazingly thin in comparison, but I did think it was bright and had a recessed midrange.

Cool I see where you're coming from.

I have some Amperex tubes in my amp, so that definitely helps in sweetening the midrange.

[hirsch]

I still have a Headphile-modded CD3000. At one point, I was tempted to sell it, but plugged it into my PPX-3. Damn. I wound up selling my L3000 instead.

The CD3000 can be a PRAT monster if you've got the right amp. I modded an X-Can v2 years ago. With stock CD3000, that particular amp/headphone combo got the feet moving. I miss it still.

The Headphile mods do make the stock headphone sound a bit muddy in comparison.

IMO the SA series sounds like junk in comparison to the CD3000. OTOH, I bet Sony has a better profit margin on them.

[Nanoha]

I still have a Headphile-modded CD3000. At one point, I was tempted to sell it, but plugged it into my PPX-3. Damn. I wound up selling my L3000 instead.

Holy crap, no way. Maybe I should have kept my PPX3 SLAM.

We'll see. A few days ago I told my dad to go through his storage room in Asia (he's currently there for a business trip) and try to find his CD3k that he bought a long time ago. He found it and is coming back later today.

The SA5k is still one of my favorite headphones. Its hilariously over-the-top instrument separation is something I enjoyed with complex electronic music.

[deepak]

Thanks for the impressions Hirsch.

I've done a lot of back and forth with the L3000, and the L3000 wins every time with my amp.

The CD3000 has an interesting soundstage, but I wouldn't call it accurate.

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

What a horrible sounding can.

Biggie.

[PFKMan23]

I also had a woodied and recabled pair and they had this weird upper midrange sheen to them.

[KenW]

Had them for 6 months or so. Way too bright for my tastes. Found them to be among the most comfortable cans to wear but just too fatiguing for extended listening. Of course, I had a SS amp at the time. Sometimes I wonder how I'd feel about them with a good tube amp? Given their price point of late, I doubt I'll get that chance.

[fierce_freak]

I've only heard a Headphile modded CD3000 at a meet (twice, actually), but I can say that I know I don't care for it much. Both times were out of a PPX3 Slam. The midrange sounded off, and something about the tone or timbre just sounded wrong to my ears.

[Nanoha]

So I've been listening to the CD3k; it's decent. Not exceptional, but I like it for the craptacularly over-processed music I listen to (namely electronica and foreign pop). It fits the light poppish feel of Asian pop quite well. It sounds somewhat like Ultrasone, but not as much of a failure. It has hints of the SA5k, but lacks the extreme separation I was hoping for. The timbre has less of a plastic-like quality then the SA5k, which is usually a good thing, but it still fails considerably when compared with higher-end cans. Soundstage and imaging are quite strange but rather enjoyable for certain types of music. They're bright, but the strength of those high frequencies isn't too overwhelming for me personally. Of course, I'm one of the few who can stand the SA5k. But on the other hand, it's exceptionally comfortable.

As for its use for classical, vocals, alternative, and a lot of rock: I personally think it's not that good. Midrange is off (not as bad as Ultrasones, though, hah), and as before, tone and timbre are too artificial.

Overall, I think they're cans I can enjoy for some of the music I listen to: namely, Asian pop and rock and certain types of metal. But it fails me when I listen to my beloved female vocals and jazz.

[deepak]

when i was a CD-3000 monster

Is this is like a fanboy

fierce_freak: I agree there's something about the tone and timbre that just throws me off.

So I've been listening to the CD3k; it's decent. Not exceptional, but I like it for the craptacularly over-processed music I listen to (namely electronica and foreign pop). It fits the light poppish feel of Asian pop quite well. It sounds somewhat like Ultrasone, but not as much of a failure. It has hints of the SA5k, but lacks the extreme separation I was hoping for. The timbre has less of a plastic-like quality then the SA5k, which is usually a good thing, but it still fails considerably when compared with higher-end cans. Soundstage and imaging are quite strange but rather enjoyable for certain types of music. They're bright, but the strength of those high frequencies isn't too overwhelming for me personally. Of course, I'm one of the few who can stand the SA5k. But on the other hand, it's exceptionally comfortable.

As for its use for classical, vocals, alternative, and a lot of rock: I personally think it's not that good. Midrange is off (not as bad as Ultrasones, though, hah), and as before, tone and timbre are too artificial.

Overall, I think they're cans I can enjoy for some of the music I listen to: namely, Asian pop and rock and certain types of metal. But it fails me when I listen to my beloved female vocals and jazz.

When did you get a CD3000? Do you find the fit a bit loose? Any movements and I can feel them sliding back and forth.

[Nanoha]

When did you get a CD3000? Do you find the fit a bit loose? Any movements and I can feel them sliding back and forth.

My dad bought the CD3k in Japan quite a long time ago, but he only used it for a few hours and had it stored in a storage room over there. I told him to go find them and bring them back after his business trip oversees. He just came back today.

[Iron_Dreamer]

oh, i was beyond merely being a fanboy. ask tkam.

Somehow, I don't recall this...go figure!

[Dusty Chalk]

Had them for 6 months or so. Way too bright for my tastes. Found them to be among the most comfortable cans to wear but just too fatiguing for extended listening. Of course, I had a SS amp at the time. Sometimes I wonder how I'd feel about them with a good tube amp? Given their price point of late, I doubt I'll get that chance.

I don't think it has anything to do with solid state amp at all -- the first thing I listened to them out of when I got them recently was my Creek OBH-11SE, and I don't think they're bright at all. Now the Sony MDR-7506/-V6 -- now they are bright. Perhaps it's which house sound one is more used to? But that doesn't make sense, I'm neither a Grado Guy nor a Sennheiser ...erm... Sapien.

[Dusty Chalk]

Do you find the fit a bit loose? Any movements and I can feel them sliding back and forth.

I know this question wasn't directed at me, but definitely -- I've headbanged them to the point where the cord was strangling me. (I start with my head going back, apparently, and at home, my amp is to my right. I now keep my cord behind me when I think about it.)

[humanflyz]

@J-Pak:

If you are going to sell the CD3Ks, take a look at this: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=248142

[Nanoha]

Oh oops! I missed the question regarding fit. My head is rather large, so the CD3k actually fits on rather nicely and snuggly as well. When I head-bang, it slides, but not much. (My top head reaches the top of the headband and the width is just perfect such that the sides of the cups are perpendicular to the ground. ... haha, that was probably an unclear description. )

[purk]

I was a big fan of the CD3000 about 2 years ago until I got the HD-650 w/ Zu Cable. The CD3000 was pretty impressive with soundstange and nice with midrange presentation. I even got it modded with Moon Audio Silver Dragon and Headphile's R10-sized cups. The Silver Dragon really enhanced the bass, midrange, and resolution, while smooth out the high. OTOH, the upgraded cups didn't do much for me. I prefer the CD3000 + SD a lot more than the CD3000 + SD + R10's cups.

[padam]

Bumping this thread cause I just bought one

Unlike a lot of other people described, it fits me fits me just fine (not loose at all and my head is not big ) and the comfort is really good.

My question is: what kind of warm-sounding budget amp should I look for?

Thanks in advance!

[The Monkey]

Good find. Congrats. Some of the best pairings I have heard with the CD3000 have been with the Woo Audio amps. Not sure if the WA3+ or WA6 satisfy the "budget" criterion for you, but I've liked the CD3000 out of the amps every time I've heard them.

[penger]

I think I remember hearing the CD3000 on blessingx's rig during the last Bay Area meet. Sounded pretty good. I liked them better than the HD800's but that's probably because the Senn cups didn't fit my head that well. Anyway, the amp was a SP Extreme I think... could probably find one for cheap and fix it up for less than the Woo's?