SA6 Earphones Versus Big, Over the Ear Headphones

“this is the first pair of IEM that I have had the pleasure of listening to that blows anything I ever owned out of the water when it comes to sound quality.” 

When I was looking at a new pair of IEM (my only experience with them being with the Sony MDR-EX71) to replace my BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro for everyday music listening (and to remove the umbilical cord I have with my laptop using those, and to be portable) I stumbled upon this thread, got inspired by the great reviews and the ability to tweak your own sound. Crying wallet in hand, I ordered a pair and ever since I received them, I have never looked back… I’m not by any mean a professional reviewer, just a “headphone enthusiast”

I know most people here will do a IEM vs. IEM review, I will however do something a bit different. Why? Well, because this is the first pair of IEM that I have had the pleasure of listening to that blows anything I ever owned out of the water when it comes to sound quality. Doing a quick comparison between the SA6 and the DT770 Pro, using a 1st Gen iPod Shuffle (192k CBR

mp3s) thru a HeadRoom Total Airhead amp (using crossfeed), I would say that the SA6 beats the DT770 Pro in almost every aspect. I used the Treble ++ and Bass + and the medium tips on the SA6.

The DT770 Pro has a bit more treble, but sounds colder. The SA6 has a wider soundstage, warmer middles and tighter bass. The SA6’s sound isolation is also incredibly good. I can’t hear the constant creaking sounds of my favourite lazy-boy chair when I’m gently rocking myself with them on. The only point I would give to the DT770 Pro over the SA6 is the middles. While they do sound warmer with the SA6, they seem to be slightly more upfront with the DT770 Pro, an impression which I realized after listening to Above & Beyond’s Tri-State (Robert Nickson Intro Remix). There is a synth sound that comes in about halfway through the song that is clearly more heard on the DT770 Pro than on the SA6, something I also noticed listening to I Awake’s “Journey” track (beautiful, can’t wait for the full album in May!).

I have been listening to a lot of Trance/Dance music lately, and regarding the bass… Well, it seems to largely depends on what album you are listening to. On Paul van Dyk’s La Dolce Vita from his latest CD “In Between” (that song sounds like a rip-off of 4 Strings’ “Take Me Away” song from 2003) the bass drum is solid and felt. On David Guetta’s “Baby When The Lights” the bass drum sounds a bit more recessed. Comparing the DT770 Pro with the SA6’s bass response, I would say that the SA6 has a slight edge over the DT770 Pro. The bass is just physically felt more w/o overpowering anything else.

Anyway, I’m not going to go into a mastering review, but suffice it to say that before you judge the SA6 abilities, listen to multiple albums.

Mastering an album is an art in itself and differs greatly from artist to artist (not all types of music are mastered the same way either) and will impact how the SA6 performs, obviously.

So, as I said in the beginning, this review was more intended for someone looking to replace a good pair of headphones with a pair of IEM. Everything is subjective, so your experience might be different than mine. But at the moment, I completely stopped using the DT770 Pro and use the SA6 all the time now. Oh, and a quick note for those who own Sony’s MDR-EX71… Picture a very small and dark room. Now picture a large hall perfectly lighted up.

This is how I felt when I tried the MDR-EX71 and then put on the SA6.

Review by: Sebastien Decarie