Customer Reviews
The Best I've Found 
2008-02-13
Sony MDR-SA1000 DJ Stereo Headphones
As a musician, writer, producer and engineer for 20 years, I've used many different headphones, these are simply the best for my purposes-light and comfortable, sturdy, precise with un-colored sound, straight cord. Most importantly is the sound-very, very accurate, and secondly the comfort - circumaural(around the ear, not on the ear). I have compared them to the Sony MDR 7506, AKG K240, Senns and ATH - The most surprising difference was in the high frequency coverage-crisp and cool. I've never written a product review before so understand that I was truly impressed by these phones. They met and exceeded my expectations. Note that these phones are on the 'large' physical size, but extremely light in weight.
Great sounding headphones 2008-01-13
The Sony MDR-SA1000 headphones are hard to beat. They are very comfortable and can handle high volume. Would recommend them to those that what extreme comfort and loud music with all the bass and highs they could possibly handle. Im a guy who has been into music for almost 40 years now, these headphones are hard to beat especially for the price I paid on Amazon. Zayberzero
Very good headphones for home use 
2007-10-31
These are not designed for one-ear use. They do not have the letters DJ in the name, however Sony does list them in their web-site as DJ headphones. There is no leather in these headphones anywhere.
I am replacing my 20 year old Sony MDR CD1000 headphones.
The SA1000's required about 10 decibles louder amplification to do a side by side comparison, so as has been stated elsewhere, you may not be happy if you are using a portable player with low volume output. However as these are more designed for home use, I suspect that will seldom be a problem.
I loved wearing my CD1000s as they were very comfortable wearing for extended periods. These SA1000s seemed to be more comfortable than the current competition for the price, but not as comfortable as my CD1000s as the SA1000s tend to irritate the top of my head after a couple of hours. The CD1000s had a spring loaded leather strap holding them in place, but none of the current offerings seem to offer this setup.
I do like the sound. Their lighter weight allows them to rest completely off the ears without discomfort allowing a more spacious soundstage than my CD1000s offered.
The fabric cord does tend to twist up more easily than other headphone cords, however they also wind up and un-twist easier and has not been a source of irritation.
If you are looking for headphones to help you imagine that you are listening to the CSO in Orchestra Hall while resting on your couch at home without spending a ton of money, then these will work very well.
Followup 3 month later, my review does not change, but I wanted to point out that they sound much better and much cleaner now than then did when I first wrote this review in comparison to my CD1000s. I have read in the past that some headphones require a break-in period and this seems to be true here as well.
Get Real 2007-05-27
Yes I agree these should not be labeled "DJ" headphones. I think that that is misleading. At the same time I do not believe that giving these 1* just because of durability in a "DJ" environment helps others. Those of you who have bought these primarily on that basis are poor consumers. Do your research FIRST. Also evaluations by those with tinker toy audio setups does not help. These are very fine headphones for the price / performance and when driven by a decent source produce very accurate sound reproduction. As for the lack in the low end range this is somewhat true, but it is very tight and accurate (I think allot of people do not know what a real low end should sound like, they are accustomed the boomy / sloppy low end produced by cheap equipment). So here is my recommendation:
1) If you have decent audio equipment (a quality dedicated headphone amplifier and good source) these perform very well.
2) These are an "Open Air" design. This design is used to increse the quality of the sound, but also allows exerior sounds in and some sound produced by the unit out. If this is important to you do not buy these, get a "closed / sealed" design.
3) These are for home use. Do not buy them for travel or DJ use.
4) Replace the original cable with a high end cable (makes these sound much better)
5) The price / performance ratio these are hard to beat.
6) Everyone has there own tastes preview / research before you buy!
7) If you have low end equipment buy to match what you have. These are fairly efficient at 70ohms, but if you are using an IPOD get 32 Ohm headphones or buy a headphone amplifier.
Hope this was helpful....
Shame on Amazon: these are not "DJ" Headphones 
2007-01-03
As a club and mobile DJ for 20 years I have used several brands of pro-DJ headphones. After trying some other names I decided to go back to Sony. Typically Sony headphones made for pro DJs have the letters "DJ" in the name, so when I found these on Amazon I assumed the name of the headphones were "Sony MDR-SA1000 DJ." WRONG! Nowhere on the packaging, headphones, or the literature does Sony call these "DJ" headphones.... and that is because they are NOT DJ headphones! Contrary to the Amazon review, these were NOT made with DJs in mind. Sony engineers know that thin plastic connections and delicate exposed wires like the ones on these would not last a month in the typical jock's gear bag. Sony knows that DJ headphone cups should rotate to allow for resting on the shoulder during a live mix. Sony knows DJs don't need a "lightweight frame structure" and they also know that a straight cord means a DJ in a tight booth is probably more likely to trip on it then worry about it damaging records or "fine equipment!" (What DJ gets his/her headphone cords near their vinyl in the first place??)
I strongly feel that Amazon should remove the misleading and misinformed DJ references from this review. At the very least they should remove the "DJ" from the product name because it is NOT part of the product name.
I am sending these back without listening to them. Non-DJs should read other reviews for information on performance and sound quality. DJs should move on and look at other headphones... and make sure you double check that those headphones truly are for DJs!
Not perfect for anybody 
2006-11-21
Sony's worldwide reputation for creating unique, attractive, high-quality, advanced technology products rests on a long line of innovations embraced by people from all walks of life. With a diverse product lineup serving a variety of lifestyles and industries, Sony continuously strives to introduce new products and technologies to meet changing market needs.PRODUCT FEATURES: Super wide frequency range (up to 80kHz) reproduction; HD (High Density) 50 mm driver unit; Frame Structure for super lightweight; Pressure dispersion pad for wearing comfort; Use of Urethane Texture ear pad for excellent wearing comfort; Equipped with 360kJ/m3 neodymium magnet.
Poor sound or bad luck? 2006-11-11
I just received the Sony MDr-SA1000 and bought it directly from Amazon. I don't know if I received a fake or what but my headphones' box appeared scratched on the outside which made me question whether it was new, like the vendor claimed. Despite this, the headphone itself seemed new/mint condition.
Comparing my previous experience with the Sony MDR-V700DJ, the MDR-SA1000 seems utterly lacking in the bass department. Even when I adjust my equalizer for my songs this headphone reaches nowhere near the volume and fullness of the Sony MDR-V700DJ. The bass gets completely distorted when I try to adjust the sound. The volume level it is able to reach is worse than some $30 headphones I've had. There is way too much treble in this model but what's annoying is that even with sound adjustments, this problem can't be overcome. Considering how much this headphone cost, I am totally disappointed and will buy the Sony MDR-V700DJ from a trusted vendor.
Beware buyers!!!!
The 700's are pretty sterdy just dont step on them 2006-10-29
Bought these cuz I stepped on my 700's. They lasted me a good two years I'd say. I didn't treat them very nice. Most Dj's use either these or the 700's. Sony's got some good headphones. Like the way they feel on my female head. Holla!
I do love Sony headphones. 2006-09-25
Having had a pair of Sony headphones for some 16 years (until the padding finally started to fall off) I decided to keep with the Sony brand. It was a safe and very good decision as it led me to these headphones.
I will keep this short. These headphones sound great, look great and feel great. You can wear these and forget you even have them on. The cord is nylon which lasts much longer then the old fashioned cords and are easy to unknot. The cord is also very long.
I have no complaints with these headphones and recommend them to anyone.
Very nice! 2006-06-01
I've just used these headphones for a week, and I am enjoying it so much! Unlike the other people's complaint about the clicking sound, I have none of such thing. I shook my head, jumped, ran with it, but there was no clicking sound from the joint as long as I'm wearing them. Maybe sony improved the design recently?
The sound from the headphone is very realistic (especially human voice) and the volume is also quite loud. I worried that this had 70 ohm impedence, so it would need a headphone amp for a big sound, but this works very well with my portables.
One downside is that the cord is way too long. Other than that, I love it!
