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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 20, 2007 21:15:39 GMT
Phew! Just bit the bullet and bought a pair of these beauties from pricejapan worked out at £221 including shipping (shipped via DHL) payment was made through Paypal. "This email confirms that you have paid mail@pricejapan.com (mail@pricejapan.com) $445.00 USD using PayPal. The exchange rate for this purchase is 1 GBP = 1.96157USD" I sincerely hope this goes to plan and I am not party to those customs and excise people slapping on their cut of "duty" If it does come to that the W-1000 will still be a lot cheaper than the £399 the British boutiques charge from them.... fingers crossed they will slip through the duty net I absolutely loved my Audio Technica W-100 and was bonkers to sell them, they were beautifully made and sounded sooooo organic.... the build quality was second to none IMO. I'm looking for a pair of good closed backed 'phones and the W1000 fit the bill.... if they're anything like the W-100 I'll be over the moon, if they're better then I'll truly be over the moon bigstyle. There's nothing quite like "wood" is there? These plastic headphones are ok but add in some wood and you're incorporating a part of nature into your listening experience..... good natural materials that have stood the test of time. The one thing I remember about the W100 was the "heat".... man, they were hot on the noggin! That was a minus where I was before but most definitely will be a plus where I am now..... I haven't broken into a sweat for a year now, these cans will double up as musical winter muffs Pricejapan gets a good rep, it'll be interesting to see just how fast these arrive from the land of the rising sun and, of course, I'll report back here on the entire experience. Really looking forward to these puppies!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 20, 2007 21:40:16 GMT
I searched and actually managed to find a few pics of my old trusty W-100 and here they areSexy or what?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 20, 2007 21:49:30 GMT
If you look at the forum banner pic you'll see a highly polished W100..... there is a thread I started at Head-Fi regarding this but I can't find it...... At the time I was of the belief that the headphones actually benefitted from "intense" polishing and feeding of high grade bees wax.... if somebody could find that Head-Fi thread it would be appreciated.... I can't remember just how much beeswax I fed into those puppies
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 20, 2007 21:52:21 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 21, 2007 8:59:32 GMT
Don't believe it! Only ordered these a few hours ago and already they have been shipped!!
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Post by serverbaboon on Sept 21, 2007 11:38:45 GMT
Isn't supposed to help getting through customs if the item is marked personal gift?
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Post by fanboi on Sept 21, 2007 12:33:04 GMT
Since these are the only "proper" headphones I have owned or even listened to for more than a few minutes it will be interesting to hear your thoughts on them compared to others in your stable.
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Post by wildebassman on Sept 21, 2007 15:02:02 GMT
My ath-a900 slipped through, they only put their commission on the invoice as purchase amount...., too low to tax. Good luck, Dennis.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 21, 2007 16:23:22 GMT
My ath-a900 slipped through, they only put their commission on the invoice as purchase amount...., too low to tax. Good luck, Dennis. Just looked at the DHL INBOUND SHIPMENT ADVISORY note and it seems they have declared the invoice value as their commision only which is VERY good
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Post by robert on Sept 21, 2007 20:54:08 GMT
mike i have just looked at the pricejapan web site and I was quoted £219. looks like you have been done!
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Post by fanboi on Sept 21, 2007 21:20:16 GMT
mike i have just looked at the pricejapan web site and I was quoted £219. looks like you have been done! I think daily exchange rate fluctuations will easily explain a 2GBP difference.
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Post by gns on Sept 21, 2007 22:28:19 GMT
I don't think anybody has been done as the official Audio Technica UK price list I have in front of me says £439 GBP including VAT
We are an official Audio Technica reseller, but the discounted prices offered by the so called "boutiques" are impossible to compete with. It would be cheaper for us to buy from such as pricejapan, in the same way off-licences (small booze shops) buy from the Asda (Wall-Mart) to be able to sell at a reasonable price.
Instead, we simply don't bother. We just purely concentrate now on manufacturing and expanding on what we make.
Many apologies to the AT Rep, Ryan, but at least the "Grotto" has unleashed some further interest in his companies headphones.
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Post by fanboi on Sept 21, 2007 22:40:52 GMT
Perhaps it is not politic for you to comment but you noted elsewhere that you were very pleased with the A900. Have you compared them to the W1000 ?
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Post by gns on Sept 21, 2007 22:51:25 GMT
Perhaps it is not politic for you to comment but you noted elsewhere that you were very pleased with the A900. Have you compared them to the W1000 ? No. I have not had sufficient funds of late to obtain a pair. It also looks like I could buy them from Japan cheaper than buying them from Audio Technica at trade price, including the possible import duty. At the time (about 2 years ago) I talked about the A900 to the AT Rep, he seemed convinced that the A900 was the best sounding of the range for closed back headphones. He also said they were better than my HD250's. He was right with the latter (the HD250 being slightly lighter in "weight"), so maybe he is right about the A900? (the W1000 was on the price list then) Looking at the pics of the W1000 it could be down to eye candy (again...)
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Post by fanboi on Sept 21, 2007 23:26:06 GMT
I too have wondered about the "eye candy" aspect - the mechanical spec seems identical - but it appears possible that wooden cups might offer different resonance to the alloy cups - hence my interest. You have noted the exceptional depth of bass retrieval of the HD250 - are the A900 comparable in this respect ?
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Post by gns on Sept 21, 2007 23:44:19 GMT
Yes, I think so.
One of the best albums for really kicking bass IMO is Genesis Invisible Touch. The HD250 don't have the slam this piece requires, the HD650 are better from the PRAT perspective, and give excitement, but the A900 seems to cunjure-up the HD650 excitement with the HD250 bass extension. The album also has some really well hidden bits that aren't apparent on initial listening, and some were only discovered with the A900. After that, your mind pieces these bits in when using the other cans (a bit like how your mind fills in for the missing bits on CD...). Much more relaxing apart from the "head-clamps" which start to dig-in after 2 or 3 continuous listening hours.
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Post by wildebassman on Sept 22, 2007 8:10:54 GMT
I am with you Graham, about the head-clamps but I got used to them. Graham put me on the ATH-A900 track, and I'm very happy he did! I have been burning in my Green Solo with several cans, started with the Goldrings DR-150, then HD600, some other old bits and pieces I had laying around and finally the A900's. The A900's are definitely my favorites. These A900's sound very organic and serve you all that's there. When comparing to the HD600 and DR150 I always felt there was something missing in the music that the A900's revealed. Some people on the Head-Fi forum say they find the A900's midrange a bit recessed, I do not agree, I would say it's pretty darn accurate, the midrange on most Senn's is a bit too emphasized. Mike I bet you will love the ATH-1000's, they are said to have the same sound signature but are even more organic and relaxed. I hope they slip through customs like mine did. Cheers, Dennis.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 22, 2007 13:05:43 GMT
mike i have just looked at the pricejapan web site and I was quoted £219. looks like you have been done! £219? How have I been "done" when all I paid was £221? £2 isn't going to make me rich! I chose DHL as the preferred shipping mode.... plus remember that was £221 AFTER the Paypal exchange rate!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 22, 2007 13:20:56 GMT
Ear candy maybe? Couldn't disagree more though Graham after listening to the ATH W100 (the W1000's predecessor) the wood certainly does posses good acoustic properties and I muched preferred them to the 900's in that they sounded a bit more mellow and organic or, for want of a better word, "mellifluous". Let's not go down the "I think the AD - ABC sounds better than the AD - XYZ" route without actually hearing them. Forming judgement on looks alone is not the way to do it which is why I'll send you my W1000 over once they're bedded in and you can form an opinion using your ears and not your eyes.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 22, 2007 16:53:33 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 22, 2007 17:17:12 GMT
I too have wondered about the "eye candy" aspect - the mechanical spec seems identical - but it appears possible that wooden cups might offer different resonance to the alloy cups - hence my interest. You have noted the exceptional depth of bass retrieval of the HD250 - are the A900 comparable in this respect ? Different material in places man and, as we all know, different materials don't all sound the same! ATH-900 Type: Closed Dynamic Driver Unit: 53mm, Bobbin winding OFC voice coil Magnet: Neodymium Frequency response: 5-40,000 Hz Impedence: 40Ù Max. Input Power: 2,000mW Sensitivity: 101dB Plug: Gold-plating stereo mini plug Cord length: 3.0m (Wrapping / Hi-OFC) Net weight (without cord): 350g ATH W1000 Type Close-back, double air dampening system Element Dynamic Driver 53mm, neodymium magnet with 8N-OFC voicecoil and titanium housing Frequency response 5 Hz to 40 kHz Output SPL 100 dB/mW Impedance 40 Ohms Maximum input power 2000 mW (EIAJ) Weight 350 g Cable Hi-OFC, silk silver wire, 3.0 m Connector 6.3 mm, gold-plated stereo So....... we can see the 900 has an OFC voice coil whereas the 1000 has an 8N-OFC voicecoil and titanium housing ...... we can see the cables are different between the two and we can see the W1000 has a double air dampening system..... not the same are they?
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Post by robert on Sept 22, 2007 17:25:36 GMT
when I said Maike had been 'done', it was a joke. I am not sure why some people have taken it so literally. I know headphones are serious business, but perhaps the forum should lighten up a bit!. I suppose I should keep my quips and comments to myself! (those last two comments are also meant in a joking type manner, before anyone replies!!)
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 22, 2007 17:30:09 GMT
Yeh, I got the joke Robert £2 extra? daylight robbery! I've been scammed!
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Post by wildebassman on Sept 22, 2007 17:55:10 GMT
ATH-A900's also have DADS, it's on the Japanese AT site... And on Audiocubes and AT usa; Features High quality Audio-Technica new generation headphones with Aluminum housing D.A.D.S. (Double Air Danping System) for bass reproduction (D.A.D.S was developed for the legendary Audio-Technica ATH-W2002 Limited Edition Wooden Headphones) Large aperture phi 53 drivers private design in wide range playback Superior and deep resonating bass and vocal projection unmatched in its class New 3D Wing Support Housing vibration-proof mechanism (PAT) gives comfortable support for a better listening experience Wrapping 3.0m Hi-OFC input cord with bobbin winding OFC voice coil Total ear fitting ear pad design Specifications Type: Closed Dynamic Driver Unit: 53mm, Bobbin winding OFC voice coil Magnet: Neodymium Frequency response: 5-40,000 Hz Impedence: 40Ω Max. Input Power: 2,000mW Sensitivity: 101dB Plug: Gold-plating stereo mini plug Cord length: 3.0m (Wrapping / Hi-OFC) Net weight (without cord): 350g Sure, they're not the same though.... Dennis.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 22, 2007 19:37:09 GMT
8N-OFC voicecoil, titanium housing and cherry wood.... far from the same
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