|
Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 27, 2007 21:52:20 GMT
In the process of changing to X-Can V3, will report back Hi Mike. I am thinking of buying some of these on your recommendation. How did they sound with the X-can V3? Cheers Rob I was just about to get around to that but you got in before I had a chance They are extremely good with the v3 with an incredibly wide soundstage for a closed back headphone... the v3 drives them with absolute ease (as does the Solo) the v3 has a slightly different way of presenting the sound through the W1000 than the Solo in that it imparts a slight degree of warmth to the proceedings..... I know this isn't technically correct and is frowned upon by a few people but let's just say the added warmth isn't necessarily a bad thing and may be a bonus, dependant on your ears... The question was "how did they sound with the X-Can v3?" and the answer is very good, Very good indeed.... no complaints my end...... So far, they seem to be consistent and easy to drive with most headamps..... no major flaws I can detect.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2007 4:43:05 GMT
Audio Technica ATH-W5000's, Slee Solo Green, Musical Fidelity X-Cans V.1.
Agree with everything your hearing and saying, Mike.
No more Grado's, Senns, or AKG's, for me. They just don't get it.
Long live the AT's!
John
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 28, 2007 10:22:05 GMT
Audio Technica ATH-W5000's, Slee Solo Green, Musical Fidelity X-Cans V.1. Agree with everything your hearing and saying, Mike. No more Grado's, Senns, or AKG's, for me. They just don't get it. Long live the AT's! John What are the W5000 like compared to the 900 / 1000, have you ever listened to these? W5000 sure does look sexy Nice zebra wood
|
|
|
Post by minivan on Sept 28, 2007 10:24:22 GMT
pinkfloyd : why don't u buy that can too and compare w1000 vs w5000 for us?
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 28, 2007 10:31:54 GMT
pinkfloyd : why don't u buy that can too and compare w1000 vs w5000 for us? Too expensive
|
|
leo
Been here a while!
Team wtf is it?
Posts: 3,638
|
Post by leo on Sept 28, 2007 14:34:33 GMT
The W5000 look lovely but are they really about 500 quid?
|
|
xerxes
Been here a while!
Posts: 1,115
|
Post by xerxes on Sept 28, 2007 17:56:56 GMT
Mike, did you get a pair of Sennheiser HD650s as well? I've always been put off closed backs, about an hour is as long as I can go with open backs before I start to suffer from the effects of "hot ear". I have to say though that most of the AT headphones look the muts nadgers and make Senns look a bit cheap and chearful in comparison.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 28, 2007 18:08:08 GMT
Mike, did you get a pair of Sennheiser HD650s as well? I've always been put off closed backs, about an hour is as long as I can go with open backs before I start to suffer from the effects of "hot ear". I have to say though that most of the AT headphones look the muts nadgers and make Senns look a bit cheap and chearful in comparison. Yeh, they sure are the dog's bollocks man and to be honest I'd rather go with another pair of ATs over the Sennheisers.... maybe the ATH- AD2000 have you seen them?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2007 18:29:04 GMT
I've not heard the W-1000's, but there are some mechanical differences in the voice coil wire, something called a Permendur magnetic circuit there, and a more elaborately constructed cable to the amp, in the W-5000.
I'm like you Mike, I knew immediately that the AT was for me. The W-1000 doesn't seem to be available here (not that I've found) in the States, so my choices were the open backed W-700 or the closed back, take no prisoners, W-5000. I, again like you, found the Musical Fidelity's tubes to warm the detail a bit, not bad at all, just different. So, YoYoMa's cello is fuller with the MF, but the Slee gets you right into the bow/string contact sounds. I like the Slee Green Solo best with these phones.
As for price, I paid $679+6% tax from Circuit City here, with a 30 day no questions asked return policy (nice if I didn't like them). I was going to pay the $795 for a pair of Joe Grado's RS-1's, at one time, but I really wanted something else. The AT's were/are that something else, and then some. The Grado sound just doesn't get very musical, it just kinda slams you, is harsh, not tuneful. The AT's kill em for sound quality.
John
|
|
|
Post by robert on Sept 28, 2007 19:40:42 GMT
Hi Mike. I am thinking of buying some of these on your recommendation. How did they sound with the X-can V3? Cheers Rob I was just about to get around to that but you got in before I had a chance They are extremely good with the v3 with an incredibly wide soundstage for a closed back headphone... the v3 drives them with absolute ease (as does the Solo) the v3 has a slightly different way of presenting the sound through the W1000 than the Solo in that it imparts a slight degree of warmth to the proceedings..... I know this isn't technically correct and is frowned upon by a few people but let's just say the added warmth isn't necessarily a bad thing and may be a bonus, dependant on your ears... The question was "how did they sound with the X-Can v3?" and the answer is very good, Very good indeed.... no complaints my end...... So far, they seem to be consistent and easy to drive with most headamps..... no major flaws I can detect. Thanks for the info. I know you are not a fan of Grado headphones, but.... I use the RS-1 with the x-can V3. How do you think the AT compare to the Grado RS-1? I am happy to order some ATs from Japan, but I don't want to spend a load of money if the improvement is small. Cheers Rob
|
|
|
Post by bullveyr on Sept 28, 2007 19:58:11 GMT
The W-1000 doesn't seem to be available here (not that I've found) in the States, audiocubes.com has them
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 4:42:08 GMT
I sit corrected here in the US of A. John
|
|
xerxes
Been here a while!
Posts: 1,115
|
Post by xerxes on Sept 29, 2007 11:46:53 GMT
Hi Mike, I'm not really familiar with the AT range, so I had a look around. The AD2000s look gorgeous, but I did come accross a review on head-fo which included a paragraph which is enough to put me off: www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=231843AD2000 vs. Old-Stock 120ohm Sennheiser HD595: This was a surprise for me. These two headphones sound extremely similar. At first I had trouble telling the difference, but after some listening with the Beta22 the difference was noticed immediately. The AD2000 has greater treble extension (as well as more treble overall) with more sparkle, and slightly deeper bass. The HD595 does have a slightly wider soundstage, but the AD2000 is more spacious and airy. AD2000 also has sharper transients and every note has sharper edges and sounds more impactful overall. It can sound a little edgy with bad recordings, but I think this is a sign of technical prowess. The AD2000 has slightly more microdetails than the HD595, but the resolution seems to be the same (except treble, where the AD2000 wins). The HD595 has a slightly rounded sound which can be very pleasing to listen to, but under careful listening there is a hint of graniness. Overall, two quite similar headphones. I have trouble telling them apart with most amps, and only with the Beta22 are the differences between these two headphones obvious. The HD595 did surprisingly well for a $120 headphone.I had a pair of HD595s and I absolutely hated them, I found them to have no bass and really piercing, shrill and unpleasent top end. I gave up with them after a few weeks, sold them and bought a pair HD650s.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 1, 2007 22:21:17 GMT
I don't know about the above headphones xerxes but I can tell you that going back to the HD-600 after a few days with the ATH-W1000 is like listening to mud! I NEVER thought I'd say that about my beloved HD-600 but compared with the ATH-W1000 they sound like the music is coming through a barrier of thick fog. The clarity of the W1000 is crystal clear and without a hint of harshness or listening fatigue. These are my number one pair of 'phones for sure, they are so addictive to listen to you just don't want to be parted from them. The appearance of them is an added bonus but you don't look at the 'phones when you're listening to them and soon forget you're wearing headphones, and wooden ones at that! Absolutely 100% happy with this purchase
|
|
|
Post by minivan on Oct 8, 2007 11:27:31 GMT
i had listened to the a900 and the w5000 on the solo on the local headphone meet last sunday, although my solo keep humming, i still manage to enjoy it with both can by turning the volume up. they certainly are very musical when pair with the solo, the w5000 has wider sound stage , better detail and sound more refine in compare to the a900, pity there's no w1000 in the meet for me to compare.
|
|
|
Post by mtl on Oct 8, 2007 12:57:44 GMT
Funny that there's so much love for the W1000 here - for me it was one of the worst sounding headphones I ever listened to. Tried the A900 later, which worked a little better for me but not good enough to make me keep it - sold both. I thought the Audio Technicas were very limited regarding different musical genres and the only thing I could imagine them working fine for was electronia - which I do never listen to. But with more or less acoustic music - jazz or classical - I found them weird: coloured and unnatural sounding. Every time I listend to a acoustic piano it reminded me of an electric piano... So - funny how preferences differ! Btw - my 'reference' headphone still is the Joseph Grado's HP2 - but almost every other headphone I tried against the W-1000 or A-900 sounded less coloured: be it HD650, K501/701, DT880 or any Grado/Alessandro I tried. Even the V6 by Sony seemed neutral in contrast.
|
|
|
Post by minivan on Oct 8, 2007 13:10:19 GMT
which amp did u used your ath phone on? i heard that they are very amp dependent. i did not have time to try the at phone on other amp, only on the solo and the ha5000. i felt the w5000 is head and shoulder above my k701,
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2007 13:16:26 GMT
"which amp did u used your ath phone on? i heard that they are very amp dependent"
Minivan I was just about to ask the same question ! Many amplifiers may not be able to do justice to the W-1000, which have an impedance of only 40 ohms. The amplifier would of course, have no problems driving the HD650 which are 300 ohms impedance at 1 KHZ.
SandyK
|
|
FritzS
Been here a while!
Sound of Blue Danube
Sound of Blue Danube
Posts: 1,364
|
Post by FritzS on Oct 8, 2007 13:35:08 GMT
I am very interested about a compare between A900 and W1000 - but here in Austria no dealer - order both and return one is not my way
|
|
|
Post by mtl on Oct 8, 2007 14:01:57 GMT
which amp did u used your ath phone on? i heard that they are very amp dependent. i did not have time to try the at phone on other amp, only on the solo and the ha5000. i felt the w5000 is head and shoulder above my k701, I used the Lehmann black cube linear and the Meier Audio Corda Aria. It may well be that the W5000 is better than the W1000 and thus may be able to challenge the K701 (though I doubt any AT would work for me - it must be the AT house sound which does simply nothing for me...). Oh, and to answer this as well: I gave the W-1000 200 hours before I even listened to them.
|
|
|
Post by fanboi on Oct 8, 2007 16:21:22 GMT
Funny that there's so much love for the W1000 here - ~ snip ~ Welcome and thank you for your views. Not quite sure on what you base the assertion I have quoted, I have followed this thread since its inception and 2 owners have commented favourably on the A900, one (admittedly very enthusiastically) on the W1000 and one owner and one sampler on the W5000. I have owned W1000 for some 6 months and have not noticed any particular change over that time although I did run them for a week before using them much. I have no experience of other midrange phones on which to offer an opinion and so have not done so. For my own benefit (and perhaps others) I am trying to place your observations in some sort of context. Negative comment I have read elsewhere came from owners of Ultrasone UE9 - at the price of those one would expect them to be better and even that was not as roundly condemnatory. Your preferred reference, is, I believe, somewhat up market from the W1000. Worth noting, to me at least, is the fact that you prefer the Grado sound and the most enthusiastic endorsement of the AT here is from someone who rather dislikes Grados - sort of balances. Again, worth noting, to me, is that your choice of amplification varies from most other posters here and since, from most of what I read, balancing of amplification and headphone can often be the difference between love and hate, that again lends a different perspective to your observations. With those caveats I will keep your views in mind if should look for different headphones. Once again, thank you for your contribution from a different perspective - as you say - preferences.
|
|
|
Post by mtl on Oct 8, 2007 17:01:37 GMT
@ fanboy: I quite agree with your view, which sums it up quite well. Not every amp works with every headphone as we all know and indeed personal preferences may differ from use to user.
When I was looking for a closed pair of headphones that in a way came more or less close to my personal preferences when it comes to headphone listening, I ended up with Ultrasones ProLine 750 - which, again, may reflect my general love for the Grado sound signature... ;D
Then again I do know quite a lot headphone lovers from German hifi-forums - and some of them are really into Audio Technica - who think that especially the W1000 offers a relatively poor performance if you consider its pricepoint. Obviously older models - such as the W2002 or the W100 were playing in a differnt league. Nevertheless the same AT-specialists who tend to be dissapointed by the W1000 generally praise the A900 as one of the best all-rounders regardless of price.
As we all hear differently this does not really bother me - I tried AT phones, they failed to excite me - so what?
|
|
leo
Been here a while!
Team wtf is it?
Posts: 3,638
|
Post by leo on Oct 8, 2007 17:05:52 GMT
Just shows how much tastes and opinions can vary, good write ups though guys
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 8, 2007 21:39:40 GMT
Just shows how much tastes and opinions can vary Not just tastes and opinions Leo, you have to also realise we all hear things differently and what one person classes as bright sounding another may describe it as neutral or even warm. There are no two sets of ears that are alike, if all ears were alike we would all be listening to the same gear and all agreeing on how good it sounds. As well as every ear being different in shape there are also old ears, young ears, middle aged ears, clean ears, waxy ears, damaged ears..... the list is never ending. Throw in a head cold or sinusitis and that also buggers up our ability to receive sound optimally. I remember when a few of us bought the W-100 and compared them over at head-fi some classed them as shrill, others bright and quite a few warm.... it was funny to see the "I find them warm sounding" members suggesting that the "I find them shrill" member's 'phones were probably shrill sounding due to "quality control" and how lucky they were to have secured a pair of the warm ones Nobody seems to realise that their ears become part of the device and no matter what others think of the sound, if the 'phones don't synergise with your own pair of lugholes then no amount of rave reviews, burn in or aftermarket interconnects will make one iota of difference. Much like shoving a pair of £10,000 speakers into 20 different shaped rooms.... they will sound different in each room, that's a fact. Just the same as shoving a pair of ATH W1000 on 20 different shaped ears will all sound different. Until such time the EU decides we should all be born with identical ears one man's meat shall remain another mans poison. As a little test I'd like everybody who is reading this to bend their ears over a bit with their fingers ensuring the headphones keeps them slightly distorted out of place...... does it sound the same? Of course it doesn't! Now place a small piece of cotton wool in your right ear (don't pack it in, just a small piece) does it sound the same? No, it doesn't! Get some bluetack nice and sticky and mould it in to your helix and antihelix..... sound the same? Of course not! that's because you have just altered the structure of your ears..... now go outside and look at people's ears.... they're as unique as fingerprints. When you understand all this you'll never fork again out £5 for a review mag, you'll start using your own ears as they are your only judge of what sounds best to your pair of lugholes If you're wondering where to stick that blu-tack....... mould it into 1 and 2 (and maybe a small blob in 4) the object of this exercise is to change the shape of your ears..... you may be amazed by the results www.hearingcenteronline.com/anatomy.shtml
|
|
|
Post by dc on Oct 9, 2007 0:51:03 GMT
I can see a new craze coming on... ear modding...
|
|