Audio Technica Appreciation Thread

Haonan

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@LongBigBronzeElephantFish: I'm aware of the cabling recall issue, but last time before getting my AD1000PRM already done a search online, according to most ppl who had those affected models they say it's just a safety issue for the internal core cables, won't affect SQ since they say changed liao nv detect any drastic changes also. Since my one is fully-burnt in liao, don't think I will be sending it in to service center to get it replaced. I think depending on how it goes, I might even get it re-cabled to higher quality stuffs in future, since I really love the vocal rendition performance of my AD1000PRM's.

@Rickysio: I can confirm chop + guranteed tell u he won't be hokays with the W5000 one, even before he gets to hear it. He alrdy shared before in some other discussion threads ard here that his usual listening tastes quite buay gam with ATH one.

It's prolly for the same reasons like what applies for me and Rubick, somehow my ears cannot tolerate Sennheiser's SQ signature in terms for their headphones, there's just something too thick and dense-sounding that I don't like at all. Although most of their stuffs like HD600/HD650 are quite satki in terms of dynamics/soundstaging properties, there seems to be a lack of air/sparkle/transparency especially in the upper treble response, at least when I compare those well-known models to Audio-technica's Art and Air Dynamic series.

Haven't tried their HD800 before though, but heard that one is quite bright-sounding and airy, might have a chance that it will suit my taste. But looking for an expensive amp setup just to pair properly with the HD800 is kinda like.... :s22:
 

weng

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@LongBigBronzeElephantFish: I'm aware of the cabling recall issue, but last time before getting my AD1000PRM already done a search online, according to most ppl who had those affected models they say it's just a safety issue for the internal core cables, won't affect SQ since they say changed liao nv detect any drastic changes also. Since my one is fully-burnt in liao, don't think I will be sending it in to service center to get it replaced. I think depending on how it goes, I might even get it re-cabled to higher quality stuffs in future, since I really love the vocal rendition performance of my AD1000PRM's.

@Rickysio: I can confirm chop + guranteed tell u he won't be hokays with the W5000 one, even before he gets to hear it. He alrdy shared before in some other discussion threads ard here that his usual listening tastes quite buay gam with ATH one.

It's prolly for the same reasons like what applies for me and Rubick, somehow my ears cannot tolerate Sennheiser's SQ signature in terms for their headphones, there's just something too thick and dense-sounding that I don't like at all. Although most of their stuffs like HD600/HD650 are quite satki in terms of dynamics/soundstaging properties, there seems to be a lack of air/sparkle/transparency especially in the upper treble response, at least when I compare those well-known models to Audio-technica's Art and Air Dynamic series.

Haven't tried their HD800 before though, but heard that one is quite bright-sounding and airy, might have a chance that it will suit my taste. But looking for an expensive amp setup just to pair properly with the HD800 is kinda like.... :s22:

for hd600/650, imo it has quite a unique sq that is different from the rest of the similar+/- range. it has a rather "suppressed" kind of sound (but not V), or more commonly known as "veiled", yet within that space it still delivers pretty good detail and balance, with some noticeable treble roll-off. definitely is not those very open free flowing kind, ie the air/sparkle/transparency you mentioned, neither does it have a very big soundstage. the mids/vocals just blends into the sound and not over-emphasized. it's unlike say the ad2000 i've heard... it has very sweet and intimate vocals, however technically i wouldn't call that "natural". it's emphasized, but fortunately positively for me. on top of that the lower range indeed is fuller w.r.t to the mids/treble. hence it's very non-fatiquing with almost any genre. maybe most/all of your don't-likes come from there lol...

the hd800, together with hd700, hd595 and hd598 are totally different. maybe you will like the hd800's sparkle. gotta get the correct matching. also, can tame it a wee bit + slightly more focused vocals + a wee bit more body with copper cables.

btw, pls update ad2000x as soon as you get hold of it!
 
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weng

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@weng: Not very hard to differentiate. :)
ES55: Aluminium with small cups.
ES7: Mirror-finished stainless steel.
ES88: Aluminium. Part to adjust the headband different from the others.
ESW9: Wood
ESW10JPN: Darker wood than the ESW9 with a stylish "Japan" on it.
ES10: Titanium with hariline scrathces.
ESW11LTD: Looks like ESW9 but with the "Limited Edition" on the cups. Same headband as the ES10.

Of course, the headbands also got some difference... :)

the ones i'm sure of is esw11ltd cos is purposely go test one. the rest are on the spot kena intro by staff to compare around then test one, so didn't really take note. I think es10 is another one I've heard. if not then it's the es7. I just know is shiny one :D

another one should be es55... it has flat red cup one right?
 

Haonan

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btw, pls update ad2000x as soon as you get hold of it!

Decided not to quote the whole msg cos it's kinda long, pardon me. Yeah I will try update my impressions of the AD2000X on this thread once I have my pair on my hands, but prolly not so soon cos i can only hoot them after CNY cos recent expenses caused my wallet to be very drained liaos. Overhauling my desktop PC and stuffs.

Regarding the HD600/HD650 vs AD2000 argument, maybe it's not fair for me to comment much on the Sennheiser HD6XX series since I only heard them via store auditions and not true proper meets via my own leisure time. But the differences in clarity/air/transparency is actually quite obvious to my ears, maybe because when I got started in this hobby, I started out mainly with Sony/Grado/Audio-technica headphones, and all these 3 brands do and accomplish pretty well in the above-mentioned aspects of the sound actually.

To put my reasoning in my prev posts into a clearer perspective to give u a better picture, I will take one of those ATH-AD2000 headphone reviews found on HF reviewed by a veteran head-fier (he's got quite a comprehensive rig under his profile, and had heard most if not all major flagships from most other hp makers), to quote as an example in here as his review kinda reflects my own feelings abt most Sennheiser headphones I've heard so far, when compared to the AD2000. (non-X version)

Taken from 5-year Re-Review: Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000

Asr said:
Sennheiser's prevalent HD600, HD650, and HD800 are also very different from the AD2K, though it could be said that the HD650 takes the closest step in its direction. The HD650 and AD2K share roughly the same quantity of mid-bass impact & power along with a heavy tilt towards the mid-range in general, but that's about all they have in common - all the Senns I've heard including the HD650 have very slow impulse responses, and the HD650 is fairly "dark" overall, with not much treble quantity. I consider the AD2K mid-rangey more than dark, as it has a fair amount of treble quantity too (contrasting from the HD650, which can seem to not have much treble). The Senn HD6xx models can also sound like there's a sort of veil or curtain over the sound, while the AD2K doesn't have a veiled character at all.

Our human's brain and the usual 5 senses are quite a magnificent thing actually. We often retain memory and images of stuffs that managed to "wow" us, whether is it through our visual cues or auditory senses. Perhaps it's because back in my earlier days into this hobby, having being exposed to gears from Sony/Grado/Audio-technica, something with the main signature of Sennheiser cannot be properly accepted by me already, especially when it comes down to the areas like clarity/air/transparency. I think Head-fier Asr has hit the explanation quite on the nail, abt what I have always thought abt Sennheiser headphones, though I have to emphasize that it's only my own impressions that's all, not asking anyone to agree with me and like I said before since I haven't heard their other flagship models such as the HD800 or the newer HD700, maybe it's not that fair for me to pass such concluding judgements in terms of SQ on Sennheiser higher-end gears yet.

Yup, as usual YMMV. Hope no Sennheiser owners ard here are offended by my earlier words though! :o
 

rickysio

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Okay the image scaling was wonky. A tad slower in the case of the HD600 vs W1000X or W5000 or AD900.

HD600 has the impulse starting like 0.00003s slower than the AD900. And that's assuming IF achieved very high accuracy for the start of measurement.
 
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InSpy

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Wooh.. didn't know there is a Audio Technica thread here..

Own a:
es7
cks90ltd
cks1000

Looking to sell off my cks1000 and get a cks1000ltd instead.. =DDD
 

weng

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Regarding the HD600/HD650 vs AD2000 argument, maybe it's not fair for me to comment much on the Sennheiser HD6XX series since I only heard them via store auditions and not true proper meets via my own leisure time. But the differences in clarity/air/transparency is actually quite obvious to my ears, maybe because when I got started in this hobby, I started out mainly with Sony/Grado/Audio-technica headphones, and all these 3 brands do and accomplish pretty well in the above-mentioned aspects of the sound actually.

To put my reasoning in my prev posts into a clearer perspective to give u a better picture, I will take one of those ATH-AD2000 headphone reviews found on HF reviewed by a veteran head-fier (he's got quite a comprehensive rig under his profile, and had heard most if not all major flagships from most other hp makers), to quote as an example in here as his review kinda reflects my own feelings abt most Sennheiser headphones I've heard so far, when compared to the AD2000. (non-X version)

Taken from 5-year Re-Review: Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000



Our human's brain and the usual 5 senses are quite a magnificent thing actually. We often retain memory and images of stuffs that managed to "wow" us, whether is it through our visual cues or auditory senses. Perhaps it's because back in my earlier days into this hobby, having being exposed to gears from Sony/Grado/Audio-technica, something with the main signature of Sennheiser cannot be properly accepted by me already, especially when it comes down to the areas like clarity/air/transparency. I think Head-fier Asr has hit the explanation quite on the nail, abt what I have always thought abt Sennheiser headphones, though I have to emphasize that it's only my own impressions that's all, not asking anyone to agree with me and like I said before since I haven't heard their other flagship models such as the HD800 or the newer HD700, maybe it's not that fair for me to pass such concluding judgements in terms of SQ on Sennheiser higher-end gears yet.

Yup, as usual YMMV. Hope no Sennheiser owners ard here are offended by my earlier words though! :o

you are right about the hd6xx la. very different from ad2000. and your sentiments also reflect more on the hd6xx. that's why i urged you to try the hd800. but it's still quite different from ad2000 :D
 

InSpy

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Anybody wanna purchase a cks1000 black which is only less than a week old?
 

Haonan

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you are right about the hd6xx la. very different from ad2000. and your sentiments also reflect more on the hd6xx. that's why i urged you to try the hd800. but it's still quite different from ad2000 :D

Will do weng, when I find the proper time and opportunity to do so. I do have to bring up that in terms of comfort/wear on my own head, I also personally prefer most AD series to the Sennheiser HD6XX series though. And as demonstrated by my own usage of the AD1000PRM's, this is one of those few cans I own so far where I can wear them for 5-6 hrs straight w/o having any fatigue/strain feeling on my ears. (in terms of physically, and its wearing comfort is a vast improvement over the RS1i/MDR-CD900ST according to my own exp) Thus why I'm willing to move up and buy the new AD2000X flagship.

Some japanese blogger have also reviewed prev that in terms of their velour earpads, Audio-technica has already changed and refined the pad's thickness from the AD1000X/AD2000X series onwards, so comfort wise it has been improved, no more drivers touching yr ears. Looking forward to it. :)
 

Haonan

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Okay the image scaling was wonky. A tad slower in the case of the HD600 vs W1000X or W5000 or AD900.

HD600 has the impulse starting like 0.00003s slower than the AD900. And that's assuming IF achieved very high accuracy for the start of measurement.

Comparing AD900 vs HD600 is alittle bit unfair though, AD700/AD900 are known as ATH's entry level models under the Air Dynamic line-up. If comparing to the HD600, think AD1000 would be more accurate. While HD650 would probably be best compared with AD1000PRM/AD2k/AD2000X, as their drivers are fitted with Permendur materials, and iirc someone did mentioned before in their reviews the HD650 series its driver voicecoils is also not using the common copper-magnet kind found in most headphones, but based on lightweight aluminum kind, which helps towards achieving good precision and low harmonic distortion.

Generally in short, according to my own listening impressions so far, there's no denial in most general listening cases, the AD1000PRM/AD2k/AD2000X are very very fast open-cans with very excellent transient responses. It's no wonder why they are very often mentioned/reviewed on HF, for accomplishing very well in genres such as rock/electronica/trance music.

Personally as a J-rock/electronica fan myself, I can also confirm that my AD1000PRM is the best performer headphone under my possession so far for the above genres, though I hav to mention my prev RS1i (which i alrdy sold) isn't too far off either, in terms of impulse response. :)
 

weng

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Will do weng, when I find the proper time and opportunity to do so. I do have to bring up that in terms of comfort/wear on my own head, I also personally prefer most AD series to the Sennheiser HD6XX series though. And as demonstrated by my own usage of the AD1000PRM's, this is one of those few cans I own so far where I can wear them for 5-6 hrs straight w/o having any fatigue/strain feeling on my ears. (in terms of physically, and its wearing comfort is a vast improvement over the RS1i/MDR-CD900ST according to my own exp) Thus why I'm willing to move up and buy the new AD2000X flagship.

Some japanese blogger have also reviewed prev that in terms of their velour earpads, Audio-technica has already changed and refined the pad's thickness from the AD1000X/AD2000X series onwards, so comfort wise it has been improved, no more drivers touching yr ears. Looking forward to it. :)

waa this is enough liao... :o
 

rickysio

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Comparing AD900 vs HD600 is alittle bit unfair though, AD700/AD900 are known as ATH's entry level models under the Air Dynamic line-up. If comparing to the HD600, think AD1000 would be more accurate. While HD650 would probably be best compared with AD1000PRM/AD2k/AD2000X, as their drivers are fitted with Permendur materials, and iirc someone did mentioned before in their reviews the HD650 series its driver voicecoils is also not using the common copper-magnet kind found in most headphones, but based on lightweight aluminum kind, which helps towards achieving good precision and low harmonic distortion.

Generally in short, according to my own listening impressions so far, there's no denial in most general listening cases, the AD1000PRM/AD2k/AD2000X are very very fast open-cans with very excellent transient responses. It's no wonder why they are very often mentioned/reviewed on HF, for accomplishing very well in genres such as rock/electronica/trance music.

Personally as a J-rock/electronica fan myself, I can also confirm that my AD1000PRM is the best performer headphone under my possession so far for the above genres, though I hav to mention my prev RS1i (which i alrdy sold) isn't too far off either, in terms of impulse response. :)

What to do, ATH don't want send them to measure.
 

Haonan

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waa this is enough liao... :o

Mai tu liaos, you know u want it. Go Stereo hoot dah! :D

q2NJ6Nw.jpg


Under Visual Grand Prix 2013 awards, the ATH-AD2000X actually won the Gold award for above 50,000 yen category for on-ear headphones. And while it's a japanese-based site award, this VGP thingy is not exactly japanese-maker bias only as actually in the past award history, there are also alot of foreign headphone makers such as AKG/Sennheiser winning various awards under other category groups as well.

For example, you can see under the above-mentioned webpage itself, Sennheiser IE800 won the Gold award for 30,000 yen above category for inner-ear headphone products. Momentum won the Gold award the above 10,000 yen category for on-ear headphones, and the HD449 series winning Gold award for below 10,000 yen category.
 

Haonan

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What to do, ATH don't want send them to measure.

Typically from what I understand, most headphone makers seldom like to send their stuffs to those review websites for measurements one, it seems they don't usually like external/3rd-party website critiques to comment regarding their own products. To quote an example, Innerfidelity/Tyll has a pretty bad online reputation for slamming Grado products left right up down, and ClieOS/Tai don't usually regard FAD as a proper audiophile maker, despite that FAD has alot of iem products approaching statement/flagship kind of prices.

The Piano Forte IX's im using right now is one of those iem models that belongs to statement category of products (like AKG K3003 etc), and while I won't say I have super-duper audiophile ears, there are alot of aspects of the FAD sound that I do truly appreciate, or even willing to admit that does beat some Sony/ATH iem stuffs out there easily. :o
 

rickysio

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Typically from what I understand, most headphone makers seldom like to send their stuffs to those review websites for measurements one, it seems they don't usually like external/3rd-party website critiques to comment regarding their own products. To quote an example, Innerfidelity/Tyll has a pretty bad online reputation for slamming Grado products left right up down, and ClieOS/Tai don't usually regard FAD as a proper audiophile maker, despite that FAD has alot of iem products approaching statement/flagship kind of prices.

The Piano Forte IX's im using right now is one of those iem models that belongs to statement category of products (like AKG K3003 etc), and while I won't say I have super-duper audiophile ears, there are alot of aspects of the FAD sound that I do truly appreciate, or even willing to admit that does beat some Sony/ATH iem stuffs out there easily. :o

FAD's pricing is usually stratospheric what lol. Tai is the more budget = song dah type of dude.
 

Haonan

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Out already meh?

Hmm I thought alrdy released? I have no idea though, was assuming based on fellow forumer LBBEF earlier words as he did mentioned he tried the AD series out at Stereo recently? He did reviewed and gave his impressions of the AD1000X and AD2000X if u check few pgs back, though is just some relatively brief impressions. :o

Think can call or pm Stereo to confirm first. I only know Jaben not in yet since I was there just less than 2 weeks back.
 

weng

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Hmm I thought alrdy released? I have no idea though, was assuming based on fellow forumer LBBEF earlier words as he did mentioned he tried the AD series out at Stereo recently? He did reviewed and gave his impressions of the AD1000X and AD2000X if u check few pgs back, though is just some relatively brief impressions. :o

Think can call or pm Stereo to confirm first. I only know Jaben not in yet since I was there just less than 2 weeks back.
just checked stereo's website... all the x's also have except ad2000x :s13:
 

Haonan

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Haha i see i see. Then maybe is LBBEF tried the AD2000's instead, the non-X version ba.
 
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