ATH-EW9 in the house!!!

[jjcha]

Sigh, I hate all of you. ayt999 especially, for bringing his EW9 to dinner the other night.

So far so good. Few more days, and I'll be in NYC and away from the JPY14,300 Soundhouse is offering for them...

Best,

-Jason

[Elephas]

Originally Posted by jjcha

Few more days, and I'll be in NYC and away from the JPY14,300 Soundhouse is offering for them...

That's a decent price for the EW9. Hurry and get them before you leave!

[ayt999]

Originally Posted by Shift

What the official deal? EW9's box says Asadazakura, AT's site mentions Asada, but AudioCubes says Hokkaido. Who's right?

As far as I know, Hokkaido is a region of Japan. I think Asadazakura may be the actual name of the tree?

they use wood from Asada cherry trees that grow in Hokkaido.

[seeberg]

Originally Posted by ayt999

they use wood from Asada cherry trees that grow in Hokkaido.

So I wasn't too far off I'll make a note of that, 'cause I'm looking for a woodstain in that variety if I can, and perhaps even a couple small blocks of the stuff if I intend to mod my SR125's...
,
Abe

[Graz]

OK, so I've always loved these things (aesthetically)...but I've always been wary of clip-ons (fit, comfort, isolation, SQ, etc.), so I've never taken the plunge.

But dammit this thread really suckered me in. I thought, what the heck, I'll give 'em a shot. So I'm sitting here listening to a brand new pair as I write this (on the "work rig" shown in my sig)...here are my impressions:

- Wow, they sure are pretty.
- No matter how I fiddle around with these things, it never feels like "yea, this is how they're supposed to fit".
- They're not very comfortable. The wire/rubber thing behind my ear is already buggin' me and I've only listened to a few songs.
- Can someone please tell me where my bass went? These things have absolutely no bass whatsoever...no slam, no impact, no fun.
- And while you're at it, can you please return my highs, cuz they seem to have been stolen as well. Sounds like the frequency response is 1000Hz to 10KHz (The fact that they say 14Hz to 24KHz on the box has me chuckling).
- The a900's are sitting right here on my desk & I can't wait to put 'em back on.
- These are hands-down some of the worst sounding headphones anywhere north of 100 bucks, imo. At the approx. $150 I paid, they are a complete rip-off (imo) and I will definitely be returning them this evening.
- But wow, they sure are pretty.

Sorry to flame...if they're working for you, more power to ya. But I just can't find a way to make myself like these things...



Peace,

Graz

[Funkstar]

Originally Posted by Shift

Here you go.

Cheers mate, theyre the first pics ive seen of the cushion side and they're damn good pics at that . Each pic gets me closer and closer to buyin a pair lol

[erikzen]

Originally Posted by Graz

Sorry to flame...if they're working for you, more power to ya. But I just can't find a way to make myself like these things...



Peace,

Graz

Sorry you didn't like them. Maybe they just don't have much synergy with the Gilmore Lite and bass is certainly not their forte, but to say they have no highs, I'd have to disagree.

[philodox]

Originally Posted by jjcha

So far so good. Few more days, and I'll be in NYC and away from the JPY14,300 Soundhouse is offering for them...

How do the EW9's compare to your Shure canalphones?

They sound like a good buy... but since when is AT known for their 'sweet mids'?

[jjcha]

Heh, honestly, I've gone on record calling these the worst headphones I've never owned. And I pretty much stand by that. I guess my recent temptation to acquire another pair has been more due to my regret at selling any of my phones (I ought to follow Joelongwood's example) and desire to complete the ATH woody collection than anything else. Like all the other woodies, they certainly are sexy.

What keeps me from buying them is the knowledge that they'd only gather dust all over again.

Actually, when listening to ayt999's pair the other day, my first thought was, hey, these don't sound bad at all. But those were meet conditions and I went in with extremely low expectations.

I can't imagine using the EW9 on the go over my Shure E4c, which have better isolation, better bass (despite my complaints about them not having enough bass), better highs, better pretty much everything.

Best,

-Jason

Postscript: The more I think about it, there is an awful lot that can be said about these phones. From a pure technical standpoint, they aren't the worst headphones I've ever listened to - I do agree with others that they have a clarity and sound that does have a lot going for it. I suppose most flawed is probably a better description. As a clip-on, I imagined they'd be portable, but sonically, they're arguably less portable than the HD650.

I wish AT made a street-style version of these phones. They'd be great with a headband...

[seeberg]

Originally Posted by jjcha

Heh, honestly, I've gone on record calling these the worst headphones I've never owned. And I pretty much stand by that.
---
I wish AT made a street-style version of these phones. They'd be great with a headband...

I'm thinking of getting KSC75's and doing a woody mod on them, since I could do it on the cheap- I'd probably get a solid cherry hardwood block or something, have it cut to my specs, laquer the wood by hand, and then get an aluminum grille for it (the Koss' would then be open backed). A recable could be considered, but IMO not necessary. An inexpensive streetable woody headphone is one of my dreams, and if the EW9s can't deliver, maybe KSC75 can, and do it up all classy like.
,
Abe

[fureshi]

Originally Posted by erikzen

Sorry you didn't like them. Maybe they just don't have much synergy with the Gilmore Lite and bass is certainly not their forte, but to say they have no highs, I'd have to disagree.

graz, strange that i also use them with my gilmore lite and they have enough bass and highs for me. i don't remember how much burn-in that i put on them before they settled down but you might want to let them burn in first before you return them. i don't recall them sounding great out of the box but i have over 100 hours on mine now and i think they sound good.

[oScARSr]

Originally Posted by jjcha

I can't imagine using the EW9 on the go over my Shure E4c, which have better isolation, better bass (despite my complaints about them not having enough bass), better highs, better pretty much everything.

Best,

-Jason

Excuse me,jjcha.


I have a W11JPN, but I still love the sound from ER4p.
In addition there are lots of guys say E4c is at the same level with ER4.

I wonder what is the difference between W10VTG and E4C .
Can you please describe a bit about that? (sound)

Thanks.

[Shift]

Originally Posted by Graz

- They're not very comfortable. The wire/rubber thing behind my ear is already buggin' me and I've only listened to a few songs.
- Can someone please tell me where my bass went? These things have absolutely no bass whatsoever...no slam, no impact, no fun.
- And while you're at it, can you please return my highs, cuz they seem to have been stolen as well. Sounds like the frequency response is 1000Hz to 10KHz (The fact that they say 14Hz to 24KHz on the box has me chuckling).

Point 1: I agree with you. I don't know if I'm wearing it right as everyone else says it's super comfortable...but I don't see any other way of wearing it and no matter which way I try the metal wire cuts into the back of my ear.

Point 2: There's plenty of bass if positioned correctly. Slightly on the low side, but quite decent. About what I can expect from a clip-on.

Point 3: These have crystal clear mids and highs. Female vocals are gorgeous with them.

My phones have been used for about 80 hours when I bought them. I don't know what they sound like new.

[jjcha]

Originally Posted by oScARSr

Excuse me,jjcha.


I have a W11JPN, but I still love the sound from ER4p.
In addition there are lots of guys say E4c is at the same level with ER4.

I wonder what is the difference between W10VTG and E4C .
Can you please describe a bit about that? (sound)

Thanks.

Okay, E4c vs W10VTG (straight out of the iPod)

E4c:
More treble energy, but beautifuly clear and resolved (only slightly fatiguing)
Faster, detailed, highly resolving, more analytical
Tighter bass, nice texture
Clearer, better seperation - actually this is fantastic, only the SA5k/Qualia 010 are better in this regard
Thin sounding

W10VTG:
More bass
Relaxed, less fatiguing, more "musical" sound
Not so stuffed in your ears/head - pretty normal/natural headphone soundstage
Slightly slightly on the thick side, but not too thick
Treble tends towards graininess
Nice mid-range, not as effortless/smooth as the HD650, ever so slightly recessed (though slightly emphasized in the upper mid-range) but very natural and effortless none-the-less.

Kinda cliched, but the way I'd describe it is that the E4c is a great analytical tool, technically impressive, with its only flaw being a moderately de-emphasized bass and lower mid-range and resulting thinness in sound, though what bass is there is very well detailed/resolved. I've gone on record as complaining about the bass/thinness - but man, that shouldn't take away from everything these phones do right. If we only could emphasize the bass just a bit from the lowest-bass to the mids, this phone would be the "perfect" portable phone for someone who prefers a slightly detail focused sound.

With the W10VTG, I imagine it was created by a Japanese engineer who was a true music lover. Maybe he wasn't as technically accomplished as the engineers at Shure almost 10 years later, but he knows music and knows what he likes, and created a headphone that makes the music beautiful to listen to. The only major flaw, I think, is I wish the treble was a bit less grainy/clearer. Sure the W10VTG could be faster, more resolving, have better seperation. But I don't really care. When I just want to enjoy the music, its these that come on, rather than the Shure or Sensaphonics 2X-S. It reminds me of what I loved about my HD600+Cardas.

I've only got brief experiences with the ER4S (well P with the converter cable) out of my full portable rig (Overture + SR-71) and I really liked the Etys. I can't compare them directly to the Shures, but I remember thinking they sounded great - that I didn't have a problem with their bass at all, but they sounded colored to me. They sounded highly detailed, but I found them lacking compared to my SA5k out of the Grace m902. Which is interesting, because while I don't think the Shure E4c are as detailed as the SA5k, I don't really find I'm as critical of that fact.

Best,

-Jason

[GoRedwings19]

Originally Posted by oScARSr

Excuse me,jjcha.


I have a W11JPN, but I still love the sound from ER4p.
In addition there are lots of guys say E4c is at the same level with ER4.

I wonder what is the difference between W10VTG and E4C .
Can you please describe a bit about that? (sound)

Thanks.

wanna trade your w11jpns. I might have something your interested in...

YGPM