Any Audio Technica ATH-W100 experts that can help me?
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:01 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 62
PinkFloyd

PinkFloyd

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I know these phones have been discontinued but a UK dealer has managed to source a brand new pair from Japan and is offering me them for £170 ($326)

I don't know what the original price of these phones was but is £170 a fair price for brand new with warranty? (remember the UK is inherently expensive)

Any comments appreciated.

All the best.

Mike.
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:02 PM Post #2 of 62
If I remember correctly that's in the vicinity of what they sold for new. Depending on condition and what's included used pricing seems to run between $225 - 280.
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:20 PM Post #3 of 62
Cheers elnero,

These are brand new they are from Japan and are "new old stock" I think £170 is not too bad a price considering I'm buying them in the UK.... the next question, what do they sound like?

Cheers

Mike.
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:21 PM Post #4 of 62
sounds like a decent price, especially if it's new. That's about the price they were back on audiocubes when this forum began jumping on the Audio Technica bandwagon with the W100/W1000/A1000 (and when the exchange rate was ALOT better for us). elnero's got the right range for the price of a used one...but also know that whenever they DO show up used, they dissappear FAST. They used to retail for around 40,000 yen I think (~390$).
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:25 PM Post #5 of 62
Quote:

These are brand new they are from Japan and are "new old stock" I think £170 is not too bad a price considering I'm buying them in the UK.... the next question, what do they sound like?


very very warm headphones. everytime I switch off of my sa5k's to these, it feels SOOOO lush. mids and vocals come out extremely smooth and the bass is very musical and not overpowering. They don't have the treble performance of say the W1000s, but good enough. Build quality is excellent as well...they don't build headphones this durable anymore. They do need a long burn in for it to show its true colors...as my current one is strohmie's old pair with who knows how many hundreds of hrs on it. My first one was brand new and I unfortunately sold it off too soon (for the cd3ks).
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:39 PM Post #6 of 62
Yeah, if you're after a pair I would snag those. They are definately becoming more rare on the used market as well.

It's been awhile but I pretty much agree with soupy on their sound, warm and lush with a very immersive quality, I typically found myself lost in the music when listening with the W100's. They lack a bit of extension at either end of the freq. spectrum but I found that only noticable on a few albums. The main complaint I've read from others is a bit of a nasal quality and a hollowness particularly noticable on some vocals. I noticed this as well but when I took all the other positive traits into account I found it was a minor tradeoff. If I ever have need for a closed headphone at home again I'll most likely be trying to track down another pair of W100's myself.
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:54 PM Post #7 of 62
I've owned two W100's. The first seemed extremely bright to me, and I pretty much dismissed the headphone. However, I heard another recently that had none of the previous brightness of my first, and I wound up buying it. Not as detailed as W2002, but more dynamic, and can be extremely musical with the right amp. Of the AT headphones I've owned (W2002, W100, A100Ti), the W100 is my favorite. I had thought I was done with AT headphones, as none of them really seemed to be keepers, but the W100 brought me back in, and I'm happy with it. The price you're getting for brand new with warranty is slightly less than original retail outside of Japan ($350 from Audiocubes, if memory serves). Buy it. Buy another one for me
wink.gif


Note, however, that the two I've owned have had very different sounds, and I have no idea why.
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 3:57 PM Post #8 of 62
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirsch
Note, however, that the two I've owned have had very different sounds, and I have no idea why.


Strange, bright is not a trait I would have ever associated with mine nor is it a trait I've heard anyone else speak of. Could your first pair have been defective somehow?
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 4:58 PM Post #9 of 62
I also own a pair of W100's and would agree with what has been said so far about them. They are a great pair of cans displaying great deatail and a good soundstage. To me it's soundstage and bass extension may not be has huge as the Sony CD3000's but it's detail comes very close. I actually prefer the W100's over the W1000's which I also own. The W1000's doesn't sound as full in the mids and lacks slam compared to the W100's. Allow them time to burn in for it to display it's full potential.

Since you are being offered a brand new one with it original box I'd go for it as the W100's are quite hard to find and can command a good resale value. The price that is being offered to you is close to what it went for when it was still available. They are downright beautiful as with all of AT's other woodies.
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 8:49 PM Post #12 of 62
Quote:

Originally Posted by elnero
Strange, bright is not a trait I would have ever associated with mine nor is it a trait I've heard anyone else speak of. Could your first pair have been defective somehow?


No way to know. I don't think so. I tried a long period of burn-in, but my first W100 stayed bright, but otherwise no hint of anything actually wrong. My current W100 is very natural sounding, and has put AT back on my map.
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 8:49 PM Post #13 of 62
Enjoy those w100's man...Soupy, you have my old pair! I sold them off to Strohmie a while back. I had to search long and hard, but i found a pair off yahoo japan auctions. I now have a new source, and i really want to give them an other try..one of you let me know if you intend on selling them!
 
Mar 9, 2005 at 11:35 PM Post #14 of 62
Quote:

Enjoy those w100's man...Soupy, you have my old pair! I sold them off to Strohmie a while back. I had to search long and hard, but i found a pair off yahoo japan auctions. I now have a new source, and i really want to give them an other try..one of you let me know if you intend on selling them!


ahha, that's funny. If someone has a used w100's purchased from head-fi with a small dent on the right (?) cup, that was mine! A steal on ebay too...for $186 new.
 
Mar 10, 2005 at 4:46 AM Post #15 of 62
Quote:

Originally Posted by soupy
ahha, that's funny. If someone has a used w100's purchased from head-fi with a small dent on the right (?) cup, that was mine! A steal on ebay too...for $186 new.


LOLOL! If it's a very small dent, I think I know where those wound up
wink.gif
 
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