Do I get to join the AT Woody club?

I just picked up a set of AudioTechnica ATH-EW9's from MicroCenter for a disgustingly good price and all I have to say is - this is what classical should sound like, eargasmic.

As a warning to prevent gotta-have-its that are prevalant here on Head-Fi : These cans were not made to rock. They do not have the bass for rock/metal/electronica/hip-hop music and seem extremely anemic when they are presented with anything from those genres. That being said, throw any classical or opera at them and you will be amazed.

Having come from headphones that seem geared for pop/rock sound (k240S, DT770, etc.), these have finally made me realize how good classical can sound. The soundstage is ridiculous for such a small headphone (don't let pictures fool you, they are much smaller than a KSC75), and the detail is the best I have heard from my limited sampling of head-fidelity. The bass doesn't seem limited with orchestrated music, it seems tight controlled and... realistic. These headphones are very determinated to only sound good with a limited genre of music, but they do it passionately.

So, enough gushing, I have 2 questions :

1. How much do these benefit from an amp? I have been running these straight out of my 3rd gen iPod Nano with 320kbps mp3 and I am finally thinking lossless is in my future. I can only imagine what a top quality portable amp could do for these.

2. Where do AudioTechnica's woody headphones go from here? Do they retain this amazing realism for classical. With classical and opera sounding this good, I might have to do some serious CD shopping, and if the W1K/5K sound this good, I may never listen to anything else again

So, proudly wearing my "Sovereign" Hokkaido cherry housings, can I join the AT woody club?

That's good to know. I can save the several hundred I would have spent on a fancy portable towards a high end woody!

So how would you compare the ESW9 to the W1000 or W5000? Audiocubes has the ESW9 listed for $299, but a fullsize phone is tempting as well...





Sorry, I'm no photographer

Not including the earclips on each headphone, The ATH-EW9 is about 25% smaller than a KSC-75. They are tiny.

Thanks, it's a Verona. I am lucky to have a really incredible Cigar and Tabac on my way home from work. Smoking a pipe makes me feel like a bit of an idiot since I'm only 23, but there is nothing like enjoying a nice bowl of 'Academy' late at night.

Haha, no harm no foul.


Nobody here is into these little guys? I found a thread by someone else saying these had no highs or lows... I think they were having fit issues, very important with these AT's (and most headphones at that!).