How well ATH ESW10jpn are doing against the other full size hp's - Page 2

um, how so?
I have yet to find an area that ESW9 does better than ESW10. with 25% rebate (or 30%, depending when you got it), ESW10s don't seem to be too bad. It was expensive, but otherwise I'm very satisfied with SQ so far.

LobsterSan and I are planning another micro-meet, so I'll give the 10's a more comprehensive listen again and write up how they compare to my other gear, including with an iPod.

I found the ESW10 to be much better than the ESW9 but the difference in SQ did not justify the difference in price (possibly since I don't use an amp).

Right now I am craving a new portable headphone and I don't know where to turn. I will probably end up buying another ESW9 or ESW10. If only cash back was still at 30%!

I own the ESW10s as well as 4 sets of full-size AT woodies and 3 additional AT woodies (in total, every one except the W1000).

To me, the ESW10's are nearly as good as the full sized woodies and are well worth the money. I find them even more enjoyable than some of the full sized ones.

In the AT woodie spectrum there are some that are analytical and some that are musical. The ESW10s are on the musical side of things and just fun to listen to.

These are absolutely on the fun side, that's for sure.
As I posted on ESW10 thread, I know that AD2000 is technically superior headphone, as instrument desperation, bass response, speed, detail are all better in AD2000s. But I reach for ESW10s as much as I reach for AD2000 even when I'm at home. These just bring so much energy into the music and it makes them very involving pair of cans - whereas ESW9 were little more laid-back.

Are these cans really worth 540$? Probably not.
Am I happy with them? Absolutely.

How are you basing your opinion? IMHO, you are wrong. The aesthetic appeal adds some value, but not enough to spend even $5 on if the sq isn't there.

I've had the ESW10s for a couple weeks now, and the 9s for about a year. For those of you weighing whether or not the price of the 9s or 10s is "worth it" when compared to full-sized headphones, you really need to consider what full-sized headphones you're comparing, and why the heck you want a portable headphone in the first place.

Think of the price of the some of best portable amps. They're often as much or more than decent entry-level home amps that would make more sense and sound even better depending on the headphone used. You're paying for the quality AND portability, not one or the other. If you want a home rig, you can get better sq, depending on your tastes AND the rest of your system, for less money. If you're looking for excellent sq in a portable rig, that's what you need to pay for if that's what you want to get.

Anyway, I'm quite happy with the 10s, though they're a bit more fatiguing the the 9s if you plan on listening for hours on end. I do think they're worth the money if you're looking for a portable, closed headphone that sounds great without an amp. If you're looking for something else, get that. No big deal.

^ 100% agreement in portable amp deal. I do find ESW10s become a bit smoother (compared to out-of-the-box-condition) as burn-in happens though

I was wondering if he heard them.?.

The tracking on my ESW10JPN says it is in US Customs now (shipped from Japan 2 days ago), so I'll be able to start burning them in soon and then compare to some nice full size cans.

Back from the dead...

So any other comments on a full size AT headphone similar to the ESW10? So far I've had suggested:

W2002
W11JPN
L3000

Any others? Comments on these?

I found the ATH-W11R to have too much of an accentuated upper mids and lower treble and got rid of them, and naamanf's W5000 were similar but with even less bass. I did not like either. They were grating on my nerves, similar to a CD3000.

I enjoyed the ATH-D1000 digital phones but felt the treble was a little too rolled off, but they did remind me of a Denon D2000 or HD600 a little (ignoring the treble) so they were redundant and I sold them. I enjoyed plaidplatypus's ATH-A900 Limited and my -=Germania=- modded recabled A900 Art, but felt they lacked the precision and detail of D2000 or HD600 and are mid-fi phones (but with good soundstage and bass and fun). But at least they don't have the slightly rolled off treble of the D1000, and didn't do anything particularly wrong except for the congestion in complex musical passages .

The AD2000 are more refined and detailed, but a bit more forward than the ESW10 and remind me more of a dynamic version of my re-cabled ESP-950 electrostatics. They didn't have the odd tonality and frequency response of the W11R or W5000 that I didn't like, but they also didn't have the speed and transparency of my stats. I was more aware of the driver next to my ear than with the ESP-950. The AD2000 are very good, just didn't fill a niche in my emsemble of phones.

So, I actually enjoy my ESW10JPN more and sold the AD2000 yesterday and kept the ESW10 which I used more. ESW10 are kinda like a closed RS-1, and very full and rich, clear and transparent with good bass and smooth highs (after 100 hours burn-in). The ESW10JPN mids are also more forward than my woodied re-cabled D2000 with better midrange detail, but the bass and soundstage of the supra-aural ESW10 doesn't keep up with the Denon or Edition 9. I want the ESW10 mids on my Denon D2000 Ithe mods make it close but not there yet).

I do not regret the $540 shipped one bit, especially with the $128 cash back I'll have going into my paypal account before the end of the year.

I'm still wondering why you guys keep comparing a portable phones with those full-size?
I've heard the W11JPN's for a short time (about 20-30 minutes) and I don't think the ESW10JPN's is in the same league with them. The L3000 is always my dream phones, I'll definitely pull the trigger on them one day.
Anyway, of the portable phones I've ever heard, the ESW10JPN is by far my most favorite.

(<-----compared ESW10 to AD2K)

I think mainly, people want to see how they level up to the big boys, and level up they do!

I haven't compared the ESW10 with my HD650 and DX1000 (mainly because they're balanced, even didn't care about the K701's, they're under the my bed for months), but I must admit one thing: I haven't listened to the 650 and 1000 seriously during last week. Spent most of time with the ESW10

I still listen to AD2000 more, but ESW10 really does measure up well against it.