New Flagship from Audio-Technica: ATH-W3000ANV, 50th Anniversary Headphones - Page 240  

i was listening to mine last night. being an a-t phone, the midrange is often the main talking point but it's the exquisite treble that sets it apart for me.

A while back I was getting the urge to maybe try something else, but then every time I have an extended listening session with mine it reminds me that I'm satisfied with what I have for now.  Never say never, but I'm in no hurry to explore other options.  I'm still happy with the W3000.  I'm way past "The new toy to play with syndrome" and continue to enjoy them.  Now as far as amps go, I'm still exploring other opportunities.  Anybody tried a new amp they are especially happy with?  I've got the new Bryston BHA-1 incoming in time for this weekend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MLee 

A while back I was getting the urge to maybe try something else, but then every time I have an extended listening session with mine it reminds me that I'm satisfied with what I have for now.  Never say never, but I'm in no hurry to explore other options.  I'm still happy with the W3000.  I'm way past "The new toy to play with syndrome" and continue to enjoy them.  Now as far as amps go, I'm still exploring other opportunities.  Anybody tried a new amp they are especially happy with?  I've got the new Bryston BHA-1 incoming in time for this weekend.

Very happy with the Burson Soloist and it has three setting so will work with any headphone.

I feel lucky to be in the headphone hobby as a start, rather than jumping straight into speakers. I got over the new toy syndrome during a two-year period but did spend quite a bit during this period. W3000ANV seems to be the end note for now, but with LCD2, LCD3, SR009 and W3000ANV; and on the IEM side, SE535, ER4p, TF10 Pro, Westone 3, Westone 4, Ortofon eQ7, Westone ES5 and UE18 Pro - I think I am not really eager to try anything further for now. Sure, the new flagship from Fostex seems attractive and the Final Audio stainless steel headphone looks like something interesting (or not?), but I am done with headphone upgrades at this moment. I only have one head and one pair of ears.

What I want to point out is, this actually saved me a lot. It is after the two-year crazy journey on headphones that I started setting up my speaker system. And although there is a ton of more expensive stuff out there for speaker systems, I am satisfied after setting up it properly with the right synergies of cables and tubes, and I stopped reading the speaker forums. Yet I do acknowledge there can be better sounding systems out there, one way or another. I do not reach a certain level and claim that there can be nothing better, just like some critics of DACs, claiming that things above a certain price point are all snake oil. Now I only need a decent vinyl rig and I am all done.

So, I am thankful, to W3000ANV and all my other headphones, because it is only after listening to these very top transducers in the world, that I know what I truly want in sound - and transform that sound to a real image (not an image in the head).

You need to try those Final Audio stainless steel headphones. They are fine works for art. A good friend of mine was actually able to snag a pair. The are extremely rare. I really can't say much more because I am under sort of a confidentiality agreement.

Also, since you have the space, you should upgrade your speakers to ones with larger woofers (at least 12"). There's no replacement for displacement in terms of clean and fast bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrin 

You need to try those Final Audio stainless steel headphones. They are fine works for art. A good friend of mine was actually able to snag a pair. The are extremely rare. I really can't say much more because I am under sort of a confidentiality agreement.

 

Also, since you have the space, you should upgrade your speakers to ones with larger woofers (at least 12"). There's no replacement for displacement in terms of clean and fast bass.

I hate fat, loud but shallow bass from Shure SE535, LCD2, B&W - they just aren't my type of bass. You gotta hear the bass of my Dynaudio Confidence C4s to know what means clean and fast bass. And in case I need more bass for movies, I hope you noticed there is an SVS PC-13 Ultra at the back.  As for the stainless steel Final Audio headphone - have fun.   

You need two subwoofers. One sub tends to create standing waves (seeing that you don't have bass traps or serious room treatments.)

Big woofers does not equate to fat loud shallow bass. It's fallacy that small woofers are somehow faster and tighter sound. The Martin Logan CLX is a good example of this (it's small woofers did not blend into the e-stat panels well at all.) Properly executed with sufficient magnet strength, systems with large woofers actually sound cleaner and "faster" than those with smaller woofers.

The middle (horn loaded subwoofer) was one of the fastest commercially produced subs ever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlach 


With all due respect, i don't think it's very nice from you to be telling the owner of Dynaudio C4 speakers that he "should" or "needs" to change his speakers. It's like telling someone who drives a Mercedes AMG 550 that he should be driving a Porsche or Ferrari. Why not let him enjoy his speakers which are toooooootally awesome?

As I said in my post, I acknowledge that there is a world out there in the speakers world, with more expensive and better gear than what I have, but I am very satisfied with the bass and other aspects of sound which my C4 delivers.  :) Anyway, let's get back to the W3000ANV, which is a fine example of sounding good yet having strange measurements. This is the headphone which makes us wonder the usefulness of measurements.  By the way, I prefer a Mercedes sports car to a Porsche any day - most models of Porsche are plain ugly to me, except the Turbo/Turbo S. Ferraris and Lamborghinis would certainly be worth a ride though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrin 
 

The C4's bass is more than sufficient for my 300 sq. ft. room. I don't even use the subwoofer for music - it is purely for movies. Anyway, I don't need anyone to tell me what is better and what is not - as I said, during my headphone days I have come clear to perception of what is best for me in terms of sound, and no one except myself has the right to tell me what I should own. You can believe in measurements or size of woofers all you want, but from a direct comparison with a pair of 802D, my C4 had much cleaner and deeper bass. Try comparing a JL Audio 113 (13") Subwoofer and a Velodyne 16" subwoofer and it is not surprising if you feel that the JL OWNS the Velodyne. Measurements in most cases are useless to say the least. I still remember the LCD2's graph which came with the headphone showing a flat extension down to the lowest frequency - but when I hear it, what a joke. Frankly, in terms of bass depth, even the W3000ANV fares better than the LCD2 when driven by LF.

I don't disagree about the 802D, not a big fan of it myself. The Velodyne you mentioned isn't a good example. Velodyne makes some of the worst sounding subs regardless of woofer size, at least to me ears. I prefer the W3000 to the LCD2 too (actually it depends on which LCD2 and when it was produced - there are actually sonic differences.) I don't know why you keep up bringing measurements as measurements have nothing do nothing to do with what are talking about.

I still think your room needs additional treatments to eliminate early reflections though. I'm not into the school of acoustically dead listening spaces, but instead prefer the the live-end dead-end design philosophy. As I've said, you've got the space and no WAF to worry about, so might as well go out all. Proper room treatment yields as just as much as good gear, and your gear certainly deserves it.