Is the ATH-ES10 what I want for Christmas?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hydrocharged 

I seem to post quite a few threads asking for advice on headphones, even though I read a trillion reviews around here. Anyway, I'm thinking about getting the Audio Technica ATH-ES10 for Christmas as I don't have a pair of high end (not ultra high end like the Sennheiser HE90) over-ears. I've read that they have some of the best subbass out there, with great mids and highs, though not a huge midbass hump either. My order of emphasis is sub-bass, mids, highs, then mid&upper bass. I also enjoy a fairly large soundstage, though not too massive, which I think the ES10 is supposedly lacking in. Though, I've had many recommendations before that "claimed" to have a great deal of subbass only to disappoint, and those that did have a great deal of true subbass didn't have anything but subbass, with the other regions being neglected. I may be asking for a phone above the $350 price point, but are the ES10 the closest I will get without going over that? I mainly listen to RnB (as in 90% of the time), though I do listen to literally every single genre, rock and classical included. I seriously appreciate any and all suggestions, I want these to be my last headphones before I find the money to afford a pair over $1k. Thank you once more!

Heya,

Are these for portable use? Home use?

Do you want on-ear, not over-ear?

Do you want to stay with small headphones, or are you ok with big bulky headphones?

How important is style?

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hydrocharged 

Portable use with a portable amp.
On ear and over ear, either work.

Small and bulky will both work.
As long as they aren't shining lime green, style doesn't matter much.

Heya,

Everything you've described sonically is basically what Denon is all about. Look for a classic Denon D2000 or D5000. Otherwise, maybe attempt the new D600.

Alternatively, try to find a Beyer DT770 Premium 32ohm, or consider the PRO limited edition 32ohm (or 80ohm with an amp). Another to consider is the Audio Technica A900X. Look to the AudioTechnica ESW9A and Vmoda M80 as well for other options. Lasty, take a look at the new AKG K167 or the AKG K550.

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hydrocharged 

Another question I have, what about headphones for home use?

Heya,

I would definitely go for a Denon, it does everything for home and portable use. The D600 would probably be easier to get and have swappable cables for home/portable. However if you can land a D2000/D5000, I would suggest you look into having them custom cabled to have detachable, shorter cables with extensions for home/portable use. It would be perfect, basically.

Very best,

Here's my $0.02:

I think you can safely bypass ESW9A, DT1350, T50P, V-Moda M80, AKG K550, and A900X. In my audition, ES10 has more "bass" than all of those headphones.

Without pushing too much of my opinions, I think ES10 is a nice choice. If you end up not liking it with those criteria, then I don't think there is any on-ear headphone that will satisfy you. At that point, you're squarely looking over-ear headphones in the face, and of over-ear headphones, I think only the D2000 and D5000 can match ES10 in terms of "bass". That's just how much "bass" the ES10 is capable of.

Because I think bass, as the ES10 presents it, compared to "bass" as the D2000 and D5000 are different.

The ES10 produces clean, thick, impactful and fast bass notes, whereas D2000 and D5000 produces that cavernous rumbling bass. Both have about the same amount of "sub bass", but I think the D2000 and D5000 allow it to stick around longer. Some songs vibrate and rumble almost all the time with the D2000 and D5000.

For that song, for the most part, bass is a clean, hard, full thump. When it reaches the chorus, there is a bit of extra vibration to bass notes, but it's still clean-sounding overall.