Elephas
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2005
- Posts
- 3,259
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- 15
I've owned the Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000 headphone for about a week. About a month ago I discovered Head-Fi and bought the ATH-A700. Upgrade-itis struck sooner than expected and I found myself back at the headphone shop and buying the AD2000.
I would like to present my impressions of the AD2000, as there isn't much info about them on Head-Fi.
The AD2000 feels light and build material is high quality. The driver housing and headband seems to be magnesium, except for the "wings" which are plastic. The metal looks and feels better than the plastic on the A700, and it looks smaller and feels lighter on your head. The earpads are soft velour and feel good around the ears. They do not feel as hot as the A700's pleather. The "wings" attach to the lower part of the headband with two thin metal rods, instead of the large plastic pieces on the A700. The metal rods look fragile.
Initially, I had a problem with my ears pressing too tightly against the cloth-covered driver housing inside the earcups. The AD2000 earpads do not have as much padding as the A700's and consequently I felt pressure on my ears. I found this surprising, as my ears are not large nor stick out much. Putting small strips of cloth inside the earpads solved this problem, and does not seem to affect the sound.
The AD2000 is open, and you can hear sounds from the environment around you very clearly without music playing. With music playing however, outside sound is barely audible. There is sound leakage from the AD2000, but it is not very loud.
It seems the AD2000's double-sided cord entry allowed the use of thinner over-the-head bands compared to the A700. I think the thin bands make the wearer look less like an alien.
The cord feels like rubbery plastic compared to the A700's cloth wrapped cord.
The 1/4 plug adapter screws on and looks very high quality. I prefer having the option of the 1/8 to 1/4 adapter instead of a built-in 1/4 plug. I don't think the adapter detracts from sound quality, and makes it easier to use the headphone on various equipment.
At the headphone shop, I listened to several headphones for more than two hours, including the Alessandro MS-2 and MS-2i, Sennheiser HD650, AKG K271S, Beyerdynamic DT880, and Audio-Technica A700, AD700 and the AD2000. Amps included the Sugden Headmaster, Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear, CEC, and Pro-Ject Head Box.
After putting on the AD2000 and listening for 30 seconds, I just had to buy them.
The shop owner said they happened to have an L3000 and asked if I wanted to try them. I thought "ignorance is easier on the wallet" and reluctantly declined.
A700 & AD2000
A700 & AD2000
I would like to present my impressions of the AD2000, as there isn't much info about them on Head-Fi.
The AD2000 feels light and build material is high quality. The driver housing and headband seems to be magnesium, except for the "wings" which are plastic. The metal looks and feels better than the plastic on the A700, and it looks smaller and feels lighter on your head. The earpads are soft velour and feel good around the ears. They do not feel as hot as the A700's pleather. The "wings" attach to the lower part of the headband with two thin metal rods, instead of the large plastic pieces on the A700. The metal rods look fragile.
Initially, I had a problem with my ears pressing too tightly against the cloth-covered driver housing inside the earcups. The AD2000 earpads do not have as much padding as the A700's and consequently I felt pressure on my ears. I found this surprising, as my ears are not large nor stick out much. Putting small strips of cloth inside the earpads solved this problem, and does not seem to affect the sound.
The AD2000 is open, and you can hear sounds from the environment around you very clearly without music playing. With music playing however, outside sound is barely audible. There is sound leakage from the AD2000, but it is not very loud.
It seems the AD2000's double-sided cord entry allowed the use of thinner over-the-head bands compared to the A700. I think the thin bands make the wearer look less like an alien.
The cord feels like rubbery plastic compared to the A700's cloth wrapped cord.
The 1/4 plug adapter screws on and looks very high quality. I prefer having the option of the 1/8 to 1/4 adapter instead of a built-in 1/4 plug. I don't think the adapter detracts from sound quality, and makes it easier to use the headphone on various equipment.
At the headphone shop, I listened to several headphones for more than two hours, including the Alessandro MS-2 and MS-2i, Sennheiser HD650, AKG K271S, Beyerdynamic DT880, and Audio-Technica A700, AD700 and the AD2000. Amps included the Sugden Headmaster, Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear, CEC, and Pro-Ject Head Box.
After putting on the AD2000 and listening for 30 seconds, I just had to buy them.
The shop owner said they happened to have an L3000 and asked if I wanted to try them. I thought "ignorance is easier on the wallet" and reluctantly declined.
A700 & AD2000
A700 & AD2000