First of all, a very Big Thanks to Audio-Technica Singapore for the loan of the demo unit of ATH-W1000Z, The Maestoso!
Website:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/6664e5258c491bd1/index.html
ATH-W1000Z, the Maestoso, is the 11th generation of Audio-Technica's W Series. It shares some similarities with the predecessor, ATH-W1000X, the Grandioso, the 10th generation of Audio-Technica's W Series. Similar 53 mm driver size, similar range of frequency response, similar maximum input power, and also similarly priced. For those who are familiar with Grandioso, Maestoso is not a new headphone with new characteristics, but more of an upgrade or improved version of the Grandioso.
I would categorize the Maestoso as a boutique headphone. Like boutique microphones that are sought after for their unique sound signature, the Maestoso also has its own unique, lightly flavored sound signature. Compared to the Grandioso from memory recollection, the Maestoso is more natural sounding with milder sonic flavor, and would probably reach wider audiences while still faithful to the Audio-Technica house sound.
As always, it’s pretty much depending on individual preferences, those who enjoy the discontinued Grandioso would probably give the new Maestoso 5 stars rating due to the improvement in sound. But professional audio engineers who expect a headphone with plain vanilla sonic characteristic for mixing and mastering, would probably rate it less. I rate it 4 stars for the sound quality, as I reserve 4.5 to 5 stars for headphones with less flavored sonic signature. But I would give 4.5 stars for the design, the beautiful wooden cup, excellent build, classy looks, and innovative design. IMHO the Maestoso is more for audiophile and headphone aficionado, who like to own a unique and good quality headphone, and appreciate various flavors of sonic signatures.
I had the Maestoso for more than a month, and had quite a good time with it, long enough to know its sound signature pretty well (not a 15 minutes test on a local headphone shop). A friend of mine once said, first impression matters most (in context of testing audio equipment). I disagree. From years of experience of testing audio equipment, It is really not fair to judge an equipment sound quality base on first impression or short period of audition. Generally I need weeks with hours of listening, mix and match with other equipment, to give a fair judgement of the sound quality of an audio equipment. Sometime we probably impressed at first impression, but after sometime the excitement subside, or probably turn to dislike. It can be the other way around, negative first impression, but after sometime the excitement grows positive. After spending weeks with the Maestoso, I would say, I enjoyed it. The Maestoso is really a beautifully designed headphone, lightweight and comfortable thanks to the 3D wing support mechanism, and most important, it has an enjoyable sound signature!
Currawong posted the unboxing video of ATH-W1000Z here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtY8kjBnzpE
The build quality of ATH-W1000Z is excellent. The Teak wooden cup is really elegant and very well made. Instead of the American Black Cherry wood used for the ATH-W1000X, the ATH-W1000Z uses Teak wood. Colour wise, it is not as bright & vibrant as the ATH-W1000X Cherry wood, but darker, pretty close to the brown colour of milk chocolate. My old Panasonic GF1 camera tends to produce brighter brown than the brown colour of the W1000Z Teak wooden cup. So I did spend some time on Photoshop to adjust the colour, to make the brown colour matches as close as possible to the real Teak wooden cup, at least on my monitor.
Although size wise ATH-W1000Z has larger ear cups than Beyerdynamic T1, but ATH-W1000Z is lighter in weight, lighter than both T1 and HD800, and only slightly heavier than the ultra-light Shure SRH1540. Ergonomically, it fits my head quite well. The different thickness on some area of the ear pads fits nicely, as well as the 3D wing support mechanism. Headband pressure is comparable to T1 and HD800, but due to the wide area of the ear pads, the headband pressure is distributed to wider area, therefore feels slightly lighter. The leather ear pads of ATH-W1000X feel very nice and quite comfortable for me. But we all have different head size, so comfort wise, YMMV. For smaller size heads, I read that the 3D wings support might not provide an adequate support. I guess a simple elastic strap between the 3D wings might improve the support. Just an idea, to be tested.
The cable is made of 4 cores 6N OFC. 4 cores are better than 3 cores, because the ground wire for the left and right drivers are separated to reduce crosstalk. The cable size and flexibility is good, and not easily tangled. But the 3 meters length is too long for me. I do prefer detachable cable for a headphone at this calibre. From practical reasons that we need different length of cable for different circumstances, and easy replacement when the cable is faulty, to a more advance reasons like to use better cables and to be able to drive it in balance. I hope the next generation of the W series would adopt detachable cable. The headphone jack is the 6.5 mm (1/4") size with wooden barrel, and no adapter to 3.5 mm is included. The Maestoso is actually telling us, don't try to plug me to your smartphone or portable devices, I need proper desktop amplifier. This is quite true. Even though Maestoso is relatively easy to drive, it does require a good quality matching amplifier to shine.
Highlights:
Successful upgrade of ATH-W1000X.
Sweet and smooth tonality with some emphasize on clarity.
Sounds best with vocal, jazz, & classical chamber music recordings.
Good quality and matching amplifier is required for best performance. Preferably tube or hybrid amplifier.
Pros:
Excellent build with elegant design.
Light weight and comfortable.
Cons:
Non-detachable cable.
Suggestions for improvement:
Improve bass speed and texture.
Detachable cable.
Removable elastic strap between the 3D wings, to improve support for smaller size head.
Sound Quality
For about a couple of years, I had the Grandioso, ATH-W1000X a few years ago, till I sold it. From memory recollection of the Grandioso, the Maestoso still carries some of the Grandioso sound signature, the refined clarity, forward midrange presentation, and spacious imaging. But Maestoso bass has improved from Grandioso. I sold my Grandioso simply because it doesn't have enough bass to my liking. Maestoso has taken a more balanced approach, and no longer bass shy. Maestoso is still slightly mid-centric, slight emphasize on the midrange area like many of the AT Woodies, but overall tonal balance is more balanced, more linear than the Grandioso. I don't hear any annoying frequency irregularity, overall tonal balance is quite smooth from bass to treble, with only mild emphasized around the midrange area, as expected from the AT wooden series.
The ATH-W1000X Grandioso I had a few years ago:
Bass level though still slightly behind the midrange level, but doesn't sound anaemic. Bass level is slightly less than the new ATH-MSR7 I reviewed recently, but better than the old Grandioso. Pretty close, to the bass level of Beyerdynamic T1, with T1 bass has slightly better speed, texture, and impact, and the Maestoso bass has slightly better bass body. Good bass quality with sufficient bass level to me is a must for good headphone, and Maestoso bass, I would say is sufficient though still slightly less from what I call realistic bass level. Bass quality is pretty good, with sufficient low bass extension. Though I would like to hear better bass texture and speed for a headphone at this price range. I know some people that like Grandioso tonality, and I think Grandioso fans won't be disappointed with the bass tuning of W1000Z, because the increase of the bass level is not drastic, just nice to improve the overall tonal balance.
Midrange is silky smooth and sounds very refined. Midrange to lower treble area is mildly emphasized, sounds like wide 3 dB hump at around 300 Hz to 5 kHz area, slightly higher at around 1.5kHz - 3.5kHz. Even though the 1.5kHz - 3.5kHz is slightly emphasized, but vocal is very smooth, with a touch of warmness, and I can safely say that the Maestoso although not immune, but it is not prone to sibilant. Vocal clarity is slightly emphasized without adding sibilant. Excellent! Maestoso also leaves plenty of room to be paired with good tube amplifier for additional warmness. I tested Maestoso with Audio-Technica flagship headphone amplifier, AT-HA5050H that has tube stage, also with my favourite hybrid tube amp, AT-HA22TUBE, vocal sounds wonderful, warm, intimate, yet transparent, without sounding overly warm and muddy. The mild emphasize on midrange gives forward presentation to the vocal, but can still be considered a natural presentation, not too forward. I guess fans of AT woodies will love the lightly flavoured, clear and smooth vocal of the Maestoso.
The treble is like the bass, has excellent coherency with the midrange. Silky smooth, detailed & transparent, only slightly behind the midrange level. Treble is well extended and has good transparency. Treble always sounds clear and transparent, and not prone to sibilant. Although it won't hide or smoothen out sibilant, but so far I don't have problem with sibilant. The lower treble is slightly more emphasized than the upper treble, I guess due to the smooth transition from the upper midrange.
I like the imaging on Maestoso, relatively wide and spacious for a closed back headphone. Never sound congested with all the setups that I tried. Instrument separation and localization are good and clear.
Perceived detail and clarity are very good, the clarity from the Audio-Technica house sound helps to improve the perceived detail. Maestoso has higher clarity and perceived detail than my Shure SRH1540. Though on some recording, especially female vocal, the clarity can be sometime a bit too emphasized for my taste. That's where the warm tube amplifier plays its role, to tame down the slightly over emphasized clarity. Though overall perceived detail is excellent, but the level of detail is slightly reduced on the bass area. Something to be improved on the next model.
I prefer to play smooth and relax type of music on Maestoso. In my opinion, Maestoso is not the best choice for fast pace music with too complex fast passages and energetic bass. Audiophile vocal, relax Jazz tracks, and classical chamber music are what the Maestoso does best. The Maestoso might not be the best all-rounder, but it does really well on what it does best.
Amplifier Matching
The 43 ohms (101 dB/mW) ATH-W1000Z doesn't require high voltage output amplifier. My normal listening, when measured at 0 dBFS sine wave, only in the range of 0.3-0.5 Vrms, and so far doesn't exceed 0.7 Vrms. Any amplifier with up to 1 Vrms output would be sufficient for ATH-W1000Z, which is practically most amps and players. But, big BUT, the Maestoso does need good quality matching amp to perform well. The 6.5 mm jack is suggesting that Maestoso is to be driven by desktop amplifier, not portable devices.
The sound signature of the amplifier is more important for the Maestoso. Warm and full sounding amplifier with tight & good bass is preferable to improve the lower mid and bass area. Combined with the clarity of the Maestoso, they will create an enjoyable mix. But not all warm sounding amplifier is good for Maestoso, it must be the one with good level of detail and tight bass. Bass area of the Maestoso is not very detailed, so mellow sounding amp with loose bass will make it worst. Good quality tube amplifier would be the better choice for Maestoso.
I had the chance to loan and review the pre-production unit of Audio-Technica flagship, AT-HA5050H. AT-HA5050H is one of the best amplifier for the Maestoso. But AT-HA5050H is not yet available on the market. And at around $ 6k it would be out of radar for many audiophiles. Other good and simple setup is my Yulong DA8 headphone output which is natural sounding, detailed, with a touch of warmness. With Yulong DA8 headphone output, I can hear pretty good bass texture and speed from Maestoso. Connecting the AT-HA22TUBE amplifier to the line output of Yulong DA8 is another good setup that I like. Smoother and more intimate vocal, but bass texture is slightly less compared to Yulong DA8 headphone output. Pretty similar result from ifi micro iDSD + AT-HA22TUBE. Yulong DA8 + Yulong A28 using balanced connection is also works well for Maestoso. The rather dark and warm signature of Yulong A28 matches quite well with Maestoso. The extra clarity tamed down nicely by the Yulong A28. Though the tonality is nice, but the soundstage slightly reduced, not as wide and spacious as other setups.
Beside the above setups, I would highly recommend the ifi stacks for the Maestoso:
ifi micro iDSD >> ifi micro iTube >> ifi micro iCan >> Maestoso
ifi micro iDSD settings: Filter: Bit-Perfect, Power mode: Normal, Line Out: Direct.
ifi micro iTube set as buffer (0 dB).
ifi micro iCan set at 0 dB gain.
Smooth & detailed, warm, organic sounding, good bass, clean and transparent high, and spacious imaging. Music is presented with more energy and very musically engaging. And the bass is so good, tight with good punch, better when compared to other setups I tried. The ifi stacks is simply an awesome setup for Maestoso! Also tried direct from the micro iDSD headphone output, unfortunately micro iDSD headphone output is not good enough for Maestoso, flat and thin sounding, lacking of depth and dynamic. Bypassed the micro iTube, using only iDSD and iCan, pretty good, but tonal density, warmness, and bass not as good as when the whole three ifi micros work together. So all the three micros are essential to get the most from the Maestoso. Highly recommended!
All mentioned setups sound enjoyable. The Maestoso is easy to drive, but scales up really well with good and matching amplifier. Smart phones and low power portable devices simply don't do justice to Maestoso. When planning to buy the Maestoso, I strongly advise to plan for a good quality tube / hybrid amplifier as well, if you don't have any. The Maestoso is not a good investment without good quality matching amplifier.
Comparisons
Honestly, I cannot do fair comparisons for Maestoso, because I don't have other 'boutique' closed back headphones in my collection. Most of my collections are more of the professional audio monitoring headphones. Probably HE5-LE can be considered as a boutique headphone, but it is an open back. So just for the sake of comparison, I will compare the Maestoso with some of my reference headphones.
Shure SRH1540
SRH1540 is more laidback, while Maestoso is slightly more forward than natural. Different presentation, but both are enjoyable, depending on personal preference. As for my preference, sometime the Maestoso is a bit too forward on some recordings. Maestoso emphasizes more on the upper midrange - treble area, while SRH1540 emphasizes more on the lower midrange - bass area. Maestoso has higher perceived clarity, faster transient, more impactful, with a more lively presentation. Also higher perceived details. SRH1540 sounds warmer, more relax and laid back, with more powerful bass and better low bass extension. Even though SRH1540 is positioned as a professional monitoring headphones, to my ears both SRH1540 and Maestoso are mildly flavored tonally, not yet as linear sounding as Beyerdynamic T1. At least to my ears. So, again depending on personal preferences of sonic flavors, and which headphone match better with the available setup.
Both Maestoso and SRH1540 have very good imaging. Maestoso with clearer presentation easily perceived as having clearer and more spacious imaging. I would say the Maestoso is slightly better on imaging, more spacious and clearer instrument separation.
As for comfort, the ultra-light SRH1540 with Alcantara ear pads is among the most comfortable closed back headphone I've ever tried. The Maestoso is comfortable, and I have no comfort problem with it. I wore the Maestoso for hours with no comfort issue. But SRH1540 is slightly more comfortable.
Beyerdynamic T1
Beyerdynamic T1 is currently my main reference headphone. T1 is open back design, so not an apple to apple comparison with the Maestoso. So I will just compare the tonality and detail, without the soundstage. As a professional headphone, T1 sounds more linear tonally. When paired with a matching amplifier, T1 sounds linear, and I don't hear any peaks and dips on the frequency response. When I reviewed T1 in 2010, I was expecting slightly more bass from T1. But recently, when I tested T1 with AT-HA5050H headphone amplifier, the bass level was perfect. So matching amplifier is the key to get the most from our headphone.
Tonally, both Maestoso and T1 sound smooth and refined. As described previously, the Maestoso has wide and shallow midrange hump when compared to T1. Bass level is pretty close, being closed back, the Maestoso has slightly fuller bass body. Treble quality, T1 wins. T1 treble is more linear, airy and transparent. But most probably due to the open back design. So not really a fair comparison. Maestoso treble, as a closed back headphone, is superb. Well extended and transparent. So if the closed back design is taken into consideration, I would say Maestoso treble is comparable to T1.
Perceived detail and clarity are the strength of both headphones. Both are very detailed and super clear sounding. And sometime the clarity sounds a bit too emphasized, and I will need to soften the clarity using good quality tube amp. Both Maestoso and T1 love good tube amplifiers.
Sennheiser HD800
Similar to T1, HD800 being an open back headphone is not really a compatible comparison for Maestoso. So the comparison is strickly on the tonality and perceived detail, since many know HD800, comparison of the tonality might be useful.
Honestly I often annoyed by the HD800 treble peak, so I have much longer head hour with T1 than HD800. I know it can be solved by some modification. But after modification, it is not the original HD800 anymore, and it makes me difficult to do a fair comparison with others for review. In short, HD800 treble is often too hot for me, even when using tube amps. I've a friend who uses HD800 for hours while working at home. We bought the HD800 together, same batch with close serial number. So, we do hear things differently, some people are not that sensitive to the HD800 treble. Or probably I'm too sensitive to hot treble. Either way, I hope readers can gauge from my explanation. I use to cut the 7 kHz peak at foobar around 6 dB to make the treble level sounds acceptable to me (comparable treble level to T1). My foobar equalizer for HD800:
Beside the 7 kHz treble peak, HD800 has more linear, flatter tonal balance in other areas. As mentioned earlier, Maestoso emphasized on different frequency area, which is around 300Hz to 5kHz, a wide hump instead of a peak. HD800, being an open back, sounds more airy and transparent. The Maestoso sounds smoother and more intimate. If I would use equalizer to flatten the tonality (though it is also nice without eq), here is 'roughly' my foobar equalizer for Maestoso (slightly different for different recordings):
Bass level is comparable; Maestoso is a tad fuller, while HD800 bass is tighter, punchier, with better detail and texture. It doesn't mean that Maestoso bass is lacking in texture, but HD800 bass has better texture, and hits harder.
HD800 is king of detail. As expected, HD800 level of detail is higher than Maestoso. But higher level of detail it doesn't mean than HD800 is more musical. Sometime the high level of detail combined with the treble peak, might easily causes ears fatigue. Although not as detailed as HD800, Maestoso has good level of detail, sound smoother, and more relaxing.
Comparing the two, it is really boils down to individual preference, for more airy and transparent, or smoother and intimate sounding. Both have very different sound signature, and are great in their own way.
In summary, ATH-W1000Z, the Maestoso, is a successful upgrade from the previous model, ATH-W1000X, the Grandioso. It has excellent build quality, classy looking headphone that nicely combined the classic look of the wooden housings and modern design of the headband. Very enjoyable sound signature with the right setup. The Maestoso is truly an elegant boutique headphone that is a must have for headphone collectors and aficionados.
Disclaimer:
I am not affiliated to Audio-Technica in any way. I often get loan of Audio-Technica products because I have some friends from Audio-Technica Singapore that often generously loan me their products.
Specifications:
Type: Closed-back Dynamic
Driver Diameter: 53 mm
Voice Coil: OFC-6N
Frequency Response: 5 – 42,000 Hz
Maximum Input Power: 2,000 mW
Sensitivity: 101 dB/mW
Impedance: 43 ohms
Weight: 320 g
Cable: 3.0 m (dual-sided), 4-core parallel cable/OFC6N + OFC/Elastomer sheath
Connector: 6.3 mm (1/4") gold-plated plug with wooden sleeve
HOUSING: Teak
Equipment used in this review:
Headphones:
Audio-Technica W1000Z (loan)
Audio-Technica MSR7LTD
Beyerdynamic T1
Sennheiser HD 800
Shure SRH1540
DACs & Headphone Amplifiers:
Audio-Technica AT-HA5050H
Audio-Technica AT-HA22TUBE
ifi micro iDSD
ifi micro iTube (loan, thanks to @igndenny)
ifi micro iCan
Yulong DA8
Yulong A28
Cables:
AmazonBasics USB 3.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable - 2 meters
Atlas Equator MKIII Integra RCA cable (0.5m)
Better Cables RCA cable - Silver Serpent Anniversary Edition (6 inch)
Pangea Audio - USB cable - PCOCC & 4% silver - 2 Meters
QED Reference Audio Evolution XLR cable (DIY 40 cm cable)
Wireworld Equinox XLR cable (DIY 40 cm cable)
Computer & Player:
DIY Desktop PC: Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H-MVP motherboard, Intel i7-3770, 16 GB RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1.
foobar2000 v1.3.3 (ASIO Proxy 0.7.1.2)
Some recordings used in this review:
Website:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/6664e5258c491bd1/index.html
ATH-W1000Z, the Maestoso, is the 11th generation of Audio-Technica's W Series. It shares some similarities with the predecessor, ATH-W1000X, the Grandioso, the 10th generation of Audio-Technica's W Series. Similar 53 mm driver size, similar range of frequency response, similar maximum input power, and also similarly priced. For those who are familiar with Grandioso, Maestoso is not a new headphone with new characteristics, but more of an upgrade or improved version of the Grandioso.
I would categorize the Maestoso as a boutique headphone. Like boutique microphones that are sought after for their unique sound signature, the Maestoso also has its own unique, lightly flavored sound signature. Compared to the Grandioso from memory recollection, the Maestoso is more natural sounding with milder sonic flavor, and would probably reach wider audiences while still faithful to the Audio-Technica house sound.
As always, it’s pretty much depending on individual preferences, those who enjoy the discontinued Grandioso would probably give the new Maestoso 5 stars rating due to the improvement in sound. But professional audio engineers who expect a headphone with plain vanilla sonic characteristic for mixing and mastering, would probably rate it less. I rate it 4 stars for the sound quality, as I reserve 4.5 to 5 stars for headphones with less flavored sonic signature. But I would give 4.5 stars for the design, the beautiful wooden cup, excellent build, classy looks, and innovative design. IMHO the Maestoso is more for audiophile and headphone aficionado, who like to own a unique and good quality headphone, and appreciate various flavors of sonic signatures.
I had the Maestoso for more than a month, and had quite a good time with it, long enough to know its sound signature pretty well (not a 15 minutes test on a local headphone shop). A friend of mine once said, first impression matters most (in context of testing audio equipment). I disagree. From years of experience of testing audio equipment, It is really not fair to judge an equipment sound quality base on first impression or short period of audition. Generally I need weeks with hours of listening, mix and match with other equipment, to give a fair judgement of the sound quality of an audio equipment. Sometime we probably impressed at first impression, but after sometime the excitement subside, or probably turn to dislike. It can be the other way around, negative first impression, but after sometime the excitement grows positive. After spending weeks with the Maestoso, I would say, I enjoyed it. The Maestoso is really a beautifully designed headphone, lightweight and comfortable thanks to the 3D wing support mechanism, and most important, it has an enjoyable sound signature!
Currawong posted the unboxing video of ATH-W1000Z here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtY8kjBnzpE
The build quality of ATH-W1000Z is excellent. The Teak wooden cup is really elegant and very well made. Instead of the American Black Cherry wood used for the ATH-W1000X, the ATH-W1000Z uses Teak wood. Colour wise, it is not as bright & vibrant as the ATH-W1000X Cherry wood, but darker, pretty close to the brown colour of milk chocolate. My old Panasonic GF1 camera tends to produce brighter brown than the brown colour of the W1000Z Teak wooden cup. So I did spend some time on Photoshop to adjust the colour, to make the brown colour matches as close as possible to the real Teak wooden cup, at least on my monitor.
Although size wise ATH-W1000Z has larger ear cups than Beyerdynamic T1, but ATH-W1000Z is lighter in weight, lighter than both T1 and HD800, and only slightly heavier than the ultra-light Shure SRH1540. Ergonomically, it fits my head quite well. The different thickness on some area of the ear pads fits nicely, as well as the 3D wing support mechanism. Headband pressure is comparable to T1 and HD800, but due to the wide area of the ear pads, the headband pressure is distributed to wider area, therefore feels slightly lighter. The leather ear pads of ATH-W1000X feel very nice and quite comfortable for me. But we all have different head size, so comfort wise, YMMV. For smaller size heads, I read that the 3D wings support might not provide an adequate support. I guess a simple elastic strap between the 3D wings might improve the support. Just an idea, to be tested.
The cable is made of 4 cores 6N OFC. 4 cores are better than 3 cores, because the ground wire for the left and right drivers are separated to reduce crosstalk. The cable size and flexibility is good, and not easily tangled. But the 3 meters length is too long for me. I do prefer detachable cable for a headphone at this calibre. From practical reasons that we need different length of cable for different circumstances, and easy replacement when the cable is faulty, to a more advance reasons like to use better cables and to be able to drive it in balance. I hope the next generation of the W series would adopt detachable cable. The headphone jack is the 6.5 mm (1/4") size with wooden barrel, and no adapter to 3.5 mm is included. The Maestoso is actually telling us, don't try to plug me to your smartphone or portable devices, I need proper desktop amplifier. This is quite true. Even though Maestoso is relatively easy to drive, it does require a good quality matching amplifier to shine.
Highlights:
Successful upgrade of ATH-W1000X.
Sweet and smooth tonality with some emphasize on clarity.
Sounds best with vocal, jazz, & classical chamber music recordings.
Good quality and matching amplifier is required for best performance. Preferably tube or hybrid amplifier.
Pros:
Excellent build with elegant design.
Light weight and comfortable.
Cons:
Non-detachable cable.
Suggestions for improvement:
Improve bass speed and texture.
Detachable cable.
Removable elastic strap between the 3D wings, to improve support for smaller size head.
Sound Quality
For about a couple of years, I had the Grandioso, ATH-W1000X a few years ago, till I sold it. From memory recollection of the Grandioso, the Maestoso still carries some of the Grandioso sound signature, the refined clarity, forward midrange presentation, and spacious imaging. But Maestoso bass has improved from Grandioso. I sold my Grandioso simply because it doesn't have enough bass to my liking. Maestoso has taken a more balanced approach, and no longer bass shy. Maestoso is still slightly mid-centric, slight emphasize on the midrange area like many of the AT Woodies, but overall tonal balance is more balanced, more linear than the Grandioso. I don't hear any annoying frequency irregularity, overall tonal balance is quite smooth from bass to treble, with only mild emphasized around the midrange area, as expected from the AT wooden series.
The ATH-W1000X Grandioso I had a few years ago:
Bass level though still slightly behind the midrange level, but doesn't sound anaemic. Bass level is slightly less than the new ATH-MSR7 I reviewed recently, but better than the old Grandioso. Pretty close, to the bass level of Beyerdynamic T1, with T1 bass has slightly better speed, texture, and impact, and the Maestoso bass has slightly better bass body. Good bass quality with sufficient bass level to me is a must for good headphone, and Maestoso bass, I would say is sufficient though still slightly less from what I call realistic bass level. Bass quality is pretty good, with sufficient low bass extension. Though I would like to hear better bass texture and speed for a headphone at this price range. I know some people that like Grandioso tonality, and I think Grandioso fans won't be disappointed with the bass tuning of W1000Z, because the increase of the bass level is not drastic, just nice to improve the overall tonal balance.
Midrange is silky smooth and sounds very refined. Midrange to lower treble area is mildly emphasized, sounds like wide 3 dB hump at around 300 Hz to 5 kHz area, slightly higher at around 1.5kHz - 3.5kHz. Even though the 1.5kHz - 3.5kHz is slightly emphasized, but vocal is very smooth, with a touch of warmness, and I can safely say that the Maestoso although not immune, but it is not prone to sibilant. Vocal clarity is slightly emphasized without adding sibilant. Excellent! Maestoso also leaves plenty of room to be paired with good tube amplifier for additional warmness. I tested Maestoso with Audio-Technica flagship headphone amplifier, AT-HA5050H that has tube stage, also with my favourite hybrid tube amp, AT-HA22TUBE, vocal sounds wonderful, warm, intimate, yet transparent, without sounding overly warm and muddy. The mild emphasize on midrange gives forward presentation to the vocal, but can still be considered a natural presentation, not too forward. I guess fans of AT woodies will love the lightly flavoured, clear and smooth vocal of the Maestoso.
The treble is like the bass, has excellent coherency with the midrange. Silky smooth, detailed & transparent, only slightly behind the midrange level. Treble is well extended and has good transparency. Treble always sounds clear and transparent, and not prone to sibilant. Although it won't hide or smoothen out sibilant, but so far I don't have problem with sibilant. The lower treble is slightly more emphasized than the upper treble, I guess due to the smooth transition from the upper midrange.
I like the imaging on Maestoso, relatively wide and spacious for a closed back headphone. Never sound congested with all the setups that I tried. Instrument separation and localization are good and clear.
Perceived detail and clarity are very good, the clarity from the Audio-Technica house sound helps to improve the perceived detail. Maestoso has higher clarity and perceived detail than my Shure SRH1540. Though on some recording, especially female vocal, the clarity can be sometime a bit too emphasized for my taste. That's where the warm tube amplifier plays its role, to tame down the slightly over emphasized clarity. Though overall perceived detail is excellent, but the level of detail is slightly reduced on the bass area. Something to be improved on the next model.
I prefer to play smooth and relax type of music on Maestoso. In my opinion, Maestoso is not the best choice for fast pace music with too complex fast passages and energetic bass. Audiophile vocal, relax Jazz tracks, and classical chamber music are what the Maestoso does best. The Maestoso might not be the best all-rounder, but it does really well on what it does best.
Amplifier Matching
The 43 ohms (101 dB/mW) ATH-W1000Z doesn't require high voltage output amplifier. My normal listening, when measured at 0 dBFS sine wave, only in the range of 0.3-0.5 Vrms, and so far doesn't exceed 0.7 Vrms. Any amplifier with up to 1 Vrms output would be sufficient for ATH-W1000Z, which is practically most amps and players. But, big BUT, the Maestoso does need good quality matching amp to perform well. The 6.5 mm jack is suggesting that Maestoso is to be driven by desktop amplifier, not portable devices.
The sound signature of the amplifier is more important for the Maestoso. Warm and full sounding amplifier with tight & good bass is preferable to improve the lower mid and bass area. Combined with the clarity of the Maestoso, they will create an enjoyable mix. But not all warm sounding amplifier is good for Maestoso, it must be the one with good level of detail and tight bass. Bass area of the Maestoso is not very detailed, so mellow sounding amp with loose bass will make it worst. Good quality tube amplifier would be the better choice for Maestoso.
I had the chance to loan and review the pre-production unit of Audio-Technica flagship, AT-HA5050H. AT-HA5050H is one of the best amplifier for the Maestoso. But AT-HA5050H is not yet available on the market. And at around $ 6k it would be out of radar for many audiophiles. Other good and simple setup is my Yulong DA8 headphone output which is natural sounding, detailed, with a touch of warmness. With Yulong DA8 headphone output, I can hear pretty good bass texture and speed from Maestoso. Connecting the AT-HA22TUBE amplifier to the line output of Yulong DA8 is another good setup that I like. Smoother and more intimate vocal, but bass texture is slightly less compared to Yulong DA8 headphone output. Pretty similar result from ifi micro iDSD + AT-HA22TUBE. Yulong DA8 + Yulong A28 using balanced connection is also works well for Maestoso. The rather dark and warm signature of Yulong A28 matches quite well with Maestoso. The extra clarity tamed down nicely by the Yulong A28. Though the tonality is nice, but the soundstage slightly reduced, not as wide and spacious as other setups.
Beside the above setups, I would highly recommend the ifi stacks for the Maestoso:
ifi micro iDSD >> ifi micro iTube >> ifi micro iCan >> Maestoso
ifi micro iDSD settings: Filter: Bit-Perfect, Power mode: Normal, Line Out: Direct.
ifi micro iTube set as buffer (0 dB).
ifi micro iCan set at 0 dB gain.
Smooth & detailed, warm, organic sounding, good bass, clean and transparent high, and spacious imaging. Music is presented with more energy and very musically engaging. And the bass is so good, tight with good punch, better when compared to other setups I tried. The ifi stacks is simply an awesome setup for Maestoso! Also tried direct from the micro iDSD headphone output, unfortunately micro iDSD headphone output is not good enough for Maestoso, flat and thin sounding, lacking of depth and dynamic. Bypassed the micro iTube, using only iDSD and iCan, pretty good, but tonal density, warmness, and bass not as good as when the whole three ifi micros work together. So all the three micros are essential to get the most from the Maestoso. Highly recommended!
All mentioned setups sound enjoyable. The Maestoso is easy to drive, but scales up really well with good and matching amplifier. Smart phones and low power portable devices simply don't do justice to Maestoso. When planning to buy the Maestoso, I strongly advise to plan for a good quality tube / hybrid amplifier as well, if you don't have any. The Maestoso is not a good investment without good quality matching amplifier.
Comparisons
Honestly, I cannot do fair comparisons for Maestoso, because I don't have other 'boutique' closed back headphones in my collection. Most of my collections are more of the professional audio monitoring headphones. Probably HE5-LE can be considered as a boutique headphone, but it is an open back. So just for the sake of comparison, I will compare the Maestoso with some of my reference headphones.
Shure SRH1540
SRH1540 is more laidback, while Maestoso is slightly more forward than natural. Different presentation, but both are enjoyable, depending on personal preference. As for my preference, sometime the Maestoso is a bit too forward on some recordings. Maestoso emphasizes more on the upper midrange - treble area, while SRH1540 emphasizes more on the lower midrange - bass area. Maestoso has higher perceived clarity, faster transient, more impactful, with a more lively presentation. Also higher perceived details. SRH1540 sounds warmer, more relax and laid back, with more powerful bass and better low bass extension. Even though SRH1540 is positioned as a professional monitoring headphones, to my ears both SRH1540 and Maestoso are mildly flavored tonally, not yet as linear sounding as Beyerdynamic T1. At least to my ears. So, again depending on personal preferences of sonic flavors, and which headphone match better with the available setup.
Both Maestoso and SRH1540 have very good imaging. Maestoso with clearer presentation easily perceived as having clearer and more spacious imaging. I would say the Maestoso is slightly better on imaging, more spacious and clearer instrument separation.
As for comfort, the ultra-light SRH1540 with Alcantara ear pads is among the most comfortable closed back headphone I've ever tried. The Maestoso is comfortable, and I have no comfort problem with it. I wore the Maestoso for hours with no comfort issue. But SRH1540 is slightly more comfortable.
Beyerdynamic T1
Beyerdynamic T1 is currently my main reference headphone. T1 is open back design, so not an apple to apple comparison with the Maestoso. So I will just compare the tonality and detail, without the soundstage. As a professional headphone, T1 sounds more linear tonally. When paired with a matching amplifier, T1 sounds linear, and I don't hear any peaks and dips on the frequency response. When I reviewed T1 in 2010, I was expecting slightly more bass from T1. But recently, when I tested T1 with AT-HA5050H headphone amplifier, the bass level was perfect. So matching amplifier is the key to get the most from our headphone.
Tonally, both Maestoso and T1 sound smooth and refined. As described previously, the Maestoso has wide and shallow midrange hump when compared to T1. Bass level is pretty close, being closed back, the Maestoso has slightly fuller bass body. Treble quality, T1 wins. T1 treble is more linear, airy and transparent. But most probably due to the open back design. So not really a fair comparison. Maestoso treble, as a closed back headphone, is superb. Well extended and transparent. So if the closed back design is taken into consideration, I would say Maestoso treble is comparable to T1.
Perceived detail and clarity are the strength of both headphones. Both are very detailed and super clear sounding. And sometime the clarity sounds a bit too emphasized, and I will need to soften the clarity using good quality tube amp. Both Maestoso and T1 love good tube amplifiers.
Sennheiser HD800
Similar to T1, HD800 being an open back headphone is not really a compatible comparison for Maestoso. So the comparison is strickly on the tonality and perceived detail, since many know HD800, comparison of the tonality might be useful.
Honestly I often annoyed by the HD800 treble peak, so I have much longer head hour with T1 than HD800. I know it can be solved by some modification. But after modification, it is not the original HD800 anymore, and it makes me difficult to do a fair comparison with others for review. In short, HD800 treble is often too hot for me, even when using tube amps. I've a friend who uses HD800 for hours while working at home. We bought the HD800 together, same batch with close serial number. So, we do hear things differently, some people are not that sensitive to the HD800 treble. Or probably I'm too sensitive to hot treble. Either way, I hope readers can gauge from my explanation. I use to cut the 7 kHz peak at foobar around 6 dB to make the treble level sounds acceptable to me (comparable treble level to T1). My foobar equalizer for HD800:
Beside the 7 kHz treble peak, HD800 has more linear, flatter tonal balance in other areas. As mentioned earlier, Maestoso emphasized on different frequency area, which is around 300Hz to 5kHz, a wide hump instead of a peak. HD800, being an open back, sounds more airy and transparent. The Maestoso sounds smoother and more intimate. If I would use equalizer to flatten the tonality (though it is also nice without eq), here is 'roughly' my foobar equalizer for Maestoso (slightly different for different recordings):
Bass level is comparable; Maestoso is a tad fuller, while HD800 bass is tighter, punchier, with better detail and texture. It doesn't mean that Maestoso bass is lacking in texture, but HD800 bass has better texture, and hits harder.
HD800 is king of detail. As expected, HD800 level of detail is higher than Maestoso. But higher level of detail it doesn't mean than HD800 is more musical. Sometime the high level of detail combined with the treble peak, might easily causes ears fatigue. Although not as detailed as HD800, Maestoso has good level of detail, sound smoother, and more relaxing.
Comparing the two, it is really boils down to individual preference, for more airy and transparent, or smoother and intimate sounding. Both have very different sound signature, and are great in their own way.
In summary, ATH-W1000Z, the Maestoso, is a successful upgrade from the previous model, ATH-W1000X, the Grandioso. It has excellent build quality, classy looking headphone that nicely combined the classic look of the wooden housings and modern design of the headband. Very enjoyable sound signature with the right setup. The Maestoso is truly an elegant boutique headphone that is a must have for headphone collectors and aficionados.
Disclaimer:
I am not affiliated to Audio-Technica in any way. I often get loan of Audio-Technica products because I have some friends from Audio-Technica Singapore that often generously loan me their products.
Specifications:
Type: Closed-back Dynamic
Driver Diameter: 53 mm
Voice Coil: OFC-6N
Frequency Response: 5 – 42,000 Hz
Maximum Input Power: 2,000 mW
Sensitivity: 101 dB/mW
Impedance: 43 ohms
Weight: 320 g
Cable: 3.0 m (dual-sided), 4-core parallel cable/OFC6N + OFC/Elastomer sheath
Connector: 6.3 mm (1/4") gold-plated plug with wooden sleeve
HOUSING: Teak
Equipment used in this review:
Headphones:
Audio-Technica W1000Z (loan)
Audio-Technica MSR7LTD
Beyerdynamic T1
Sennheiser HD 800
Shure SRH1540
DACs & Headphone Amplifiers:
Audio-Technica AT-HA5050H
Audio-Technica AT-HA22TUBE
ifi micro iDSD
ifi micro iTube (loan, thanks to @igndenny)
ifi micro iCan
Yulong DA8
Yulong A28
Cables:
AmazonBasics USB 3.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable - 2 meters
Atlas Equator MKIII Integra RCA cable (0.5m)
Better Cables RCA cable - Silver Serpent Anniversary Edition (6 inch)
Pangea Audio - USB cable - PCOCC & 4% silver - 2 Meters
QED Reference Audio Evolution XLR cable (DIY 40 cm cable)
Wireworld Equinox XLR cable (DIY 40 cm cable)
Computer & Player:
DIY Desktop PC: Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H-MVP motherboard, Intel i7-3770, 16 GB RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1.
foobar2000 v1.3.3 (ASIO Proxy 0.7.1.2)
Some recordings used in this review: