[Witcher]

They certainly are unforgiving, which means the accompanying electronics will be playing an important part, not only in quality, but how well the amplification can drive/control them. I got a very different sound between a Moon headphone amp and the headphone output of a Classé pre-amplifier, which to me, shows that you’re listening more to the electronics than you are the headphones.

Yeah. These are very susceptible to the equipment tweaks. Any toggling of eq on my gear is very apparent on the ADX5000. Never quite thought of that as the "listening to electronics more than headphone" angle, but it makes a bit of sense. I've always thought of that as the headphones' ability to respond and deliver whatever is put into it. I guess that's similar to your point. So far the ADX5000 and the HD800S are the 2 most "responsive to tweaks" headphones I've found.

 

[Witcher]

Resolving, derived from “resolution”: The ability of a component to reveal the subtle information that is fundamental to high fidelity sound.

From the Head Fi dictionary, but maybe I am confusing concepts. The above is what I meant though.

That's interesting. I've always thought "resolving" means that it's able to resolve the sound for your listening; "making it more listenable". Never knew it came from "resolution". Thanks for the note. I guess you'r definition is spot on though.

 

[sling5s]

The ADX5000 is more expensive than the Focal Clear but still curious as to how they would compare. The Clear is all the rage at the moment. I don't have a good sense of the ADX5000 sound signature just yet. They seem to be extremely resolving and/or bright. However, if the bass still has some oomph to it, it would be very intriguing. I am just not interested in a treble monster headphone like an HD800 or some of the Beyerdynamic models.

I can offer some impressions especially compared to HD800. But maybe something to consider, my ears have been to tuned to Grado sound signature. I come from a long history of listening and owning Grados (from vintage to "i" series to "e" series, and now currently after market custom grado drivers because I find them more balanced and refined compared to Grado drivers). So in short, I prefer headphones that have punchy, mid forward and airy shimmering treble. Now having said that, I also found the HD800 frustrating because of the recessed mids. So that kind of gives a sense of my ears and their preference and tuning.

So now coming to the ATH-ADX5000. I did not find them bright at all. Not in the least. No sibilance unless the recording had them. They do have more treble than the HD800 but it's more the upper end of the treble spectrum, presenting more shimmering airy treble that sound very nicely extended. Treble can be troublesome when there is a lot of lower treble and mid treble emphasis, but this is not the case here. The ADX5000 offers more in the upper treble extension. It's nice.

The ADX5000 is also definitely more mid forward than the HD800 (but not compared to a Grados). There is however a ever so slight emphasis in the upper mids and lower treble. Now this is where it gets interesting, I find the upper mids and lower treble, in an ever so slightly way, to sound edgy/shrill in some female vocals tracks. However, when the pads are pushed in or squashed somewhat, causing the driver to get closer to the ears, the ever so slight shrillness disappears (at least to my ears). In fact, when the pads are pressed in, making the driver closer to the ears, the bass quantity and quality, to my ears, slightly increases making the bass sound more punchy and impactful. The mids also have more bloom and sound fuller and euphonic (sounds almost like the ATH-AD2000 but with more bass and detail). In short the sound becomes more coherent this way. I wish that the ATH-ADX500 had flatter pads like the one in the HD800.

*Going off tangent a little, I find when it comes to headphones, pads make a huge difference. The distance of the ear to the driver really impacts the sound. I always thought the driver of the HD800 was way too distant/far from the ear.

Back to the ADX5000. In the end, I found the ADX5000 improved in every area that they HD800 lacked. It's not a bass shy headphone but it's not a bass heavy one either. Again, compared to the HD800, it had better bass in quantity and quality. The mids were definitely more forward, not mid forward like a Grado but not recessed like HD800.
My personal wish was that it was more mid forward like the AD2000. It think the ADX5000 tried to be a flag ship headphone by remaining more balanced and neutral.
As for treble again, it's not bright to my ears. In fact, the ADX5000 is very resolving and detailed, more so than the the HD800, but its not so obvious because the details are not shouting at you through upper mid/lower treble peaks or treble brightness.

Again, those who are tweaking their HD800 headphones should really consider the ADX5000. Its like the HD800 you always wanted.
As for me, I'm kind of torn. I think my ears have been too tuned or adjusted to the Grado's sound signature. It's those darn cheap foam pads that really make the bass sound punchy because the foam cannot retain the lower frequency, and mids forward because again the pads place the driver right on your ears, and the treble airy and simmering and open because yes, those cheap foam pads do that too.

Hope in a strange way, this was helpful.

 

[up late]

the upper mid-range and lower treble emphasis of the adx5000 that you refer to is a sonic trait that i associate with a-t cans

 

[sling5s]

the upper mid-range and lower treble emphasis of the adx5000 that you refer to is a sonic trait that i associate with a-t cans

yeah...I had about couple a-t cans before. I think if the mid-mids were more forward, it would balance out the upper mids and lower treble.

 

[davidf]

I can offer some impressions especially compared to HD800. But maybe something to consider, my ears have been to tuned to Grado sound signature. I come from a long history of listening and owning Grados (from vintage to "i" series to "e" series, and now currently after market custom grado drivers because I find them more balanced and refined compared to Grado drivers). So in short, I prefer headphones that have punchy, mid forward and airy shimmering treble. Now having said that, I also found the HD800 frustrating because of the recessed mids. So that kind of gives a sense of my ears and their preference and tuning.

Agree. I’ve always preferred Grado over Sennheiser, but for my tastes, the X5000s are my preference over Grado.

 

[Witcher]

I did not find them bright at all. Not in the least. No sibilance unless the recording had them. They do have more treble than the HD800 but it's more the upper end of the treble spectrum, presenting more shimmering airy treble that sound very nicely extended. Treble can be troublesome when there is a lot of lower treble and mid treble emphasis, but this is not the case here. The ADX5000 offers more in the upper treble extension. It's nice.

After spending more time with the ADX5000, I'm beginning to realize that these are a little more sibilant for my liking than previously though. Does a proper run in time change this typically? Or will this aspect remain no matter what? It's not at the point that it bothers me too much, just that I find myself yearning for the Z1R more after listening to this set for extended periods. lol!

 

[sling5s]

After spending more time with the ADX5000, I'm beginning to realize that these are a little more sibilant for my liking than previously though. Does a proper run in time change this typically? Or will this aspect remain no matter what? It's not at the point that it bothers me too much, just that I find myself yearning for the Z1R more after listening to this set for extended periods. lol!

After the initial couple hours, they don't seem to change much. Could be wrong.

 

[FastAndClean]

Tyll likes them

 

[terry parr]

Appreciate the impressions from all of you, so far. I've especially appreciated how you guys who have posted impressions have made clear what your points-of-reference are (as far as the particular type of headphone that you're most accustomed to, and/or the headphone sound signature that you prefer). It's also very helpful when people who are giving impressions of a new headphone that few people have heard that they list the music that was used during the evaluation.

I'm still waiting to read some impressions from an acoustic jazz fan who might comment on not only how the X5000 delivers sub-bass (kick drum hits), but also going a bit further in describing the bass quality of this headphone as in how the overtones of the low notes of an acoustic stand-up bass are rendered. Not only the initial pluck, or "attack" but that harmonic information that you should be able to hear as the note sustains. (And, with a headphone that emphasizes this impactful, sub-bass, this quality can obscure the timbre and sub-harmonics of those frequencies that are just above that). Staying with the drum kit, and speaking of how this headphone may reproduce the "shimmer" and sustain qualities of different ride cymbals, (Not just the initial "tic", or "ping" of the drumstick against the cymbal, but the complex overtones that remain after that initial strike, before decaying...different ride cymbals have different qualities. I wonder how well this headphone can distinguish these qualities. My beyerdynamic T90's struggle with this aspect (and my AKG K701's and 702's are a bit better, but aren't miles ahead, in this regard).

Now, we come to the star of an acoustic jazz trio: The grand piano. I want to know how well the X5000 conveys the wonderfully complex mix of tone, timbre, harmonics, overtones, etc. that this instrument can produce. I don't expect this or any other headphone to reproduce this instrument with realistic, "it feels like they're in the room playing, right in front of me!" No, I don't expect that. But, I would hope that this headphone is tuned and voiced to hopefully reproduce acoustic musical instruments with a convincing level of accuracy and realism.

The fact that these headphones are relatively high impedance gives me hope. These headphones aren't being marketed to young high school and college-age kids who want to be able to plug-in their headphones directly into a phone (which a lot of them are using as a music source). The fact that these headphones ship with a full-sized quarter inch plug is also an encouraging sign, as this says to me that AT with this headphone is giving a nod to the listener that wants a quality pair of headphones strictly for at-home use in a permanent (non-portable, non-desktop) headphone set-up.

Hopefully, acoustic music fans who do most of their listening at-home, without distraction, (instead of listening "on-the-go") will have a winner, here. The early reviews are encouraging...

Two-thousand bucks for a headphone. Ouch. I think the pricing is simply an attempt by AT to re-coup the engineering and development of this new headphone, in order to make-up for the fact that they know fewer units will be sold, as this will simply not have as broad an appeal (as the majority of headphone listeners these days, it seems to me, are choosing "warmer"-sounding headphones that emphasize bass slam and impact (to get a more visceral experience while they listen to synthesized, electronic music) and this group seems to also prefer a headphone that significantly "rolls-off" the upper frequencies. People who will appreciate this new headphone from AT will definitely be in the minority. They probably would be if it were half the introductory price.

Two-thousand dollars is a bit stiff. But, if this headphone performs well in the specific areas that I would like it to, then the price won't be the deal-breaker. However, considering this high sticker, it will definitely have to excel in those areas which I've mentioned, above. (And it will have to truly distinguish itself as an outstanding and unique performer). I think that with the audio engineering know-how that Audio Technica has, I think they probably would be capable of making a headphone along these lines that I've described. I just hope concessions were not made to tune this headphone in a way that might have been influenced by current, popular trends.

 

[up late]

any likelihood of you auditioning this headphone? i think that might be wise given your particular preferences, rather than relying on the (subjective) impressions of others.

 

[terry parr]

any likelihood of you auditioning this headphone? i think that might be wise given your particular preferences, rather than relying on the (subjective) impressions of others.

Yeah. I'll have to. Unfortunately these days, for all of us who may be interested in a pair of h/p's at this level, our options are limited. It looks like either purchase from Amazon (and then if I'm disappointed in the sound of them, send them back), OR see if The Cable Company will have these available through their headphone lending library. There are a couple of brick-and-mortar shops in my area that are great to deal with (good customer serv. etc.) but they are concentrating on Home Theatre now, so they definitely won't be stocking a 2K dollar pair of headphones, even if they are an Audio Technica dealer.

I've always felt that auditioning headphones through an internet retailer and then sending them back if you don't like them is taking advantage of a company's good return policy. It just feels a bit dishonest to me. In that case, Amazon now has to take them back, they can't be sold as new, and this ends up raising prices for everybody (not to mention possibly "flagging" your account if you do this too often). But, for people like us who have an interest in these upper-tier headphones, we're in the minority. A major retailer like Best Buy won't be stocking these, where you could drop by their store for a listen. (In which case I'd take my source and amp and interconnects and some familiar music with me and be able to do a proper audition). But, this isn't possible. Best Buy sells to the lowest common denominator and stocks "the most popular" stuff that the average joe is mostly interested in.

If you have tastes that fall outside of the mainstream, you have to be prepared to do a little work to pursue this hobby on a higher level. To those guys who audition through Amazon, and then send h/p's back, you can understand it. What options do we have, as far as being able to audition some of the top-level gear, these days? It's either that, or wait for a headphone meet-up. Those can be fun for the people you meet and getting the chance to talk face-to-face with other people that share your interests, but if you're looking to audition a very specific piece of gear, the chances are slim that anybody will be bringing-in an expensive, less-popular piece to a smaller, local get-together.

I think that's the lament of most of us, here. The fact that you can't easily get your hands on some of this type of gear to do some comparative listening and hear it for yourself. Written reviews are helpful, but they can only take you so far.

 

[up late]

i'm fortunate in having a headphone store that i can go to which has most of the flagship cans currently in production available for audition, including the adx5000

 

[terry parr]

i'm fortunate in having a headphone store that i can go to which has most of the flagship cans currently in production available for audition, including the adx5000

You're lucky.

I think for right now, I'll just sit tight for a little while and see if that 2K MSRP begins to tick downward a bit. That's still awfully high. Even for the serious, (obsessive?) type that's in this hobby. Of course, that describes most of us here, on this website, I think.
Realistically though, two-thousand is enough to make anybody who works for a living think twice, no matter how devoted you are to this pursuit of serious listening. This is at the level where you wouldn't tell your family or your neighbors or anybody that wasn't in this hobby what you paid for these headphones, because they'd think you were crazy. I've already spent more on headphones in the past to probably qualify myself in belonging to that group of people who are commonly referred to as having "more money than sense."

So, I know this hobby can get out of hand. Quick. But, at the same time, taking real enjoyment out of something has value, that's difficult to quantify. (He said, trying to justify the high cost of a pair of headphones).

It's been a while since I've considered spending this much on a pair, but if they deliver in the SQ department, then these are the type I buy and stand pat with for years.

 

[up late]

Tyll likes them

his initial positive impression of a headphone that he hears at a trade show can change when he reviews it and usually does