[Giraku]

It's also $350, very bulky, and not necessarily the length he wants. Pretty easy to see why someone might want something else.

You’re right. It’s bulky. But to my ears, it’s a nice cable with great synergy. At least, people should know such an official offering.

 

[Currawong]

I think the Periapt cables are nice if you are wanting to, say, convert a relatively inexpensive pair of headphones to use a balanced amp, but I wouldn't use them on high-end headphones, you'll likely lose some of the resolution. I say this as I tried this myself.

 

[Level5]

I think the Periapt cables are nice if you are wanting to, say, convert a relatively inexpensive pair of headphones to use a balanced amp, but I wouldn't use them on high-end headphones, you'll likely lose some of the resolution. I say this as I tried this myself.

That's fair, it should be interesting to compare the stock cable with the Periapt at least and I'm not really those people that are into spending uber bucks on cables for IMO, minuscule sonic difference. I'm mostly getting it for better ergonomics and If I do love it, i'll justify splurging a bit more for better aesthetic and materials.

BTW, are you going to review the ADX5000?

 

[Currawong]

BTW, are you going to review the ADX5000?

As soon as I can borrow a pair, yes.

 

[Level5]

Just received it two days ago and I gotta say, these are quite good! I much preferred it to Utopia by a wide margin due to its ability to resolve more details, better transparency, and wider more airy soundstage. However, It's very unforgiving and will punish you with badly mastered tracks!

The Utopia in comparison sounded congested, boxy and lacking in definition. Its higher impedance output synergize much better with my HA-300 adding much needed warmth without being too heavy/bloomy which was one of the complaint I had with the Utopia and its inability to scale with higher IO tube amps.

Looks like I'll be getting some nicer cables for these after all.

 

[Giraku]

Just received it two days ago and I gotta say, these are quite good! I much preferred it to Utopia by a wide margin due to its ability to resolve more details, better transparency, and wider more airy soundstage. However, It's very unforgiving and will punish you with badly mastered tracks!

The Utopia in comparison sounded congested, boxy and lacking in definition. Its higher impedance output synergize much better with my HA-300 adding much needed warmth without being too heavy/bloomy which was one of the complaint I had with the Utopia and its inability to scale with higher IO tube amps.

Looks like I'll be getting some nicer cables for these after all.

I completely agree with you. ADX5000 is excellent!! And I recommend you to get a balanced cable (there is an official balanced cable from Audio Technica), which makes them even better.
I just got iFi Pro iDSD yesterday and found that the synergy between iDSD and ADX5000 is phenomenal (with Tube+ setting).

 

[up late]

Just received it two days ago and I gotta say, these are quite good! I much preferred it to Utopia by a wide margin due to its ability to resolve more details, better transparency, and wider more airy soundstage. However, It's very unforgiving and will punish you with badly mastered tracks!

The Utopia in comparison sounded congested, boxy and lacking in definition. Its higher impedance output synergize much better with my HA-300 adding much needed warmth without being too heavy/bloomy which was one of the complaint I had with the Utopia and its inability to scale with higher IO tube amps.

Looks like I'll be getting some nicer cables for these after all.

it's not a matter of the utopia's "inability to scale with higher io tube amps". if the utopia is mismatched with a tube head-amp that has a high output impedance, then its frequency response will be altered for the worse. like any headphone with a relatively low impedance (of 80 ohms), the utopia will perform best when matched with a head-amp that has a low output impedance. the utopia paired with my iphone is a more optimal match than it is paired with my set tube head-amp because the iphone has a significantly lower output impedance. with an impedance of 420 ohms, i would expect the adx5000 to benefit from being paired with a tube head-amp that has a high output impedance and the utopia to be disadvantaged by it.

 

[Level5]

I completely agree with you. ADX5000 is excellent!! And I recommend you to get a balanced cable (there is an official balanced cable from Audio Technica), which makes them even better.

I'll most likely get one to compare while I wait for my other third party balanced cable.

 

[Level5]

it's not a matter of the utopia's "inability to scale with higher io tube amps". if the utopia is mismatched with a tube head-amp that has a high output impedance, then its frequency response will be altered for the worse. like any headphone with a relatively low impedance (of 80 ohms), the utopia will perform best when matched with a head-amp that has a low output impedance. the utopia paired with my iphone is a more optimal match than it is paired with my set tube head-amp because the iphone has a significantly lower output impedance. with an impedance of 420 ohms, i would expect the adx5000 to benefit from being paired with a high-impedance tube head-amp and the utopia to be disadvantaged by it.

That's exactly why I got rid of it because it doesn't synergize with my higher impedance tube amp.

 

[up late]

i can appreciate that the utopia did not perform optimally with your tube head-amp and that was probably due to an impedance mismatch. if you want the utopia or any other low impedance headphone to "scale" or "synergise" with the gear in your audio chain, then avoid pairing them with head-amps that have a high output impedance as a general rule.

 

[Level5]

Found another place that uses the extended compatible connectors - https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=16

Here's the specs I went with.

 

[ZenErik]

I've had the ADX5000 for 5 days now and have been using it with the RME ADI-2 DAC (NOS filter, crossfeed 1) and have primarily compared it with the ZMF Auteur during that time. While I do think it could pair better with a high end tube amp that isn't something I plan on pursuing at this time.

My initial reaction to the ADX5000 was that it was solid but that I did not prefer it over the Auteur. The ADX5000 is noticeably brighter. It causes sibilance to be emphasized more. Some of that sibilance already bothers me on the Auteur, but the ADX5000 makes bad things stick out a lot more on mediocre recordings. Sometimes things that did not previously bother me. I recall this sort of sensation with the HD800 and HD800S. In addition, I have noticed a few songs where the ADX5000 appears to create issues out of thin air. Parts that sound perfectly fine on my Auteur, HD650, and SE535. Maybe that's 'detail'. Maybe that is excessive treble. The ADX5000 can cause me to focus on issues with recordings rather than enjoying the music.

I put it up for sale. It wasn't the right kind of headphone for me.

There was no interest from buyers for a few days so I gave it another try. I started trying the right kinds of songs for the ADX5000 this time. One song in particular that really stood out was 'Apparition' by Rx Bandits. I noticed how punchy the ADX5000 sounded compared to my Auteur.

The ADX5000 sounds incredibly quick and tight. It has this special punch I haven't heard from any other headphone. This doesn't excuse the sibilance issues. I've learned not to dwell on that aspect of the headphone. I can appreciate it for what it is. This headphone will not work with my entire library without issues. I highly recommend having a side headphone if you decide make the ADX5000 your main beauty. You need something to fall back on when you find some of your favorite music turning a bit uglier than you remember. But when the ADX5000 works it really works.

The soundstage on this headphone isn't particularly large and having used the AD2000 and AD2000X extensively in the past it's about what I expected. Pretty good depth. Side to side it's on the narrower end of the spectrum for an open can. If you feel your movies, games, or certain genres of music demand a wide soundstage you likely will not be happy with the ADX5000 for those things.

I feel the ADX5000 retains some of the A-T house sound while being cleaner and more refined than past efforts. The mids remain a focal point, and I love that.

My ears still rest against the baffles somewhat on the ADX5000. It's not nearly as annoying as previous models. Getting used to the AD2000 years ago actually made my ears a little sore at times. No such issues here.The new headband feels great, or maybe it doesn't feel at all. I don't really notice anything on top of my head much like the old wing system A-Ts. A lot of people appeared to have fit issues with the wing system. Audio-Technica has finally solved that. The clamp seems just right to me. On the tighter side without being too tight even on my big head. The earpads feel great. Please note that much like the AD2000 the earpads may partly rest on your ears if they are on the larger side. Likely not enough to cause discomfort, but it can take some getting used to.

Note: I have heard that the Utopia may have similar punch, but it's out of my price range. Even used it's more than I'd like to spend.

 

[omniweltall]

Thank u for sharing. I tried it only for 10 mins a while ago and also thought it was too bright for me.

There was a big discount offered near my vicinity, but the pricing just doesnt make a lot of sense to me. If priced sub-usd1k, maybe it would make more sense.

 

[ZenErik]

Thank u for sharing. I tried it only for 10 mins a while ago and also thought it was too bright for me.

There was a big discount offered near my vicinity, but the pricing just doesnt make a lot of sense to me. If priced sub-usd1k, maybe it would make more sense.

Yea. I got mine used for $1350. I prefer to keep my limit around $1500 personally. Even though I've heard and I really like the ADX5000 now I'd still hesitate to spend $2000. I'd probably rather look for one used at $1500 or less.

 

[ToTo Man]

I'm interested to know what ADX5000 owners are using as a balanced cable? I currently have this headphone on demo with both the stock single-ended 6.3mm cable and the stock balanced 4XLR cable. I'd prefer to use balanced because my amps sound better this way, but the stock 4XLR cable is too thick and heavy IMO and I feel it pulling down on the earcups unless its weight is supported. It's also expensive. I like the lightness and thinness of the single-ended cable. Does anyone know if the single-ended cable is 4-core all the way to the plug? If it is then it should in theory be possible to cut off the 6.3mm plug and solder on a 4XLR. Or will I get better performance with an aftermarket cable?