[Bill-P]

Well, I took a gamble and "tried" to purchase some ATH-EW9 (the clip-on) from China. All paid and done two weeks ago. Then package arrived today. I opened it up and found, to my surprise, a pair of ATH-ESW9!
 
Considering they came without a box, and kind of barebone, I was afraid they were fake. But hey, since I had them here, I thought I might as well plug them in and have a go.
 
And oh, my, God! How can a pair of portable have this much bass? It is so warm, so overpowering, but so satisfying at the same time. I'm not a bass head per se, but well, for a "fake pair" (jury is still not out yet), I'm genuinely surprised at how good these sound with bass.
 
Overall tonal characteristics are perfectly smooth all across, and mid range sounds very full.
 
In general, they sound a little too laid back and warm for my taste, but I must admit that there are some instances I felt that I might prefer them over the other headphones that I own.
 
Here are two photos that I took:
 

 

 
So... fake? Not fake? If they are not fake, this was a crazy bargain. If they are fake, I think I'll return them. Edit: oh dear, the bass on these is just soooo satisfying! I think I'll keep them after all even if they are fake.

 

[Andrew1526]

They are fakes! Sorry mate. And yeah, I've heard that the fakes sound really good, but nowhere near as good as the real thing.

 

[Bill-P]

I haven't actually heard or seen the real ones around here, so I can't really tell, but for what they are, these are actually pretty good headphones for the price. I'm thoroughly enjoying them for my R&B and Pop tracks. Bass notes are so very satisfying on these.
 
I have had experience with the ATH-ES7, and I would say that even being fake, these are definitely on par with the ES7, but with more bass quality (and quantity) than ES7 by far. In fact, I think these fake ESW9 is giving my M50 a hard time with bass notes. That's pretty incredible.

 

[Il Mostro]

Fugazi.

 

[Arbite]

A quick comparison with my ESW9s would indicate to me that they are fake. The finish on the cups is hugely different and the writing for left is also much better.

 

[Bill-P]

 
Quote:

A quick comparison with my ESW9s would indicate to me that they are fake. The finish on the cups is hugely different and the writing for left is also much better.

Thanks. I think that concludes it!

 

[Sil3nce]

There's no wood grain by your pics, the headband is wrong, and it screams fake.
Then again, it's quite likely you ordered a fake knowingly. If I spent 200, I would be infuriated at fakes, no matter the sound.

 

[Bill-P]

Well, it's $90, so I actually don't think it's that bad.

I originally expected the EW9 rather than the ESW9. Didn't read the fine print on their website that says they will "upgrade to ESW9".

But from my experience with portable headphones, around the $90 mark, these cans don't really sound so bad. I'm more concerned with sound than with their genuine status, but I'm asking because I sincerely have no experience with ESW9.

Well, anyway, thanks for the response, guys. I'll be keeping these around as my portable pair now. Even as fake, they sound awesome, and definitely a step above my other portable headphones in some directions.

 

[ProjectDenz]

I have definitely seen fake ESW9's floating around and by the finish on the cups they are definitely fake. They may sound nice to you but you definitely overpaid for a fake. Build quality also looks questionable.
 
Always buy from verifiable sources or avoid buying headphones that are often counterfeited on eBay.

 

[desirephone]

Fake ESW9 are on chine ebay equivalent - taobao.com - for as low as 15$ dollars. My guess is this pair is one of the better ones. However, 90$ is definitely a scam price.

 

[Bill-P]

Like I kept mentioning, I didn't expect ESW9 when I placed the order. I wanted the EW9 instead. But well, I guess I'll have to place that order elsewhere.

But I don't feel cheated out of my money, however. These sound very good for a $90 fake pair. I sincerely doubt I can find another pair in this price range that sounds as good. Wonder what they did to these to make them sound so good.

I'm not advertising for the company that sold these fakes, by the way. Just sharing my experience.

 

[Sil3nce]

Quote:

Like I kept mentioning, I didn't expect ESW9 when I placed the order. I wanted the EW9 instead. But well, I guess I'll have to place that order elsewhere.
But I don't feel cheated out of my money, however. These sound very good for a $90 fake pair. I sincerely doubt I can find another pair in this price range that sounds as good. Wonder what they did to these to make them sound so good.
I'm not advertising for the company that sold these fakes, by the way. Just sharing my experience.

Completely understand, well so long as your happy you won't hear any complaints here Better luck next time

 

[Yggdrassilious]

Like the other member said, these fake ESW9s are sold for about $15 in China. 
 
If you don't feel cheated out of money then I can only say good for you. Think of the warm bass and don't feel bad. 
 
Quote:

Like I kept mentioning, I didn't expect ESW9 when I placed the order. I wanted the EW9 instead. But well, I guess I'll have to place that order elsewhere.
But I don't feel cheated out of my money, however. These sound very good for a $90 fake pair. I sincerely doubt I can find another pair in this price range that sounds as good. Wonder what they did to these to make them sound so good.
I'm not advertising for the company that sold these fakes, by the way. Just sharing my experience.

 

 

[andychen]

These are definitely fake, the wood cup finish and color are totally different from mine.

 

[desirephone]

completely understandable. 90$ is not a bad price for the sound you appreciate, people pay thousands here and find what they bought is not what they want.
 
Quote:

Like I kept mentioning, I didn't expect ESW9 when I placed the order. I wanted the EW9 instead. But well, I guess I'll have to place that order elsewhere.
But I don't feel cheated out of my money, however. These sound very good for a $90 fake pair. I sincerely doubt I can find another pair in this price range that sounds as good. Wonder what they did to these to make them sound so good.
I'm not advertising for the company that sold these fakes, by the way. Just sharing my experience.