Blackmore
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2006
- Posts
- 5,720
- Likes
- 99
This have been a very nice period, bit short, but still very nice, after I have got my ATH ESW9 portables. I didn't owned all of them, portable closed back I mean, but these are definitely the best ever.
My previous closed back portables:
AKG K26P
AKG K81DJ
My present one:
ATH ES7
ATH ESW9
Present amps:
GoVibe7
GoVibe Petite USB DAC
Zana Deux
Set ups been used:
NAD C542 CDP>Zana Deux>phones
Cowon iAudio X5L 30GB FLAC's>LOD adapter connected with mini-mini>GoVibe7 or Petite>phones
ASUS laptop FLAC's>PETITE USB DAC>phones
Music:
Diana Krall, have almost all her CD's
Malene Mortensen "Malene"
Scott Kinsey "Kinesthetics"
The Rosenberg Trio "Sueños Gitanos"
Paul van Dyk "In Between"
Orange Blossom "Everything Must Change"
Metallica "Muster of Puppets" & "Black Album"
Iron Maiden "Life After Death" & "Somewhere In Time"
And more...
First thing I notice is that ESW9 are very good looking, superior building quality and much comfier phones than anything I owned before, period. Right out of box you get the feeling of truly HIGH END, very classy and beautiful product. Everything is there, luxury, looks, comfort and the most important THE SOUND.
There is no doubt that ESW9 are more refined and accurate sounding phones than ES7, but like many have stated, they do their job very well where need it. So, for now I have decide it to keep them both, because they compliment each other very well, imo.
BASS: ESW9 bass is deep, not up front hitting or bloated, accurate and very balanced. Nothing I can recall as overpowering the rest of the sound, just amazing. ES7 bass more up front, gives you more fuller feeling and with some tracks, like bass heavy one, can be a bit to much. However this is not an issue, because I can switch to ESW9 anytime now. ES7 sounds darker.
MIDS: This can be interesting, I hope. I was listen to some ROCK tracks and the mids were just missing, using both portables amps, so I though, time for Zana. So the tubes were warming up and the expectations were rising. After 45 minutes I put some Metallica on and WOW, man, these phones can rock, definitely. Would like to say that listen to ES7 and then to ESW9 is like listen to Grado SR225 and then GS1000 or something. Maybe not the best comparison, but I think it is, because ES7 have more up front, punchier and fuller sound than ESW9 in general. Using with Zana, ES7 do not benefit that much as with portable amp, while ESW9 starts to showing all their potentials. So, all statements about that ES7 or ESW9 do not benefit from matched amp are wrong, at least to my ears. ES7 are also darker sounding than ESW9. An good example when I use them from my laptop>PETITE USB. ES7 can have to much of it, while ESW9 become much fuller with velvety/sweet highs, but not loosing their refinement and accuracy, very good.
HIGHS: Like I wrote, and others to, ESW9 are much refined than ES7 and that's very noticeable with highs. While ES7 reproduces them very nicely, ESW9 reproduces them just right, extended, much clearly and natural. Tracks from Scott Kinsely showing you that with ease, so you do not have to push your brain to find a difference, it is just there and clear enough for any ears, imo. Micro details are one of those things which you can not miss with some music, because they are very important. And ESW9 gives you that at very high level, imo.
SOUNDSTAGE: Both of them have some, but ESW9 are much spacey with more clarity as well. The imagine of it is more present with ESW9 than with ES7. Especially listen to live records, like Iron Maiden, Diana Krall, Supertramp and TRANCE shows you that very easy. You simply need that space between your ears and drivers to create such imagination/presentation and ESW9 having that, where ES7 definitely loose. I like listen to TRANCE using ESW9 more than ES7, because of that. Plus using with GoVibe7, which is very spacey sounding amp, helps ES7 a bit , but bring ESW9 even further, imo.
COMFORT: Not that difficult to say, ESW9 wins in all areas. They do not push your ears that hard and fitting much better, at least on my head.
Finally I would like to say that I like them both, because they do their job very good, but in different areas. If I want some ROCK, ES7 would be my choice, but with JAZZ and TRANCE, ESW9 are the one. I didn't spend much time with CLASSICAL music, sorry, but after some listening to them I believe that ESW9 are the one for that kind of music as well.
Another thing to mention, is that ES7 are burned for like 50 hours and ESW9 not at all. Even then, I am impressed and think that ESW9 do not need it that much, while ES7 really showing the improvements.
And as last, but not least, I truly believe that ESW9 can be called as HIGH END headphones. After hearing them with Zana, I am convinced.
Would like to thank you all for taking your time and read this, THX
My previous closed back portables:
AKG K26P
AKG K81DJ
My present one:
ATH ES7
ATH ESW9
Present amps:
GoVibe7
GoVibe Petite USB DAC
Zana Deux
Set ups been used:
NAD C542 CDP>Zana Deux>phones
Cowon iAudio X5L 30GB FLAC's>LOD adapter connected with mini-mini>GoVibe7 or Petite>phones
ASUS laptop FLAC's>PETITE USB DAC>phones
Music:
Diana Krall, have almost all her CD's
Malene Mortensen "Malene"
Scott Kinsey "Kinesthetics"
The Rosenberg Trio "Sueños Gitanos"
Paul van Dyk "In Between"
Orange Blossom "Everything Must Change"
Metallica "Muster of Puppets" & "Black Album"
Iron Maiden "Life After Death" & "Somewhere In Time"
And more...
First thing I notice is that ESW9 are very good looking, superior building quality and much comfier phones than anything I owned before, period. Right out of box you get the feeling of truly HIGH END, very classy and beautiful product. Everything is there, luxury, looks, comfort and the most important THE SOUND.
There is no doubt that ESW9 are more refined and accurate sounding phones than ES7, but like many have stated, they do their job very well where need it. So, for now I have decide it to keep them both, because they compliment each other very well, imo.
BASS: ESW9 bass is deep, not up front hitting or bloated, accurate and very balanced. Nothing I can recall as overpowering the rest of the sound, just amazing. ES7 bass more up front, gives you more fuller feeling and with some tracks, like bass heavy one, can be a bit to much. However this is not an issue, because I can switch to ESW9 anytime now. ES7 sounds darker.
MIDS: This can be interesting, I hope. I was listen to some ROCK tracks and the mids were just missing, using both portables amps, so I though, time for Zana. So the tubes were warming up and the expectations were rising. After 45 minutes I put some Metallica on and WOW, man, these phones can rock, definitely. Would like to say that listen to ES7 and then to ESW9 is like listen to Grado SR225 and then GS1000 or something. Maybe not the best comparison, but I think it is, because ES7 have more up front, punchier and fuller sound than ESW9 in general. Using with Zana, ES7 do not benefit that much as with portable amp, while ESW9 starts to showing all their potentials. So, all statements about that ES7 or ESW9 do not benefit from matched amp are wrong, at least to my ears. ES7 are also darker sounding than ESW9. An good example when I use them from my laptop>PETITE USB. ES7 can have to much of it, while ESW9 become much fuller with velvety/sweet highs, but not loosing their refinement and accuracy, very good.
HIGHS: Like I wrote, and others to, ESW9 are much refined than ES7 and that's very noticeable with highs. While ES7 reproduces them very nicely, ESW9 reproduces them just right, extended, much clearly and natural. Tracks from Scott Kinsely showing you that with ease, so you do not have to push your brain to find a difference, it is just there and clear enough for any ears, imo. Micro details are one of those things which you can not miss with some music, because they are very important. And ESW9 gives you that at very high level, imo.
SOUNDSTAGE: Both of them have some, but ESW9 are much spacey with more clarity as well. The imagine of it is more present with ESW9 than with ES7. Especially listen to live records, like Iron Maiden, Diana Krall, Supertramp and TRANCE shows you that very easy. You simply need that space between your ears and drivers to create such imagination/presentation and ESW9 having that, where ES7 definitely loose. I like listen to TRANCE using ESW9 more than ES7, because of that. Plus using with GoVibe7, which is very spacey sounding amp, helps ES7 a bit , but bring ESW9 even further, imo.
COMFORT: Not that difficult to say, ESW9 wins in all areas. They do not push your ears that hard and fitting much better, at least on my head.
Finally I would like to say that I like them both, because they do their job very good, but in different areas. If I want some ROCK, ES7 would be my choice, but with JAZZ and TRANCE, ESW9 are the one. I didn't spend much time with CLASSICAL music, sorry, but after some listening to them I believe that ESW9 are the one for that kind of music as well.
Another thing to mention, is that ES7 are burned for like 50 hours and ESW9 not at all. Even then, I am impressed and think that ESW9 do not need it that much, while ES7 really showing the improvements.
And as last, but not least, I truly believe that ESW9 can be called as HIGH END headphones. After hearing them with Zana, I am convinced.
Would like to thank you all for taking your time and read this, THX
