[JML]

Quote:

Originally posted by soupy i will not upgrade to a w1000, i willl not upgrade to a w1000, i will not upgrade to a w1000, i will not upgrade to a w1000, i will not upgrade to a w1000, i will not upgrade to a w1000, i will not upgrade to a w1000, i will not upgrade to a w1000, i will not upgrade to a w1000....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[sigh] If you say it long enough, "not" disappears. Believe me, I tried.

Written as I sit here saying, "I will not upgrade to a Corda HA-2, I will not upgrade to a Corda HA-2...." I'm torn between wishing Jan Meier offered HA-1 users a discount and being thankful he doesn't.

 

[OakIris]

Quote:

I have to disagree with Bangraman's earlier postings about the ear pads. The pad pattern is identical for the W100, W1000, and W2002, except for the location of a seam. Same padding, same everything. So I'm ordering the leather ones right now (which is what I have on my W100).

This is great to know! I wanted to replace my W1000 earpads with the leather W2002 earpads, but Bangraman (among others, as I recall) said they would not fit. Please let us know if you have any problems with the replacement.

I did a quick A/B comparison between my HD590s and W1000s last week just to see if my untutored ears could tell the difference. (Kind of an apples and oranges comparison, I know, but they're the only "good" headphones I have.) I can't remember what CD I used

but it was with my M-Audio Revolution soundcard and JMT Meta42 amp; the HD590s have the Equinox replacement cable. Anyway, all this for not much of an impression, but I noticed right away that the HD590s highs seemed much sharper - as in "shriekier," which is not a good thing. The W1000s were definitely much more mellow, if I can use that term, and much more pleasant to listen too.

So, I want to know if the W100s complement the W1000s or are too similar - I'm also considering the Grado RS-1 or the Sony CD3000 headphones to round out my small collection....

Looking forward to your review, JML - also looking forward to your long-awaited review, bangraman.

 

[JML]

Quote:

Originally posted by OakIris This is great to know! I wanted to replace my W1000 earpads with the leather W2002 earpads, but Bangraman (among others, as I recall) said they would not fit. Please let us know if you have any problems with the replacement. ... So, I want to know if the W100s complement the W1000s or are too similar - I'm also considering the Grado RS-1 or the Sony CD3000 headphones to round out my small collection....

The W2002 pads fit. I have the leather ones on my W100 and checked before I ordered them and posted the note.

It's too early to respond to the other point with anything but interim impressions. They do have deeper bass (but, so far, it is as fast and clean as the W100's bass, and getting deeper as they burn in). What is noticeable is the physical effect of the bass -- there's more of the impact of the volume of air you feel from speakers than anything I've felt from headphones before. The highs are more extended and smoothing out They're not as mellow as the W100 overall, but on a few songs I've been surprised to hear little details I didn't hear on the W100, which I thought was stunningly transparent. The soundstaging seems different, though, as though I'm sitting closer to the performers and getting a bit less of the room. But take all this with many grains of salt -- every AT can has changed during the burn-in process, and not in an orderly and regular process, as you know.

 

[bangraman]

I've ordered W1000 pads to replace the W2002 pads, so go figure. The difference between the W1000 pads and the W2002 pads is like Grado bowl and flat pads if you've owned one. The W1000 is like a bowl, the W2002 is pretty flat. I find the bowl shape with an asymetric rise which hits the back of the neck to be much more comfortable than the W2002 pad. Both stay at a more or less constant temperature so that doesn't worry me.


Oakiris, I'm sure I said they fit because I remember trying it.

 

[JML]

Quote:

Originally posted by bangraman I've ordered W1000 pads to replace the W2002 pads, so go figure. The difference between the W1000 pads and the W2002 pads is like Grado bowl and flat pads if you've owned one. The W1000 is like a bowl, the W2002 is pretty flat. I find the bowl shape with an asymetric rise which hits the back of the neck to be much more comfortable than the W2002 pad. Both stay at a more or less constant temperature so that doesn't worry me.

This is strange. I wonder if the pads on your W2002 were somehow different, or stored in a way that flattened the internal padding. The replacement pads I got (sold for the W2002) were identical in every respect, except the leather material on the padded section, to the W100 and W1000 pads! Well, the color was slightly different, with normal variations in black. All of mine are bowl-shaped when mounted, with the asymmetry in fit resulting from the angled mounting flange on the earcups.

The padding on all of them is not very thick, nor is it very dense. I can imagine that if these were put on a dummy head without real ears (like one of those glass heads -- not yours!) that the pads might take on a shape that's flatter.

By the way, I edited the original pad mounting instructions I posted last year, to reflect the W1000 situation and to point out that the seam on the pads is best placed on the bottom.

AT Pad Swapping Directions

 

[Blighty]

Congratulations on the new headphones, JML. Now if we can only get that holdout, Tomcat, to finally take the leap as well

The W1000 is clearly more extended both sides of the frequency spectrum and is much more tonally balanced than the W100 for which the focus lies entirely in the midrange. Bass on the W1000 is at least equal to the HD600 in terms of response and extension but definitely of higher quality in both texture and resolution. Soundstage width, precision imaging and ambient information are all improved over the W100. The greatest "initial" perceivable difference between the two ATs was the increase in bass extension and response in the newer W1000s. Further listening will undoubtedly show that the W1000 is relatively neutral compared with the W100's frequency response. The lack of extension and inadequate response in the frequency extremes was one of my major complaints with the original W100s. The W100s can sound slow and a little muddy or congested with aggressive music or during classical crescendos in comparison to the deftness and transparency of the W1000.

I found that good solid state amplification is the way to go for the W1000, whereas I felt a more traditional tube sounding amp played best to the strengths of the W100(I personally prefer playing to strengths instead of patching weaknesses, not that the W1000 had too many to begin with).

Looking forward to hearing more of your impressions as they are burned in thoroughly so keep us updated.

 

[OakIris]

bangraman - you are right - you did say they fit.

Sorry. I reread the thread and realized that the reason I didn't get them was because the fit was really tight (didn't want to tear the earpads) and because the leather earpads may not have added to the comfort of the headphones.

(Also, in that thread, you mentioned that you felt that Clarino and leather pads felt about the same. What is Clarino? Is that the material that the W1000 pads are made out of?)

 

[JML]

The W1000 and W100 pads seem to made out of the same stuff. The material on the W100 pads I have is a bit softer to the touch, but under a loupe they look the same front and back. They smell the same, too. It's so good that I thought it was leather at first. The big differences to me are that the leather breathes better (less sweat build-up), and it holds the cans on better than the artificial stuff.

If you change the pads, please read my edited directions. There's a foam surround glued to the driver mount on the W1000, and it means you have to be more careful than when changing the pads on the W100.

In fact, if you're as smart as I wish I had been today, order an extra pair of the pads to put away, just for a rainy day (like if you ruin the pads or AudioCubes doesn't carry them anymore). Next time...

 

[pelikan1931]

I am new to this. I bought a W1000 and am beginning to beak in it. I have only got an old Senn HD560 Ovation to compare with, plus Grado SR60 and Sony MDR-D77. The result so far is this:
In terms of richness of sound, W1000 is the best here, certainly matter than W100, whose sound "looks like a person with beer belly", ie head and toe thin but belly fat.
In terms of soundstage: my lowly D77 seems a bit wider, although D77 is always cloudd by internal resonance. My impression is that Senn has the most vague sound, AT W1000 is better, but Sony high end (including no doubt the CD3000) is more transparent.
The bass is detailed but not the sort of deep as in Grado. But Grado is not suitable for classical, it has wide stage and excellent, but the sound is just not natural, too much make up, which will spoil an originally beautiful face.
I think I will sell W1000 in the end. But one thing I like is the make quality. Wood plug with the word "sovereign" on it, kind of cool. But I like AKG sounds, so Senn/AT might not be my cup of tea afterall.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by JML In fact, if you're as smart as I wish I had been today, order an extra pair of the pads to put away, just for a rainy day (like if you ruin the pads or AudioCubes doesn't carry them anymore). Next time...

Just out of curiousity... Did you pay the Audiocubes price?

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally posted by bangraman Just out of curiousity... Did you pay the Audiocubes price?

Do you have a cheaper source? I've been wanting to try the leather pads but $45 ($65 for me) seems a bit much.

 

[JML]

Quote:

Originally posted by bangraman Just out of curiousity... Did you pay the Audiocubes price?

Yes. There's no other source I'm aware of that will ship to the US, except perhaps AT Singapore. There's no US-based distribution or sales of these cans or pads (AT USA doesn't bring them in, and Headroom couldn't get anyone to sell to them, despite apparently valiant efforts). I did get my original W100 from AT Singapore, before AudioCubes opened up, but since then I've dealt with Kohn @ AudioCubes.

 

[OakIris]

Quote:

If you change the pads, please read my edited directions. There's a foam surround glued to the driver mount on the W1000, and it means you have to be more careful than when changing the pads on the W100.

Thanks for the headsup, JML. Not sure I can afford the leather pads right now (I've already spent way to much on audio equipment and music since "discovering" Head-Fi,) but I'm still considering them as a future purchase.