ATH-W2002: Another Owner, Another View

[Spad]

I'm sure most Head-Fiers have had their fill of all things AT by now, but with the assumption that there is a least one of you who still hungers for W2002 opinions, I'll ramble on a bit, as much for myself as for you.

What a surprise! I was expecting them by the end of next week, and maybe a day early if I was lucky. As an experiment, based on another Head-Fi thread, I was listening to an old (ca. 1983) recording of the Brandenburg Concerti on my 600s using the headphone output of my Yamaha RX-V1000 rather than my Corda HA-1. Then the doorbell rang and shortly after my wife appeared, box in hand, announcing the arrival of my ATH-W2002s!

Wow! Three days from Sydney and a Saturday delivery to boot. According to the Aussie parcel tracking service, they were still in Australia.

As soon as I had them out of the box, I yanked the 600s and started listening to the same CD with the 2002s. My immediate impression was "Oh s__t, Ross is exactly right. Thin, strident, no bass" or at least words to that effect. If the Senns are a ten, these must be a seven at best. My next thought was "Man, I wish I had heard these things first, 'cause I never would have bought them."

Then I decided to try something else. Since I was already plugged into the Yamaha (replete with coffee and cookies) I selected a music DVD--Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" to be exact. After looping several sections and repeatedly switching the phones, it became increasingly obvious, even with this relatively undemanding music, that the ATs lack the 600s bass punch and can be downright piercing at times.

But not everything is negative. For example, despite being heavier, they are considerably more comfortable than the 600s, at least on my size 7 1/4 head. Their weight is dispersed over a wider area owing to the suspension design, and the vice-grip squeeze of the Senns is completely missing.

I don't know how much weight will be given to sheer beauty by most owners, but these things are absolutely gorgeous. The pictures really don't do them justice, IMO. I should say here, false modesty notwithstanding, that before selling, I was once owner of a rather lucrative fine arts import firm. I know something about design, quality, and the untranslatable nuances of craftsmanship. Trust me, if these phones reach even a "very good" level of performance with burn-in, they will become classic. Expect them to appreciate over time. You heard it here first, folks. Well okay, maybe Mark got the jump on me.

More on the positive side: The soundstage is significantly improved with the ATs. It seems to broaden about 20 degrees on each side while maintaining the same sense of distance and depth. I tested it repeatedly with different cuts and it remained consistently and significantly wider. Obviously this also results in a more "airy" quality with a greater sense of space between performers. If they really do settle down they have the potential to be everything I want in headphones. If.

Keep in mind that, except for the short time Ross listened to them, these phones have logged zero time. I must admit to some disappointment, but I also realize that, according to both AT and the other owners here, ample burn-in is crucial. I'm not sure I completely swallow this, but we shall see. I've always believed that at least the essential character of phones is apparent from the beginning. I hope I'm wrong.

I have them running in now and plan to listen at about ten hour intervals through at least fifty hours or so. I'll post updates as I progress through each stage. For now, I believe that they don't fully measure up to the 600s in tonal quality, and I fully understand why Ross decided he didn't care for them. I only hope that they sufficiently improve following run-in as AT claims. If not, you can expect to see my ad on Head-Fi.

The equipment involved in this installment was a Sony S550es DVD optically connected to a Yamaha RX-V1000 with Sennheiser HD600s and Audio Technica ATH-W2002s.

Future installments will use a Sony 605esd CDP using Monster ICs to a Corda HA-1. If it seems warranted, I'll add Ety 4s to the mix.

 

[Spad]

Hmm, strange things are afoot with these phones. I have them cooking for the first ten hours with Spyra Gyro's "Songs Without Words" at a much higher level than normal.

They've been running just over eight hours on the 605/Corda and I couldn't resist a quick listen. They are improving. And I don't mean slightly, I mean by leaps and bounds. I'm still hearing a few uglies--the occasional piercing horn and what seems to be an oddly intermittent a lack of bass control. But, man, has this thing turned on the bass!

Obviously, I don't know much about the importance of running in phones. I always do it, but the the effect has always been subtle. This isn't subtle. It's almost as if the drivers came secured by a thread and the thread is breaking.

I feel much better about them already. I can't wait to try them again tomorrow.

 

[radrd]

You might want to burn them in at normal listening levels. I don't know much about burn-in either, but normal levels seems to be the general consensus.

 

[KR...]

Poor Ross, he didn't believe in burn in and sold then right away.

 

[Ross]

I do believe in burn in. I just didn't believe that burn in would affect the the thing I didn't like about these headphones, which is their woody colouration. I'm happy that they are improving for Spad, and I hope he has more success with them than I did.

Ross

 

[Audio-Me]

Are there any online retailers from Aus that will ship the W2002 to the US? I might want to buy a set in the summer.

 

[dhwilkin]

That might be difficult, Audio&Me, since the W2002 is a limited-edition run, and only available (AFAIK) in Asia.

 

[Audio-Me]

Well that's junk, I want some good closed cans damn it! That can be used portably, and don't sound like the monitoring "professional" stuff.

 

[Braver]

hm, walking outside with W2002's...interesting concept

 

[dhwilkin]

That reminds me. How much external noise isolation do the W2002s provide?

 

[JML]

Spad, my ATH-W100 also changed significantly as they burned-in, but I liked them very much from the start. After about 70 hours, things seemed to settle down a bit and the rate of change decreased. The bass deepened and tightened up, and the highs became smoother.

The midrange transparency and imaging have also improved, but not as dramatically as the improvement in the quality of sound at the ends of the audible frequency range (the transparency and imaging were pretty amazing from the start).

 

[markl]

It's funny, but the w2002 never once sounded "strident" to me, even straight out of the box. Of course, I've got them plugged into a Melos SHA-Gold, which is a top-class amp.

The HD600 is relatively "veiled" and "thin" up top compare to the W2002, and or Sony CD3K/R10. What you may be experiencing as "stridency" is actually a fully functioning top end.

2 observations:
1. You have an optical (not coax?) cable feeding sound into a receiver and you are using the receiver's headphone jack. Optical cable not as good as standard digital cable. Why aren't you using the analog outs from your CDP? is it not a high-quality CDP?
2. With a phone like W2002, don't you think you might need a good amp?

I think the W2002 may be telling you as much about your upstream equipment as they are about themselves.

Use your Corda!

markl

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by dhwilkin That reminds me. How much external noise isolation do the W2002s provide?

I'd say somewhere between the Ety 4s and HD600.

Just kidding. I'd guesstimate 5 to 7 db. You can easily hear a snap of your fingers with a moderate (or perhaps slightly less) music level.

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl It's funny, but the w2002 never once sounded "strident" to me, even straight out of the box. Of course, I've got them plugged into a Melos SHA-Gold, which is a top-class amp. The HD600 is relatively "veiled" and "thin" up top compare to the W2002, and or Sony CD3K/R10. What you may be experiencing as "stridency" is actually a fully functioning top end.

I can see I'm going to have to do something about my profile.

I've been doing this stuff for well over 30 years. Trust me, I know stridency. At any rate, the stridency is abating and seems to be moving nicely up the amplitude scale. It only occurs at volumes well beyond a comfortable listening level now as opposed to being occasionally apparent at 'normal' volumes before.

Quote:

2 observations: 1. You have an optical (not coax?) cable feeding sound into a receiver and you are using the receiver's headphone jack. Optical cable not as good as standard digital cable. Why aren't you using the analog outs from your CDP? is it not a high-quality CDP? 2. With a phone like W2002, don't you think you might need a good amp? I think the W2002 may be telling you as much about your upstream equipment as they are about themselves. Use your Corda!

Read my original second paragraph and all will become clear. There was a reason I was using the receiver and I simply incorporated the W2002 into a procedure that was well underway when it arrived unexpectedly.

The Yamaha RX-V1000 requires an optical connection for DTS operation. This setup wasn't configured to test the W2002. Why should I do that when I have a head amp?

Do I think I might need a good amp? Well, I happen to think the Corda is a good amp. Do I need a better amp? I don't know, but so far I don't believe so. But rest assured that if I determine that I do, I will buy at least one. I may actually be the only member of Head-Fi that has more money than time.

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by radrd You might want to burn them in at normal listening levels. I don't know much about burn-in either, but normal levels seems to be the general consensus.

You may be right, radrd. The reason I use higher volumes is to force the drivers into near maximum excursion. What I mean't about not understanding burn-in had to do with my surprise at the level of change it brought about in the W2002.