[profsbg]

Can anyone characterize the veil and/or speed in the upper bass or lower mids of the ATH-W5000 versus other popular cans, in particular SR-325i, SA-5000, and AKG-K701? What I am after is the relative amount of low pass filtering as manifested by a fuzziness or widening of the attack in certain instruments which play in this range, especially brass instruments such as trombone , flugelhorn or euphonium.

This type of thing really sounds quite different on different cans to me. I strongly prefer a precise attack here, even if the result is an overemphasis on treble. I find that SR-325i is very good in this respect, followed by AKG-K701 and then the DT-880 (new), the gap between each of these being rather pronounced, at least in my opinion on a Lavry DA10 headphone jack. I am very interested in views on the SA-5000 and ATH-W5000 response in this range, as well as AKG-K701

 

[Carl]

The W5000 is almost as fast as the SA5000, and less veiled than it by a reasonable margin. This is across the whole frequency range, with the possible exclusion of the lower bass region. Being closed, the W5000 does have a small amount of reverb.

 

[glenmorangie]

i have never understood this "fast" term that shows up here all the time. like certain instruments sound like they are playing out of time on certain phones ?

 

[Cyrilix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glenmorangie i have never understood this "fast" term that shows up here all the time. like certain instruments sound like they are playing out of time on certain phones ?

Listen to some Grados, their beats are fast and snappy.

 

[nmculbreth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glenmorangie i have never understood this "fast" term that shows up here all the time. like certain instruments sound like they are playing out of time on certain phones ?

To me the term fast means that there is good air between each note and natural sounding decay as opposed to some headphones where the notes sound like their slurred together.

And yes I'll agree with others that the PRAT is one of the W5000's strong points.

 

[profsbg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmculbreth To me the term fast means that there is good air between each note and natural sounding decay as opposed to some headphones where the notes sound like their slurred together. And yes I'll agree with others that the PRAT is one of the W5000's strong points.

I would add to that, at least for my particular concern, that there is a natural sounding rise time. This seems to be a particular issue for lower register brass instruments.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glenmorangie i have never understood this "fast" term that shows up here all the time. like certain instruments sound like they are playing out of time on certain phones ?

Think acceleration and breaking performance in a car.

The ability to stop and start and transition cleanly between notes, rather than everying turning into a big gelatinous goop.

 

[sonance]

Dynamic drivers produce sound by physically moving a diaphragm to produce pressure changes in the air that result in sound waves. A fast headphone literally has a fast moving diaphragm that can stop and start quickly, usually because of its lower mass and therefore lower inertia. The electro-mechanical construction also plays a large part in this (and by extension your amplifier too.)
There are benefits to larger drivers, and materials used have pluses and minuses, and these are factors in the 'speed' of headphones. The way in which drivers react to rapidly changing musical information is most audible in smearing on the attack and decay of notes (or rise and fall, if you prefer.) Percussion instruments are fast, and you can often hear the accuracy of presentation of percussion instruments with fast headphones. If all this sounds like audiophile mumbo-jumbo, you may be surprised at your own ability to distinguish tiny variations in this presentation of the attack and decay of notes and sounds.
So yes when people discuss the "speed" of headphones it actually bears a close resemblance to the physical phonomena that produce this characteristic

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I hear no lack of speed comparing the W5K to the SA5K, and the latter is among the fastest cans out there. I'd say the W5K acutally sounds LESS veiled than the SA5K, because it has a more upfront and present midrange.

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmculbreth To me the term fast means that there is good air between each note and natural sounding decay as opposed to some headphones where the notes sound like their slurred together. And yes I'll agree with others that the PRAT is one of the W5000's strong points.

What does "PRAT" mean? I keep seeing that around here!

 

[nmculbreth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr What does "PRAT" mean? I keep seeing that around here!

Pace, Rhythm and Timing.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer I'd say the W5K acutally sounds LESS veiled than the SA5K, because it has a more upfront and present midrange.

I've been saying the same thing for a while now. I can hear things with the W5000 that the Sony failed to resolve. It's certainly one of the most transparent closed headphones ever made.

 

[mattigol]

It's nice to see people are taking notice of the outstanding character of the W5000, I think it is hard to find any cans with such high technical capabilities across the board, let alone paired with exquisite materials and workmanship, all for little more than the price of some heavily modded HD650 or RS-1.

Again: With the W5000, my quest for the definitive headphone is over.