Audio Technic W5000 Break-in?

[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas /img/forum/go_quote.gif One missing word and... I'd like to be the W5000.

LOL...

 

[dcstep]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned this, but be sure to set your Woo WA6 for low impedance cans. The switch on the back should be down. Mine was up because the AKGs like higher impedance.

That change improved things a lot. The ATs still seem overly similant and glary to me but 16 hours of pink noise and listening has helped a little. I'm going to be certain there's at least 50-hours before I make a decision about them. (I wish the seller would respond to my PM and tell me how many hours he thinks are them, so I don't waste time if they've got hundreds of hours on them already).

The head band is absolute crap, I can say that without reservation. My wife's noise cancelling ATs have a better headband and that's compact and folds flat. Right now, those travel-cans actually sound better than the W5Ks, but I'm not finished.

Dave

 

[MarkyMark]

I owned the W5000 that Piotr Z now has for a short while and had the same problem with unnatural midrange and glare. Maybe it was a fit problem as my gear was pretty well suited to driving it on paper. Wasn't keen on the prospect of bending the headband in the hope of getting the right fit so cut my losses. But occasionally it did sound sublime. It would be interesting to revisit this HP again at some point.

Very happy with the ALO K701 though.

 

[sxr71]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas /img/forum/go_quote.gif One missing word and... I'd like to be the W5000.

Are you saying that you'd like to be pleasured by the DT880?

 

[Mher6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcstep /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm surprised that no one mentioned this, but be sure to set your Woo WA6 for low impedance cans. The switch on the back should be down. Mine was up because the AKGs like higher impedance. That change improved things a lot. The ATs still seem overly similant and glary to me but 16 hours of pink noise and listening has helped a little. I'm going to be certain there's at least 50-hours before I make a decision about them. (I wish the seller would respond to my PM and tell me how many hours he thinks are them, so I don't waste time if they've got hundreds of hours on them already). The head band is absolute crap, I can say that without reservation. My wife's noise cancelling ATs have a better headband and that's compact and folds flat. Right now, those travel-cans actually sound better than the W5Ks, but I'm not finished. Dave

The headband is complete crap?! I think the 3-D wings are ingenious; the wings are both comfortable and flexible. If a lower-end AT portable headphone is sounding better than the W5000's, there's something very wrong.

 

[dcstep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mher6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The headband is complete crap?! I think the 3-D wings are ingenious; the wings are both comfortable and flexible. If a lower-end AT portable headphone is sounding better than the W5000's, there's something very wrong.

But the wings and bands don't hold the cans in place well. With the AKGs I can place them high, center or low on my ears and the band moves to support. The little chicken wings on the ATs, don't do anything. I prefer the headband on the ATH-ANC7s that my wife uses. It's more supportive and adjustable.

I just compared again. The bass is better on the W5000, but the highs are better on the ANC7s (neither is great, but the 7s aren't as etched and hard).

I'm finishing another 24 hours on the w5000s by this time tomorrow night. I'll file my report then. Maybe they just don't work with my Woo. Also, I'm finding a few 701-lovers that have the same issues as me with the ATs. (I'm also finding AT-lovers that don't like the 701s). We'll just call it a matter of personal choice if B/I doesn't fix things for me.

Dave

 

[tk3]

I don't find the headband / support design that great either.
Often I feel more pressure on my temples that I would like, and since I wear glasses, they are pressed against my head, which gets very uncomfortable over time.

Hench I'm trying to sell it, heh.
If they were more comfortable, they would probably be the headphone I would never get rid of.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't find the headband / support design that great either. Often I feel more pressure on my temples that I would like, and since I wear glasses, they are pressed against my head, which gets very uncomfortable over time. Hench I'm trying to sell it, heh. If they were more comfortable, they would probably be the headphone I would never get rid of.

There is no headband temple contact points. If you have an extra pressure in this area it comes from the pads, not sure how different headband can solve that. To me, besides the fact that it messes up the hair, the design is the most comfortable that I've tried to day.

 

[dcstep]

[*]YES, after 50-60 hours of break in they're coming around
. I just put them on for the first time since 24-hours ago and they've improved dramatically. This set must have been almost new.

I'll do a more thorough review in a few days, but they've gone from harsh, glary and unlistenable to airy and and well balanced. Excess tizz has not totally disappeared but it's no longer harsh and I'm certain that they're not optimal yet. I'm tired of grilling my Woo, but I bet at 200-hours these things get sweet.

I've been going back and forth between my Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Baby Grands tower speakers and the ATs. I've got the levels subjectively balanced so there's a good bit of bass output from the VAs. With the cans on and feeling the bass against my body the impact is almost as with the speakers. The image is very open for cans (maybe the strongest attribute).

Anyway, I woke up this morning expecting to can these cans, but I've now decided they're keepers, funky headband and all.

Dave

 

[MarkyMark]

Please keep us posted with further impressions.

 

[dcstep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkyMark /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please keep us posted with further impressions.

Will do.

I was so impressed yesterday that I decided to cook them and the Woo for another 24 to 48-hours. After that I'll give them a rest. Maybe Thursday night I can get around to some serious observations vs. the 701s, UE Triple.fis and UE Super.fis. I'm optimistic that they've got a long term place in my headphone arsenal and will really be used.

BTW, I used white noise for the first 24-hours and noticed no improvement. I switched to music with a full range from bass to highs and that showed more improvement. It could have just been the passage of more time, but I'm certain that music works well. I also kept the levels pretty high, such that I could hear the cans in a closed armoire. They were too loud to listen on your head, but not the highest volume possible either.

Dave