[Elephas]

I've owned the Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000 headphone for about a week. About a month ago I discovered Head-Fi and bought the ATH-A700. Upgrade-itis struck sooner than expected and I found myself back at the headphone shop and buying the AD2000.

I would like to present my impressions of the AD2000, as there isn't much info about them on Head-Fi.

The AD2000 feels light and build material is high quality. The driver housing and headband seems to be magnesium, except for the "wings" which are plastic. The metal looks and feels better than the plastic on the A700, and it looks smaller and feels lighter on your head. The earpads are soft velour and feel good around the ears. They do not feel as hot as the A700's pleather. The "wings" attach to the lower part of the headband with two thin metal rods, instead of the large plastic pieces on the A700. The metal rods look fragile.

Initially, I had a problem with my ears pressing too tightly against the cloth-covered driver housing inside the earcups. The AD2000 earpads do not have as much padding as the A700's and consequently I felt pressure on my ears. I found this surprising, as my ears are not large nor stick out much. Putting small strips of cloth inside the earpads solved this problem, and does not seem to affect the sound.

The AD2000 is open, and you can hear sounds from the environment around you very clearly without music playing. With music playing however, outside sound is barely audible. There is sound leakage from the AD2000, but it is not very loud.

It seems the AD2000's double-sided cord entry allowed the use of thinner over-the-head bands compared to the A700. I think the thin bands make the wearer look less like an alien.

The cord feels like rubbery plastic compared to the A700's cloth wrapped cord.

The 1/4 plug adapter screws on and looks very high quality. I prefer having the option of the 1/8 to 1/4 adapter instead of a built-in 1/4 plug. I don't think the adapter detracts from sound quality, and makes it easier to use the headphone on various equipment.

At the headphone shop, I listened to several headphones for more than two hours, including the Alessandro MS-2 and MS-2i, Sennheiser HD650, AKG K271S, Beyerdynamic DT880, and Audio-Technica A700, AD700 and the AD2000. Amps included the Sugden Headmaster, Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear, CEC, and Pro-Ject Head Box.

After putting on the AD2000 and listening for 30 seconds, I just had to buy them.

The shop owner said they happened to have an L3000 and asked if I wanted to try them. I thought "ignorance is easier on the wallet" and reluctantly declined.

A700 & AD2000

A700 & AD2000

 

[kyrie]

Nice pictures!
From my knowledge, the AD2000 is Audio-Technica's flagship open phones, and is considered of comparable quality to the HD650 and SA5000. Too bad Audio-Technica phones are so expensive here in the US, otherwise I might consider trying it out...
Waiting for impressions on sound!

 

[RoosterDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrie Waiting for impressions on sound!

Same here!

These cans are nectar! I think its that chrome ring that goes around the ear cups and them grilles!

Damn, theyre sweet! They make the A700 look like an ugly duckling

 

[Dr.Vencman]

I've been interested in these cans for some time now but you're right, there is not much information on them. Thanks for the post! Would you think they are a worthy upgrade from the Beyer 880's? I love the open and large soundstage the 880's have.

 

[Elephas]

I am hesitant to describe the sound quality of the AD2000 or compare them to other headphones. I am very new to headphones, and just got my first decent pair (A700) last month. Before that I thought I was satisfied with a Bose Triport.

I don't feel capable of describing and comparing the AD2000's sound quality. I am/was primarily a speaker listener, and don't really understand concepts such as soundstage as applied to headphones.

Regarding the Beyer DT880, I was really hoping to prefer them or the HD650 to the AD2000 (less damage financially). Unfortunately that was not the case.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Elephas, thanks for your mini review and the nice pics!

Can you embelish on what those 30 seconds with the AD2000's did for you that made you just have to have them? In your 2 hours of listening, I'm sure you spent a fair bit of time with the HD650's and DT880's. What, in your opinion, made the AD2000's such a quick and obvious choice against such good competition?

Hey, no worries about being a headphone newbie and not knowing precisely how to articulate the differences you heard. It would be nice just to know what it was that grabbed you about the AD2000's and made you say, "Ahhh!"

It would also be great if you could share your thoughts about how they are sounding now that you have them in your rig at home.

 

[Dr.Vencman]

I would love to know more too if you can tell us.

 

[BigD]

Nice pix!
I never doubted about AT fit and finish/material quality. The AD2000 looks handsome and sexy. Which power amp is that? Looks very very serious.

Although you were a speaker-fier it should be easy to describe what you liked about AD2000 over HD650, MS2i, DT880. Just your impressions and opinions that grabbed your purchase decision. And how much did you pay for those AD2000? They're too expensive here in USA.

 

[Elephas]

I'll try to explain.

I listen to a wide variety of music: electronica, dance, pop, jazz, classical, easy listening, female vocalists, ambient.

Compared to the other headphones, I felt the AD2000 was more accurate and had greater depth and clarity of detail. It seemed as if the other headphones were somehow muffled.

I liked the Sennheiser HD650 too. The immediate impression was tremendous smoothness. It felt like the music was liquid and flowing effortlessly. However, I believe there was what some members have described as a "veil." Compared to the AD2000 (as well as the Alessandro MS-2), it sounded more distant and there seemed to be an additional layer between the music and the listener. I felt the AD2000 delivered more detail, especially with electronica and ambient music.

I didn't like the Beyer DT880 as much as the AD2000 or HD650. It just seemed to have less detail and did not produce the smile on the face the other two did. The earpads were the most comfortable.

I liked the shop's MS-2 more than the newer model MS-2i. The shop owner said the MS-2i needed burn-in. The MS-2 was 'in-your-face' and got you close to the music. It seemed as if it interpreted the music in its own unique way. It was enjoyable with some fast-paced music and seemed less suitable for ambient or classical. The Alessandros were the least comfortable. I would have to prefer their sound by a wider margin in order to sacrifice comfort.

The Audio-Technica A700 and AD700 were outclassed by the others. After hearing the AD2000, I didn't feel like listening to my A700 anymore.

I did most of the listening at the shop on the Pro-Ject Head Box amp, which I own. I tried not to take too much note of which amp was used while swapping headphones. After spending some time on this forum, I'll understand if some members say the Pro-Ject Head Box is the weak link and the HD650 or DT880 could be better.

At home, I use the AD2000 on a PC with E-MU 1212M through the Pro-Ject Head Box. Wmcmanus, I'll post more impressions as I get more listening time.

BigD - power amps are old Thresholds paired with B&W Matrix 801. AD2000 is expensive in Taiwan, about US$750.

Dr.Vencman - the DT880's "soundstage" didn't make much difference to me. I think all headphones sound in-your-head and have very little "soundstage" compared to speakers.

 

[skitlets]

How did the a700 and ad700 compare to each other?

 

[Elephas]

skitlets - I didn't spend much time listening to the AD700. My impression was that they sound very different than the A700, with neither being significantly better than the other.

Even though the AD700 is from the same open series as the AD2000 which impressed me so much, it didn't have the impact of the AD2000.

Remember, I'm new to headphones. I was fortunate to have found a headphone store that allows customers the time to compare headphone equipment at their leisure.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Thanks Elephas, you may be new to headphones but you've come a long way very quickly with what appears to be an excellent setup.

 

[Elephas]

I'm fairly satisfied my present system for now. A G&W TW-J1 is on the to-buy list, and that's it. Based on PinkFloyd's impressions, it seems to be an excellent value.

Wmcmanus - I appreciate the compliment. Your posts as well as many others have been very informative for me.

 

[oScARSr]

Wow, excellent review.

Did you compare the AD2000 with the AD1000 which i own ?
Im quite curious about the difference between them.

 

[tom hankins]

Did you notice any difference in the bass impact and depth between the HD650 and the new AT phones? Mainly midbass punch with electronica type music. Thanks for any help you can give.