[BubbaJay]

How are the tianium cups with scratches and the passage of time.

Mine are still fine with no visible scratches, scrapes or dents but they do show finger prints quite easily and if you want them to look perfect you need to wipe the cups daily but for me I don't mind a few (or a lot) of finger prints.

 

[iFi audio]

Mine are still fine with no visible scratches, scrapes or dents but they do show finger prints quite easily and if you want them to look perfect you need to wipe the cups daily but for me I don't mind a few (or a lot) of finger prints.

That was my guess too. Titanium is resilient to scratching and chipping.

 

[UpTo11]

I'm looking for an upgrade with respect to the MSR7b.
These headphones seem to meet many of my needs for a good closed-back model. Good build quality and materials, durability, easy to drive, foldable and transportable (I don't mean for use while on mobility), lightweight and comfortable. I would like to ask to past owners, why did you sell them at some point? Did you find a better model in this price range or did some issue (sound or whatever) emerge in the end?

 

[Nayyte]

OK, hi everyone. I just got a pair of these 2000ti's for $650 in pretty much new condition. The seller was a retail store in Canada that had them as a "look and don't touch" set under glass for a long time. I actually received them a month ago and was pretty excited to try them out after reading through this thread. Unfortunately when I got them the right driver was significantly quieter than the left. The sound from the left driver was good but I remember it sounded pretty harsh, and the combination of the two gave an odd taste in the mouth. I knew instantly that this wasn't a fair representation of the sound and I immediately sent them back to the seller for a refund.

Fast forward three weeks and the seller messaged me saying that they sent them in to Audio technicia's repair center under warranty. They said that they should be getting it back in a few days and that I could have them for a discount ($50 off the original price). Naturally I jumped on the chance to hear these as they were meant to be heard.

So yeah now I have a set of 2000ti's fresh from the repair shop complete with new drivers and fresh QC. Couldn't be happier with how that turned out. I actually don't know for sure if both drivers got replaced or just the faulty right one. I want to believe that they replaced them both to get the best frequency matching and honestly these sound so much better than the original drivers. I could email the service center and ask but it's no big deal.

Comfort is S tier, I have a large head and have the adjustments to 9 clicks. No hot spots after an hour of listening and the pads seal perfect. I tested a pair of ATH-AWAS's originally and I couldn't get a seal on those at all; plus I found those cans to be so disappointing for my broad spectrum preferences. A very lifeless sound from the headphones I wanted for a long time because of their looks.

I have owned a pair of WP900's for a few years that I use for FPS gaming and modern music (rap, electronic, pop, etc.). While I do think that they are amazing at what they do, I have no interest to use them for some of my favorite genres like prog-rock, instrumental, grunge, jazz fusion, classical, metal, OST's, and other alt genres). They lack projection for low level detail and their tonality isn't ideal for so much of my favorite music.

One lesson that I've realized through my headphone journey is if you don't want to finish the song that you know you love, then the headphones you're using probably aren't going to work out long term. There are so many factors to it all especially when a headphone ticks all your boxes physically and the audio is the last thing that you can't fully decide on. We can't keep everything even if we want to. The only headphone that has met all my criteria is the ZMF Auteur OG (haven't heard the classic). To me the headphone is perfect, completely melting me away with the music whenever I want. This is a keeper in my book. I have the luxury and the pain currently deciding between the LCD-2, LCD-3, WP900, 2000ti, and HD600 to try and figure out which one is right for me. I've already decided the LCD-3 and HD600 are out of the race and now its between this new AT and the LCD-2. Keeping both is starting to look like the answer.

Now to talk about the 2000ti's. The sound that I'm hearing is pretty amazing. My impressions so far are that these have extreme detail (who could ask for more than this?) and the sound overall is super well controlled with a sterile timbre/minimal texture (all good things!). I am hearing treble emphasis but it's tasteful and not fatiguing. I am also noticing a small recession in the male vocal range that I don't like, but it is not bad at all. The bass is pretty insane, different than any headphone I've ever heard. It's very refined and it builds up the quality of bass leaning music to a new level for me, where on the WP900 the bass had a very make or brake attitude overall. So much power in here and it's hard now for me to say which bass response I prefer, 2000ti or the bios cellulose Auteur and the plannar LCD-2. Is this the standard dynamic driver bass at its best? If so then holy hell. This is the low end response that could start a cult or swear someone off every other headphone.

I'm finding it hard to talk about the rest of the frequency range at the moment. I am the most sensitive to bass overall and historically I have a hard time pin pointing where specific sounds should fall on the graph after around the lower mids area. My impressions as I listen here are that drums are very punchy and the imagining is very very good, potentially the best I've heard. This headphone is restructuring a lot of my music to a very palpable presentation. Harsh songs are balanced now and controlled with bliss. Did I mention speed? This is such a fast sound; from the trailing end of one note to the start of the next, like flipping a light switch. Going from a heavy drone sound and dropping off to quiet tones is the best I've ever heard. One thing I loved about the WP900's was their ability to sound like no other headphone, their uniqueness of presentation. Something that the chamber and driver do to the signal is just so hi-tech and impressive. Words fail to explain the very professional presentation of the entire frequency range. This trait carries over to the 2000ti with an insane boost in clarity/detail and a much more versatile tuning.

One of my favorite albums, Eyelid Movies by Phantogram, is frequently too harsh to listen too through headphones so I usually play it through speakers. With the 2000ti's it's a whole new sound. Everything is so much more tame. The detail retrieval of these allow the music to stretch its legs and perform. I think that the level of detail in this recording just gets too cramped and consolidated on most headphones. I'm hearing things that I haven't before! And here I thought I was done hearing new notes in music!

So are these worth it for me? Hell yes. I wanted a closed back headphone that did something that nothing else I've heard did. That point alone is a serious reason for me to keep these. Though I am scared that I will shy away from some genres with these, I think that these could be the best headphones ever for music with heavy detail and background vocal focuses. Phantogram is a top 10 band for me and they sound otherworldly through these, a goal that I set out to accomplish some time ago. My only concern is that finding the right volume on these is seeming to be pretty crucial. I can dial it in but if I go any louder the detail and bass can be pretty fatiguing. Something I don't really worry about on the Auteurs and certainly not on the LCD-2's, they really like power. This headphone has also made me see even more just how good the Auteur's really are. These 2000ti's absolutely cannot touch the vocal presence and articulation of the ZMF, but that's not the only thing we love about music thankfully. Accepting that fact is what I need to do. I've had a challenging time doing it because I try new headphones out for the experience, and not to be done with my collection in sort of a be-all end-all sense. Maybe I will think that way with amps and sources but not with headphones. I could spend a long time in this hobby searching for the technical ability of the 2000ti. I definitely see myself getting used to it's tonality and respecting it even if it's not the best for vocals that I've heard.

Pretty exciting times for me but I really don't want to be forced to sell some of my other headphones since these tick practically all my boxes.

This hobby many expense $$$

 

[Mhog55]

Audio Technica definitely has a unique tuning all in itself. I haven't heard anything too similar regarding the upper mids and treble, timbre and tonality. I still want to try this headphone, though it's tough to source. The WP900 is sort of an oddball in the lineup. I couldn't get on board as the mids were simply too recessed. I really enjoyed the Msr7b back in the day and the 2000ti sounds like a natural, more mature progression.
Unfortunately, I don't think the perfect headphone exsists. So it's nice to have a few that we really like, with two different flavors for different moods and presentations. Sounds like this headphone has speed, resolution, and clarity. More on the attack than decay. I bet it's pretty awesome with rock and metal. How's the fit? Loose, tight, or just right?

 

[Nayyte]

More on the attack than decay. I bet it's pretty awesome with rock and metal. How's the fit? Loose, tight, or just right?

Yes the attack is fast and tame while also being impactful. The decay is pretty nonexistent because I am hearing new parts of the music that would normally be hiding behind the decay of a preceding note. I have good hearing and these small new details are so quiet and incredibly clear. I first started listening to rock and metal with them but that dip in the mids still makes for an unsavory experience with guitars and male vocals. Still lots of impact and texture but not the same as a ZMF or LCD at all; you want rock and metal to be in your face and controlled but these make it sound 10 feet away and too tame for aggressive music. The bass guitar is like a whole new frequency range has emerged. The bass resolution on these is HUGE. Fit is perfect on my head which is large. I would say just right but leaning loose. Not HD600 tight but way more comfy. The pads are sort of a hard plush foam.

 

[Mhog55]

Yes the attack is fast and tame while also being impactful. The decay is pretty nonexistent because I am hearing new parts of the music that would normally be hiding behind the decay of a preceding note. I have good hearing and these small new details are so quiet and incredibly clear. I first started listening to rock and metal with them but that dip in the mids still makes for an unsavory experience with guitars and male vocals. Still lots of impact and texture but not the same as a ZMF or LCD at all; you want rock and metal to be in your face and controlled but these make it sound 10 feet away and too tame for aggressive music. The bass guitar is like a whole new frequency range has emerged. The bass resolution on these is HUGE. Fit is perfect on my head which is large. I would say just right but leaning loose. Not HD600 tight but way more comfy. The pads are sort of a hard plush foam.

Low mids and mid mids are recessed, or linear? Is there any warmth present?

 

[Nayyte]

Low mids and mid mids are recessed, or linear? Is there any warmth present?

It all depends on what you are more accustomed to. For me I'm used to balanced male/female vocals and a slightly warm tilt overall. With the 2000ti's I would say that the low and mid mid range is pretty neutral. But the bass and the highs are not neutral; the bass has punch and impact but not as elevated as the highs. The separation between the bass and the low mids is very distinct and almost seeming to have a drop off at this point. Because the presentation is so tame this drop off here is small but noticeable. With warm headphones I would say that the bass > mids transition is very seamless while with these it definitely is clear where they separate. I guess that basically means the bass has more slam than the mids, which I do like, and I haven't heard it done like this before. The entire male vocal range can seem recessed especially with all that rich and controlled bass and the elevated crystal highs. I would say that the linearity of the mids end when female vocals start. The height of the treble definitely bleads a bit into the upper mids and maybe that's why this headphone doesn't seam too harsh since it doesn't just exist in the upper treble. Overall I think it's well tuned but can leave something to be desired if you are coming from mid forward headphones or you really like true neutral. These don't sound like many other cans that I've tried. There is so much detail and resolution that it can teach you not to care about the tuning and focus more on the music (since you can pretty much hear every single note in a song with the overall sterile/refined timbre).

 

[Mhog55]

It all depends on what you are more accustomed to. For me I'm used to balanced male/female vocals and a slightly warm tilt overall. With the 2000ti's I would say that the low and mid mid range is pretty neutral. But the bass and the highs are not neutral; the bass has punch and impact but not as elevated as the highs. The separation between the bass and the low mids is very distinct and almost seeming to have a drop off at this point. Because the presentation is so tame this drop off here is small but noticeable. With warm headphones I would say that the bass > mids transition is very seamless while with these it definitely is clear where they separate. I guess that basically means the bass has more slam than the mids, which I do like, and I haven't heard it done like this before. The entire male vocal range can seem recessed especially with all that rich and controlled bass and the elevated crystal highs. I would say that the linearity of the mids end when female vocals start. The height of the treble definitely bleads a bit into the upper mids and maybe that's why this headphone doesn't seam too harsh since it doesn't just exist in the upper treble. Overall I think it's well tuned but can leave something to be desired if you are coming from mid forward headphones or you really like true neutral. These don't sound like many other cans that I've tried. There is so much detail and resolution that it can teach you not to care about the tuning and focus more on the music (since you can pretty much hear every single note in a song with the overall sterile/refined timbre).

How do they play with poorer quality recordings?

 

[Nayyte]

How do they play with poorer quality recordings?

Could you give me some examples? you would get a much better impression from me if you know the song specifically.

 

[UpTo11]

The separation between the bass and the low mids is very distinct and almost seeming to have a drop off at this point

This is similar to the MSR7b response. There is a dip roughly at 200 Hz. AFAIK this is AT way of avoiding the bass to bleed into the mids.
Would you call these a V-shaped or U-shaped response?

 

[Mhog55]

Could you give me some examples? you would get a much better impression from me if you know the song specifically.

Lesser known 80s rock and metal bands. Not sure you can find it, but the Debut album Icon by Icon is a good example.

 

[Nayyte]

Lesser known 80s rock and metal bands. Not sure you can find it, but the Debut album Icon by Icon is a good example.

Listening to it now, from a sound standpoint it sounds fine. The drums are upfront and have really good articulation. Electric guitar has body and is also upfront in the stage. Vocals aren't as loud as the drums and guitar but they are still level with them on the stage. Guitar solos jump in front of the drums. The static artifacts of the recording still come through but not harshly, they're there but don't distract. Pretty great overall if this is what you like but I wouldn't say headphones would suit this album best, definitely loud speakers. Neutral with full bass that has good punch. Clear and forward highs. I can definitely hear everything both the good and bad. I would assume that you wouldn't want a super detailed headphone with this music if you wanted to zone out. With this album these 2000ti's lean analytical.

This is similar to the MSR7b response. There is a dip roughly at 200 Hz. AFAIK this is AT way of avoiding the bass to bleed into the mids.
Would you call these a V-shaped or U-shaped response?

I don't like describing headphones like this but since the entirety of the bass is so resolving and well presented, and the drop off at the start of the mids, I would lean toward a V shape. I think that with a lot of headphones, the bass and the low mids are glued together in a consistent slope, not the case with these. A U shaped headphone would be more relaxed in the bass to mids transition and here its very distinct and almost like two levels of a plateau. But both levels are far from the floor of the canyon (ie a recession in the mids with nasty vocals). Listening to Trench by 21 pilots and its a very punchy and refined sound from a fun and punchy type of band. Definitely would say these are V shaped.

 

[Nayyte]

Just extending some thoughts on my impressions from yesterday. Listening this morning to some vocal forward music like London grammar, Harry Styles, and Foster the people. It sounds really great but pretty different than what I'm used to. These 2000ti's are lacking that euphoric and warm response in vocals that I love so much about the ZMF Auteurs. This is a very Japanese sound signature I suppose. Very very refined with so much separation across the frequencies. It's a different style to the music, making me focus on everything individually before I can appreciate the whole picture. I think this is because of the bass and the airiness of the sound overall. These aren't warm but more like being in a acoustic chamber with very expensive studio monitors. Not sure how much I actually like this presentation; I'm so used to just melting away the evening with my music and these are ripping me out of my seat

Sacred Hearts Club sounds fantastic

 

[UpTo11]

Just extending some thoughts on my impressions from yesterday. Listening this morning to some vocal forward music like London grammar, Harry Styles, and Foster the people. It sounds really great but pretty different than what I'm used to. These 2000ti's are lacking that euphoric and warm response in vocals that I love so much about the ZMF Auteurs. This is a very Japanese sound signature I suppose. Very very refined with so much separation across the frequencies. It's a different style to the music, making me focus on everything individually before I can appreciate the whole picture. I think this is because of the bass and the airiness of the sound overall. These aren't warm but more like being in a acoustic chamber with very expensive studio monitors. Not sure how much I actually like this presentation; I'm so used to just melting away the evening with my music and these are ripping me out of my seat

Sacred Hearts Club sounds fantastic

Looking forward to your impressions with classical music .