[Xero the Banana]

The AWKT’s are warmer sounding than the AP2000Ti’s. The AWKT’s are also more refined. The AWKT’s sound more natural with no frequency emphasized. For a closed headphone they have great resolution, imaging and sound space. The AP2000Ti’s are brighter sounding and have an almost V-Shaped sound presentation. The bass is very good on both and can be EQ’d to your liking. I don’t find them bass lite but I always bump up the bass on all my headphones. The midrange on the AWKT’s is more balanced and do vocals and acoustics better. The AWKT’s is just a more nuanced and detailed headphone. It’s a nice step up over the AP2000Ti’s.

I have quite a few Hifiman headphone. Including the Susvara’s and HE1000se’s. I also have the HE6se’s and HE500’s. The AWKT’s fit right in with the Hifiman sound. Hifiman and Audio-Technica both favor detail, clarity, resolution and transparency in their sound. With the Hifiman offerings besting the Audio-Technica in all of those categories. Hifiman also does bass better than Audio-Technica. Hifiman‘s bass, at least on the Susvara’s and HEKse’s, is deeper, more defined, more layered, more textured and impactful. I thought Audio-Technica had some of the best midrange on a headphone until I heard the Hifiman offerings. The Susvara’s have the best, cleanest, moat natural midrange I’ve heard on a headphone.

To sum it up, the AWKT’s rank among the best closed headphones I’ve heard. The only annoyance with them is the cable. It’s extremely microphonic. I need to find an aftermarket cable for them. The stock cable is all copper but I think I’ll go with an all silver Litz cable for them to tighten up and enhance the best attributes of them. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the detailed review, I’m definitely set on buying one of the AT headphones. For sure I plan to pick up the WP900 later because of the portability and the looks, but everytime I think I have my mind set between the 2000ti, AWAS and AWKT more reviews come out and I can’t make up my mind aha.
2000ti or the AWAS seem like the choices to me. AWKT is just outside of the range I would allow myself to spend on a single headphone.

how would you compare the comfort of the hek (or Arya / similar headphone shape) to the 2000ti and AWKT headbands /cups?

 

[Slim1970]

Thanks again. How do you find the comfort level on the AWKT? This was my reservation in comparison to the AP2000Ti, which are very comfortable? When you say warmer and darker, do you mean across the whole frequency or just in the bass? Is the lower region comparable to the AP2000Ti?

I hope you get a pair of WP900's, they're really phenomenal headphones - such a large and detailed sound packed into a small body.

The AWKT's are really comfortable even with the shallower pads. The new headband balances the weight very nicely.

What I mean by warmer is the overall tone of the AWKT's is not as bright sounding as the AP2000Ti's. That's across the entire frequency spectrum. Neither the AP2000Ti's or the AWKT's are what I consider dark sounding headphones. The AWKT's are closer to neutral and the AP2000Ti's are further up the spectrum towards brightness.

The low end of the AWKT's is comparable to the AP2000Ti's. Neither have elevated bass but the AWKT's bass is more linear and contains more layers. It doesn't sound like one note bass like the AP2000Ti's.

 

[Slim1970]

Thanks for the detailed review, I’m definitely set on buying one of the AT headphones. For sure I plan to pick up the WP900 later because of the portability and the looks, but everytime I think I have my mind set between the 2000ti, AWAS and AWKT more reviews come out and I can’t make up my mind aha.
2000ti or the AWAS seem like the choices to me. AWKT is just outside of the range I would allow myself to spend on a single headphone.

how would you compare the comfort of the hek (or Arya / similar headphone shape) to the 2000ti and AWKT headbands /cups?

The HEKse's are really comfortable but they have a tighter clamping force than the AWKT's or AP2000Ti's. The earcups themselves are much larger on the HEK series of headphones. I'm sure the larger earcups play a major role in the expansive sound. The soundstage is more 3D with more depth and width that the closed AWKT's and AP2000Ti's. But the soundstage on both AT headphones is better than average and better than most closed headphones out right now.

It was a tough decision to let go of the AP2000Ti's. I really liked them. But I let them go to try the AWKT's. I don't regret my decision because the AWKT's are the better headphone. The AP2000Ti's are tuned differently and I enjoy the sound of them just as much. So without listening to them side by side to compare them and see which sound you like more, your decision will be hard.

 

[Nostoi]

The AWKT's are really comfortable even with the shallower pads. The new headband balances the weight very nicely.

What I mean by warmer is the overall tone of the AWKT's is not as bright sounding as the AP2000Ti's. That's across the entire frequency spectrum. Neither the AP2000Ti's or the AWKT's are what I consider dark sounding headphones. The AWKT's are closer to neutral and the AP2000Ti's are further up the spectrum towards brightness.

The low end of the AWKT's is comparable to the AP2000Ti's. Neither have elevated bass but the AWKT's bass is more linear and contains more layers. It doesn't sound like one note bass like the AP2000Ti's.

Perfect, thanks.

 

[llysender]

I would like to add that WP900/AP2000ti main draw I think is that the bass is all slam without any of the followthrough decay which some people really like. Makes for insanely hyped drums and other beat/precussion based sounds. Vocals suffer a tad bacause of the same lack of decay I think although and sound a tad too pure and not that natural. IMO the sound was made for western pop.

AWAS and AWKT on the other hand have much fuller bass and as a result sounds softer except in edm with the grows and saws where there is no decay to speak off. IMO FR isnt the reason to chose either as both are plently eqable. AWAS is when you want a butter smooth experence. AWKT is alot more breathy and airy with imperfections showing up more clearly.

 

[Xero the Banana]

I would like to add that WP900/AP2000ti main draw I think is that the bass is all slam without any of the followthrough decay which some people really like. Makes for insanely hyped drums and other beat/precussion based sounds. Vocals suffer a tad bacause of the same lack of decay I think although and sound a tad too pure and not that natural. IMO the sound was made for western pop.

AWAS and AWKT on the other hand have much fuller bass and as a result sounds softer except in edm with the grows and saws where there is no decay to speak off. IMO FR isnt the reason to chose either as both are plently eqable. AWAS is when you want a butter smooth experence. AWKT is alot more breathy and airy with imperfections showing up more clearly.

Do you think you could compare the slam and speed of the bass to planars? Or is it somewhat of a middle ground between the typical dynamic driver and a planar driver?

 

[llysender]

Do you think you could compare the slam and speed of the bass to planars? Or is it somewhat of a middle ground between the typical dynamic driver and a planar driver?

Speed wise i dont think there is a difference between morden planars and dynamics both handle transents really well and no difficultly handling rapid drops or rises in volume as the song calls for it.

Slam wise ill be comparing the AP2000ti to he560 as those are what i have experence with. The he560 can produce much snapier slam that is physically felt by the skin. The AP2000ti slam while slightly more extended is also more pircing and you feel the inside of your head getting hit.

So yes i still feel that slam wise its different enough that i would say its more preference which type you prefer.

 

[Xero the Banana]

Would anyone here who has demo'd or owns the 2000ti or the wooden models, be able to compare the soundstage between the ti and the rest?

 

[Nostoi]

Would anyone here who has demo'd or owns the 2000ti or the wooden models, be able to compare the soundstage between the ti and the rest?

I can do an A/B between the WP900 and the 2000Ti if helpful? I do not have access to the other two woodies, alas.

 

[Xero the Banana]

I can do an A/B between the WP900 and the 2000Ti if helpful? I do not have access to the other two woodies, alas.

Any comparison would be appreciated

On a side note, I took the plunge. The 2000ti should be arriving Friday for me to try

 

[Nostoi]

Any comparison would be appreciated

On a side note, I took the plunge. The 2000ti should be arriving Friday for me to try

Congrats, I hope you like them. I've been listening to them non-stop since I received them. They're absolute keepers for me - the complete package: build, comfort, super detail retrieval and tonal balance, engaging but not fatiguing. They pair very well with the more "fun" WP900. I'll do a comparison on soundstage later.

 

[svenz]

Question for the AP2000Ti owners, are the yokes made of plastic or is it metal?

 

[Raketen]

Question for the AP2000Ti owners, are the yokes made of plastic or is it metal?

Hard to tell. It's painted same as hanger/slider, but seems a little less cool to the touch, there's a mould line and some clean raised r/l lettering (though not impossible with metal). Could very well be plastic, feels fairly strong.

 

[Xero the Banana]

So the 2000ti arrived today. Here’s an Imgur album of the unboxing and the headphone itself, with side-by-sides with the Audeze LCD-1, Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon, and Hifiman Ananda. This should be the darker version, but in images they’re so shiny so it’s hard to say.

I just plugged them into my SMSL SP200 and am trying them out now. Initial impressions are they sound very similar to the Ananda but in a dynamic driver form, with more treble extension / airiness and tad less sub bass extension. After a day or two of listening I’ll gather my impressions with this amp, then switch to the Loxjie P20 tube amp and see how that goes as well.

 

[Slim1970]

So the 2000ti arrived today. Here’s an Imgur album of the unboxing and the headphone itself, with side-by-sides with the Audeze LCD-1, Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon, and Hifiman Ananda. This should be the darker version, but in images they’re so shiny so it’s hard to say.

I just plugged them into my SMSL SP200 and am trying them out now. Initial impressions are they sound very similar to the Ananda but in a dynamic driver form, with more treble extension / airiness and tad less sub bass extension. After a day or two of listening I’ll gather my impressions with this amp, then switch to the Loxjie P20 tube amp and see how that goes as well.

If you had a Shiit Loki, you could boost up the sub bass and they would sound just about perfect. I loved the midrange and treble clarity of the AP2000Ti's. They just need a little bass boost.