[protoss]

@elnero

Used to have the AWAS. Probably the first to own it. Sadly sold it. I found it to be soft and nicely balanced. It must be the synergy you talked about that the headphone doesn't shine enough. Also, Audio Techinca woodies are underrated. Rarely people will seek them.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-technica-the-master-of-wood.928704/page-4
The small review on the mid-bottom of page 4. Gave a score of 8.5/10

 

[elnero]

@elnero

Used to have the AWAS. Probably the first to own it. Sadly sold it. I found it to be soft and nicely balanced. It must be the synergy you talked about that the headphone doesn't shine enough. Also, Audio Techinca woodies are underrated. Rarely people will seek them.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-technica-the-master-of-wood.928704/page-4
The small review on the mid-bottom of page 4. Gave a score of 8.5/10

@protoss I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure mine was originally yours.

Your AT woody thread has been a real service to community. To have all those direct comparisons is invaluable.

 

[Nostoi]

I own both the ATH-AWAS and the R70x. Unfortunately, I haven't heard any of the headphones you own other than the HD650 but it's been a number of years since I've owned or heard one so I can't give you a meaningful comparison.

Like you, I stepped away from headphones for awhile but with working from home because of Covid it seemed like a good time to build a system again. Over the years I've owned a number of the Audio Technica woodies. They've all had beautiful midrange characteristics but also could have some odd coloration that inevitably bugged me enough that I sold them. I was really drawn to @Malevolent and @Nostoi's descriptions of the AWAS though, so when one came up at a reasonable used price I snagged them. That has turned out to be the best audio purchase I think I've made.

The AWAS has that beautiful midrange that the AT woodies are known for but it manages to do this without ending up with any honky or nasally coloration. Vocals are just stunning, acoustic guitar sounds rich and inviting without being too overdone. It's a smooth headphone that still manages to have fairly tight, punchy bass with decent overall transient speed and musical pace.

I've always been sensitive to exaggerated sibilance so I've leaned towards darker gear in an effort to thwart it. In my setup, the AWAS manages to have more treble presence than I've typically had in previous setups and it does this without a hint of added emphasis in the sibilance region. It's been a refreshing change to have such a sweet treble region.

For awhile I struggled with the bass though. I wanted eke out a little more weight than I was getting in the setups I had at the time which led to a bit of experimentation. Oddly, the missing piece of the puzzle seemed to be a proper S/PDIF cable. When I replaced the Monoprice cable I picked up off Amazon when I bought the BlueSound Node 2 with an Audio Sensibility Statement cable, I was floored by what it did to the bass. I really wasn't expecting any real difference, I just wanted a cable that was decently built and would stay connected to the Node and Ares II. It's still no bass monster but now it feels like the bass is properly balanced with the rest of the spectrum.

It took some time for me to conclude that the AWAS is pretty much my endgame. I've tried a number of other decent headphones like the Aeolus, D7200 and Liric among others and the AWAS always comes out ahead. It's really a shame that it hasn't seemed to receive the attention it deserves. I tend to wonder if some of that comes down to system synergy. I really liked the AWAS when I first got it, but since making upgrades specifically to try to bring the best out of it, I've really been amazed at what it's capable of. In fact, I expect I haven't yet discovered its full potential.

As for the R70x, I only recent picked up a pair out of curiosity. It's also a really nice headphone but it is not in the same league as the AWAS. It does have a little more bass presence, especially sub bass, than the AWAS but the R70x can't touch the AWAS in anything else, not even soundstage. Well, except maybe comfort. The AWAS is super comfy but the R70x can feel like your not wearing anything at all.

Great headphones, indeed! The only headphone that I sold which I want to re-purchase again. I miss this smooth/textured mids.

 

[Halimj7]

Great headphones, indeed! The only headphone that I sold which I want to re-purchase again. I miss this smooth/textured mids.

It is a very appealing headphone and sounds really natural and pleasant. The bass is surprisingly good considering the rolled off sub bass. I sold mine too, but would have kept if not for the fortunate purchase of my L5000.

 

[Steely Dan]

With reguards to headphone comparisons I would would say the closet comparison would be a smoother more defined body much better extension HD660s. Its quite different form the elegia in that the upper bass boost makes for quite the full bodied presentation and not the precise imaging of the elegia. That being said AT tuned the cups well so it images well outside the cups unlike elegia where you get a hard barrier at the cups.

Like the HD660s there is a treble roll off after 8khz ish but it doesnt quite drop like a cliff so you do get vocal extension into the air area and those high pitch percussion like crystal bells sound slighty recessed. The main benifit to this I see is that it makes it a very relaxing headphone that you can listen to hours on end even if the last bit of detail is sacrificed as a result.

Not sure if its a fair comparison but I would say the AWAS is very similar to the Fiio FH9 and Noble Sultan style of tuning where the dynamics take a back seat and generally the body and smoothness of the transients are center stage. Its like you are hearing the music about a meter away from the instruments and everything is slightly blended but every cohesive.

Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful reply, honestly this is just re-affirming the idea I already had, that the sound signature is in line with what I already enjoy, but with even stronger performance in the midrange. Unfortunately I have not heard those IEMs but it seems like they're pretty well regarded as well. How would you say it compares to something like the Elegia or 660s strickly in terms of detail if there's anything worth mentioning in that regard.

 

[Steely Dan]

The AWAS has that beautiful midrange that the AT woodies are known for but it manages to do this without ending up with any honky or nasally coloration. Vocals are just stunning, acoustic guitar sounds rich and inviting without being too overdone. It's a smooth headphone that still manages to have fairly tight, punchy bass with decent overall transient speed and musical pace.

I've always been sensitive to exaggerated sibilance so I've leaned towards darker gear in an effort to thwart it. In my setup, the AWAS manages to have more treble presence than I've typically had in previous setups and it does this without a hint of added emphasis in the sibilance region. It's been a refreshing change to have such a sweet treble region.


It took some time for me to conclude that the AWAS is pretty much my endgame. I've tried a number of other decent headphones like the Aeolus, D7200 and Liric among others and the AWAS always comes out ahead. It's really a shame that it hasn't seemed to receive the attention it deserves. I tend to wonder if some of that comes down to system synergy. I really liked the AWAS when I first got it, but since making upgrades specifically to try to bring the best out of it, I've really been amazed at what it's capable of. In fact, I expect I haven't yet discovered its full potential.

As for the R70x, I only recent picked up a pair out of curiosity. It's also a really nice headphone but it is not in the same league as the AWAS. It does have a little more bass presence, especially sub bass, than the AWAS but the R70x can't touch the AWAS in anything else, not even soundstage. Well, except maybe comfort. The AWAS is super comfy but the R70x can feel like your not wearing anything at all.

Thanks for all the insight, much like @llysender's post above pretty much all of this just confirms what I had hoped to hear. While I enjoy a lot of guitar solo intensive rock, blue and jazz, I definitely also have a pretty low tolerance for sibilance. I've previously owned and gotten rid of both the Grado SR325i and Denon AD2000 because they would end up giving me a headache. I ended up gravitating towards headphones like the HD650 and HD660s because I can comfortably use them all day with any genre and nothing is too harsh or fatiguing. On the other hand forward mids don't bother me at all, and when it comes to that, the more the better, which is one of the things I've really enjoyed about the Focals. Comfort is important too, but the Audio Technica headphones I've experienced so far have basically been the most comfortable headphones I've ever used, so it seems like their idea of comfort works for me. When it comes to system synergy, in my experience so far, the THX 788 delivers with pretty much everything, even headphones that are considered really lacking in bass performance seem to have plenty for my taste when paired with it. Maybe it won't be the best pairing in the world, but probably not the worst. Sounds like if I do purchase the AWAS it wouldn't be especially worth it to still get the R70x as well. Thanks again for all the info, I would say my mind is more or less made up at this point.

 

[Steely Dan]

Since these replies are just bringing me closer to the purchase, I have one more question. In posts and reviews of the headphone I've seen it seems like the AWAS and AWKT have both been sold with two different sets of cables, rubber coated ones, and fabric coated ones. For more recent buyers, which kind has yours come with, and how do you find the stock cables? Doesn't really impact the decision, I just wanna have a better idea of what to expect. I usually buy aftermarket cables for everything, but the A2DC connectors make that slightly less convenient, so it would be a plus if the stock cables are decent, especially since a balanced cable is included.

 

[llysender]

Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful reply, honestly this is just re-affirming the idea I already had, that the sound signature is in line with what I already enjoy, but with even stronger performance in the midrange. Unfortunately I have not heard those IEMs but it seems like they're pretty well regarded as well. How would you say it compares to something like the Elegia or 660s strickly in terms of detail if there's anything worth mentioning in that regard.

Honestly I would say its on par with the HD660s detail wise. AWAS I skipped over for the AWKT due to the lack of precision with reguards to all the minor nuances. AWAS is not a headphone you buy to rip apart and layer every instrument and hear every last vibration between 4 cellos. Instead its more a big picture headphone where colouring makes it sound like a big cozy fireplace and more "realistic" in that all the minor stuff is lost in the space between the performer and you. Being a detail head that wants a "pure, warm dry" sound the AWAS is not my cup of tea but if my dealer is anything to go by he sold 8 AWAS to 2 AWKT so clearly my tastes is in the minority and as such the AWAS is the easier shill based of this very small sample size of 1 store.

Yeah that the dumb part with AT making thier own connectors. You would have to work with your own local cable maker to sauce A2DC connectors. That being said the stock rubber sleved cables are quite decent. Abit microphoneic but honestly its a very good stock cable. That being said I think a Silver plated copper would add the spice missing from the AWAS, or if you want to maintain the smooth sound OCC Copper would make it less difuse sounding with more upper mids boost. But honestly as long as you have cable tie you can get away with the stock cable since its 3m long for whatever reason.

 

[elnero]

I'm sitting here listening to the R70x right now. It's really a wonderful headphone in it's own right. Definitely punches above its weight. As I mentioned, it's been a long time since I heard either the HD600 or HD650 but I would say comparisons with the HD600 would be pretty accurate. The R70x would have more bass extension and smoother treble but doesn't quite capture the midrange magic the HD600's have. That said, the R70x still has a very nice midrange. Interestingly though, not the biggest of stages, in fact, the closed AWAS beats it pretty handily.

 

[elnero]

Since these replies are just bringing me closer to the purchase, I have one more question. In posts and reviews of the headphone I've seen it seems like the AWAS and AWKT have both been sold with two different sets of cables, rubber coated ones, and fabric coated ones. For more recent buyers, which kind has yours come with, and how do you find the stock cables? Doesn't really impact the decision, I just wanna have a better idea of what to expect. I usually buy aftermarket cables for everything, but the A2DC connectors make that slightly less convenient, so it would be a plus if the stock cables are decent, especially since a balanced cable is included.

I got my replacement cable from Audio Sensibility here in Canada: https://audiosensibility.com/blog/products-2/headphone-cables-occ-copper/ They sourced the proper A2DC connectors for me and now list the Impact SE version on their site. I'm thinking about upgrading to the Statement cable so I my Impact SE cable may be available. If you're interested send me a PM. I can't recommend Audio Sensibility highly enough though, very nicely made cables at reasonable prices (pricing on the site is in CAD).

 

[llysender]

I'm sitting here listening to the R70x right now. It's really a wonderful headphone in it's own right. Definitely punches above its weight. As I mentioned, it's been a long time since I heard either the HD600 or HD650 but I would say comparisons with the HD600 would be pretty accurate. The R70x would have more bass extension and smoother treble but doesn't quite capture the midrange magic the HD600's have. That said, the R70x still has a very nice midrange. Interestingly though, not the biggest of stages, in fact, the closed AWAS beats it pretty handily.

Oh what a conicidance, I'm listening to the R70X as well currently, it really depends on how much of a fan you are of the headphone showcasing vocal grain. With the R70X being my daily for so long before moving on to the AWKT I can say the R70X tickles your vocal muscles in a way that gets completely smoothed out on the HD6X0 which I didnt like.

 

[elnero]

Honestly I would say its on par with the HD660s detail wise. AWAS I skipped over for the AWKT due to the lack of precision with reguards to all the minor nuances. AWAS is not a headphone you buy to rip apart and layer every instrument and hear every last vibration between 4 cellos. Instead its more a big picture headphone where colouring makes it sound like a big cozy fireplace and more "realistic" in that all the minor stuff is lost in the space between the performer and you. Being a detail head that wants a "pure, warm dry" sound the AWAS is not my cup of tea but if my dealer is anything to go by he sold 8 AWAS to 2 AWKT so clearly my tastes is in the minority and as such the AWAS is the easier shill based of this very small sample size of 1 store.

Yeah that the dumb part with AT making thier own connectors. You would have to work with your own local cable maker to sauce A2DC connectors. That being said the stock rubber sleved cables are quite decent. Abit microphoneic but honestly its a very good stock cable. That being said I think a Silver plated copper would add the spice missing from the AWAS, or if you want to maintain the smooth sound OCC Copper would make it less difuse sounding with more upper mids boost. But honestly as long as you have cable tie you can get away with the stock cable since its 3m long for whatever reason.

That's probably a caveat I should have made in my original post. My preferences lean more towards warm and smooth but not too much. In fact, I just got a Soekris dsc2541 to try compare to the Denafrips Ares II because I've found with upgrades in other areas, the Ares II is now sounding a little to warm/soft. The dac2541 is said to be more neutral with touch of warmth. So far the Soekris has been impressing. As a bonus, the dac2541's internal head amp is very useable for those times when I don't want to turn on the TIII.

 

[Steely Dan]

I got my replacement cable from Audio Sensibility here in Canada: https://audiosensibility.com/blog/products-2/headphone-cables-occ-copper/ They sourced the proper A2DC connectors for me and now list the Impact SE version on their site. I'm thinking about upgrading to the Statement cable so I my Impact SE cable may be available. If you're interested send me a PM. I can't recommend Audio Sensibility highly enough though, very nicely made cables at reasonable prices (pricing on the site is in CAD).

Thanks for the suggestion and offer. I'll have to get the headphone in hand first and see what I think of the stock cables first, but I may end up taking you up on that if you still have it by that point.

 

[BournePerfect]

if my dealer is anything to go by he sold 8 AWAS to 2 AWKT so clearly my tastes is in the minority and as such the AWAS is the easier shill based of this very small sample size of 1 store.

The AWAS is also $500 cheaper, and is (subjectively) prettier to some with the cherry wood cups. Doubts it's the sounds quality alone making the decision here.

 

[BournePerfect]

I got my replacement cable from Audio Sensibility here in Canada: https://audiosensibility.com/blog/products-2/headphone-cables-occ-copper/ They sourced the proper A2DC connectors for me and now list the Impact SE version on their site. I'm thinking about upgrading to the Statement cable so I my Impact SE cable may be available. If you're interested send me a PM. I can't recommend Audio Sensibility highly enough though, very nicely made cables at reasonable prices (pricing on the site is in CAD).

I actually use their Statement silver cable (4-pin) on my AWKT, and haven't touched the stock ones.