[lbbef]

 
My ES10s (with the E**11 pads) are stuck in @dallan 's "before" scenario, i.e. subwoofers on my ears.
 
@Bill-P , tell me more about what I can do to salvage some kind of mid and treble response out of these things!  Alternatively, someone make me a reasonable offer!!

 
You can try amping. I realised some amps tame the bass very nicely on the ES10.

 

[dallan]

After i made this post i realized that i really stay to my more analytical and bright players with these phones.  I use the Fostex HP-P1 or the AK120 instead of the CLAS with them and that helps a lot.  Warmer players and amps make it worse but those tame it down quiet a bit.  Also the burn in either by brain or mechanical helps.  I have the ES11 ear pads too.  I was very upset for my first couple of weeks and ready to sell them at many points but i still thought they were fuller sounding and than the esw9 which i had been using so kept them in the stable and i am glad i did.  They are good for there uses and sometimes i get very attached to them.

 

[KT66]

  Can't help now but I used to live in London. I can say that they won't sound much different from each other. Breaking them in would change the sound a little bit, but if they are both ES10s unless they are modded will sound nearly identical. I listened to Bill-P's and those were markedly different but he did loads of mods including making wooden cups, etc... The ES10s beat the DT1350s by a landslide. Besides the bigger drivers and the fact that the list price of the ES10s are double that of the DT1350s (contributing to the fact that they are in another league), the DT1350s sound so much more closed off. When I heard them I thought I was listening to $20 headphones in some ways. The ES10s sound much more open, enveloping, etc... The DT1350s were more muffled and were way more uncomfortable and less isolating from what I can remember. Also the DT1350s are brighter as with most Beyers and have a bit less bass too...

my 1350s sound ruler flat, no colouration, they sound like the source, maybe a little bass light.
my ES10s sound over bassy, muffled and just horrible that's why I want to compare, who knows I may have 
a pair of very good fakes.?

 

[Maxx134]

.. fakes.?

Very easy to check..
Pull off pad & look for blue voice coil. ..
Same as the esw11

 

[vincik]

i finally got es10! Compared to es700 they are a bit heavier but overall more comfortable (with esw11 pads). Isolation seems to be slightly better. Build quality and used material seems to be same, except es10 cups dont rotate so easily. 3 of 3 people prefer looks of es700. I myself like them equally if it comes to look. Even if es10 has lower impedance, they reach same volume on same settings as es700.
 
Now about sound. ES10 sounds to me better. It has better bass, less prominent but equally good vocals. More details and dynamic. Compared to ES10, es700 sounds muffed and without life. On the other hand es10 sounds bit "overtrebled". I tried to add bass and treble on ES700 to sound more like ES10 and i can tell you.. es700 didnt like it.. they wasnt able to produce that bass at all. With adding treble they sounded less muffed but still not as detailed.
 
Im interested to see if there will be some improvement in sound due to burn-in or getting used to more trebled sound.

 

[lbbef]

  i finally got es10! Compared to es700 they are a bit heavier but overall more comfortable (with esw11 pads). Isolation seems to be slightly better. Build quality and used material seems to be same, except es10 cups dont rotate so easily. 3 of 3 people prefer looks of es700. I myself like them equally if it comes to look. Even if es10 has lower impedance, they reach same volume on same settings as es700.
 
Now about sound. ES10 sounds to me better. It has better bass, less prominent but equally good vocals. More details and dynamic. Compared to ES10, es700 sounds muffed and without life. On the other hand es10 sounds bit "overtrebled". I tried to add bass and treble on ES700 to sound more like ES10 and i can tell you.. es700 didnt like it.. they wasnt able to produce that bass at all. With adding treble they sounded less muffed but still not as detailed.
 
Im interested to see if there will be some improvement in sound due to burn-in or getting used to more trebled sound.

 
Woah. I find that the ES700's bass is quite bloated. And personally I feel it's not the ES10 that's over treble, more like the ES700 is under trebled. #.#
 
But still, I really love the bass texture on the ES10 and ESW11LTD. I'd rate it to be somewhere at the top compared to other cans.

 

[vincik]

   
Woah. I find that the ES700's bass is quite bloated. And personally I feel it's not the ES10 that's over treble, more like the ES700 is under trebled. #.#
 

its possible... im maybe used to es700, so i take it for standard.
 
little offtopic question: when i first plugged them into amp i tried how loud they can play off head. i pushed them on max volume on my fiio x3 (which is more than 2x volume than i listen them normally). Could i harm them? I heared that headphones takes some beating but i also read that its not good to push new ones... to bad i read it after i tried it:/ im so noob. I onced pushed small speakers to much and they sounded bad for some time after that but got back to normal. whats your recommendation on how to treat new headphones?

 

[BobJS]

Mine sure doesn't look or feel like a fake.  But it must be, because it is, out of all the cans I have ever experienced, by far, the least "overtrebled".  A muddy, dark mess.  I guess I'm posting in the wrong thread!

 

[dallan]

Sounds like my feelings when I first bought them.

 

[lbbef]

  Mine sure doesn't look or feel like a fake.  But it must be, because it is, out of all the cans I have ever experienced, by far, the least "overtrebled".  A muddy, dark mess.  I guess I'm posting in the wrong thread!

Try giving it some time.
 
I have 2 sets of ES10s.
One used pair which I've used for around a year.
Another pair I got together with my ESW11LTD. This pair stays at home almost exclusively (to prevent scratches) and I only use it once in a while.
 
I just compared to 2.
 
I can say the burn in does tame the sound. It isn't a heaven and earth difference, it's just subtle, but enough to make it more enjoyable.
 
You can also try pairing it with a good amp. It benefits quite a bit when paired well with an amp.
It makes the bass a lot more controlled and midrange less muddy.
If the bass is too much for your liking, try pairing it with an amp with a slight bass roll-off. It'll clean up the bass.
 
Alternatively, try the ESW11LTD. It's a more refined version of the ES10.
Personally I like the ES10 for EDM, etc...
Everything else I prefer the ESW11LTD.

 

[vincik]

forget all i said guys.. they needed to burn-in or get my ears to use to different sound or both. i love them. its another league from es700 (which i really liked...more than Momentum). i now understand that price.

 

[lbbef]

  its possible... im maybe used to es700, so i take it for standard.
 
little offtopic question: when i first plugged them into amp i tried how loud they can play off head. i pushed them on max volume on my fiio x3 (which is more than 2x volume than i listen them normally). Could i harm them? I heared that headphones takes some beating but i also read that its not good to push new ones... to bad i read it after i tried it:/ im so noob. I onced pushed small speakers to much and they sounded bad for some time after that but got back to normal. whats your recommendation on how to treat new headphones?

 
Try not to crank the volume too high. It'll damage the drivers.
 
For new headphones, some people like to burn it in. But it's quite a debatable subject, go read up on it and decide.
Personally I feel it just makes a very very subtle change in the sound, doesn't change the sound from earth to heaven.
I also feel some cans benefit more from burn-in than others, but like I said, it's very subtle.
 
Next thing is of course to take good care of it.
You can carry it around in the soft pouch that they provide. But if you want extra protection, spend a little and invest in a headphone hard case.
The ES10s and ES700s scratches very very easily, so you have to watch out there. Or you could apply some sort of screen protector on it.
Try not to coil the cable too tightly, it'll damage the cable. I usually coil it around 3 rounds for my ES10 and ESW11LTD.
If you live in a humid country like me and sweat a little when you use headphones, always keep a cloth with you to wipe your sweat off the pleather/leather pads/headbands once in a while during use and after use. Usually I won't listen to headphones when it's hot. (Not enjoyable for me, I prefer to listen in a more comfortable environment)
Scratches on the earcups are almost impossible, so you have to learn to live with it after a while. You could search this thread, someone sanded their earcups to matte. You can consider that after your ES10 accumulate a lot of scratches.
Fingerprints on the earcups are also impossible to prevent. The ES10 looks gorgeous without scratches and fingerprints. I usually carry around a microfiber cloth in my headphone case to clean the earcups once in a while. But make sure the cloth doesn't have dirt on it as it could scratch the earcups.
And most importantly, treat your headphones like your baby. Don't throw them around or yank the cable. Love your headphone and it will love you too!

 

[lbbef]

  forget all i said guys.. they needed to burn-in or get my ears to use to different sound or both. i love them. its another league from es700 (which i really liked...more than Momentum). i now understand that price.

 
Glad to hear that you love them!
 
You should consider trying it with some amps to maximise the ES10's potential!

 

[KT66]

Having tried the stock pads, the ESW9 pads, I am now on my third day of ESW11 pads, and 
they are clearly the best
Some of the bass boom has gone and the treble is clearer.
AT really should put these on as standard.
 
ps anyway want ESW9 pads?

 

[Bill-P]

   
Glad to hear that you love them!
 
You should consider trying it with some amps to maximise the ES10's potential!

 
Alternatively, mod it. 

 
No, seriously... I think you should consider the possibility.

I don't think you have heard what the ES10 drivers are capable of until you have gone through hell and back with it. I feel like I'm at a point where I can start to write up on how to modify a stock ES10 to where my ES10 is now.
 
I thought the ES10 could not be improved any more after what I did a while ago... until I saw how Audio Technica structured the dampening material in the ATH-W1000... and tried to apply the same principle to my ES10.
 
Compared to the stock ES10 (thanks to Baronkatz for letting me hear the stock ES10 again), the modded ES10 is a very different beast.
 
I was able to get more midrange, the sound was either as smooth or even smoother than the ESW9 from top to bottom, and bass is far tighter than stock ES10, with more sub bass for an immersive experience. I was really satisfied with my ES10, because it had very good clarity and depth at this point. It's not just me, since a friend of Baronkatz's (hey, Jon!) also confirmed this with me.
 
We also had an Edition 8 handy... and while I must admit that I liked the soundstage of the Edition 8, and also that it would beat the stock ES10 at pretty much everything (except for bass and the ED8 is very sibilant), I thought it did not measure up to my modded ES10. I think Jon and Baronkatz will have more to say on the matter.
 
So the ES10 does have room to grow. Even at this point, I don't think I have done everything I could.
 
I was thinking of selling the ES10 after turning it into an ESW10 and instead just move on to a different Audio Technica headphone. But... thanks to the W1000, I have seen a new limit.