[JHern]

Dear All,
 
My ATH-ES10 with ES11 lambskin pads have been holding up well the past few years. The headband pleather is flaking off, but not enough to be uncomfortable. I suppose I should try to replace it, but not a priority. I have been kind of spoiled lately, listening to a pair of Maestoso from AT plugged into the Marantz HD-DAC1 on my office desk. Yes, these give a very different color than the ES10, and I tend to listen to more jazz than rock with this setup.
 
Anyways, I still dominantly listen to my ES10 plugged directly into the HP jack of my iPhone 5 when I am in transit, and I'm sick and tired of this mobile setup. Sometimes I just want to throw the damned iPhone 5 out the window or under the train.
 
I NEED A GOOD PORTABLE DAC/AMP!
 
I'd rather have something that bypasses the iPhone 5 DAC and does the D/A conversion. I've tried some nice stuff in the past, like the Centrance mini-m8, in the past...but these are still priced a bit higher than I can justify at the moment. My price ceiling is around $400.
 
There is a lot of stuff out there, for example I hear good things about the Sony portable DAC/Amps, but not sure how these pair with the ATH-ES10.
 
Anyways...any suggestions?

 

[JHern]

Anyone use the Sony PHA-1A with the ATH-ES10?

 

[makk12]

hmmm.. How can i identify if es-10's are fake? Or do i need an amp to fully reveal their bass potentiality?

 

[ATau]

hmmm.. How can i identify if es-10's are fake? Or do i need an amp to fully reveal their bass potentiality?

Post some detailed photos, we might be able to tell you by looking at them.
The ES-10's bass should already be quite impressive even from a phone's output...

 

[makk12]

Post some detailed photos, we might be able to tell you by looking at them.
The ES-10's bass should already be quite impressive even from a phone's output...

I guess you can look at them.. 
 
EDIT: also i have samsung s5, not quite strong for the music listening, i think. They are 42 or 64 ohm gap, I don't think they will work with my type of phone. I have a dac now (DX90) and the bass still not quite strong as expected. So I need an amp and es11 earpads or what?

 

[makk12]

   
 
EDIT: also i have samsung s5, not quite strong for the music listening, i think. They are 42 or 64 ohm gap, I don't think they will work with my type of phone. I have a dac now (DX90) and the bass still not quite strong as expected. So I need an amp and es11 earpads or what?

I seriously need an answer since a lot of people say they do have bass
 
Actually the real question: are they good with genres like Dnb/neurofunk and trance/techtrance, etc?
 
Or im just stupidly bought them..

 

[ATau]

I guess you can look at them.. 

EDIT: also i have samsung s5, not quite strong for the music listening, i think. They are 42 or 64 ohm gap, I don't think they will work with my type of phone. I have a dac now (DX90) and the bass still not quite strong as expected. So I need an amp and es11 earpads or what?

From the pictures I can only say they look genuine (granted some pictures are quite blurry).
Maybe they simply aren't what you expected. Which headphones did you have prior to this one?

 

[ATau]

I seriously need an answer since a lot of people say they do have bass

Actually the real question: are they good with genres like Dnb/neurofunk and trance/techtrance, etc?

Or im just stupidly bought them..

Personally I seriously love these with psytrance/goa.

 

[makk12]

From the pictures I can only say they look genuine (granted some pictures are quite blurry).
Maybe they simply aren't what you expected. Which headphones did you have prior to this one?

''Which headphones did you have prior to this one?''
I didn't had any.. and I still own them.
I have ws99
 
 I know that I read here somewhere that they have a lot of bass, but well, I guess it's really not what I expected and I really don't know which cans should i have since ws99 are pretty clicky bass sounding.
 
I really don't know anymore.

 

[makk12]

Well i'm waiting for the portable amp and esw11 earpads arrival  and see if it will change something drastically

 

[ATau]

Well i'm waiting for the portable amp and esw11 earpads arrival  and see if it will change something drastically

My opinion is that you were expecting a certain sound signature when you bought the es10 and they simply did not deliver... and I'm sorry for that.

The amp might help control the bass and tighten it up but if you are already feeling unconvinced now, I doubt you will feel any drastic improvement.
As for the pads, for me they only added to the overall wearing comfort.

Might I suggest you find someplace to try other headphones that may suit your tastes better? The portables that come to mind are the Master&Dynamic MH-40 and Ultrasone Edition8. They have wonderful bass body, but just a tad less controlled than on the ES10.

 

[makk12]

My opinion is that you were expecting a certain sound signature when you bought the es10 and they simply did not deliver... and I'm sorry for that.

The amp might help control the bass and tighten it up but if you are already feeling unconvinced now, I doubt you will feel any drastic improvement.
As for the pads, for me they only added to the overall wearing comfort.

Might I suggest you find someplace to try other headphones that may suit your tastes better? The portables that come to mind are the Master&Dynamic MH-40 and Ultrasone Edition8. They have wonderful bass body, but just a tad less controlled than on the ES10.

Yeah.. I would buy one of these, when i will have budget.
 
Well thanks for the help anyway

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Arent the real ATH-ES10 usually have blue coils on the drivers If you take off the pads? I forget as I sold mine.

(Still have ATH-ESW9, ATH-EW11).

But yes, they arent monster bass monsters as some would say, but they do have an adequate and controlled amount..

It was the peaky treble that I didn't like.

I did the replacement ATH-EW11 pad swap. Still have the pads, a little bit flatter than the pads on my ATH-ESW11.

 

[makk12]

Well, I have actually changed my mind.. These headphones are perfect balanced headphones. They actually very good for my kind of music! i actually prefer the sound over the bass!
 
I got es7 earpads and they perfectly fit! In my opinion, I actually prefer the sound in these earpads. So much better. 

 

[ATau]

Well, I have actually changed my mind.. These headphones are perfect balanced headphones. They actually very good for my kind of music! i actually prefer the sound over the bass!

I got es7 earpads and they perfectly fit! In my opinion, I actually prefer the sound in these earpads. So much better. 

I'm so glad to hear this! The ES10 are so great but might need some getting used to depending on which headphone you come from.

Have u already ordered the ESW11 lambskin earpads? They're really comfy and such an indispensable upgrade to the ES10 IMO!