[Eddie C]

Sorry forgot to reply the other day, I have checked the wiring (tried soldering with a good cable and still no sound out of that driver). I spoke to Dave and just sent out a driver, thanks guys ! If I somehow break the driver while im soldering I'll get the pair off you Maxx134 !! 

 

[Maxx134]

Yea that Dave is a great guy..
You may experience what happened to me, wich was that the replacement driver sound slightly different (brighter)..
It will need burn in.
I would have recommended you purchased these in a set (two same age of production) if you could.
At least you will receive a replacement

 

[Eddie C]

 

 
Reunited with my ESW9's last night, and recabled with a Chris_Himself TF10 cable I had laying around because one of the connector pins broke off, oh boy have I missed the sound coming out of them !

 

[kookoo]

WOW gorgeous looking

 

[kookoo]

To all the people who have done germania's mod; can the dynamat be removed once applied?
 
Finally got my hands on some dampening material and thinking about going through the mod

 

[Mad Max]

  To all the people who have done germania's mod; can the dynamat be removed once applied?
 
Finally got my hands on some dampening material and thinking about going through the mod

 
You just pry it off.  If a little sticks to the surface, create a ball of dynamat without the aluminum lining and roll the ball around the surface to remove that last bits.  It will not take very long to remove the material 100%, leaving things looking like you never used it at all.

 

[countolaf]

Does anyone of you both have the ESW9 and MDR-1R? I actually have and their signature seems very close to each other. Well, maybe not but I find them musical and good sounding as a whole. Both have not so good passive noise isolation either though.
 
Just mentioning to see if those who have them would have the same findings as me.

 

[jwbrent]

Hi everyone,
 
I began my headphone odyssey 35 years ago with a pair of Yamaha HP-1s and since have gone through countless other headphones always feeling the perfect headphone for me was a new purchase away. I bought a pair of the ESW9As from Amazon six months ago (current price: $193) and instantly fell in love with the aesthetics and quality of materials in their construction. After sufficient break-in, I became enthralled with the sound finding a perfect balance over the entire frequency range. I've said this before with other audio purchases, but I believe these are keepers.
 
I have a Luxman SQ-N100 tube amplifier that I use with my ESW9As which has its headphone circuit coming directly off the transformer taps and the sound is beautiful. Also, I recently upgraded my DAP to an AK120 and now use the ESW9As as a portable headphone, finding a synergy between the two.
 
I've read many posts here about the joints above the cups being susceptible to breakage, but I've had no problem so far; however, I admit being very careful about using any of my gear since I can be quite anal about keeping things in pristine condition. The fit is not too tight for me since I can listen for hours with no discomfort although I agree with an earlier post that setting the swivel so the front of the cups are slightly inward can make a difference in comfort. And those lambskin leather earpads have a sensual quality to them ...
 
I just wanted to add my thoughts on what I feel are a wonderful set of phones. For those who are on the fence, get a pair while they're still available.
 
P.S. I'm so impressed with these I'm thinking about getting a pair of ESW11LTDs as a second pair.

 

[kookoo]

@ jwbrent wow good luck finding a pair of ESW11LTD, as the name suggests it is a limited edition.
I'm really hoping Audio Technica releases another ESW at a more affordable price.

 

[jwbrent]

yes, I now see I'm late to the party on the ESW11s. I've been scouring the net since I last posted. They can still be had for new, but at $718 at AudioCubes; that's a bit more than what I'd like to pay.
 
I hope there will be a new ESW model coming out soon as well ...

 

[soundeffect]

I think the main beauty of the esw9/a is their pricing point of around $200ish nowadays. If a newer ESW series does release, do expect to pay at least around twice the price of the esw9.

 

[Maxx134]

The esw9 is like a sweeter laid back version of the es700.

The esw10 has better and larger sound than both esw9 & es700, approaching an es10 in size but with more neutral solid wood mids.

The es700 is like a baby es10 in signature.
The es10 is a more "vanilla" and exciting version over the duller ws99, but ws99 just as large sound.

The esw11 to me is the best.
It is the largest, smoothest, supple & detailed sound.
Most woody sounding as well so has most tamed trebles which can be fixed with mod or pad swap.

The "Germaina" mod on the esw9 is good only for creating a more expansive and woody sound.
It is a fantasy to think it could sound like an esw10 because the voice coil is "tuned" to have a laid back sound with sweet trebles.
Trying to alter sound will suck life out of the mids. I know because I have tried.
I would recommend no dynamat but instead foam for sound dispersion.
You can try dynamat as well around edge of plastic housing for solidity but not on wood as that wood gives life to mids..
In any case, whatever you decide to do,
Do only one side at a time and compare to original side to see if you have a sound you prefer.

 

[kookoo]

I think the main beauty of the esw9/a is their pricing point of around $200ish nowadays. If a newer ESW series does release, do expect to pay at least around twice the price of the esw9.

That sounds about right, originally the price was around the $350 for the ESW9, I'd expect if there was a new model that it would be around that price (I wouldn't pay that price though)
 

The esw9 is like a sweeter laid back version of the es700.

The esw10 has better and larger sound than both esw9 & es700, approaching an es10 in size but with more neutral solid wood mids.

The es700 is like a baby es10 in signature.
The es10 is a more "vanilla" and exciting version over the duller ws99, but ws99 just as large sound.

The esw11 to me is the best.
It is the largest, smoothest, supple & detailed sound.
Most woody sounding as well so has most tamed trebles which can be fixed with mod or pad swap.

The "Germaina" mod on the esw9 is good only for creating a more expansive and woody sound.
It is a fantasy to think it could sound like an esw10 because the voice coil is "tuned" to have a laid back sound with sweet trebles.
Trying to alter sound will suck life out of the mids. I know because I have tried.
I would recommend no dynamat but instead foam for sound dispersion.
You can try dynamat as well around edge of plastic housing for solidity but not on wood as that wood gives life to mids..
In any case, whatever you decide to do,
Do only one side at a time and compare to original side to see if you have a sound you prefer.

I never liked the ES10 sound, The ES700 was very nice.
If the mod sucks out the mids then I will pass on it. The thing that drew me to the ESW9 in the first place was the classic Audio Technica sound; the laid back mids and the warmth

 

[Maxx134]

The mod itself doesn't suck out mids you just have to not overdue or under-do the material and just compare to stock side doing one side at a time..
Also although I say the es700 is similar to an es10 signature it does have different mids more forward or intimate and lively

 

[soundeffect]

Your description of the esw10 and 11 sounds nice, only wish the ESW are more readily sold here heck or even the es series like the es10. I didn't buy an es10 because of that and too scared to buy and get it shipped from far away as I seen people saying how theirs get scratched when opening the box.

As for the es700, they look like the es7 and if they are as uncomfortable to wear as the es7 then I'll pass. The es7 are one of the most uncomfortable headphone I have ever purchased then the AT's M50 for full size. The esw9 are my limit on comfort for portables. I find AT sometime struggle with fit and comfort. I do like the way they sound though.