Audio Technica ATH-L5000
Feb 7, 2019 at 10:43 AM Post #46 of 235
Those crazy Japanese audiophiles would be better off dropping $300 on a round trip flight to Seoul than picking them up for 650k yen locally :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
lucky that i got my pair for around 450000yen, preorder is always the best way XD
 
Feb 7, 2019 at 11:25 AM Post #47 of 235
lucky that i got my pair for around 450000yen, preorder is always the best way XD

I just talked to AT USA and they will have more L5000 coming in couple of weeks. Price will be $4000. Six out of ten will be dedicated to the Canadian market while the US will only get 4 units. Must be a hot seller! I want one actually but I will likely have to wait for awhile.
 
Feb 7, 2019 at 4:37 PM Post #49 of 235
Some 15 years ago now, I had side-by-side used & brand new pairs of L3000. I recall that the new pair was severely lacking the sonic splendor of the used pair, including its glorious bass, until it got some significant burn-in time at high volumes. It was pretty striking, actually - probably the most striking pre/post burn-in difference I've ever heard that wasn't caused by psychological adjustment to a new sound signature (since I'd been using the old one for a year by then). After around 200 hours at high volumes, the new pair started sounding a lot better. And eventually it sounded like a L3000 should.

Between Purk and I, we had something like 4 pairs total, and even after burn-in there was some sonic variation, including a particular pair that had the most bass. All sounded wonderful after burn-in, though. Perhaps burn-in is a partial answer to the differing L5000 sonic reports so far (voluptuous bass vs. light bass)? Then again, the original L3000 was relatively small in soundstage, so there must certainly be some significant inherent differences in the drivers and cups of the new L5000.
 
Feb 7, 2019 at 10:37 PM Post #50 of 235
Some 15 years ago now, I had side-by-side used & brand new pairs of L3000. I recall that the new pair was severely lacking the sonic splendor of the used pair, including its glorious bass, until it got some significant burn-in time at high volumes. It was pretty striking, actually - probably the most striking pre/post burn-in difference I've ever heard that wasn't caused by psychological adjustment to a new sound signature (since I'd been using the old one for a year by then). After around 200 hours at high volumes, the new pair started sounding a lot better. And eventually it sounded like a L3000 should.

Between Purk and I, we had something like 4 pairs total, and even after burn-in there was some sonic variation, including a particular pair that had the most bass. All sounded wonderful after burn-in, though. Perhaps burn-in is a partial answer to the differing L5000 sonic reports so far (voluptuous bass vs. light bass)? Then again, the original L3000 was relatively small in soundstage, so there must certainly be some significant inherent differences in the drivers and cups of the new L5000.
I have my L5000 playing non stop on my Luxman P700 amp for nearly a month now and i still experience the tight bass... I wont say is bass light but just as not like the quantity that my L3000 is producing, but overall sound is a improvement from the L3000 in my opinion.
 
Feb 7, 2019 at 10:46 PM Post #51 of 235
Elton,

Thanks - so I'll hang on to my "trusted old R10" :)...

Regards

Urs
i was thinking about a bass heavy R10 but again, too expansive to get a same headphone which i already have...... L5000 although is a different thing, it still worth a listen if there is a demo in your country, the problem with L5000 at lease in Japan is there are no demo L5000 in any headphone shop for people to try, except the one on fujiya avic headphone fest where people need to line up to get tickets and can only try for like 15mins per person......even STAX SR009S when out of stock have demo free for anyone to try in many store
 
Feb 7, 2019 at 11:51 PM Post #52 of 235
I have my L5000 playing non stop on my Luxman P700 amp for nearly a month now and i still experience the tight bass... I wont say is bass light but just as not like the quantity that my L3000 is producing, but overall sound is a improvement from the L3000 in my opinion.
Interesting, thanks! Certainly, the fat tone and voluptuous bass of the L3000 is still interesting today (reminds me of the Tung-Sol black-glass round plate 6SN7 somewhat). Unfortunately, aspects of the L3000 that weren't notable as flaws back in 2004 are now notable in the context of the numerous fine flagship headphones introduced since then. I still have a nice L3000; just haven't taken it out of the box in over year. Unfortunately the previous owner Purk had it uglied up with this scraggly looking silver cable, but it's cool :grin:

I'd love to acquire an L5000, but 4K kinda funds keep getting drained away towards my main speaker and vinyl rigs! I guess pretty soon I won't have a chance anymore...
 
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Feb 8, 2019 at 1:00 AM Post #53 of 235
Well, pour the money back to complete the leatherhead collection and show AT some love @mulveling !
 
Feb 8, 2019 at 9:21 AM Post #54 of 235
Well, pour the money back to complete the leatherhead collection and show AT some love @mulveling !
yea... @mulveling show AT some love, you can always buy speaker component anytime, however L5000 is limited edition and the price is going up you can always sell it if you dont like it and earn a bit.
 
Feb 8, 2019 at 9:08 PM Post #55 of 235
I just talked to AT USA and they will have more L5000 coming in couple of weeks. Price will be $4000. Six out of ten will be dedicated to the Canadian market while the US will only get 4 units. Must be a hot seller! I want one actually but I will likely have to wait for awhile.
Would definitely be interested in reading your impressions when you (eventually) get them, since you know the L3000 well.
 
Feb 8, 2019 at 9:23 PM Post #56 of 235
@purk and I should go in half & half on a pair. If we both like it, winner of an arm wrestle gets first buy-out option :grin:

Seriously though, even with the amazing T2/009 I've been getting very little headphone time in these days with the way my 2ch rig has been absolutely mesmerizing the girlfriend and me (the 2ch has the better source too, so not an entirely fair comparison). But then the L3000 was the first piece of hifi to truly mesmerize me, so I'm kinda torn.

Back in the day, Purk had a particular pair of L3000 that was bass heavy even by L3000 standards. It was amazing...why did you sell that? LOL
 
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Feb 9, 2019 at 12:07 AM Post #57 of 235
@purk and I should go in half & half on a pair. If we both like it, winner of an arm wrestle gets first buy-out option :grin:

Seriously though, even with the amazing T2/009 I've been getting very little headphone time in these days with the way my 2ch rig has been absolutely mesmerizing the girlfriend and me (the 2ch has the better source too, so not an entirely fair comparison). But then the L3000 was the first piece of hifi to truly mesmerize me, so I'm kinda torn.

Back in the day, Purk had a particular pair of L3000 that was bass heavy even by L3000 standards. It was amazing...why did you sell that? LOL
i truly dont think you guys will be disappointed by the sound if you judge it as a close back dynamic headphone, but if you compare to the 009 is on a total different level, at lease I have nothing that sounds better than my 009 with kgsshv. However nowadays for the money that L5000 is asking, you have a lot of choice when you come to Japanese close back wood headphone over 300000yen like the Victor HA-WM90-B and the Onkyo SN1, although i prefer L5000 over them.
 
Feb 9, 2019 at 12:10 AM Post #58 of 235
I was disappointed because comparing to a bass light iem I have (noble katana) , it had even less low end. I wanted to love it. Isolation was great, no leak, great soundstage, great mids and highs. No low end. I didn’t want a ton, I just wanted some. The more I listened, the more I realized it wasn’t there
 
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Feb 9, 2019 at 12:19 AM Post #59 of 235
I was disappointed because comparing to a bass light iem I have (noble katana) , it had even less low end. I wanted to love it. Isolation was great, no leak, great soundstage, great bids and highs. No low end. I didn’t want a ton, I just wanted some. The more I listened, the more I realized it wasn’t there
Can I ask which amp you use on the L5000 you once own? I was using my luxman P700 amp for my L5000 (which dose not produce a ton of bass but is still tight and well control), but a few weeks ago I was trying my friends Phatlab Phantom tube amp and his AT HA5050h it seems like the L5000 need some sort of tube in the system to make it abit more warmer to give the best listening experiences
 

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