[tamahome77]

The highs on the W10 is satisfactory to me. The highs aren't as extended or controlled as the ESW10 or the W11JPN. I believe my ears are spoiled from listening to Stax. To my ears, the highs on the W10 is not its main strength. The main strength of the W10 lies within its liquidy smooth full sounding mids.

 

[fatmaneatschild]

Mini review with laptop as source:

The highs are not sparkly but in return they are smooth and rarely sibilant so that can be good/bad depending on your style of music. Mids are very unique . They are full and detailed but not upfront like many other ATs where vocals are shoved into your ears. Rather, voices are a bit further back and draws your ears to it in a somehow seductive manner, especially for female vocals. The bass for me is the worst aspect of this headphone as there is a higher quantity than I would like. I usually prefer more highs and less lows. It is not muddy but does sound like the closed headphone that it is while some other closed headphones I've tried sounded more open/airy. Although, isolation is pretty good. Lastly, PRAT is great while the medium soundstage is full rather than tunnel like some others.

BTW, what is the current market price for these? It appears that the full sized woodies has lost much interest and value over the past year.

 

[fatmaneatschild]

.

 

[Landis]

Initial impressions:
 
I just received my pair this past week and although I didn't like their signature at first, after a little mental burn-in, I've come to enjoy with thoroughly with a few genres. The W10VTG really excel with jazz, classical, acoustic and classic style jazz/pop. They're much more detailed in the high-mids/low highs than I thought they would be, I was expecting a warmer presentation, but the details in those area keeps them a bit bright and fatiguing out of my EF5 and HT Omega (will try them with my SS Travagan's Red later on). The high-mids and low-mids are very fluid, but vocals that land in the center of the mids end up sounding a little bit distant so rock usually does not accentuate the W10VTG's positive sides.
 
Anything with string, wind,  piano or low male / high female vocals sound excellent-- possibly the best I've heard out of a headphone, but they're certainly not all-rounders. Not great with complex passages through music as they tend to get congested. Very musical, best listened to with jazz, classical or blues.
 
A full review will be added to the "Head Gear" page later.

 

[CFabian]

I've owned a W10VTG for about five months now. I mostly agree with Landis' remarks about them, except I do not find my pair bright sounding at all. In fact they have the least treble energy of all the woodies I've listened to so far, I would even say they are too smooth in the highs for some types of music. Even the W11JPN sounds brighter (the W10VTG does sound more energetic overall though, due to having less decay and a stronger emphasis in the upper mids). I've read comments in the past talking about pairs of W10VTGs sounding noticeably different from each other, and this may be one of those cases. Overall I'd say these are a great headphone for the right genres of music (vocals, small classical ensembles, pop, acoustic, some classic rock) and the most non-fatiguing can I've heard so far, but like Landis said they can sound congested with more complex music. As an aside, I think most people who like this type of sound signature (plentiful bass, lush mids, subdued highs) would likely prefer the W11JPN which is more detailed and transparent while also having more extension on both sides and a more natural sounding midrange.

 

[Landis]

Quote:

I've owned a W10VTG for about five months now. I mostly agree with Landis' remarks about them, except I do not find my pair bright sounding at all. In fact they have the least treble energy of all the woodies I've listened to so far, I would even say they are too smooth in the highs for some types of music. Even the W11JPN sounds brighter (the W10VTG does sound more energetic overall though, due to having less decay and a stronger emphasis in the upper mids). I've read comments in the past talking about pairs of W10VTGs sounding noticeably different from each other, and this may be one of those cases. Overall I'd say these are a great headphone for the right genres of music (vocals, small classical ensembles, pop, acoustic, some classic rock) and the most non-fatiguing can I've heard so far, but like Landis said they can sound congested with more complex music. As an aside, I think most people who like this type of sound signature (plentiful bass, lush mids, subdued highs) would likely prefer the W11JPN which is more detailed and transparent while also having more extension on both sides and a more natural sounding midrange.

I read about the product variations as well and figured it may be that, but out of all the reviews I read before purchasing, not one person mentioned the treble being a bit bright. I've ran in through my Pioneer VSX-1020-K as an amp and Sansa Fuze as a source and found similar things... I then ran it only through the Sansa Fuze and found the same, if not a little more bite to that treble.
 
Stop recommending more expensive headphones, there are already too many on the list!

 

[mock-up]

Great review.
I got my pair of 10VTG in exchange for Grado SR225.
Grado is fast, but not as full body as 10 VTG

 

[RAFA]

Recently bought these.
 
With the Aune T1 it is a very good sounding headphone. To my ears, there is indeed a little brightness, but it is still ok. It is not even 1% of the Ultrasone PRO900 brightness.

 

[jjcha]

  I've owned a W10VTG for about five months now. I mostly agree with Landis' remarks about them, except I do not find my pair bright sounding at all. In fact they have the least treble energy of all the woodies I've listened to so far, I would even say they are too smooth in the highs for some types of music. Even the W11JPN sounds brighter (the W10VTG does sound more energetic overall though, due to having less decay and a stronger emphasis in the upper mids). I've read comments in the past talking about pairs of W10VTGs sounding noticeably different from each other, and this may be one of those cases. Overall I'd say these are a great headphone for the right genres of music (vocals, small classical ensembles, pop, acoustic, some classic rock) and the most non-fatiguing can I've heard so far, but like Landis said they can sound congested with more complex music. As an aside, I think most people who like this type of sound signature (plentiful bass, lush mids, subdued highs) would likely prefer the W11JPN which is more detailed and transparent while also having more extension on both sides and a more natural sounding midrange.

 
Just revisiting my W10VTGs after a long long time of having them in storage.  I pretty much agree with all of this - I've actually owned 3 or 4 pairs of W10VTGs (and had a few of them at the same time), and heard an unsurprising amount of difference between them.  Wouldn't say it's significant differences changing sound signatures, but there is no doubt in my mind there is some sample variation and some sets sound better than others.
 
Also agreed with the W11JPN as being the superior headphone with the same basic sound signature.
 
Still, I love mine, and kept one pair as my own all these years for a reason - they simply sound pretty darned good.  They're also unfussy - the small plug goes straight into the laptop, iPhone, etc., and they're really enjoyable.  I've owned and sold pretty much all major headphones (including pretty much the entire ATH woody line) and these are one of the few I kept. 
 
They're not fast or detailed, but still aren't so slow that I consider them sluggish.  They're certainly "musical", which to me is just a nice word for euphonic, but not offensively so.  Rolled off, polite, not particularly great at the bass.  Soundstaging is sufficiently spacious but not super separated or wide.  But somehow all these "average" to "above average" sound characterics come together to a package that sounds remarkablely good.
 
Anyway, one of my non-audiophile friends is looking for a good pair of headphones for home use with some isolation (e.g., he's working on the laptop at the dinner table while the wife's watching TV in the adjoining living room) and these are the obvious cans to get him.  Sadly, tough to source a pair.  Feels like prices are higher than they used to be and closer to the $400 mark.  Wish I had kept another set from way back when!

 

[nabwong]

Has it already been 20 years since these headphones were produced? I've had the pleasure of owning these for almost a decade. Today I decided to take it out of storage and listen on my recently acquired Sony UDA-1. I have not used them for a few years.

I had forgotten how good these sound. With the wrong setup, it may sound too boomy or too thin. With the UDA-1, it seems that it has found its soulmate. Sure, the w10vtg doesn't have endless bass extension. Sure, its highs aren't reaching for the heavens. But just like baby bear's porridge is for goldilocks, it is just right; the right compromise and blend of everything.

 

[richardfugh]

It's and old one but I have heared that it sounds great!

 

[Surgut2006]

Yes, VTG but good "taste" headphones. Genres that they do an excellent job as described above. Jazz and female vocals, blues I would have preferred VTG, w5000 I liked less.. At the moment, I have a small collection of wooden headphones, in which two pairs of VTG, W5000, W10LTD, W11R, and others.