[MrSpenkelink]

^ I'd welcome your comparison of these phones.

 

[wind016]

Sorry. I forgot about this thread.
 
Check it with your hearing insults. I know what I'm talking about. I never said it was a studio monitor. I said it sounded like one. It clearly was a fast headphone, but involving? Not IMO. It was one of the dullest headphones I have heard to date, but that is pure preference. There was nothing in the W5000 that stood out to me.
 
The D7000 and W5000 are COMPLETELY different sounding headphones. The W5000 has forward mids and treble, but not as forward as the W1000. I prefer what the W1000 does in comparison FYI. The D7000 has recessed mids and strong bass impact. It has some of the best bass quantity and quality i have heard from a headphone with its level of soundstage and detail. The highs on the D7000 can edge on sibilance while I never had that issue with the W5000.
 
Amarphael can probably give a better comparison. I also thought the W11JPN had a better sound character. Fuller and more upfront vocals. The W5000s were just too laid back in general for me. As always, technically better is not musically better.
 
Quote:

I'd say that if he claims that W5000's sound like studio monitors... Well, either he's got no clue what he's talikng about or he has some problems with hearing. Or both. No reliable studio monitor would have the forward mids and overall brightness that W5000 possesses. Though it has great resolution and imaging It's clearly tuned for a euphonic-like sound, centered on the magically immersive midrange. I've also heared the w11jpn and IMO the Raffinatos simply better, technically speaking. Faster, better imaging and wider sounstage and better clarity to boot. Much more engaging for me.
 
I hope i'll get the chance to compare to the D7000 in the weekend, If so i'll update accordingly.

 

[jc9394]

I had W5000/HA5000 combo and currently have D7000.  The W5000 is on par with D7000 on sound quality but totally different sound signature.  I would recommend the D7000 over the W5000 if only you will not spend time looking for as matching source and obtain a HA5000 to amp it.  It you are willing to spend time and money to find the right source and obtain HA5000, you will rewarded for years to come.  For some odd reason, the W5000/HA5000 sound much better with my iMod with VCap dock than PWD. 
 
On the other hand, the D7000 sound very well with most the amps I tried.  The Pico Amp/Dac is great amp for it and match very well, I sold my D4 and D10, so I can not comment on them.  It is a very fun headphone to listen to, it does reminds me what is was like in a night club during my earlier life. 

 

[MrSpenkelink]

^ Thanks for your comparison. Putting the issue of amplification to one side for a moment, do you have any thoughts on which, of these phones sound signatures might be best suited to small group acoustic jazz? 

 

[jc9394]

When both are properly amp, they are a draw but the D7000 is more fun to listen to.  When I get tire for analytical of HD800, I put on the D7000 for a more fun, causal listening.
 
EDIT - they are both very details but the instruments separation is better with W5000.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

^ Thanks again. I already have a couple of Grado's, an ESW9 and some earphones that I regard as fun sounding phones. I'm now after a refined closed phone.  

 

[jc9394]

If you end up with W5000, be prepare to find a matching amp and DAC.  It is the most picky headphone I owned, it does well with WA6 maxxed but still not up to HA5000.  IMO, HA5000 is needed to make it sing and it is not cheap and easy to get.  Pricejapan.com may still have it.
 
The source I tried does not match well are:
gamma2, Pico DAC, Dacmagic.
 
It works very well with just simple iPod out or iMod with VCap.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

^ That's interesting. Have you tried the D7000 straight from the ipod? If so, how does it perform compared to the W5000? 

 

[MikePio]

Quote:

If you end up with W5000, be prepare to find a matching amp and DAC.  It is the most picky headphone I owned, it does well with WA6 maxxed but still not up to HA5000.  IMO, HA5000 is needed to make it sing and it is not cheap and easy to get.  Pricejapan.com may still have it.
 
The source I tried does not match well are:
gamma2, Pico DAC, Dacmagic.
 
It works very well with just simple iPod out or iMod with VCap.

I also have the W5000/HA5000 and to my shock I have found it also sounds best from an Ipod... My other headphones are different though, it's only the W5000-HA5000-Ipod that works amazingly for some weird reason... The only difference is that I find the W5000 when fully optimized to sound superior to the D7000 with my musical library. (Classical, Ambient, Experimental, Drone) from the time I spent listening to the D7000. That is probably preference though, since to me the W5000 has that special flare, like it's own musical universe. The D7000 on the other had sounds great, but somehow doesn't have that magic to me... or simply doesn't stand out that much (not sure if that's good or bad). Basically the bottom line is, if you purchase the W5000 add the cost of the HA5000 to it, get an Ipod and your set for many years to come! This setup to me is exceptional value, and if you enjoy the W5000's to begin with, after you add these elements to the chain you can't help but smile... Good luck,

 

[jc9394]

One more thing, be prepare to bend the headband to get a better fit and bass. Don't worry, it will take more than few tines to get it right and it will not break that easy. After it has proper fit, you will reward with quality bass.

 

[grokit]

I just got my HA5000 back from Japan; I will have to try my iMod straight into the DC offset jacks when I get a chance. But I was surprised to find out how well it mates with my AD2000 as well. I tried both the AD2000 and the W5000 with my EF5 while the HA5000 was gone; the EF5 did not synergise at all with the W5000 at all but the AD2000 sounded very good with it, so I thought it would be the opposite with the HA5000. That was not the case however, it makes me wonder how the HA5000 pairs with other (non-ATH) headphones as well.
 
Besides bending the headband (

), another "fit mod" to the W5000 is to stuff surgical tubing behind the earpads. It moves the drivers away from the ears (they touch otherwise), creating a bit more space. I think it opens up the sound a bit, and reinforces the low end as well but the real difference is comfort. The W5000 pressing against my ears was just not comfortable, and made my ears itch like the JMoney pads did when I tried them.
 
I like the W5000 for anything that was recorded decently, independent of genre. For me this is a reference headphone when properly set up. For recordings that benefit from a "more forgiving headphone", I prefer the AD2000. It's also nice to have the open/closed contrast between the two. Sorry I haven't heard the D7000 yet. The D5000 was nothing to write home about IMO but it wasn't that terrible either.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

Thanks for your responses. I'd probably be happy with either of these phones but the D7000's recessed midrange is an issue for me. The current cream of the crop open dynamic headphones - the HD800, T1 and the LCD2 are renowned for their midrange. I think that midrange presence is essential for a headphone to reproduce the sound of acoustic instruments convincingly.
 
The W5000's midrange seems to be one of its strengths. It also appears to be fast, highly detailed, with excellent imaging and an expansive soundstage for a closed headphone. Its build quality is reputedly superb, which is to be expected for a flagship headphone, although I suspect that it surpasses the D7000 in this department from what I've read. I also appreciate that it comes with leather earpads, unlike the D7000.
 
It does appear that the W5000 is easier to drive than the D7000 without dedicated headphone amplification and this is an important factor for me. I accept that the W5000 is more picky with amps than the D7000. I understand that the frequency response charts do not portray this phone in a particularly favourable light, and the D7000 fares better in this regard. However, frequency response charts only tell part of the story and this is obviously an idiosyncratic flagship headphone that polarises opinion. I can't think of any headphone that doesn't really. 
 
Regardless of what the frequency response chart shows, anecdotally at least it does appear that the W5000's sound signature makes it very well suited to female vocals, classical and jazz. I'm intrigued by this rather enigmatic headphone, and that might be reason enough to give it a try.            

 

[MikePio]

Quote:

Thanks for your responses. I'd probably be happy with either of these phones but the D7000's recessed midrange is an issue for me. The current cream of the crop open dynamic headphones - the HD800, T1 and the LCD2 are renowned for their midrange. I think that midrange presence is essential for a headphone to reproduce the sound of acoustic instruments convincingly.
 
The W5000's midrange seems to be one of its strengths. It also appears to be fast, highly detailed, with excellent imaging and an expansive soundstage for a closed headphone. Its build quality is reputedly superb, which is to be expected for a flagship headphone, although I suspect that it surpasses the D7000 in this department from what I've read. I also appreciate that it comes with leather earpads, unlike the D7000.
 
It does appear that the W5000 is easier to drive than the D7000 without dedicated headphone amplification and this is an important factor for me. I accept that the W5000 is more picky with amps than the D7000. I understand that the frequency response charts do not portray this phone in a particularly favourable light, and the D7000 fares better in this regard. However, frequency response charts only tell part of the story and this is obviously an idiosyncratic flagship headphone that polarises opinion. I can't think of any headphone that doesn't really. 
 
Regardless of what the frequency response chart shows, anecdotally at least it does appear that the W5000's sound signature makes it very well suited to female vocals, classical and jazz. I'm intrigued by this rather enigmatic headphone, and that might be reason enough to give it a try.            

You won't regret the purchase. Sounded fantastic out of my old technics systems headphone out. Also in the future you always have the option in investing in the HA5000 to make things complete. After that, to me it's all preference, the sound that I have achieved with the W5000/HA5000/Ipod is simply stunning and I am not looking into purchasing any gear for many years to come. I remember showing my friend this setup (laughing that my source was an Ipod...) with the singer Lisa Gerrard and her song called "Sacrifice", I played it to him and I could see his eyes tear up, he took the headphones off silently and said he would buy this setup just for that song alone if he could! Best luck in the purchase! Cheers, 

 

[milosz]

I've got Denon 7000's, and AT W5000's.  (...and also HE-6's and LCD-2's and HD-800's and DT880's and Beyer N1000's; had but sold AKG K701's, Grado GS1000's, Sennheiser HD650's, and Sony  MDR-SA5000's)
 
The Denon 7000's and AT 5000's have quite different sounds. The Denon's are aggressively bass-heavy.  That's a good thing sometimes and so, sometimes, I like to listen to them.  All of my friends who have listened to them (mostly non audiophiles) have said, "wow, what bass."  So, they are "wow...bass!" headphones.  They do also have mids and highs, and they have some quality there, but I think their highs are a bit ... I don't know, kind of not-quite-right sounding. A little like they are 'added on' rather than an organic part of the sound.  They are a LITTLE not-quite-right. Not enough to make me dislike them. The highs sound nice, just not....quite right.
 
The Audio Technica's have a distinct midrange emphasis.  Their bass rolls off smoothly below 100 Hz, with good bass down into the 40's but less so into the 30's. However, the bass they offer is tuneful and well-textured. They are better for acoustic bass fans than for folks who listen to a lot of synth bass. The bass fits the midrange.  The highs are clean, not emphasized as many high-end 'phones are, like the HD-800's or HE-6's.  Even so, I suspect the highs aren't as smooth as they might be- the AT-W5000's do seem to bring out sibilance a bit more than I like.  That midrange, too, has a bit of a nasal quality sometimes. However, they do sound good- and they are low on ear-fatigue in my experience.  Nice to look at too, nice wood and AT has anodized the diecast magnesium frames a black color, more subtle than the bright matte-finish alloy of Sennheiser or Sony, but make no mistake- that's not mere plastic- it's magnesium alloy.  
 
I like them both.  What I like is that each sound different in their own ways, yet still sound good. 
 
I'd have to say, if you listen to a lot of folk, blues, classical or jazz, the AT's are good for that type of music.  If you listen mostly to rock, hip hop and so on, you might like the Denon's.  But remember- your mileage may vary.

 

[Klypso]

Hi,
 
I'm sorry to "unearth" this topic (yes, i'm french) but i'm going to buy a w5000 tomorrow or so, and i see that it need the HA5000 to sound right ? What ?
 
I'm actually with a Asus xonar essence ST, who sounds ******* right for me, better than all my portable things .. (C4, MA9, Lecerkton uha6mk2), but, does it sounds right with the W5000 ?
 
Thanks !