[r3ptil3]

sound - first impressions (after 5 hours of listening)
 
with all the labelling on the box, i can say that i wasnt exactly overwhlemed by the bass. sadly, it was quite the opposite. =(
where i expected a BOOM, i only got a...i dont know. let's just say i expected more thump or something more mind blowing...
 
this may be due to my Sansa player or my EQ settings, but im one of those people that want things to work as stated out of the box, with minimum fiddling with settings etc.
oh, and i dont use an amp. the less i carry, the better
however, im open to any expert recommendations and/or settings which may improve my listening experience
 
i find that these headphones wont cut or drown out ambient/exterior noise, but for me personally, it cut out enough sound that i could still enjoy my music but still be aware things going on around me (in a muted sort of way) - and thats the way i prefer it
 
microphonics (scratchy sounds the cable makes as it brushes against your clothes)
you can hear it, but at the moment, ive only used the headphones in noisy environments (lots of people and public transport) and the ambient noise is much louder and drowns out any microphonics. so overall, i havent had a problem with it.
once i test these in a more quiet environment, ill post an update
 
the cable does get tangled quiet easily, but its quite easy to undo it. it also doesnt have those cable adjuster things that you can slide up and down or a shirt clip. both a non-issue for me, but something i thought id point out just in case
the cable length is fine for me, as i can put my Sansa in my jeans pocket and it doesnt have lots of excess cable flapping about
 
so far, ive worn them for a good 2 hours straight (but used them for a total of 5 hrs) and they do feel a little bit tight, though not in an uncomfortable way. i feel that i can wear them for longer stretches of time, without feeling uncomfortable. im also sure over time, they will loosen a little and adapt to my big head =)
 
right now, my initial thoughts are, both my SE HPM's and CX300's deliver more bass (maybe because the CX300s are IEMs and they deliver the sound straight to my ear canals?)
but i understand that there's probably a need to burn these babies in - in saying that, im now off to do so with forum member dweavers B-P-B-W-B MP3 file
 
will report back after at least 50 hours of burn in
 
feel free to post questions and other concerns in the mean time!
 

 

[Iggyboy]

Ok, the y look really great in white color though I rather black. But how do they sound???!!!! That's what we all in the web want to know!!
Is too bassy? Well balanced the bass, mids, and treble?
The treble is lost due to the bass?
 
Tell us. Thanks.

 

[swbf2cheater]

Here is a nice social experiment I have for you
 
Right now I want you to try to record what you feel the soundstage is shaped like.  Is it a box, a rectangle? Taller than wide? ect ect.  After your 50 hours come back to what you recorded and see it if still matches, then send me a pm with the results please

 

[r3ptil3]

well, ive now burnt them in for at least 40 hours now (left them attached to my e250 playing dweavers burn in mp3 as mentioned above)
i havnt and wont have much of a chance to be listening to them much, but ive now used them in a quiet environment (but only for an hour or so) and here are my 2nd impressions
 
again, im using my rockboxed Sansa e250, with the hiphop preset EQ selected and currently listening to the MOS - The Mashup Mix Bass 2011 album (not sure if u can tell, but my focus for these headphones is on the bass =)
 
sadly, the bass still isnt as boomy, spine tingling, hair raising, ear canal vibrating, drool inducing or mind numbing as i expected it to be, especially with all the hype on the box, so i guess im still a little disappointed with that (perhaps it may need another 40 hrs of burn in?)
 
i feel that the treble so far seems a bit sibilant to me, but only on certain songs (i mustnt have noticed this before as i had only used the headphones in noisy environments) or perhaps these are just because of the songs (the MOS songs are encoded @ 320kbps mind u!) or my player. im guessing that it will vary according to each player used and of course the quality and type of songs that you use/listen to
 
previously i had stated that i preferred the sound quality of my CX300's, but now i can clearly tell there is a difference in the quality of sound. going back to my CX300's the sound doesnt sound as deep or as rich. in fact, the general sound feels almost "tin-ny".
i guess the way id describe it is, no depth or not as crisp or as detailed as what the WS50s are currently producing
 
as its only been 40 hours of burn in, and an additional 2 hours of listening, there isnt too much to report, but i will now say, the sound quality has improved (but sadly, the bass hasnt) but they definitely do provide a very enjoyable and comfortable listening experience
 
@iggyboy. i dont feel that the bass drowns out the treble at all. ignoring my focus on the bass, all the songs seem generally quite well balanced to me. but mind you, i am a noob at reviewing, so these are just my non-professional opinions =)
 
@ swbf2cheater im happy to try the social experiment for you. at the risk of sounding like a fool, can i ask, how do i record the soundstage? =) what do i need and how do i get started?
 
so thats my quick update for now, and i will definitely keep posting as i continue to use them!
 
as always, any questions or things you would like me to answer (or answer better/more clearly) fire away!
 

 

[Iggyboy]

Thanks r3ptil3 for your personal opinion. Let me say I was refering to the AKG K450 which drives me nuts for the size and designe, but the reviews are ambivalents from very bad to really good, all because de super bass, some say too bassy leaves the mids and the treble in the dark. I realy like bass like you. But I need cristal mids and highs with a great punchy bass!!!
So now I really don't know what to do: I don't know if I should buy the Audio Technica: ATH-M50 or the M50s ('cause the cord), the ATH-ES55 wich seems to be outstanding; the ATH-WS50 (without almost not one review from any "professional"), or the AKG K450!!
Any valuable opinion to make me take a wise practical desition? The M50 seems too big to keep it for hours on my head, but it seems to be the best of the best of the headphones; then between: the ES55 or the WS50 is one better than the other? Some say the WS50 is the ES55 upgraded on the bass (more bassy -basier? how is said? I am not english speaker...sorry!).
 
So, any help will be welcome!
 
 

 

[Iggyboy]

Hello again,
 
Just to tell you all, there are now the New ATH-WS55 solid bass headphones which are not just an upgrade from the "previous" WS50, if not also a major redevelopment of the overhead solid bass headphones.!!!
 
It sounds great! And there are reviews everywhere from these beauties. Rich solid bass...!
It seems to me the previous WS50 were the "test" of what AT really had wanted but couldn't.
These are... solid bass!
 
www.accessoryjack.com/.../audio-technica-ath-ws55-solid-b 

 

[Dsnuts]

Today being sold on buy.com for $86. Looks like WS55 has been released today and the WS50 is around $70 now.. Very curious about these. I hope these aren't as bad as the Pro700mk2s..Will let everyone know how they are..

 

[r3ptil3]

so, back again with another update.
 
i'd say, by now, i should have had these burning in for at least 80 hours (i've lost track...) and had the opportunity to test them for another 2 hours, on public transport and quiet environments
 
now, purely as headphones for listening pleasure, i'd say these headphones seem great. the sound seems well balanced, crisp and clear
the quality of the headphones does reveal alot of the quality of the songs. ive listened to alot of my songs previously and never noticed much difference between them, until now. 128kbps encoding, horrible, just horrible...
but id have to say, if your focus and desire is on bass, im still disappointed - no boom, no 'brings a smile to your face' bass - and id be hesitant to recommend these for that purpose
dont get me wrong, there is bass, but, for me, just not enough - i want the vibration, i want the surround sound echo, i want the reach down to your soul, spine tingling boom! but...no =(
perhaps im asking too much for these, seemingly entry level-ish headphones?
 
ive also had a couple of friends listen to my headphones (and both are aware and share of my bass emphasis) and their first impressions were "they look nice", "good quality and good clear, non-muddy sound", but the general consensus was that there was "not enough bass"
 
we did find that the sound quality does vary, depending on what device you use
for eg. we tested them with a HTC Desire HD, and found that the bass was better, but strangely, the sound volume/output was reduced
when tested with a Samsung Galaxy SII, the bass was significantly better when compared tos my Sansa (some songs actually delivered some boom). but this did vary according to the songs
for eg. Like a G6 (50 Cent Remix) - we actually noticed some boom, Notorious BIG - Juicy - no bass, very harsh/sibilant and plenty of treble
neither mobile phones had the equalisers setting adjusted
so i guess as people say "your mileage my vary" - the sound and bass quality that you hear depends on your device and song quality
 
still, listening to them with my Sansa, with my MOS MashUp Bass album (encoded @ 320 kbps) - i cant say that i was overly ecstatic or blown away.
in fact, id say i was sitting there, kept waiting in anticipation for the moment when a song would play and id be blown away by the bass
needless to say, im still waiting =(
so ive either got more burning in to do, or my search for mind blowing bass-y headphones continues...
              
sound quality aside, here are some of my general comments on the headphones
im not sure if the pads are adapting to my head or not, as i found that, this time, they sat uncomfortably on my ears and after a while, my ears began to hurt (arent they meant to get more comfortable, not less? =(
as well as that, the shape of the earpads have warped a little. perhaps the headphones are still too new/tight and is fitting the pads too tightly against my big head?
i guess only more time will tell if they'll eventually settle to fit me properly, or maybe the earpads arent as padded as i first thought...
 
 

 

[r3ptil3]

 
@ iggyboy - if the ws50's are considered an upgrade on the ES55, i'd recommend staying away from the ES55, as we are both self confessed bass heads and i find the ws50's lacking. so that would mean that the ES55's should be even worse
 
ive also heard that the ws55's are replacing the ws50's and they are meant to be the same, just with a 3 button control
dont quote me on that, as im just repeating what someone else has told me! =)

 

[Dsnuts]

Hey thanks for your update.. I actually purchased the WS50 at one point but long story short.. It was one of those check here for best price deals.. A 3rd party vendor on Amazon.. Electronica Direct.. Lame folks.. Ended up sending me the **** earphone equivalent.. After several weeks of bull **** service from them they didn't want to deal with me so they just cancelled my order...
 
From your impressions it might have been a good thing..If your looking for good Bassy cans try out the Ultrasone DJ1/ HFI-580 or Pioneer HDJ500s. I know there aren't much write up on the Pioneers but they have a more dynamic sound and has just as much Bass as the Dj1s.. Which was a surprise to me.. The Pioneers cost exactly the same so I will measure the WS55 against them.. It will take a great sounding Bass can to top the pioneers but we will see.
 
I ordered the the WS55 today on buy.com.. However I am gonna go into this purchase with a clean slate as,    I think I have only been impressed with maybe one phone from AT so far, and they weren't all that what this community says either.. The M50.. A bit overrated.    SO I have my hopes up on the newer version of the WS50...If this can turns out limp. I will be done with Audio Technicas..  

 

[r3ptil3]

@dsnuts
sorry to hear about your ordering troubles with your ws50's
 
i havnt used the dj1s or the pioneers
doing a quick search and comparing the prices between the pioneers and the ws55s show that they are roughly the same price (although the ws55s come in a little cheaper)
the pioneers dont seem very common do they? they also seem targeted or marketed towards DJ's?
they do have a nice/interesting design though (and they come in 3 colors =)
of the reviews ive read, i do like this statement about them "It is safe to say that they come the closest to making music sound like it does at a club with a good set of subs"
however, atm, the $150 mark is a little out of my range of what im looking to spend, but thanks for pointing them out to me. i will definitely consider them as a potential next purchase!
 
perhaps im expecting too much from the ws50's as im guessing they are an entry level headphone?
but at the same time, all the marketing hype on the packaging ("overwhelming bass" etc), had given me high hopes and raised my expectations for the bass output, and it really did fail to deliver
id rather they undersell a product and overdeliver (because that way i have little or no expectations and will be pleasantly surprised or ecstatically happy) instead of overstating a product and underdelivering (raise my hopes and send them crashing, leaving me disappointed and left waiting and wanting...)
 
but in saying that, as i mentioned before, all in all, sound quality is good, but if you are after bass-y headphones (which i definitely was and am), the ws50's really fail to do it for me =(
 
hopefully the ws55's really are an upgrade to the ws50's (in terms of bass and sound quality) and not just the ws50's with a 3 button control
once you get them, let me know your impressions!
 
in the mean time, i will continue to burn my ws50's in and hope for the best...but i wont be holding my breath =)
 

 

[Dsnuts]

I wrote a recommendation for the HDJ500s on our recommendation thread. I payed $85 for mine.  Have a look.. I threw on a pic on there as well. http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/529144/buying-headphones-seeking-guidance-don-t-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-advice-here/6045 ... Will post impressions once I get the WS55 as soon as I get em..
 
My impressions and a review. http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/567012/the-portable-bass-kings-the-pioneer-hdj500-vs-akg-518-le-vs-the-first-look-at-the-new-at-ws55-solid-bass#post_7678786

 

[swbf2cheater]

audio technica should pay me for the stress caused by the overall suckage of the WS70. 

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

audio technica should pay me for the stress caused by the overall suckage of the WS70. 

Man I know how you feel.. I felt the same way towards my AD700 and even worse when I got the Pro700Mk2s.. On an interesting note.. Read my review of the WS55.. These are impressive.
I will gladly take your word for how sucky those WS70s are. You weren't the only one what was not too happy with those.. Which brings me to the WS55s. AT should just flow owners of the WS50 and WS70s a new WS55.. I think this is ATs attempt at a better Solid bass.. I have the Has700 and I have to tell you.  I am very impressed with the WS55. They don't suck. I gave em a 8.5/10 for sounds....

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

Man I know how you feel.. I felt the same way towards my AD700 and even worse when I got the Pro700Mk2s.. On an interesting note.. Read my review of the WS55.. These are impressive.
I will gladly take your word for how sucky those WS70s are. You weren't the only one what was not too happy with those.. Which brings me to the WS55s. AT should just flow owners of the WS50 and WS70s a new WS55.. I think this is ATs attempt at a better Solid bass.. I have the Has700 and I have to tell you.  I am very impressed with the WS55. They don't suck. I gave em a 8.5/10 for sounds....

WS55 is that good, huh? That actually got me to look them up. Do you have anything else to compare them? Like an ATH M50?