[439598]

Sorry for digging up such an old thread, but I couldn't find an individual topic dedicated to the ATH-AD2000X. I have a chance to get a pair used for 400 euros and I was wondering if it's a good price to pay for them or if there's anything better out there with a similar intimate sound signature to be had for around 1000 euros.

I replaced my AD2000X drivers with AD2000 ones after a driver fail a while ago but coincidentally I ordered new AD2000X drivers which should be here tomorrow, AD2000 drivers were a bit more punchy/lively than the X but very grainy, to the point the 2000 just felt redundant compared to other headphones. I recall the X struggled with a bit with clarity but never sounded that grainy, soundstage was nice and overall the sound quite unique, its a been a while and my gear is a lot better and transparent now so ill be able to give a much better comparison to the other headphones (HD650, Beyer T1 and the HE560) in a few days.

 

[borrego]

No offense, but if you find the AD2000 driver "grainy" sounding, you may want to review your driver replacement work. An easily made mistake is heating the voice coil wires for too long when soldering, melting part of the diaphragm/voice coil bonding. It was how zeos of zreview destroyed his AD2000x driver when doing recabling. "Grainy" sound could be the result of the voice coil no longer pushes the diaphragm evenly.

I actually find my AD2000 "smooth over" a bit too much in bass frequency range comparing to newly dynamic headphones. "Grainy" it never is.

 

[439598]

No offense, but if you find the AD2000 driver "grainy" sounding, you may want to review your driver replacement work. An easily made mistake is heating the voice coil wires for too long when soldering, melting part of the diaphragm/voice coil bonding. It was how zeos of zreview destroyed his AD2000x driver when doing recabling.

I actually find my AD2000 "smooth over" a bit too much in bass frequency range comparing to newly dynamic headphones. "Grainy" it never is.

there was nothing wrong with the drivers, the only explanation is the AD2000 drivers responding poorly to the 2000X housing which is slightly different.

the AD2000 drivers were not blatantly grainy, they still sounded like a high end headphone. compared to HD650, HE560 and T1 they are grainy (not the bass, treble and upper mids), like ... keep in mind the ad2000x was still the most grainy/unresolving in comparison but held up better. I havent used either of these in a while, its also possible my gear at the time didnt respond well to these cans.
one thing that comes to mind is their is comparatively extreme sensitivity, which at the time meant heavy analogue attenuation with probably not the best quality potentiometer, this could well have attributed to graininess. volume is lossless digital now so that wont be a factor.

 

[Poganin]

I replaced my AD2000X drivers with AD2000 ones after a driver fail a while ago but coincidentally I ordered new AD2000X drivers which should be here tomorrow, AD2000 drivers were a bit more punchy/lively than the X but very grainy, to the point the 2000 just felt redundant compared to other headphones. I recall the X struggled with a bit with clarity but never sounded that grainy, soundstage was nice and overall the sound quite unique, its a been a while and my gear is a lot better and transparent now so ill be able to give a much better comparison to the other headphones (HD650, Beyer T1 and the HE560) in a few days.

Thank you, I'd appreciate such a comparison, since I'm currently looking for a pair of headphones with close, intimate vocals rather than bass-focused. I used to use AD700 a lot in the past and liked how they played, so I thought the AD2000X might be a good successor to those. Also thinking about Amirons/T1s, but used AD2000X at 400 euros seems like a bargain.

 

[439598]

Thank you, I'd appreciate such a comparison, since I'm currently looking for a pair of headphones with close, intimate vocals rather than bass-focused. I used to use AD700 a lot in the past and liked how they played, so I thought the AD2000X might be a good successor to those. Also thinking about Amirons/T1s, but used AD2000X at 400 euros seems like a bargain.

The drivers came a few days late so only had today to use them. So far Im enjoying the sound of these a lot, they definitely did not synergize well with my old gear . these have good resolution and hold their ground against the others (maybe even ahead of He560) which is amazing because they are by far the least analytical sounding.
The signature is delicate and lush. Not dark or rounded, yet there isnt the slightest hint of harshness. seperation is good, Soundstage is fantastic, very spacious and the music actually fills that space (unlike He560 where it can sound distant/flat/generally weird), imaging is probably where it struggles most but with that soundstage you dont really hear it as a problem.
I think it suits male/chesty vocals best, female vocals lack some edge, T1s are stunning for female vocals but very lean sounding overall. I dont think id call either of these headphones ''intimate'', 2000X is open and airy, T1 is compact and focused. HD650 is probably closest to what Id call intimate, but its not that great for vocals imo.

oh and you may not like the way these headphones feel on your head, they are extremely light and have gentle clamp so very good for long term fatigue but the ''wings'' and pads feel weird to me no matter what. The wings also need a rubberband or they dont stay on my head properly

 

[Poganin]

Thanks a lot for the write up, @Acke. I guess I'll keep looking for something else that's good for vocals. I listen to a lot of enka, so I'd like that singer presence to be prominent.

 

[439598]

Thanks a lot for the write up, @Acke. I guess I'll keep looking for something else that's good for vocals. I listen to a lot of enka, so I'd like that singer presence to be prominent.

no problem, just wondering what headphones do you have?
I remember HD600 vocals were amazing and forward, the only problem I had were the uppers mids were too harsh... almost positive I wouldnt have that issue with my current gear, though the HD650 already fills the sennheiser gap.

 

[Poganin]

My headphones: AKG K712Pro, ATH-AD700, Takstar Pro 82, and Aeon Flow Open.
My DAC/AMP is the Aune S6.

 

[439598]

My headphones: AKG K712Pro, ATH-AD700, Takstar Pro 82, and Aeon Flow Open.
My DAC/AMP is the Aune S6.

alright, good luck finding the next set. its tough finding ''the'' headphone

 

[Poganin]

alright, good luck finding the next set. its tough finding ''the'' headphone

Don't I know it! But thanks a lot. I'll keep looking.

 

[Sp12er3]

Just got this baby used with a modded double entry 3.5 for OK price, I prefer this much more than the one i sold (to get it) an AKG K702, its not as soft, has way more bass, with more intimate vocal, i love how gritty and engaging AT can always is. I guess I'm stuck on AT and Final for my vocal fix.

BTW its interesting how little talk about AD700x here, its all AD900x up till almost half of the thread, even though the AD700x is more famous one of the line in other media (ie Youtube)

 

[SSandDigital]

If you like the AD700x, you'll like the AD900x more. AD1000x are in my future, I can feel it.

 

[Sp12er3]

Me too bud, I was actually aiming more at the AD1000X rather than 700, but here it's so rare, and the one I found is used, for$330, now that's just a damn robbery..

 

[dakanao]

I don't really recommend the AD1000x unless you're fine with very little bass quantity.

They also are a bit coloured in the uppermidrange, my previous Aurisonics Rockets which I compared to at the time, had more natural sounding vocals.

 

[Sp12er3]

I'm quite fine with that really, I have tons of bass in my Denon, and the Sony is my mainstay for movie and gaming (basically everyday use), they have a bit more bass quantity than both the K702 and AD700x, so if the AD1000x can give me even more enjoyment of mid-centric music (like, 80% of my music collection is a mix between female vocal and instrumental) I'd probably love it.