lilVaratep
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2012
- Posts
- 79
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- 10
Darn I just bought the ad 700's a few months ago. Not sure if the 700x has a huge improvement worth noticing. Hopefully my ad 700 will keep up to par =D.
By reading these reviews, I'm thinking that the x series is just a cosmetic change. The thicker earpads should give you a bit more bass and a slightly farther away/recessed midrange. The recessed midrange should make the treble a bit more prominent (more subjective than objective). I don't see how the 2000x should sound cleaner, though. The drivers are basically the same as the 2000. Placebo? Burn-in? Or is it just a factor of both of those and the slight changes in the sound signature? I'm interested in seeing some measurements of these headphones.
By reading these reviews, I'm thinking that the x series is just a cosmetic change. The thicker earpads should give you a bit more bass and a slightly farther away/recessed midrange. The recessed midrange should make the treble a bit more prominent (more subjective than objective). I don't see how the 2000x should sound cleaner, though. The drivers are basically the same as the 2000. Placebo? Burn-in? Or is it just a factor of both of those and the slight changes in the sound signature? I'm interested in seeing some measurements of these headphones.
@ZenEric: Yeah, I don't believe in burn-in either. Well, I do believe in it, but the sonic characteristics that comes with it isn't really noticeable. I think burn-in for most people is their ears adjusting to the sound.
@cute: Hmmm. I think the diffuser is the area around the driver that looks like it's twisted (versus the 2000's more straight look). I don't see how that should improve sonics. It has the same surface area as the 2000, but it's just curved. What's the point of spreading air within the headphone housing if you have an open grill? The air is going to come out regardless. To me, it's more of a cosmetic change than something to improve the sonics. It looks pretty cool, nonetheless. I can see the different voice coil changing the sound characteristics, though. If you guys don't know what a voice coil is, it's the magnet behind the driver with the little opening in the center. Voice coils of different sizes and materials will definitely change the sound characteristics. Just by going from the reviews on here, the sonic differences between the two doesn't seem that different. If anything, I believe that a slight eq can get one headphone to sound like the other, given that you swap the earpads.
@HaVoC-28: I modified my Pro700MKII drivers by cutting out the felt material behind the drivers (all of those little holes). The result was a much more open soundstage, increased midrange, and a slightly brighter treble. I transplanted that driver into the housing of my AD-900s and compared the two with Beyerdynamic Gel earpads installed on the headphone with tissue underneath it. To my surprise, the AD900's driver sounded very similar to the modified pro700mk2 driver. The AD900 had a more toned down midrange, there was more sub-bass impact, and the bass didn't bleed into the other frequencies as much (check sig for more details).
The pro700mk2 has a more restrictive white felt behind the driver while the AD900 has a less restrictive black felt behind the driver. The Pro700mk2 has a larger voice coil behind the driver (smaller opening in the middle), and the AD900 has a smaller voice coil with a larger opening in the middle of the driver. Keep in mind that the larger opening on the AD900's is the reason why the midrange was a bit more subdued and the treble was a bit brighter compared to the pro700mk2. The AD900 is rated at 100dB/mW while the pro700mk2 is rated at 106dB/mW. I'm positive that the pro700mk2's drivers weren't 6dB louder than the AD900s. Heck, even with both the pro700mk2 and the ad900 completely stock, and both of them had the same loudness at the same volume.
Now, the reason why I said all of that is because the specs that AT (or any company) gives isn't always representative of the true performance of the headphones. I can assure you that the only difference between the AD900 and the Pro700MKII's drivers is the different felt material behind the driver, different grill color, and the different voice coil sizes.
I believe that AT uses the same diaphragm (got it confused with drivers) on all of their 53mm headphones, but they change the sound characteristics by using different voice coils and felt material. Of course, the actual headphone enclosure ultimately determines the sound characteristics, but companies usually tune the drivers in accordance with the enclosure they're going to be put in, and what model number is slapped on it.
I never bent the headband of the AD2000 or AD2000X. No need. Perfect for my huge head.
I never heard the AD2000 as warm. Always considered it on the brighter side of neutral. Funny because I always thought I WANTED warm headphones and WANTED extra bass. But in the end, my ears and cranium (comfort wise) said otherwise. If you are hearing the AD2000X as being even more bright than the AD2000, I am not so sure. Maybe. Maybe not.
I love the AD2Ks for some of the reasons you pointed out. I don't think I would like a colder / brighter AD2K. I'll stick with AD2Ks for now.
Thanks for this review. Very informative.
X2 thanks for the review and special big thanks from my wallet as I can stick with AD2K.
BTW, AD2K mids are already borderline neutral, not usual ATH house sound, more neutrality will probably cross "boring" line turning them into Beyers (God forbid)
For me AD2000 mids are warm , AD2000X mids are fairly neutral but on warm side , AD2000X mids are bodied a bit less than AD2000 but bodied , let's take a DT-880 on a neutral SS amp => mids are THIN , there is not much body , and slightly cold . So no it's not a Beyer Made by Audio Techica ^^ .
Keep in mind that the cans that i used the most are 1) AKG K702 , 2 ) Beyer T1 3) DT-880-600 ohms . So this is the kind of signature that i am the most used .
x3. i don't want a brighter or a AD2000 with thinner mids. i don't find the AD2000 mids to be terribly colored in of themselves, but they're pushed very forward in the mix and can skew the soundstage making them sound a little "odd".
i'm not saying that you want to, but if you want to warm up the mids in the K702 and DT880, buy a 100-120ohm impedance adapter to increase the amplifier's output impedance. thanks for the impressions.