[pigmode]

Quote:

I'm very appreciative of your honest impressions.
 
Am I right to assume that the Yamamoto makes the lower treble even more forward? I seems that I may not need more than what the WA6SE provides. What I have been looking for was a way to tame the low treble and high mids emphasis. I have become rather sensitive to treble lately due to not listening to music as much. I fear pushing the low treble out more would just enter shouting territory for me. But you are right. After the switch to 6EW7s, my W1000 definitely haven't been very congested. The 6EW7s make it easier for me to listen to the W1000s right now and the lower treble with them is more tamed. I feel, however, that a tad bit of sparkle was lost.
 

 
 
I'd be inclined at the moment to say that the Yama does not bring the mids and lower treble forward. I think what it does is to add a rich smoothness to the tonality of the sound overall. In my system right now, I have not noticed an increase in that shouty quality. Its still there per se, because I think that's the part of the sound frequency brought forward by the headphone. 
 
My limited experience with the Yama at this point, shows that it handles treble very well. What kind of sparkle are you referring to, any examples? For instance take the Song "I'm an Old Cowhand, from Sonny Rollins' Way Out West. In the background there is a steady rhythm made by light taps on a cymbal that runs through the whole song. The W1000 brings that cymbal forward, and it's sound is clear, refined, and just a bit lively. But of course, that Rollin's CD is of a small ensemble recorded fairly intimately.
 
BTW, the W1000 does bring that cymbal forward a little more that does the W5000, and likewise with the W5000 to the HD600.
 
 
 
 

 

[wind016]

Ah, I see. So the congestion was increased due to the "tubeyness." If that is the case, then that definitely isn't as bad as what I thought. I had previously thought the congestion was increased due to further emphasizing the lower treble which happens when I boost it through volume or EQ. As for the loss of sparkle, you can ignore me there. I've been going through dramatic periods of hearing differently. It's due to either being in complete silence for many hours from studying or being through the noisy subway train to work. I can give a general idea of the sound, but for specifics, my ears are not stable enough for me to be 100% certain of sparkle was lost or not. I know there is definitely less gain through the new tubes and the sound has tamed the treble. It just seems that the lower treble may have been emphasized with the other tubes making vocals even more intimate, but shouty.
 
Quote:

I'd be inclined at the moment to say that the Yama does not bring the mids and lower treble forward. I think what it does is to add a rich smoothness to the tonality of the sound overall. In my system right now, I have not noticed an increase in that shouty quality. Its still there per se, because I think that's the part of the sound frequency brought forward by the headphone.   
My limited experience with the Yama at this point, shows that it handles treble very well. What kind of sparkle are you referring to, any examples? For instance take the Song "I'm an Old Cowhand, from Sonny Rollins' Way Out West. In the background there is a steady rhythm made by light taps on a cymbal that runs through the whole song. The W1000 brings that cymbal forward, and it's sound is clear, refined, and just a bit lively. But of course, that Rollin's CD is of a small ensemble recorded fairly intimately.
 
BTW, the W1000 does bring that cymbal forward a little more that does the W5000, and likewise with the W5000 to the HD600.
 
 
 
 

 

[walfredo]

Dear W1000 fans:
 
Does anyone has tried the nuforce icon HDP with the W1000?
 
Background:  I started using a Google TV box + UDB hard-disk as a music server.  It works surprisingly well.  The gotcha is that I'm currently using my TV as a DAC.  So, I'm on the market for a DAC.  I'm leaning towards the nuforce icon HDP, as it is also a headphone amp.
 
And, yes, I'm open to suggestions.  But the basic spec is a DAC with optical input.
 
[]s
Walfredo
 

 

[walfredo]

Well, I got the Nuforce Icon HPD.
 
For the record, it does not have a good synergy with the W1000.  But feeding it to the Doge 6210 is a clear improvement over feeding my TV DAC to the Doge 6210.  It has a much better soundstage.  The music "happens" in a more spacious setting.  So, I'm happy with it as a DAC.
 
It does appear the W1000 really like tubes.
 
That said, the Nuforce has an awesome synergy with my AKG K501.  "Horses for courses."
 
[]s
Walfredo

 

[bryangww]

Hi all, I went to test the w1000 at jaben today.  But i felt that the bass was quite lacking and also the vocals were abit hollow. Im currently using the baby brother ESW9s but I feel that the bass is more present and solid and the vocals are much clearer. Is it because the pair i tried were brand new and not burnt in? (which they were). I was considering upgrading my esw9 but after trying the w1000 out I became a little hesitant. Any ideas why im hearing less than expected?

 

[TheMiddleSky]

that's just because ESW9 is simply has different signature than W1000, and looks like you fans of ESW9's character.
 
Perhaps you need to hear ESW10 JPN then.

 

[walfredo]

So, a little suggestion for the other W1000 lovers our there.  It has an awesome synergy with the Matrix Mini DAC + head-phone amp.
 
Yes, I tried the Yamamoto and it was very detailed.  A bit too detailed to my taste, however.  It was very cerebral and I could not enjoy the music.  The Matrix + W1000 is just right!!
 
[]s
Walfredo 

 

[franzstahl]

Hi!
 
I managed to get by a pair of w1000 sovereign. I got them really cheap, and now i realize that they are really good. I have tried to find more info about the w1000 cans. But i find it hard to find info about comparisons with my model and the one that sells now. Also, have there been a lot of different generations of these? Do you guys know of the history?
 
Now I need to find a better amp for them. My focusrite audio card is not the best.
 
Cheers!

 

[Xymordos]

The W1000 stopped production because (iirc) Japan prohibited the cutting down of the wood that was used to produce these. ATH released W1000X as an replacement, but the tuning is completely different. The W1000 is the last of the ATH Headphones to have the old ATH tuning, where the mid range is extremely lush and sweet. The headphones after (W1kx, W5k) are tuned to have a more balanced sound than before.

 

[franzstahl]

The W1000 stopped production because (iirc) Japan prohibited the cutting down of the wood that was used to produce these. ATH released W1000X as an replacement, but the tuning is completely different. The W1000 is the last of the ATH Headphones to have the old ATH tuning, where the mid range is extremely lush and sweet. The headphones after (W1kx, W5k) are tuned to have a more balanced sound than before.

Thanks!

When was sovereign in production? Do you know?

/Seb

 

[Maxx134]

The W1000 is the last of the ATH Headphones to have the old ATH tuning, where the mid range is extremely lush and sweet. The headphones after (W1kx, W5k) are tuned to have a more balanced sound than before.

That must explain why I was underwhelmed.. Still good but wasn't wowed like other audio technicas offerings.

...i felt that the bass was quite lacking and also the vocals were abit hollow. ...

similar to my observations,
On stock pads..
The J$ pads definitely made it come to life though.
I bet the mod thread on these help as well but I never pursued it and sold them.

 

[oeyhamre]

Hi folks!
I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with my mod/upgrade of my old trusty W1000 with a set of new ATH-L3000 earpads

I got the pads from Audio Cubes II : http://www.audiocubes2.com/product_info.php/cPath/27/products_id/458
really speedy and excellent service!
These pads are so worth the money, they`re way more comfortable than the original fake leather pads. I can barely notice having the set on, this upgrade made my W1000 a perfect fit to my head (you may feel differently, but in my opinion these pads would improve the fit n`finish of the W1000 on almost any head).
It also contributes a appreciable improvement in SQ, the admittedly lean bass of the W1000 is somewhat improved. The high mid is sweetened i bit and in total the sound is fuller, more "meaty". The change is not dramatic, but clearly noticeable.
 
Here`s som pics:
 
 

 
L3000 pad on the left, old stock W1000 pad on the right.
 

 
L3000 left, old W1000 right.
 

 

 

[Ra97oR]

*drools*
 
One of the sweetest vocal I have heard from a pair of headphones, shame that they made the W1000X totally different.

 

[walfredo]

So, I came to hear my W1000 again recently.  I also have the W1000X and W3000 and these have been on the drawer for a while.  But this was a mistake! 

 
For certain songs, the W1000 actually surpasses both the W1000X and W3000, specially with vocals backed by acoustic instruments (think bossa nova).  The W1000X has richer instrumental portrayal and more ample soundstage.  The W1000 vocals are more sweet... unbeatable.  The W3000 is as sweet as the W1000, but it does pose much greater demands on your source and amplifier.
 
In all, I keep being amazed by how good the W1000 is!!  

 
If you like acoustic, vocals, smooth jazz and the like, the W1000 should be in your top list of headphones to try.

 

[Steven-JK-W]

wanderful cans, it looks amazing