[MikePio]

 
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Hmm... I guess maybe it might not have improved much with a better fit then for me. It makes me wonder what the HA5000 does since everyone claims it to be like a match made in heaven. I wonder if it boosts some problem areas like the bass. Either way, the LCD2 was a smart choice, though I found it a bit dull.
 

IME the HA5000 amplifier strengthens all the acoustic qualities that the W5000 excels at, together they produce a sound that is extremely airy, smooth, detailed and spacious. Perfect for ambient music, female vocals (any vocals really), New Age, Classical (some)... If you primarily listen to rock music than there are other headphones (LCD-2) that would be superior in this aspect, not that the W5000 cannot make rock music sound good but that is just not its cup of tea. The most amazing quality about the pairing (W5000+HA5000) is the detail and spaciousness without ever becoming fatiguing or harsh just incredibly smooth, which cannot be said the same about my K701's which I have been listening to these past few months (at home for vacation!). Does the HA5000 "significantly" boost the bass, the answer is simply no, it improves the bass quality but no drastic changes in bass quantity that I heard. To conclude, the HA5000 improves and matches the W5000's to perfection but always stays true to the sound of the W5000's without spoiling it with excessive bass and muddy sound

.
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

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Crying about ath-w5000 "graphs" is funny, since you forget it's dummy head  with dummy ears that have certain kind acoustic properties,move  bits and parts of dips on spectrum that are in headphones that measure completly flat on same dummy head and voila you get "double" error that looks like horrible rollercoaster track... and these differences in frequency response are Known to vary from individual to invidual and area where we take average of population to account! oh we avoid word race now!
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-measurement-proceedures-frequency-response
 
 
not much else there, and too bored to digg for that dummy heads manufacturer specs...

But I happen to completely agree with both Headroom and Innerfidelity graphs...what I see on them is what my ears heard....little to no deep bass, very little mid bass and bright treble.
 

 

[wind016]

 
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little to no deep bass, very little mid bass and bright treble.

 

I think you had a bad fit too though I didn't find the treble that bright. It's no Grado or Beyer. I had a similar feeling about the bass but top parts of the cups were not even close to sealing.
 

 

[Vegeta55555]

imho both phones are not comparable because they are so different... The LCD-2 has a strong bass and it is a bit laid back, the W5000 is bass light and very forward/fast. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

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^ I must have the right shaped head for these things. 

 I agree that deep bass is not the W5000's strong suit, but there is no shortage of mid-bass to my ears. I maintain that this headphone is highly sensitive to source and amping, with the bass quantity changing significantly depending on what you plug it into.
 
If you consider the W5000's treble bright, then how do you find the HD800 and T1? Both had more treble energy in my opinion. The HeadRoom frequency response graphs appear to support this. Then again I might be reading them all wrong. Frequency response graphs obviously don't mean much to W5000 owners. 

 

 
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I think you had a bad fit too though I didn't find the treble that bright. It's no Grado or Beyer. I had a similar feeling about the bass but top parts of the cups were not even close to sealing.
 

My fit was fine...and my experiences with deep and mid bass (or lack thereof) and the graphs match.

 
The treble wasn't SR325 or GS1000 bright, but it was still bright...but brighter than any DT800 I've heard. At least say the RS1s have some mid bass to offset the treble unlike the W5000s. Sorry if you don't agree with me, but that's how I heard it (2 separate occasions).
 
BTW, no amount of amping changes headphones drastically from what I heard (and the graphs so) into something completely different. FWIW, my amp/source was the Peachtree Nova and a Headroom Desktop.
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

^ I don't doubt your own experience with it, but it's known to be a tricky headphone with regard to fit and amplification. I'd normally be sceptical of a claim that a headphone's sound signature could be as sensitive to amplification as the W5000's is, but it does have this reputation. It's chameleon like and I've not experienced this with any of my other phones. The variations in the frequency measurements from HeadRoom and InnerFidelity are significant enough to be inconclusive in my view. All I can add is that based on my own experience, this phone is bass-shy unamped. No, the bass doesn't go as deep as the LCD-2, HD800 and T1, but I hear no lack of mid-bass when I amp mine using both tube and solid state amplification. 

FWIW, the amps I heard them with were the Peachtree Nova and the Headroom Desktop amp. Not sure if these are great matches, but they are great amps in their own right.

 

[BrucYSN]

Well, to me, the biggest advantage of LCD-2 it's its amazing natural tonality, nor the T1 and HD800 can match with LCD-2 and a lot more emotional to my ear, these two factors are the top priority to me, so ... 
 
I don't find the LCD-2's treble is roll off, but recessed a bit for sure which it's not a bad thing to me. And it's got a lot better with Rev.2 based on review lol, my rev.2 it's on its way lol 

 

[wind016]

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My fit was fine...and my experiences with deep and mid bass (or lack thereof) and the graphs match.

 
The treble wasn't SR325 or GS1000 bright, but it was still bright...but brighter than any DT800 I've heard. At least say the RS1s have some mid bass to offset the treble unlike the W5000s. Sorry if you don't agree with me, but that's how I heard it (2 separate occasions).
 
BTW, no amount of amping changes headphones drastically from what I heard (and the graphs so) into something completely different. FWIW, my amp/source was the Peachtree Nova and a Headroom Desktop.
 

In the case of the HA5000, there has been many reports of that amp significantly changing the sound of headphones. From reports, the HA5000 seems to impact bass response a whole lot. I think it was Currawong that said the W1000X took on L3000's bass character after being plugged into the HA5000.
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

In the case of the HA5000, there has been many reports of that amp significantly changing the sound of headphones. From reports, the HA5000 seems to impact bass response a whole lot. I think it was Currawong that said the W1000X took on L3000's bass character after being plugged into the HA5000.
 

I'm skeptical, but who knows?
 

 

[MikePio]

 
Quote:

In the case of the HA5000, there has been many reports of that amp significantly changing the sound of headphones. From reports, the HA5000 seems to impact bass response a whole lot. I think it was Currawong that said the W1000X took on L3000's bass character after being plugged into the HA5000.
 

 
I am a proud owner of the HA5000 for about a year now, synergy wise it matches the W5000's perfectly but I would not say from my experience that this amplifier turns the W5000's to anywhere near bass heavy. Yes, the bass response is improved, along with the whole sound spectrum but surely it does not have the quantity in the bass department of the L3000's/HD650/LCD-2 and IMO it does not need to, if more people could listen to the W5000 together with the HA5000 they would understand why. 

 

[purrin]

 
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Here's a second measurement by Tyll at Innerfidelity:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHW5000.pdf
 
Still looks pretty bad.

 
Quote:

Crying about ath-w5000 "graphs" is funny, since you forget it's dummy head  with dummy ears that have certain kind acoustic properties,move  bits and parts of dips on spectrum that are in headphones that measure completly flat on same dummy head and voila you get "double" error that looks like horrible rollercoaster track... and these differences in frequency response are Known to vary from individual to invidual and area where we take average of population to account! oh we avoid word race now!
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-measurement-proceedures-frequency-response
 
not much else there, and too bored to digg for that dummy heads manufacturer specs...

Hmm. That's what I was going to say. Those W5000 measurements just don't look right - that is they don't reflect my own listening observations. The other factor may just be that the W5000 cups / seal are too funky for a proper measurement.
 
Anyone got a pair of W5000s for me to measure?
 

 

[the wizard of oz]

All right, this thread is convincing me that it will be worth while saving up and getting the HA5000, rather than acquiring an intermediary amp until I have enough funds.
 
I too have noticed that getting a good fit with the W5000's isn't easy, but eventually, after quite some bending, one's in for an exquisite listening experience. Worth the hassle absolutely, truly amazing headphones.