[Szadzik]

Hi Everyeone,
 
I am i the process of buying a pair of ESW10s after I had my ESW9s and decided to upgrade. 
 
I pretty much liked the ESW9s apart from the fact that they were a bit slowish for Rock and Metal and I wanted a bit more details.
 
Do you think that looking at the portable market I can get anything else that is not an IEM that will be better than these?
 
I looked at ED8, but it seems that they are a bit too nice to wear them outside or while travelling. I also looked at T5Ps but they are not getting perfect reviews so far.
 
Any insights on this?

 

[dallan]

I upgraded from the ESW9 to the ED8 recently and wear them outside sometimes but in sketchy situations i still wear the ESW9s even though they are not in the same league.  I got the ED8 LE.  Very pleased with them but they turned out to be a bit more of a Starbucks headphone than a dog walking one, which is when i normally would wear them and do about a quarter of the time, just got to take care a bit more.

 

[HelloHell]

I have both ESW9 & ESW10jpn. What I can tell you is that they are clearly not the best portables so far. I recently bought a pair of Denon's new portable AH-A100, and it is much better than the ESW brothers. To give you an idea, SQ wise A100 is on the same level with D5000. I don't have Edition 8 or T5p so I can not make comparison between them, but what I've read so far suggest that T5p may be the king in the portable category.

 

[dallan]

Ya we can all read lots of different contradicting opinions out here.  Try listening and then giving an opinion, that's what i do.  
 
My advice to the op is to try to find some to hear before buying if possible, like at a meet or shop.

 

[HelloHell]

What you said is true, but I don't think one has the chance or luck to try everything out. That's why reviews & other people's opinions have their value and deserve one's attention & reference, and sharing experiences/ideas is definitely one of the most important reasons why we like Head-Fi. If sharing others' opinions is wrong in your dictionary then never mind.

 

[Szadzik]

As for ED8 I think they are too nice to wear them outside and while travelling, they look too nice too and may attract too much atention. If I lost ESW10s I would not be crying, but paying 900GBP and losing the phones would be a disaster. 
 
As fpr the Denons, they are still very new on the market and I do not see any reliable reviews that would say they are brilliant. They also cost another 50% of the price of ESW10s, so if they sound a tiny bit better I am not certain it is worth paying for that. The Desnons are also bulky like T5P which makes them more Transportable than Portable. 
 
Are they available anywhere in EU? I checked and only a few shady shops sell them at 500GBP.
 
 
If only they were available in shps, but they are not.
Quote:

Ya we can all read lots of different contradicting opinions out here.  Try listening and then giving an opinion, that's what i do.  
 
My advice to the op is to try to find some to hear before buying if possible, like at a meet or shop.

 

[dallan]

If you like the 9s you will prob like the 10s. If you want more detail you can also look into upgrading ur source to something like a HM801.

As far as repeating other things read, yes it is looked down upon out here. One reason is you don't know the source, it may or may not be someone who share the same opinion on sound with or may be unreliable or fanboy/flavor of the month comments. Mainly though we speak for ourselves instead of regurgitating what others clam to have heard.

 

[Shaggy-FOO]

I say don't get either.  Get the better ES-10.  The driver is better than both and it's much faster while still having the same punch in the bass department but being clearer.  ES-10 are very well balanced w/ crisp highs and lush mids.  It's good for all types of music and way more detailed than the ESW9 or ESW10.

 

[johangrb]

What he said. (I've owned both).
 
Quote:

I say don't get either.  Get the better ES-10.  The driver is better than both and it's much faster while still having the same punch in the bass department but being clearer.  ES-10 are very well balanced w/ crisp highs and lush mids.  It's good for all types of music and way more detailed than the ESW9 or ESW10.

 

[MayaTlab]

Quote:

I say don't get either.  Get the better ES-10.  The driver is better than both and it's much faster while still having the same punch in the bass department but being clearer.  ES-10 are very well balanced w/ crisp highs and lush mids.  It's good for all types of music and way more detailed than the ESW9 or ESW10.

I personally prefer the ES10 to the ESW10 in terms of sound signature, and they sure do some things better, but I wouldn't say that they're more detailed.

 

[Szadzik]

Are ES10s not considered bassy? I am not a basshead for sure. The reviews I read when the phones were introduced implied these are more basshead oriented.

 

[mywallethurts]

pretty bassy. love em

 

[Szadzik]

I am not a basshead and would prefer to avoind buying 400GBP headphones that are not really what I want.
 
Quote:

pretty bassy. love em

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Quote:

I am not a basshead and would prefer to avoind buying 400GBP headphones that are not really what I want.
 
Quote:

pretty bassy. love em

 
Well, considering you think the HD25-1 II sounds like knives just for being a bit bright, it is quite certain you aren't a treble lover either.
 
Neutrality for the win?

 

[Szadzik]

Haha, I am buying the ESW10s and I will see how that goes. If I do not like them I will sell them and get something else
 
I like my MX980s and they are pretty neutral.
 
Quote:

 
Well, considering you think the HD25-1 II sounds like knives just for being a bit bright, it is quite certain you aren't a treble lover either.
 
Neutrality for the win?