jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
just saying no bad feelings.Oh dude I was referring to the double mention in your sentence, no foul intended
Fit for a Bat! – Flagship IEMs Shootout (8:CT6E, 7:H8P, 6:JH13, 5:K10, 4:BD4.2, 3:A12, 2:W500, 1:SE5U)
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Listened at canjam, good sound, well built, but nothing special.
Jim
Jim
jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
Listen to the AK/Beyer ?
jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
This Aurisonics Harnony sounds so good, very very good. 
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Didn't listen to them, kinda wish I would have.
jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
It fits like a custom as well.
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That would be cool, a universal that fits like a custom. I have many universal that are very comfortable but not like a custom.
JIm
JIm
szymonsays
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#2. The Tell-Tale Heart
The AAW W500 recalls a classic story of macabre and awe, authored by the incomparable Edgar Allen Poe. In The Tell-Tale Heart, a madman writes lucidly about how he had found discomfort in the gaze of an old man -- this eye was like a vulture, pale and blue, with a film over it -- and hence in order to free himself of this chilling gaze, had murdered this nameless man.
But after death the old man's heart would not stop beating. As a watch enveloped in cotton, the sound of his heartbeat could only be muffled, and not contained. And so the madman tore up a few planks from his floor, and buried the corpse many feet under. At length the heartbeat finally ceased.
By and by three officers knock on the door. Neighbours had heard a shriek (that of the old man, as he was getting butchered), and they wanted to know if everything was okay? Smiling, the confident madman -- he had cleaned things up, of course -- bids them welcome. He shows them around the house, and sits them in the living room for some chit-chat of familiar things. In the wild audacity of his perfect triumph, the madman places his chair above the corpse just buried.
Slowly at first, the madman soon fancies hearing a ringing. As he continues chatting with the officers, it grows more and more distinct. He speaks louder to try and free himself of that dreadful sound, but no -- that sound is not within his ears. It is that immortal heartbeat, starting up again! The madman now grows very pale, but still the men talk pleasantly. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this the madman thought. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! He could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! He felt that he must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
"Villains!" He shrieks, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"
Consider yourself warned. If you choose to proceed -- brave man, you -- prepare to be haunted by the incessant heartbeat of the AAW W500. All ready? Good. Here we go. As the owl clock strikes midnight, twelve times again and again, look into a mirror and bite slowly into a blood-red apple. Welcome to the indelible and potent world of AAW's dynamic driver...
Form Factor: Acrylic Custom In-Ear MonitorDamage: $1111 USDBuild Quality: Very good! Carbon Fibre weave very nicely done as well.Fit: Perfect.Accessories: Two jewelers' screwdrivers to turn the knob to adjust the bass; pelican case; Null Audio's special, in-house cable
Straight from the Horse's Mouth: An Interview with AAWInterviewee: Kevin Wang, Co-Owner and Co-Founder
Who are the people behind your company?
What do you feel about this industry?
One thing we realised quite quickly is that there is a lot of similarities between different products. Everyone is using BA drivers made by Sonion and Knowles. This is especially the case if you want an IEM with more drivers. There just aren't that many choices out there. There are other companies making drivers, for example in China, but we're not really sure about their reliability just yet and so we can't take the risk. That being said, Sonion and Knowles have done a fantastic job, investing a lot in R&D. But nonetheless we felt that in order to do something different we had to go the customised route, and that meant designing and producing our own in-house dynamic driver. Everything's built in-house, from the injection moulding, CNC process, and so on. In fact, this extends to almost our entire IEM line. Apart from maybe the pins on the cable connector, everything is done in-house. We take real pride in this.
Do you have a “house sound”? What would you describe it as, and what are its inspirations?
The design of hybrid IEM will more likely to lead to a perception of bass heavy, warmer sound signature. However, each of AAW’s products is tuned to cater a different taste in music presentation. For instance, being dual driver models, A2H and A2H-V are distinctively designed to emphasize on different frequency range. If we really have to pick a true representation of a ‘house sound’, I presume it should be the design which our designer’s heart really lies with, which is the W300AR and W500 AHMorph at its default setting.
Can you describe the sound of the AAW W500?
Both of them use a dynamic bass driver. Dynamic bass drivers just sound different- more natural- from BA bass drivers. BA bass drivers have their advantages in the mid-bass region, though. So in order to take advantage of the best of both worlds, we've overlapped the two types of drivers to create a bass where the dynamic driver focuses on the bass and a bit of the lower mids region, while the BA drivers take care primarily of treble, but also overlap a bit in the bass and the mids.
Is it easy to make customs?
Disclaimer: My scores are awarded after extensive comparisons with different IEMs. The scores below reflect the results of this exercise, and do not indicate my personal preference for one IEM over another. Depending on your sonic tastes, category scores may also be more relevant than the overall score. For example, a basshead should look primarily to the "Bass" sub-section; a soundstage nut should look at "Spatial", and so on. Finally, the overall scores are an average of all the sub-section scores combined. Read more about how I did these comparisons, and about my overall scoring methodology.
Sound
Bass
The bass is bone-chilling. Could it be the heartbeat of that old man who's freshly murdered? No, deep down you know the truth. This is not someone else's heartbeat; this is your own terrified heart beating as furiously as a guilty man sweats under a blinding spotlight. With the W500 in your ears, the bass reaches deep into your chest, wantonly squeezing and bending your heartbeat to its will. Prepare to be possessed by this devilish bass...
Let's get technical. The bass decays in a freakishly natural way, and hits with such authority that you're probably still reeling from the bass note from two songs ago. The sub-bass is also incomparably good, possessing oodles of darkness and depth alike. Bass timbre, speed, tightness and detail are all very good as well, though they don't quite reach the splendid heights of the other bass traits.
Bass Score: 9.2 (Elite)
Midrange
Look, I get it. Sometimes it's really fun to go for a 'boom or bust' type of midrange. It could equally soar like an eagle (thanks, R Kelly) or crawl like an earthworm (argh, that's the best I can do); but what keeps you coming back is that when it's good, it's really good. That limitless potential somehow always cajoles you to look past all the maddeningly inconsistent flaws.
The W500's midrange is the exact opposite. Like a blue-chip stock, you always know what you're gonna get. This is not a box of chocolates- sorry, Forrest Gump. The mids are beautifully even, always and forever. They are passionately energetic, with leading clarity and naturalness of tone. All is not perfect, however. All that steadiness keeps them a bit too grounded, and I felt that they could do with a bit more air. As well, detail could be improved. One interesting thing to note- the AHMorph boasts a tuneable system to direct more or less power to the Dynamic or BA drivers. Turns out, the more juice you give to the dynamic drivers, the more the mids (not just the bass) come alive- weighty, rich, lush. Yes, these mids have both a dash of both Dynamic and BA in them! Yummy...
Midrange Score: 8.7 (Very Good)
Treble
The best airport runways of the world and a top-notch treble tuning share one critical trait. They're both flat. The treble on the W500 is impossibly so, concocting a dizzying plateau of smoothness and sparkle. It also sounds very natural, with a tone and decay that's makes high-hat notes sound very lifelike, for example. On the other hand, its extension and clarity is only 'good', which in this shootout actually ranks it as rather middle of the road compared to the others. The speed of this treble is also unfortunately slow. All and all this was a bit of a shame- I've seldom heard a flatter treble, which is extremely important in getting treble done right. If only everything else did just as well.
Treble Score: 8.3 (Very Good)
Spatial
The W500 is not a size monster- its soundstage, while reasonably large, was not among the biggesin this shootout. Its width was top-notch, but depth and height both fell a bit short. But the quality of that soundstage, mamma mia. It is beautifully consistent, with sound that naturally diffuses out in every direction- among the best I've ever heard in this regard. It also boasts great air, with subtle sonic cues capably filling the stage all around. The imaging is another real standout trait, coming in second only to that secret alien Adel technology that 1964Ears stole from Area 51. Be it layering of depth; imaging across the left-right plane or forming a coherent center image, the W500 handles all of your imaging needs with equal aplomb.
Spatial Score: 9.6 (Elite)
General Qualities
Doing well across the board, the W500 comes across yet again as a good, steady performer. It scores in the top quartile in everything, but doesn't actually win the race in any one trait. For example, it has great balance across the frequency spectrum, but there are probably just the one or two IEMs I'd pick over it if this was my primary concern. Similarly for note articulation; the ability to have the note resonate with strong musicality after the initial harmonics; and the thickness of the notes. All in the top echelon, but not the leader of the pack.
Perhaps because of the strong dynamic driver influence, however, one thing that the W500 didn't do quite as well in was in PRaT. Let me qualify that, since PRaT has multiple facets (Pace, Rhythm and Timing). The W500 boasts a fantastic, toe-tapping sense of rhythm. This is not merely a rhythm or timing that endeavours to be accurate to the Nth-degree of millisecond-count, either. It has its own soul, and imbues the music with some great fun- think jazz, not classical. Where it comes to speed, however... Let's just say I've heard faster.
That being said, the W500 is a hybrid IEM, and you can hear the different presentations between the dynamic and hybrid drivers. I personally think it ends up helping rather than hurting; adding to the W500's ability to separate the musical notes from one another more clearly and succinctly. I could see why some people may think this lacks in coherence, though. Caveat emptor!
General Qualities Score: 8.7 (Very Good)
Comparisons
CustomArt Harmony 8 Pro ($1050)
These two IEMs are almost complete bass opposites. The H8P is a lightning fast fencer, attacking with quick parries and trust that pierce without hurt. On the other hand the AAW W500 is a bass thunderer, swinging with a big axe that maims. The H8P excels on speed; detail; and tone. The W500 takes the cake with decay; authority and overall sub-bass. Both IEMs score similarly with good bass tightness, although the W500 is just slightly better. Overall, the W500 scored much better because of the resounding victory in the sub-bass, but I could see different people liking one or the other.
The difference continues on to the mids. The W500 is much more energetic overall in the midrange; has better clarity; and also presents much more natural tone and timbre. That last point is a real weakness on the H8P, while being one of the W500's big strengths. On the other hand the H8P is much arier in the midrange; and also boasts of slightly better detail retrieval- although neither are real standouts in mid detail. All in all, both have about equal evenness and consistency in the mids.
In terms of treble, both of them excel in very different ways. The W500 has significantly smoother and more sparkling treble; whereas the H8P is much clearer and has gobbles more extension. Both have a very natural sound with the ability to recreate cymbals and high-hats with aplomb; but both are also very slow (W500 just a bit faster) in the high registers.
The W500 is not really a size demon, and in this respect the H8P has it beat, with a deeper and taller (though slightly narrower) soundstage. Both of them also do very well with the presentation of said soundstage, with the W500's being just a pinhead more consistent and the H8P's being just a ant's-breadth more airy. Really, though, splitting hairs. Imaging is perhaps where the two have the starkest difference. The H8P suffers from poor ability to place instruments accurately in terms of depth and width, and falls far behind the W500 on both counts. The H8P does redeem itself somewhat in terms of center image coherency, but the W500 is a real standout in this area and hence still manages to nudge ahead.
The H8P has amazing PRaT, and if that was your primary concern I'd probably choose it in a heartbeat (heh). The W500 has better balance overall though, and significantly betters the H8P in its ability to articulate each note clearly and succinctly. It also boasts much better musical resonance, and the same notes that flutter on the W500 almost seem to lose steam and peter out in comparison on the H8P. Finally where it comes to thickness there is really no contest. The W500 is not the thickest out there but it has quite a bit of girth- the H8P in comparison is frankly a little aneroxic.
Noble Audio Kaiser 10 ($1599)
The subbass on the K10 performs quite typically of a BA driver- light and shallow. Its really not a fair fight pitting it against the W500 heavyweight. Not surprisingly, the Noble IEM cannot compete with the W500 in terms of naturalness of decay or authority of bass- both typical areas of strength for a dynamic driver. On the other hand, the K10 bass does well on some other areas: it is clearly more detailed than on the W500; and has much better timbre. The two are just about even in terms of speed and tightness, though. Overall, the bass on the W500 wins, by quite a distance.
In the mids the situation is reversed. The K10 has a sublime midrange, with detail retrieval miles ahead of the AAW W500. What this means in practice is that you'll hear every nuance in the breaths that the singer takes between notes; and if you listen to raspy voices in particular, they'll sound much more raw and emotive on the K10. The K10 also has better timbre, with a tone that overall sounds more natural; and much better airiness and 'carry', a difference which is especially pronounced when the singer or musician hits a stunning vibrato note. On the other aspects- evenness, energy and clarity- the W500 scored higher, if only by an atom.
Both these IEMs excel at pairing a sparkling high-end with a smooth presentation, although the W500 is just slightly better, especially at that 'smoothness' part. The W500 also boasts clearly better naturalness, with notes that ring more true; and possesses slightly better extension. The K10 in turn has better clarity, with notes that ring clearer overall, and faster speed. Putting everything together, it was a tie in the treble.
Soundstage is not close. Well, actually, I take that back. The size was quite close- apart from width being clearly better on the W500, depth and height are actually quite similar on the two, with the K10 nudging slightly ahead on depth and vice versa on height. But soundstage quality isn't close. The W500 creams the K10 in terms of both consistency and airiness across the stage, creating a beautiful presentation that's constantly bubbly and alive. On the other hand- and no qualifiers this time- imaging really isn't close. The W500 firmly beats the K10 on all facets, be it ability to image depth; width; or form a coherent center image. Fact is, if imaging matters to you- pick the W500 and don't look back.
Where it comes to balance across the frequency spectrum, the W500 is good, but the K10 is just that bit better. As a pure-BA IEM, the K10 also boasts clearly better PRaT and, rather impressively, has good thickness that's just a smidgen ahead of the W500. But the latter has its strengths too, posting much better scores in both note articulation and musical resonance. It is able to enunciate each note with great precision, and also has those 'butterflies' (not in your stomach) that seemingly help a note float gently outwards after the initial harmonic.
1964Ears | Adel A12 ($1999)
The A12 bass is plenty good for a BA-driver, but nonetheless the usual suspects emerge, as far as conclusions go anyway. The tiny bass drivers of the A12 simply can't push enough air to best the W500's shining dynamic driver in terms of bass authority or sub-bass slam. As well, the A12's bass decay is significantly less natural than the W500's. The one area where the A12 is clearly better is bass detail. The magical Adel port helps crowns the A12 "king of bass layering and detailing", and putting it next to the W500's bass- which is not really a top performer in this regard- only serves to further highlight just how good the A12 is. On other metrics- speed, tightness, timbre and extension- the two are just about neck and neck. Indeed, the A12 is the only BA driver to come anywhere close to the two dynamic bass drivers- the Lear LCM BD4.2 and the W500- in terms of sub-bass extension. Overall, the A12 puts forth a valiant effort, but it's a victory for the W500.
In the mids the tables are turned. The A12 comes in as much, much airier and with slightly better timbre and tone overall. It also conjures up more detail and emotion than the W500. In addition, the best trait of the W500 mids- its steady evenness- is matched blow for blow by the A12. On the other hand the W500 has better mids energy- the A12 clearly aims to be more linear (and accurate), as opposed to presenting a set of energetic and forward mids. The W500 also nudges ahead by a hair for mids clarity, although both are really very good. All things considered, the A12 takes this round.
Up there in the clouds- aka treble- these two seem to be doing a yin-yang dance. They're basically polar opposites. It may be easiest to start with the areas where they're similar. For one, both have a beautiful naturalness of tone to the treble that's very lifelike and enjoyable to listen to. For two, erm... That's it! Wow that was fast. On to the differences. 1) Whereas the W500 could probably do with a lot more clarity, the A12 is crystal clear; 2) while the W500 is as fast as a slow-moving boulder, the A12 is as fast as a shrieking banshee; and 3) whereas the W500 treble extension is really quite middle-of-the-road as far as flagship IEMs go, the A12 is the tallest, most extended of the bunch. Flipping sides, the W500 excels precisely in the two areas where the A12 stumbles- namely, serving a treble that's both a) sparkling and b) smooth. Between the two, I'd suggest that a treble-natic better be clear what he's looking for, cos' they really couldn't be more different.
Both IEMs have marvelous spatial presentations. The W500 is wider, but simply cannot come close to the curve-skewing, mind-blowing depth on the A12. The two are quite similar in their height. The duo also boast just about equal amounts of pleasant, airy, spatial cues in the stage; but the W500 does a much better job sprinkling that air consistently and evenly all across your music. But while soundstage goes narrowly to the W500, imaging is a different story. The A12 uses Adel technology that's so good it should probably be illegal; and while the W500 puts up a valiant struggle (even winning one round: center image coherency), it must ultimately tap out, outdone in particular by the amazingly accurate depth on the A12.
The twosome are just about equal in PRaT, although I rated the W500 just slightly ahead because of its almost mercurial sense of rhythm. I also gave the W500 significantly higher scores for its better balanced-tuning across the frequency response spectrum; and much better ability to have music resonate outwards like a gentle mist that is content to takes its time to dissipate. On the other hand, the A12 is the king of girth, managing to play back thick and lush notes of blue-cheese that simply captivates. The A12 also has slightly better note articulation and diction, although both are ranked among the top in this regard.
Summary
It doesn't always have to sound morbid. Heartbeats are what sustain us. They are the ultimate sign of life- a happy by-product of an indispensable organ sending blood and oxygen through our bodies. In the same vein, the AAW W500 is an IEM teeming with life. Its unmistakable heartbeat pulses passionately through every note of your music; imparting it a vigour and vitality like no other. If you like your music mild, timid and docile, then just look elsewhere. But if you've got a strong temperament and don't back away from a challenge, the hauntingly wonderful AAW W500 awaits...
Pros: Bass. Bass. Bass. So good I had to say it three times. Bass. There I go again. Also, awesome soundstage!
Cons: Although the rhythm is great, the speed is overall not the fastest
Overall Score: 88.8 (Almost Perfect)
In the next installment of "Fit for a Bat!": the top-ranked IEM. Stay tuned!
Hey jelt2359, if you were only able to purchase a CIEM once and had to choose between the K10 or the W500, which one would you choose? I don't plan on buying another $1000+ CIEM and i wanted something that could do it all. I've heard the K10 is incredibly well-balanced but also musical, but i'm also a basshead (like the thump and good quality, textured bass) and i've read the W500 is incredible for EDM music. Having a really hard time deciding.
tourneychamp23
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I think he's asking about the difference between technical merit and musical enjoyment. They can be very different things.
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Sounds like you understand the differences in these aspects between the two pretty well, so I guess you'll just have to decide.
I would say though that the w500 would work better at being balanced than the k10 for bassheads. The k10's bass isn't bad, it just likes to play hide and seek sometimes, and it definitely lacks that rumble like most BA drivers. On the other hand the w500 has very good balance- a touch shy of the k10, but still extremely good.
I'm holding out on purchasing the W500 because AAW customer service told me last week they'd have some new colours/plates out very soon. Anyone else heard that news as well?
Been checking their website/facebook everyday lols.
Been checking their website/facebook everyday lols.
jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
Once in your ears there are no visual color.
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