[Mercuttio]

So I've got a pair of jjcha's ATH woodies here at the moment, the W11JPN. I've spent a few hours listening to them, and man... there's magic in there.

It's such a funky headphone. It might not be super quick, but somehow the PRAT is right on, and they have this really nice punchiness that I really enjoy. The soundstage is smaller than you'd expect for a closed headphone of this size (they're huge) but at the same time it is intimate and warm. The midrange is pushed forward and everything else sort of sits behind it. The singer's right there with you, almost in a Grado kind of way.

And sweet.... they are so sweet and smooth. I threw on the Beyer DT770 and it was almost unlistenable in comparison. I can't imagine a more blatant way to show someone what "smooth" really is.

There are certainly things "incorrect" or not as good about the sound, but the whole thing just totally meshes. It's this lovely euphoric kind of sound that just says "Hey, it's music. Relax and enjoy." Why don't they make these anymore!?

 

[shplorgh]

Join the club dude. They sounded soooo good on the MPX3 with 6bx7's as driver tubes...

So are they done being restored by the wood guy? How do they look?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Hmm, I've never had the chance to hear a pair, let alone the opportunity to buy one, so good luck in that arena!

They are one of the few intriguing sounding headphones out there I've yet to hear. I guess I can only hope for the next meet....

 

[lan]

Nope they are not good at all.

Everytime you praise a discontinued headphone. It's price increases for everyone by $25.

 

[warubozu]

I agree, and I do love mines. Plug my pair into my RS Stealth with the stock 6sn7 and a Telefunken smooth plate currently in and it's pure heaven.

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hungrych Join the club dude. They sounded soooo good on the MPX3 with 6bx7's as driver tubes... So are they done being restored by the wood guy? How do they look?

Yup! Just got them back from him today. The W11JPN had a few dents on the underside of one of the cups, I think. It has a brand new finish... same color, but it is glossy and more beautiful than a W2002. Dents? What dents? They're totally gone now.

The W10VTG was the one that had the chip, and it's completely repaired... you can't even see where it was. I only have the cups of it at the moment for that one, Jason's got the other parts.

And here are a few pictures for those of you wondering what an ATH woodie cup looks like when it's off the headphone:

And the outside:

And here's how they make me feel (note the thumbs up):

 

[Fitz]

They really are such nice sounding headphones... I wouldn't mind getting a pair myself. So yeah, everybody else: lose interest!

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Hmmm, those are a bit different looking from the W5000 cups, I'll post a few pics when I finish recabling them next week.

 

[spraggih]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lan ... Everytime you praise a discontinued headphone. It's price increases for everyone by $25.

You mean $25 per post, right?

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer Hmmm, those are a bit different looking from the W5000 cups, I'll post a few pics when I finish recabling them next week.

See if you can listen to Alex's pair. They are a complete kettle of fish to the
W5K you own.

Man I should of never of sold my pair.

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spraggih You mean $25 per post, right?

Stop the madness!

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 Man I should of never of sold my pair.

Where is your pair now?

 

[mega]

They are indeed special..ive had around 2 chances to snag a pair, but i got too picky of some blemishes on the cups..still regret it till this very day...

If i may ask..where did you get them restored? Did you send them to Audio-technica in Japan?

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mega They are indeed special..ive had around 2 chances to snag a pair, but i got too picky of some blemishes on the cups..still regret it till this very day... If i may ask..where did you get them restored? Did you send them to Audio-technica in Japan?

I work in an interior design office. We do a lot of high end residential stuff, and often have to restore antiques etc for the spaces. I went through one of our antique restoration companies.

 

[warubozu]

So how long did it take for the antique restorer to refinish your wood enclosures?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 See if you can listen to Alex's pair. They are a complete kettle of fish to the W5K you own.

MMmmmmmmm fish!

Alex probably is my best shot, I can't even think of any other CA folks that have 'em.