[neezee]

^i would have bought those in a heartbeat if it weren't for the weak dollar... wish it weren't .7x and was still at ~1.0x...

 

[Rednamalas1]

That looks seriously sexy. I might pull a nikongod on my esw10 when it comes.

 

[aegid]

ebay live cashback is dead for now, so going through a proxy with low fees is going to be the cheapest again

 

[scott_d_m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That looks seriously sexy. I might pull a nikongod on my esw10 when it comes.

Yeh, they are sexy. You don't get full effect from the pictures though. You have to see these babies up close and in person...And man are they small. The jury is still out though, that was a lot of cash to puke up

for these things.

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott_d_m /img/forum/go_quote.gif $870 CAD later look what showed up today. So far right out of the box you can detect a very tight and impactful bass with excellent instrument separation. These are reminding me very much of how my previously owned RS1 with APS recable sounded when I first listened to them. They definitely have the Grado clamping force which is going to take some time to get used to. Hiflight if you're reading this, if you don't mind, maybe you could give a brief comparison between the APS RS1 and ESW10JPN with your D3. I'd do it myself but it's been a couple of months since I last heard the RS1.

I'm guessing you got hit with some serious custom charges?

Oh hey, I just noticed, you're in New Brunswick, whereabouts? We've had a couple Maritime Provinces meets here in PEI and we might do something again in the near future, if you're interested I'll keep you posted.

 

[scott_d_m]

Yeah, by the time you add up the exchange and taxes($106) these made for a very pricey purchase.

I'm in Rothesay which is about a 15 minute drive east of Saint John. I think a maritime meet would be very cool, definitely keep me posted.

 

[yaluen]

Here are a few choice pics of the packaging. I see people have been complaining about a proper case but the box it comes with just exudes luxury and elegance. Props to A-T!

And here we go with the unboxing!

Oh! What's that you're hiding in there?

*faints*

Sorry for the sub-par pics, they were shot with only a Panasonic point-and-shoot. It's not worthy

 

[Rednamalas1]

hey guys - how do these beauties handle treble? Peaky? sibilant? with a sparkle? flat?

also, how do they do rock? Are these classicla/jazz cans? or better as all rounders?

I'll find out in less than a week, but some burning questions.

 

[SR-71Panorama]

Out of my ipod or Bel Canto Dac3 it was not too harsh or sibilant at all. Out of the M Audio Transit I just brought to my office, it became a bit fatiguing by the end of the day.

 

[LocrEpinS]

Great pictures there yaluen; the warm lighting is perfect!

I dare ask, but how well do these respond to bending considering what i'm hearing about those nasty clamping forces.

 

[yaluen]

Here are my first impressions of the phones, no burn-in, straight out of the box. I spent only half an hour with these and chose a few songs I've been listening to lately to judge the phones from. I really should be judging these with my SR60s out as a bearing but I'll do that on a later date. These are very raw impressions as you can see.

Quote:

the pillows - PIED PIPER -Can really sense the limited soundstage from the electric guitars, it sounds like they're being confined by the cups; new experience. 王菲 - 紅豆 -Very faint scratching sound from guitar strumming. Can't seem to locate the acoustic guitar in the music that should correspond to this noise. 王菲 - 香奈兒 -Beginning of song starts with some kind of low bass interference. Clearly articulated by the headphones. Seems like acoustic guitars are given a steely sound and not sounding their fullest. Recessed high-mids? Arcade Fire - Black Mirror -First half minute of the recording sounded very boxy then continued to expand up til the end of the song after that. I think this is the way it's supposed to sound like and it's my first time hearing it like this. Piano chords VERY recessed, or just not sounding natural!? Low-mids are sounding a little congested so far. The New Pornographers - Challengers -Acoustic guitars aren't sounding very musical. Sharp attack and lacking tone. I'm sensing the highs clearing up. -Pads need breaking in, they're sitting very stiff on my ears. -Closed-headphone sound signature is something to get used to. Very different from open headphones (SR60) and IEMs (Shure e3c).

There's some serious potential in these, I can hear it. It just needs more burn-in. And, dare I say it, a better source... ahh, upgraditis

Also, the colour of the wood cups are darker than the pics make them look. I imagine these will be very discreet-looking in public. This might not be a good thing as somebody else might not notice that the cups are delicate lacquered wood. Careful with these when you're out and about!

As to clamping forces, I'm feeling that after more use, the problem will solve itself. They are clamping a bit uncomfortably right now though.

 

[electropop]

Aaaaargh! Why is life so difficult!?

I really can't decide, whether to go for the esw9 or 10's... The more apparent warmness of the esw9's would bring contrast in my system, since i now use mainly my sr325i's and hd25's. Hmmmm..

Please someone tell me if these are REALLY worth twice the money..
I do like instrument separation and punchiness. But since even acoustic guitars don't sound perfect, should i just go for the esw9's?

Don't worry, i've read the whole thread (including many others regarding both of these phones), but just can't make my decision. I have read impressions posted by every one of you and they are pretty much the same, concerning the differences. So a possible objective conclusion, or are everyone just out of their minds? No sasaki-placebo?

It was refreshing to hear yaluens impressions. He seems to like acoustical music/guitar. My sr325i's sound awesome with acoustic guitar for instance. As he said, maybe closed design is not perfect for this..
I know this is stupid wanting to hear a resolve from you guys

They aren't just available to try out at any shop in Finland.. (No importer)

Thank you for reading this post, though slightly indicating towards hostility, and possibly granting me comfort

-K

 

[starscream]

for those wondering how dark the cups actually appear in real life, as opposed to some of the flash photography on this thread. I'd say this photo of mine is an honest portrayal of the darkness.

mine have over 100 hours on them now. I was listening for periods of 2 hours at some point each day of burn in, liking them more each successive listen. They have been truly outstanding since about 60 hours in. It's quite alarming how much more the bass is pronounced compared to out of the box. These are such a smooth sounding, detailed and balanced pair of headphones. This is one not to miss out on.

edit: for the poster above. These are WELL worth the money. They destroy the ESW9 as far as I am concerned on every front, and I really loved those.

 

[electropop]

Awwwwwww.... No comfort

Maybe I'll have to spend the extra, THANKS TO YOU!

You did the exact opposite I wanted.. Well no matter, better start saving then

What i'm now concerned about, is the warmness. I really want warm phones after my 325i and hd25's, and also smoother. These just sound perfect from what i've read. Exactly what I'm looking for.

Please say it's so! No hints of being too fatiguing? No problems with boominess? What about cable, does it seem durable? Not like I'm just gonna toss 600 dollah worth of sonic bliss into my backpack without protection, but i am more than quite happy with the performance of the steel cable on my hd25s.. Thank you!

-K

 

[Rednamalas1]

^ just dew it!!

I'll try to tempt you more with pictures when they arrive