[Maxx134]

Damn you!! You just couldn't resist modding that esw11ltd. Iagree with you and ExpatinJapan. I just settled with the stock pads and that hole is functional.

Hey even hd800 onwers have mod threads lol, so why not?

I must say this is the sound I was looking for and even before this mod I felt the eaw11 destroyed anything portable I ever herd wich includes the nice ED8 but that was with the es10 pads ..

Now it is a monster!..as if I woke up a sleeping giant.
It is amazing in clarity with stock pads(!)

 

[xplosive]

esw11 really has amazing clarity.. have not  found any other headphone that can replace it. I pair it with a2p tur06 amp and it is a perfect match for me.

 

[Hiyono]

If anyone is looking for an esw11ltd or a w3000anv. My local store still has both new in box.

 

[Lucidnonsence]

Picked up a pair here in the UK second hand, and as a fan of the ATH sound anyway, must confess they are very very good...
But my first impressions are of the size... or lack of it...
 
Even for on ear headphones, does anybody else find them just that bit too small?

 

[Maxx134]

Physical size?
Yes for a 52mm driver, they are amazingly low profile.
Only vmoda comes close to how low profile it is..
I think the better a manufacturer is at making the driver with the signature they want...
the less they need in enclosure and materials to modify the sound further.
Just my thoughts tho...

 

[Lucidnonsence]

I think the better a manufacturer is at making the driver with the signature they want...
the less they need in enclosure and materials to modify the sound further.
Just my thoughts tho...

 
How ironic given their chosen material for said enclosures.... lol....
Although i am deeply falling in love with their sound, it is just so so laid back, smooth almost 'tubey' sound....
 
Im using a very neutral but incredibly accurate amp (JDS labs C5D ) and due to ATH's not so neutral sound, gives me the impression of having a full size and very exotic tube amp in my pocket...
 
Quite a wonderful feeling...

 

[Maxx134]

How ironic given their chosen material for said enclosures.... lol....
Although i am deeply falling in love with their sound, it is just so so laid back, smooth almost 'tubey' sound....

Quite a wonderful feeling...

Don't be fooled that wood is not for looks alone as it perfectly compliments the driver to produce it's seductive sound.
Probably more so than any of the other portable woodies..

 

[zorin]

Physical size?
Yes for a 52mm driver, they are amazingly low profile.
Only vmoda comes close to how low profile it is..
I think the better a manufacturer is at making the driver with the signature they want...
the less they need in enclosure and materials to modify the sound further.
Just my thoughts tho...

Now we need somebody adventurous to do a bigger earcup upgrade / mod. I wonder how what kind of sound these ESW11LTD drivers would make if they were put into an over the ears [circumaural] wooden cups, if  ESW11LTD were turned from on ears headphones to over ears headphones. 
Added on - something like that : http://www.lawtonaudio.com/page52.html

 

[ExpatinJapan]

They are over the ears for me

 

[Maxx134]

Ok I have had my fostex th600 closed over ear as a home can and although a different signature it has so much detail that I realized I had a few song files that were distorted.

Now I realized that the esw11 woody sound was sweetening those high frequency distortions to sound "wet" or supple..
The detail was there yet sort of masked by the woody nature.

Also I realized that my mod reverted itself(!)..
As the yellow felt compressed the foam over time so that the foam was flat and the yellow felt expanded resulting in stock sound(!).



So I took a cardboad & foam that you find for school projects and peeled off one side of cardboard exposing the center foam and used this stiffer foam so the yellow felt would get more compresses resulting in less woody nature while exposing the extreme clarity that this driver has which is their latest driver.
I feel once they make a non-woody portable (maybe upgraded es10) of this newer driver it will have extreme clarity and demolish the competition.
As for now these are my every day cans glued to my head unless I am home.

 

[zorin]

Ok I have had my fostex th600 closed over ear as a home can and although a different signature it has so much detail that I realized I had a few song files that were distorted.

Now I realized that the esw11 woody sound was sweetening those high frequency distortions to sound "wet" or supple..
The detail was there yet sort of masked by the woody nature.

Also I realized that my mod reverted itself(!)..
As the yellow felt compressed the foam over time so that the foam was flat and the yellow felt expanded resulting in stock sound(!).



So I took a cardboad & foam that you find for school projects and peeled off one side of cardboard exposing the center foam and used this stiffer foam so the yellow felt would get more compresses resulting in less woody nature while exposing the extreme clarity that this driver has which is their latest driver.
I feel once they make a non-woody portable (maybe upgraded es10) of this newer driver it will have extreme clarity and demolish the competition.
As for now these are my every day cans glued to my head unless I am home.

A - I think that a part of an answer to the problem of the mellow treble of these headphones would be to install a better cable on ESW11LTD. The stock cable seems to be quite thin and flimsy with an insufficient number of internal threads of conducting wires. I would say that the stock cable has only 4 conductors [ 2 per each channel]. The low number of the conductors and also most probable lower purity grade of their copper is not the optimal choice for the ESW11LTD driver. A driver of the size of 53mm and of the Audio Technica quality needs a superhighway of conducting wires for the current that carries the audio signal. That means something like at least 12 conductors [6 per each channel] and a higher purity copper or silver wire, up from 5 or 6  Nines to 7 or even 8 Nines. An interesting combination would be the combination of 4 copper and 2 silver conductors per each channel, with the silver wire boosting the high frequencies.
B - It is not entirely clear what you did with the cardboards and foam sandwich. Peeling off one cardboard side would leave another one on the other side and I cannot fathom how a cardboard would not be an obstruction to an accurate propagation of the acoustic air waves.

 

[Maxx134]

Yes I didn't bother with the other side of foam/board as it was firmly against the wood.
Both the yellow felt and the foam are same donut shape with yellow against the driver and the foam below but the foam circle is snipped off where the port hole area is on top.
Look at my past pics same deal just different material and I will try in future using the material used in the hd800 mod. Threads..

As for wire, I have a real nice upgraded wire from my esw9 I may try to see if any changes but not wanting to do anything right now as it is very good with little modding needed.

 

[Jon-LF]

Exactly.
My esw11 have a very supple detailed presentation.
I will be putting the original pads back onto hear the differences again.

They have slightly more soundstage, detail and space retrieval than the esw10, BUT ..
I still find the esw10 slight more "woody" and solid in the mids..
These are my two top portables that can't let go.
I use the esw11 with the plastic sceen protectors (cut for an es7 in size) on them and not have to worry taking them outside.. But my esw10 I am worried there is no way to protect them..
I am afraid to put anything on the finish..
Oh well.

May I ask - Where can we get these protectors? Had a listen to the 11s today right of my Fiio against some amazing company. It sounded so good I could quite easily live with it as a second/ travel set. The comparisons were your usual top flight headphones (properly driven), the hd800s, Gs1000, LCD3s. Of course it lacks behind in some areas compared to the flagships, but all in all I found its presentation very like able, and special in its own way.

Very tempted to pick one up tomorrow. Shop has 4 in stock, priced about 600 usd in Singapore. Let me know if anyone wants a hook up.

Btw, is the serial number printed on the can?

 

[Maxx134]

Your positive impressions are also due to amping as well. I have found them to sound HuGe when amped at home using simply an "odac" & "continental" combo.
So I looked it over and answer is no there is no obvious serial number on the can but thats normal for this form factor.
Here is the only number I see under left paf but it looks like a production date:


Also the protector I attained from website "bestskinsever" so go ther & look for "es7" protector. Maybe also write them to make a slightly larger size for you if at all possible..
I posted the link in this thread somewhere.

So my cups still look like new and the protector seems to magnify the grains..
What I would like to know if anyone noticing the wood looking more red over time or is it my imagination lol

 

[cky8]

That number is not a serial number as I have the same number as on the products cardboard box. I don't think there is any serial number to be found and Audio Technica never mentioned how many units it would produce. We know it is limited. Just not how limited.