[Jon-LF]

HD25- Alu Ltd VS ESW11Ltd comparison:

This was an interesting interesting one.

HD25 - Alu Ltd

1) Brighter some simbilance on some tracks
2) Tighter Bass, very fast decay, but somewhat lacking body
3) Comfort is subjective, but I found it less comfortable than the ESW11s

ESW11Ltd
1) Less precise, more musical
2) Full bodied bass without being boomy, not quick decaying like the Senns
3) Somewhat more comfortable

 

[JohannLiebert]

What a coincidence. Just got the HD25Alu as well. I agree with the most part.
Soundstage on ESW11 is way better. I find the HD25Alu more exciting while being less colored.
ESW11 sucks as portable though because of mediocre isolation and build quality.
 
Neither trumps the other. I like both.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

   
I dont know about your esw11, but my esw11 beats the momentum in soundstage size and imaging..

We hear differently 

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Gave my ATH-ESW9 a few train rides today (with the Hifi-M8). Its been quite a while since I left my ATH-ESW11 at home.

Definitely ESW11 is the winner overall. Cant mistake those warm lush mids that the ESW9s possess though, sometime they get a bit screechy in the trebles which I had never noticed before, I also had to up the volume to get a 'full' sound.
I find with the ESW11 i dont need as much volume and they are near faultless to my ears, with the ESW9 i found myself being critical of various parts of songs and how the headphones presented themselves, with the ESW11 I just switch off and enjoy the music.

 

[lbbef]

Did a short comparison between the ESW11LTD and A900XLTD today since someone requested me to over at the ATH-W3000ANV thread.
 
Would recommend anyone that loves the ESW11LTD try out the A900XLTD too!
 
Setup:
Laptop > foobar2000 (WASAPI event) > (USB) > Fostex HP-A4 > ATH-A900XLTD
Laptop > foobar2000 (WASAPI event) > (USB) > Fostex HP-A4 > ATH-ESW11LTD
 
Music:
Mainly Asian
> Japanese
> Korean
> Chinese
> Electro, Dubstep, etc...
> Some other ramdom genres
 
Sound:
Tonality and balance wise, both are about the same.
 
The A900XLTD sounds like a bigger ESW11LTD.
It is more spacious sounding with a bigger soundstage.
Isolation is also better on the A900XLTD.
 
The ESW11LTD has just a tad more bass and sub bass making the lower mids just a tad darker too.
 
Because of the smaller soundstage, the ESW11LTD sounds more forward, which makes you take note of the details. The bigger soundstage of the A900XLTD makes the details more subtle and further away, allowing you to get more "into the music".
 
Both give a very different presentation and experience.
I love both cans (along with my ES10 too)
 
Apart from these, there isn't really much difference between the two.
 
Conclusion:
Personally, I'm using the ESW11LTD on the go and A900XLTD at home.
I have the ES10 too, but the titanium cups just scratch too easily, so I keep them at home.
 
All three sound good without an amp, but benefit greatly with one.
 
On the go, I just go direct from my phone.
But at home or in school, I drive my cans through my Fostex HP-A4.
 
I have the ALO Continental V3 too, but it's on RMA.

 

[Jon-LF]

Did a short comparison between the ESW11LTD and A900XLTD today since someone requested me to over at the ATH-W3000ANV thread.

Would recommend anyone that loves the ESW11LTD try out the A900XLTD too!

Setup:
Laptop > foobar2000 (WASAPI event) > (USB) > Fostex HP-A4 > ATH-A900XLTD
Laptop > foobar2000 (WASAPI event) > (USB) > Fostex HP-A4 > ATH-ESW11LTD

Music:
Mainly Asian
> Japanese
> Korean
> Chinese
> Electro, Dubstep, etc...
> Some other ramdom genres

Sound:
Tonality and balance wise, both are about the same.

The A900XLTD sounds like a bigger ESW11LTD.
It is more spacious sounding with a bigger soundstage.
Isolation is also better on the A900XLTD.

The ESW11LTD has just a tad more bass and sub bass making the lower mids just a tad darker too.

Because of the smaller soundstage, the ESW11LTD sounds more forward, which makes you take note of the details. The bigger soundstage of the A900XLTD makes the details more subtle and further away, allowing you to get more "into the music".

Both give a very different presentation and experience.
I love both cans (along with my ES10 too)

Apart from these, there isn't really much difference between the two.

Conclusion:
Personally, I'm using the ESW11LTD on the go and A900XLTD at home.
I have the ES10 too, but the titanium cups just scratch too easily, so I keep them at home.

All three sound good without an amp, but benefit greatly with one.

On the go, I just go direct from my phone.
But at home or in school, I drive my cans through my Fostex HP-A4.

I have the ALO Continental V3 too, but it's on RMA.

Hmm this will be interesting to audition. I would suspect the esw11ltds to have more full bodied bass (because they are closed). I'm looking forward to hearing your combo next week!

 

[Jon-LF]

Wait, the 900s are closed cans. Very sweet.

 

[mikroski]

I have W1000 and ESW11LTD, I prefer EWS11LTD to W1000 in most area except sound stage.
 
Yesterday, I had audited Woo WA7 with ESW11LTD for three hours. WA7 is a very nice little amp, and it make ESW11LTD step into further level in every areas. Sound stage is very good now. Bass tighter, Sparkle in high, vocal separate from the rest of the band very clear (very like the feeling when listen to two channels system).
 
WA7 is very well match with ESW11LTD. After audited, I bought one yesterday

 

 
 
Can't wait for my W5000, ordered last week, just receipt only confirm payment email

 

[Maxx134]

...however I have a/b them with all of my phones and i have do say i don't agree that they are in the same league as the Ed8 or really any of my full sized.  

Looks like I will have to retract my initial opinions. .
As I now own my own ed8, BUT,
with the "Whiplash" $300plus cable upgrade(!)
which now makes it sound different than the one I herd at the store....
It sounds better (!) Than the store model. .

Compared to my modded esw11,
My ed8 now does have bigger and more detailed sound which to me is a total shock as I didn't believe in cable upgrades making a can better..
The presentation has an almost ideal soundstage and brighter overall mids with a nice treble. ..
I knew it had larger soundstage but that was all until now. .



I also attained a Mikros90 which has amazing details and trebles..
These and my esw10 are now my "Fantastic 4"
They are keepers.

To me the esw11 still has the most musical mids but the ed8 are more realistic in soundstage to me..
The es8 have a quality like the Sony7520 where the bass is just satisfying without being overdone. The ed8 also have brighter mids like an es700 or es10.

The esw11 strikes a fine line of being thicker or chocolaty to me, in comparison.
Otherwise once "brain burn" occurs, then they sound perfect again.
The bass is just a slight less authoritive than the sony7520 or ed8, but very close.
Edit:
I would like to note that the stock demo ed8 did not beat the esw11 with the larger authoritive bass that my currrent pair has and I don't know why the ddifference as I used same source so I must attribute it to the cable or their unit was new.
I would say its like a 5db increase so its noticeable enough to surpass the esw11 which to me was a surprise as previously just my sony7520(larger bass) and vmoda100 (heavier bass) had more..


Brain burn effect is easiest to adjust to the esw11 & ed8 ...
All my other cans are good but not as balanced as those two, so since you notice something is off, the brain burn takes longer before you feel its normal.

...
Edition8's 40mm driver cannot sound better than 53mm driver that is tuned by a manufacturer of good reputation. It is just not possible. ...
Generally speaking, the bigger the driver the better the tonality and the sound it makes...

I too thought this also but real world has too many variables. .
Look at the Mikros90 is 35mm and sounds great while there are quite a few Sony cans with over 50mm drivers,
And only a few like the 7520 are worthy. .

Bigger driver absolutely doesn't always mean has better sound. Well, if that's true then we just need to buy Sony headphone (also a manufacture with good reputation)

correct. . Too bad we have to learn the hard way,
Thru our wallets! Lol !

 

[Hiyono]

Time for esw11ltd to get a cable change too? And see what happens

 

[Maxx134]

Yes I believe now it can improve.
I wasn't a believer in recabling until now.

and correction,
the main difference between these two top portables, for me ,
Namely the ed8 and wsw11,
is not really that the ed8 has a more "realistic" soundstage,
But a more "palpable" or noticeable soundstage.
Which places easier separation between instruments and placemant..

The rest of the sonic differences between the two (ed8 & esw11) are more of "flavor" or "preference"..

To me they both enter a level of sonic refinement above all others, but its true the ed8 has the edge on details with the brighter signature and "air"...

While esw11 has edge on smoothness And a specifically nice woody romantic mids sound.
IT IS the Master of trebles without sibilance..

Recabled, the ed8 surpasses with larger bass,
Which is rather shocking,
but I wonder now about recabling my esw11..

Fortunately I do have a set of good wire,
I will try my BTG Audio 8 Strand SPC cable

 

[mikroski]

Would like to know what amp that 11LTDer use?
 
I audit mine with couple amps and it sound best with Woo WA7. Sound stage is very good, bass tighter and I think that most of owner here love the vocal sound from 11LTD. With WA7 the vocal is even better.

 

[Maxx134]

I use the portable tube amp called Continental V2.

I also have a less tuby tube amp coming in the mail..
The small "schiit vali " which is said to work well even with the senn hd800..

I like tube hybrid designs as the tube is only for the preamp stage so amplification is left to solid state for better headphone "impedance" matching. .

Most is not all headphones can scale up when amped,
But the better it is the better it will scale

 

[cky8]

Don't we have transformer coupled tube amplifiers for that purpose?
 
Either way, when you have finalized your esw11 mod I would love to have a listen 

 

[Jon-LF]

Look is what I got up to over the weekend?