[Ridleyguy]

I don't find that the AT-HA5000ANV pairs well with my W1000X, and so my W1000Xs are going.  The W1000X sounds a LOT smoother out of my RWA Isabellina HPA (original version).  The brightness of the AT-HA5000 doesn't work, IMO, with the W1000X, and it sounds rougher to me.  I would love to hear others' opinions on this, as likely the AT-HA5000 standard version is the same or close to the same as the ANV edition.
 
I listen to mostly classical/acoustic music, but if I didn't, I would likely go with another amp.  I haven't spent much time with my LCD-2s v1. on this amp., so that will be my next test. 

 

[MuppetFace]

 
Quote:

I don't find that the AT-HA5000ANV pairs well with my W1000X, and so my W1000Xs are going.  The W1000X sounds a LOT smoother out of my RWA Isabellina HPA (original version).  The brightness of the AT-HA5000 doesn't work, IMO, with the W1000X, and it sounds rougher to me.  I would love to hear others' opinions on this, as likely the AT-HA5000 standard version is the same or close to the same as the ANV edition.
 
I listen to mostly classical/acoustic music, but if I didn't, I would likely go with another amp.  I haven't spent much time with my LCD-2s v1. on this amp., so that will be my next test. 

Would you mind giving some more impressions of the HA5000ANV paired with the W3000ANV?

 

[MuppetFace]

I went ahead and canceled my order for the HA5000ANV with PriceJapan. Having to wait gave me time to reconsider, and when I thought about it, spending that much on an HA5000--no matter how attractive and special it may be--just didn't seem sensible to me at this point. Especially when I enjoy these so much with the Zana Deux.
 
I'll most likely be putting the money that would have gone to the HA5000ANV into a DAC and a down payment on the DNA Stratus.

 

[DefQon]

This is on sale by few hours of use by a user who didn't like them as he didn't find the sound right for him, currently its going for $1250 on ebay, is it worth its price?

 

[TheOtus]

Quote:

I don't find that the AT-HA5000ANV pairs well with my W1000X, and so my W1000Xs are going.  The W1000X sounds a LOT smoother out of my RWA Isabellina HPA (original version).  The brightness of the AT-HA5000 doesn't work, IMO, with the W1000X, and it sounds rougher to me.  I would love to hear others' opinions on this, as likely the AT-HA5000 standard version is the same or close to the same as the ANV edition.
 
I listen to mostly classical/acoustic music, but if I didn't, I would likely go with another amp.  I haven't spent much time with my LCD-2s v1. on this amp., so that will be my next test. 

Well that doesn't sound good... I got the impression that ATH-W1000X sounds almost veiled compared to ATH-W3000ANV, so I can't see the ATH-HA5000ANV working with that either? o__o
 
Someone could really give me an advice about a warm and detailed low-gain amp...

 

[MuppetFace]

 
Quote:

This is on sale by few hours of use by a user who didn't like them as he didn't find the sound right for him, currently its going for $1250 on ebay, is it worth its price?

If it's legit, then that's a pretty good price. These are pretty much sold out now, with the very last quantity remaining being sold for a little over $1500. Soon you wont even be able to find these.

 

[kenvisor]

Quote:

I went ahead and canceled my order for the HA5000ANV with PriceJapan. Having to wait gave me time to reconsider, and when I thought about it, spending that much on an HA5000--no matter how attractive and special it may be--just didn't seem sensible to me at this point. Especially when I enjoy these so much with the Zana Deux.
 
I'll most likely be putting the money that would have gone to the HA5000ANV into a DAC and a down payment on the DNA Stratus.

 
Thats my line of tought, id rather pay extra 400 for a liquid fire, but i would still justify getting one for an AT fan.
some one in bbs.erji.com showed an internal comparison of HA5000 and ANV, and they are about the same，
Just the sparkles of the amp dazzling your eyes, very important to AT fans...!

 

[MuppetFace]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Well that doesn't sound good... I got the impression that ATH-W1000X sounds almost veiled compared to ATH-W3000ANV, so I can't see the ATH-HA5000ANV working with that either? o__o
 
Someone could really give me an advice about a warm and detailed low-gain amp...

What little has been said about the HA5000ANV doesn't seem particularly favorable, though it could be that people haven't had a chance to "burn" theirs in yet. Why not look for impressions on the regular HA5000 +W1000X? Pretty much the same amp.
 
As for alternatives, I think there's been a lot of positive feedback on the Zana Deux SE paired with ATs. It has an impedance switch as well. I also maintain the SPL Auditor and Phonitor is a good choice.
 
Also maybe you should look into the Luxman P-200 or P1u? Those are certainly warm and detailed.

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

 
Quote:

Quote:

Well that doesn't sound good... I got the impression that ATH-W1000X sounds almost veiled compared to ATH-W3000ANV, so I can't see the ATH-HA5000ANV working with that either? o__o
 
Someone could really give me an advice about a warm and detailed low-gain amp...

What little has been said about the HA5000ANV doesn't seem particularly favorable, though it could be that people haven't had a chance to "burn" theirs in yet. Why not look for impressions on the regular HA5000 +W1000X? Pretty much the same amp.
 
As for alternatives, I think there's been a lot of positive feedback on the Zana Deux SE paired with ATs. It has an impedance switch as well. I also maintain the SPL Auditor and Phonitor is a good choice.
 
Also maybe you should look into the Luxman P-200 or P1u? Those are certainly warm and detailed.

I wouldn't bother with the P-200 personally. The P1/P1u is slightly colored, but I wouldn't call either of them "warm" by any means.
 
Considering it's easy to pick up a HA-5000 possibly for US$1k all up I don't see why the limited edition version would be worth bothering with, especially since it was only designed to be used with ATs.

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

I went ahead and canceled my order for the HA5000ANV with PriceJapan. Having to wait gave me time to reconsider, and when I thought about it, spending that much on an HA5000--no matter how attractive and special it may be--just didn't seem sensible to me at this point. Especially when I enjoy these so much with the Zana Deux.
 
I'll most likely be putting the money that would have gone to the HA5000ANV into a DAC and a down payment on the DNA Stratus.

Yea, the HA5000ANV looks like it's made to match (externally), but you can get so many other near top-of-the-heap amplifiers for nearly the same price. I was thinking that I could upgrade my Stax SRM-323s to an older Blue Hawaii instead. Right now, the Zana Deux SE is looking more reasonable, but I'm not in a rush to get it. I'll probably wait to give it as a gift to myself after tax season if I can't find a used one by then.
 

 

[MuppetFace]

 
Quote:

I wouldn't bother with the P-200 personally. The P1/P1u is slightly colored, but I wouldn't call either of them "warm" by any means.
 
Considering it's easy to pick up a HA-5000 possibly for US$1k all up I don't see why the limited edition version would be worth bothering with, especially since it was only designed to be used with ATs.

In all fairness, the HA5000 may be designed to pair with ATs, but there have been positive impressions of it coupled with other brands of headphones. I found it to be comparable to other amps in the $1,000 to $1,500 price range. I fully agree that at double the price the Anniversary version is hard to justify though. I think other amps in the $3,000 range would best it hands down.
 
As for the Luxman, perhaps "warm" isn't the best term, but I find it to have a liquid or "wet" sound for a solid state amp. I think it's more stereotypically tube-like than the Zana Deux, which sounds about as solid state as a tube amp gets. Out of curiosity, why would you suggest not bothering with the P-200? I've never listened to one.

 

[kenshin27]

Eesh, all this talk about high end amps is making me & my pair feel inadequate. ;-p
 
Anyway, posting a few more shots of the headphone itself (and friends). Unfortunately I don't own a light tent so forgive the annoying reflections. The wood being so dark making it even worse. =\
 


 
Still very much enjoying mine. But I've always been a fan of a more lively sound w/mid-treble emphasis anyway. =)
 

 

[MuppetFace]

Thanks for the lovely shots, kenshin! It looks like the cable above the Y splitter is similar to mine, mostly straightened out but still a little twisty due to the way these were packaged.
 
For some reason, the W1000X has always reminded me of tomato soup. It's the color of the finish on the wood.

 

[Moghedian]

Quote:

This is on sale by few hours of use by a user who didn't like them as he didn't find the sound right for him, currently its going for $1250 on ebay, is it worth its price?

 
That user is actually me and they have in fact only been used a few hours. As I stated earlier in this thread they sit uncomfortably on my ears so I havn't even had a chance to test the sound or burn them in because I simply couldn't stand the discomfort, after about 15 minutes I kept adjusting them up off my ears only to have them promptly fall back down. The lack of adjustability means short of permanently modding them there isn't much I can do about it. I have a fairly large head so that might be the source of the problem but I'm a little surprised considering my trusty old ATH-AD700s are the most comfortable headphone I have ever owned.

 

[wind016]

OK, so I'm selling my Stax rig now on the FS forum. I also just made a deal on a Zana Deux SE but I need to pay the rest soon. If it all works out, I think I might have reached my end of the road setup for Head-fi.
 
Quote:

 
That user is actually me and they have in fact only been used a few hours. As I stated earlier in this thread they sit uncomfortably on my ears so I havn't even had a chance to test the sound or burn them in because I simply couldn't stand the discomfort, after about 15 minutes I kept adjusting them up off my ears only to have them promptly fall back down. The lack of adjustability means short of permanently modding them there isn't much I can do about it. I have a fairly large head so that might be the source of the problem but I'm a little surprised considering my trusty old ATH-AD700s are the most comfortable headphone I have ever owned.

Bending the wires were no good?