[ZenErik]

Finally got my HA5000.
 
I want to get a DAC with volume control eventually. I've always disliked that I can only turn up my headphone amp to around 8 o'clock max with the DACs I've tried. I feel like it doesn't give me enough room to play around with the actual amp volume.
 
Anyway, currently listening with the W5000, and it sounds so much better than through my iPhone headphone jack. Not too surprised there. Will give the W3000ANV later. And then the AD2000. So far I don't really hear a lack of bass with the W5000 at all, but the music I am listening to really doesn't require much sub bass anyway. As long as the mid bass is there.

 

[TheOtus]

Finally got my HA5000.
 
I want to get a DAC with volume control eventually. I've always disliked that I can only turn up my headphone amp to around 8 o'clock max with the DACs I've tried. I feel like it doesn't give me enough room to play around with the actual amp volume.
 
Anyway, currently listening with the W5000, and it sounds so much better than through my iPhone headphone jack. Not too surprised there. Will give the W3000ANV later. And then the AD2000. So far I don't really hear a lack of bass with the W5000 at all, but the music I am listening to really doesn't require much sub bass anyway. As long as the mid bass is there.

 
Heh, you do share my exact problem with the volume adjust... =D I just don't know if there are any DAC's with analog volume control. Well, I don't know everything about the conversion itself, could that be adjusted somehow? But if the volume adjust is done before the conversion, it's as good as it was done before the whole DAC.
 
But congratulations on the ATH-HA5000! Definitely an interesting amp.

 

[pyramid6]

I use the WDS-1, it has volume control.  I believe the volume adjustment is on the voltage sent to the DAC chip, not anything done after the conversion.  In theory, you should get the full dynamic range.  It allows me to use more range of the amp.  This is especially nice on the WA22 which has a stepped attenuator.

 

[shimmer n roar]

Quote:

Finally got my HA5000.
 
I want to get a DAC with volume control eventually. I've always disliked that I can only turn up my headphone amp to around 8 o'clock max with the DACs I've tried. I feel like it doesn't give me enough room to play around with the actual amp volume.
 
Anyway, currently listening with the W5000, and it sounds so much better than through my iPhone headphone jack. Not too surprised there. Will give the W3000ANV later. And then the AD2000. So far I don't really hear a lack of bass with the W5000 at all, but the music I am listening to really doesn't require much sub bass anyway. As long as the mid bass is there.

that's what surprised me about the w5000. i expected it to have less bass weight than the w3000anv but it sounded about the same. the w5000 has the most precise bass that i've heard from a headphone.  

 

[ZenErik]

Hmm. I don't know if the bass is about the same. I haven't compared directly. But the W3000ANV may have a bigger mid bass bump. I want to spend more time listening before I come to any real conclusions on what I'm hearing. I did notice the presence of sibilance go up when I finally decided to listen with the W3000ANV. Nothing too terrible though.

Sub bass isn't a major concern when listening to stuff like "PonPonPon".

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzC4hFK5P3g&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/VIDEO]

 

[Mudshark]

After reading through this thread, I just ordered a pair from BeachCamera.com using the "BeachGimme25" promo code for $25 off the $999 price.
 
BeachCamera.com offers a 45-day return policy and appears to have only a handful of pairs left, so I figured I would check these cans out before they are gone.  Worst case, I can ship them back and all I am out is the return shipping.  Seems more than fair for the chance to try them in-home for 45 days!  (Now here's hoping my CI Audio VHP-2 amp with VAC-1 PSU is up to the task of driving them!)
 
Thanks to all who posted here; the information was invaluable in making the purchase decision!

 

[MLee]

I did the same thing - ordered them yesterday based on reading most of this thread. Hoping to catch the Fedex guy during lunch as they need a signature.........

 

[ZenErik]

They are great headphones. My pair may or may not be for sale in a few weeks. I have the AD2000, W3000ANV, and W5000 but only plan on keeping two of the three. Something has got to go, but it could take a while to decide which. 

 They're all lovely.

 

[TheOtus]

I have not noticed that ATH-W3000ANV would get sibilant easily, but then I don't have much stuff of that kind anyway. But still I've heard much worse sibilance on other gear.

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

Quote:

I have not noticed that ATH-W3000ANV would get sibilant easily, but then I don't have much stuff of that kind anyway. But still I've heard much worse sibilance on other gear.

My W5000 had a touch of sibilance, esp. with female vocals which was why I set out to try other increasingly expensive headphones, and I found the W3000 to have the perfect balance of the AT "house sound" without that little sibilance tip... I'm surprised if anybody would consider it to be the other way round, but maybe there are some amps that have a stronger influence on that.
 
As far as bass goes, the W5000 is holding up OK to a certain frequency, but lower it's going away pretty fast. Depending on the music, you may never get to that point, so they work out great. The W3000 extends that further, covering more (almost all) ground. But only with one of the LCDs do you realize how much you may be missing in this particular area (depending again on the music...)
 
As for worse sibilance, my personal worst was the Beyer T1, no matter what amp I used it with, after a couple of months and hundreds of hours of burn-in of the 'phones or my brain, I could just not get over how freaking bright and sibilant they can be, which is very frustrating considering how great they are at everything else... and there seem to be even brighter ones as per these forums... I can't even imagine.

 

[ZenErik]

Quote:

Quote:
My W5000 had a touch of sibilance, esp. with female vocals which was why I set out to try other increasingly expensive headphones, and I found the W3000 to have the perfect balance of the AT "house sound" without that little sibilance tip... I'm surprised if anybody would consider it to be the other way round, but maybe there are some amps that have a stronger influence on that.
 
As far as bass goes, the W5000 is holding up OK to a certain frequency, but lower it's going away pretty fast. Depending on the music, you may never get to that point, so they work out great. The W3000 extends that further, covering more (almost all) ground. But only with one of the LCDs do you realize how much you may be missing in this particular area (depending again on the music...)
 
As for worse sibilance, my personal worst was the Beyer T1, no matter what amp I used it with, after a couple of months and hundreds of hours of burn-in of the 'phones or my brain, I could just not get over how freaking bright and sibilant they can be, which is very frustrating considering how great they are at everything else... and there seem to be even brighter ones as per these forums... I can't even imagine.

That's just what I think I heard last night on my first session with the HA5000, but I did not directly compare the W5000 to the W3000ANV.
 
And I agree on the T1. The treble spike on the T1 is unbearable for my ears. Definitely accentuates sibilance and makes a lot of cymbals sound really brittle and too sizzly.

 

[musicday]

Can somebody please help me? I need real advice on replacing the ATH-W3000ANV cable.There is nothing wrong with it, i've been listening with them for 120 h and they sound so much better now.I don't like the 3 m long cable , and i will be much happy with a shorter one, 1,5m is what i want.
Shall i do it myself, cut the cable or find an authorized AT,there are any in London?
Many thanks,Musicday

 

[TheOtus]

Oh my god... Listening to Smokie's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". I've heard this song many many times and this is the first time I might be hearing everything. First time with these phones and I just spotted a whole new guitar riff I've never noticed before!! = ) Also, as usual, the balance between everything is just fantastic for my ears.
 
But guys, tell me if I should get a DDC or an amp to upgrade? I have something in my mind concerning the DDC, and it's a lot more affordable than an amp. Yamamoto HA-02 would be an interesting device to try, but I'm not willing to sacrifice any of the lows and highs. Luxman's amps seem nice, but those are not cheap. Blossom's balanced amps are interesting too. One might notice that all of these are japanese ones, and that's just because they happen to interest me and my experiences of Japan made products are all positive. Perhaps I'm also looking for something "special" because they are not exactly common devices.
 
Considering that my current setup is on a whole different level than my previous Musical Fidelity M1 DAC and amp, I don't think I'm going to get an improvement by getting a budget amp. = /
 
 

Can somebody please help me? I need real advice on replacing the ATH-W3000ANV cable.There is nothing wrong with it, i've been listening with them for 120 h and they sound so much better now.I don't like the 3 m long cable , and i will be much happy with a shorter one, 1,5m is what i want.
Shall i do it myself, cut the cable or find an authorized AT,there are any in London?
Many thanks,Musicday

 
Personally I would solder off the old cable from the start and do a completely new one. I'm actually planning to try that on my other Audio-Technica's. That way you could preserve the original cable. Of course you can hire someone else to do it, but authorized dealers aren't going to help you I think. = )

 

[musicday]

Thank you for telling me all this.So you say that i should solder the cable off and replace it with a new one? Where can i find a step by step guide how to do it.What cables will be better? And will they improve/change the sound?
I like this original cable, but i wish it was shorter, 1.5 M.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Quote:

I have not noticed that ATH-W3000ANV would get sibilant easily, but then I don't have much stuff of that kind anyway. But still I've heard much worse sibilance on other gear.

Agree with you. IMO the W3000 isn't sibilant at all though it does have brightness, but I would call it enough brightness to not sound dull or too rolled off in the treble. That said, I like a crisp and clean sound which means I need ample extension in the highs.
Quote:

Sorry, I'm not seeing your W5000 is more accurate (or even just a "little" brighter). They were substantially more coloured (and thinner) and didn't perform very well the several times I've heard them. YMMV of course. Actually they were the headphones that really kept me away from trying W3000ANVs for several months.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHW5000.pdf
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=123
 
Not the best measuring headphones either. But I've heard the AT amp can really make them sound better. That combination I haven't heard. That said, the W3000ANVs have allowed me to sell my Ed.8LE headphones and I've very happily settled down with them as my closed headphone option.

Indeed, the AT amps (among some other amps I have owned) make just about any AT sound better and some amps cause hum with them as they are so damn sensitive.
The W5000 is a good phone IMO but when it comes to ATs I like the W3000 and L3000 better. If I want some of the sound qualities of the W5000 I can get that in a better way from a D7000.
Quote:

I think the problem boils down to language and what we mean by "hazy." If one means it in the sense of resolution, then no, I don't think the W3000ANV lacks resolution compared to the W5000. I tend to take hazy to refer to coloration generally however, and the W3000ANV is hazier to me in the sense that the mids are thicker than the W5000's and have a certain more seductive and smokier quality compared to the more airy and brittle W5000.
 
Like I said in the TH900 thread, language is a very imprecise tool for describing sound. Frequency graphs wont help either unless we agree on the terms we're using to describe what we see.

 
Quote:

both the w3000anv and the w5000 are very detailed phones. the w5000 examines them using a harsher light than the w3000anv does. yes, language can get us into quite a pickle.

Indeed, language. As I am not native English myself it's sometimes hard to describe things to native English speakers for me. I see MF often does her best to correct peoples descriptions (without correcting the people themselves) to make it more understandable for others which might be due to her being a language teacher if I remember correctly.
But always has her correct wording of headphone traits (as well as experience with phones of course), perks and qualities led me to purchases I never regretted. Even if I have sold some of those I have enjoyed trying them and getting to know the phones.