[AppleheadMay]

Yep, I 'm waiting a bit to see what they will cost here in Europe first because importing them myself isn't all that cheap either.
 
And I want to experiment with the two D7000s and different cups with or without padding while A/B-ing everything. 
I am still waiting for 1 pair of cups to come in before I can do so. I'm afraid if I get the TH900 first I won't enjoy the experimineting much anymore. And the wait may make it worthwhile. 
 
My second pair of cups were ready but they shrank, so Martin is going to make new ones but in a different size and shape. These are already a bit bigger than the original ones.
 
Here's a pic of the cups that shrank, such a shame!
 
 

 

[TheOtus]

Must be fine wood, but the contrast between the tones is way too strong for my tastes and the grain isn't particularly beautiful to my eyes.

 

[ZenErik]

I hear more sibilance in the W3000ANV than the W5000, as I have mentioned in this thread. The W3000ANV is darker overall but something about it causes the sibilance to bother me slightly more with it. I still love the W3000ANV and will purchase one again. My new DAC will be here on Tuesday. That may or may not help.

For what it is worth, I am 24 and have been a drummer since 2nd grade. I did not wear hearing protection for drum set until I was at least 14 or so. And I never wore hearing protection for drum corps, percussion ensemble, or anything else school related. That certainly affects how I hear things.

 

[TheOtus]

I'm getting a DDC myself soon, interested to hear if it does something audible. = )

 

[shimmer n roar]

Quote:

I never said otherwise. But I would have benefited from a few more notes of caution when I was reading the thread, and so provide one for others who may be considering the purchase.

you can't caution someone against something that you're not aware of.

that's where headphone frequency response measurements might help.

 

[radioplay]

Quote:

you can't caution someone against something that you're not aware of.

that's where headphone frequency response measurements might help.

Frequency response graphs are helpful if you have a flat hearing response, spend your time listening to nothing but tone sweeps, and have ear canals shaped like those of the test dummy. Otherwise, not so much.  
 
Psychoacoustics is far too complex to be reduced to an FR measurement. You just have to listen to the darn things. Barring that, I think a lot of people take a probabilistic approach to impressions on forums like this: If many more people like a phone than dislike it, prospective buyers are more likely to try it. The reverse is also true. That's why it's helpful, as AppleheadMay pointed out, to have as many impressions as possible. A larger sample size may not guarantee anything about how YOUR absolutely unique ears and brain are going to mesh with a particular phone (to say nothing of an entire rig), but it gives you a better idea of what the possibilities might be.

 

[uelover]

The D7000 doesn't make the cut for me and I sold it away shortly after I got it. The w3000 is just so much better to my ears.

 

[shimmer n roar]

Quote:

Frequency response graphs are helpful if you have a flat hearing response, spend your time listening to nothing but tone sweeps, and have ear canals shaped like those of the test dummy. Otherwise, not so much.  
 
Psychoacoustics is far too complex to be reduced to an FR measurement. You just have to listen to the darn things. Barring that, I think a lot of people take a probabilistic approach to impressions on forums like this: If many more people like a phone than dislike it, prospective buyers are more likely to try it. The reverse is also true. That's why it's helpful, as AppleheadMay pointed out, to have as many impressions as possible. A larger sample size may not guarantee anything about how YOUR absolutely unique ears and brain are going to mesh with a particular phone (to say nothing of an entire rig), but it gives you a better idea of what the possibilities might be.

there are head-fi'ers who find headphone measurements more reliable as predictors for how a headphone might sound than the listening impressions of other head-fi'ers, and i'll leave it to them to respond to your assertion.

 
 
there's no shortage of diverse impressions in the forum threads. if you visit the hd700 thread you will see that the opinions coming through are generally unfavourable. that thread could do with some more positive impressions to redress the imbalance.

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

Quote:

Frequency response graphs are helpful if you have a flat hearing response, spend your time listening to nothing but tone sweeps, and have ear canals shaped like those of the test dummy. Otherwise, not so much.

I think FR graphs are useful for anybody, if looked at in proper context! I wish I would have checked those on the Headroom site for example before I bought my T1s (elsewhere), they would have told me very clearly that it would never work out (for me)
 
Conversely, looking for an alternative, finally the FR graphs in various places lead me to some headphones by some small american company, looking like something somebody made in their wood-paneled basement in the 70's, but my LCDs have been from the get-go and still are my favourite headphones.
 
FR graphs don't tell everything, but if looked at and compared properly, esp. combined with other graphs (like Tyll's) they paint a pretty clear aural picture that is -very- useful to us who don't have access to the actual physical product, at a meet or otherwise.
 
The final arbiter remains a proper listening test, but up to that point the graphs are a big help to narrow it down.

 

[customcoco]

Quote:

DX1000 for example I had back then. 

 
Have you ever compared the dx1000 to the w3000anv?

 

[dallan]

Quote:

 
Have you ever compared the dx1000 to the w3000anv?

That's a comparison i want to hear.

 

[Skylab]

Well, I did compare them, and the two are very different, to be sure. The DX-1000 is mellower, has a less extended top end, and notably more bass weight. Both have a somewhat unique midrange. I like both, and the DX-1000 was my favorite Japanese woody for a long time, but after having the W3000ANV for a while, I sold the DX-1000.

 

[AppleheadMay]

No, I haven't.
I did compare the DX-1000 to the D7000 back then.
From memory all I can tell is that I was in love with the DX-1000 from the first minute I listened to them, so much I thought the D7000 didn't sound good anymore. But when I started to get used to them and did some more serious listening they started to sound somehow wrong and artificial to me and I again appreciated the more clear and true (in comparison) D7000s again. I really can't go into more detail as this is from memory and I only kept them a few months.
In any case I'd say the DX-1000 would be very different from the W3000ANV indeed.

 

[dallan]

Quote:

Well, I did compare them, and the two are very different, to be sure. The DX-1000 is mellower, has a less extended top end, and notably more bass weight. Both have a somewhat unique midrange. I like both, and the DX-1000 was my favorite Japanese woody for a long time, but after having the W3000ANV for a while, I sold the DX-1000.

Wow! Never thought you would sell the DX1000, that really says something!  I have been going back and forth looking at the TH900 and these W3000anv.  Big price difference would make the AT's better for me but in the end, a year later, i would rather have the sound right.  On the fence at this time.

 

[radioplay]

Quote:

there are head-fi'ers who find headphone measurements more reliable as predictors for how a headphone might sound than the listening impressions of other head-fi'ers, and i'll leave it to them to respond to your assertion.

 
there's no shortage of diverse impressions in the forum threads. if you visit the hd700 thread you will see that the opinions coming through are generally unfavourable. that thread could do with some more positive impressions to redress the imbalance.

 
Oh, I'm sure FR graphs are more informative than any number of impression posts (especially of the "omg these cans rule!!!" variety), but for the most part FR graphs aren't good for much besides getting a rough idea of the tonal balance and identifying technical deficiencies. You'll have to go elsewhere to find out about soundstage, separation, detail retrieval, weight, texture and grain, PRaT, etc., to say nothing of comfort and ergonomics.  And when you listen to music instead of sine waves, those things are all very important.
 
In the case of the W3000, even purrin says somewhere in this thread (if I recall correctly) that the frequency response is hard to measure and doesn't account for the way the thing actually sounds.
 
I'm not sure why you bring up the HD 700. My point isn't that there should be some artificially rigged "balance" of appreciative and critical opinions, it's that a larger sample size is generally more informative than a smaller one. If all the opinions are negative that's also jolly good because it might save people time and money. In any event I haven't heard the HD 700 and I'm not going to drop yet another $1K just to be Sennheiser's unpaid apologist.
 
I bought the W3000 largely on the basis of this thread, and I sincerely wanted to like it (though, following the "trust but verify" rule, I made sure I could return it). It didn't work $1K wonders for me, so I'm returning it and making note of the reason why for the benefit of anybody who might be in the same position I was.