[Skylab]

I'm looking forward to finally hearing the big Fostex at the upcoming head-Fi Chicago meet, and comparing to my W3000ANV.

 

[orkney]

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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.

 
Seems perfectly reasonable. There is no "headphone for all seasons," and a range of views, especially well-argued ones, are surely a good thing for any community of enthusiasts. I find the D7000s annoyingly recessed through the midrange; others praise them for their "velvet" mids. I find the W3000s to be about the most satisfying of the many phones I have owned over the years; radioplay (and others) have decided differently. So it goes. I have no doubt the 009s will continue to call you -- good luck!
 
o

 

[MacedonianHero]

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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.

 
Do you like the D7000s? Based on many ears I trust they are very similar (not surprisingly they're both built by Fostex). But like the D7000s, they (TH900s) leak/isolate as poorly as the Denons. Surprisingly the W3000ANVs are as good as the Ed.8s in that regard. Oh and they (W3000ANVs) sound incredible.
 
I'm hoping to get downtown soon and listen to the new flagship Fostex headphones. Would have tomorrow (have the day off work), but my 4 year old just came down with a fever last night...so playing superheros inside with him for the day will have to suffice.

 

[dallan]

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Do you like the D7000s? Based on many ears I trust they are very similar (not surprisingly they're both built by Fostex).

Sadly, i never really paid attention to Denons in the meets.

 

[MacedonianHero]

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Sadly, i never really paid attention to Denons in the meets.

Think "U".

 
But funny enough a U that sounded pretty good.

 

[shimmer n roar]

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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.

 
as i said, you might find headphone measurements helpful if you are looking for a more objective depiction of a headphone's performance than other people's opinions. neither are a substitute for your own listening experience.

 
the reference to the hd700 thread was to offer you a contrast to the overwhelmingly positive impressions contained in this thread, that misled you into buying a headphone that you didn't like.

 

[purrin]

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as i said, you might find headphone measurements helpful if you are looking for a more objective depiction of a headphone's performance than other people's opinions. neither are a substitute for your own listening experience.

 
the reference to the hd700 thread was to offer you a contrast to the overwhelmingly positive impressions contained in this thread, that misled you into buying a headphone that you didn't like.

 
Frequency response graphs, opinions of people, etc: I've observed that it's all not going to matter if someone is set on getting something. The wierdness or "charm" of the upper-mids/lower treble of the W3000s was disclosed and acknowledged by practically all owners very early on in this thread. Various FR graphs from numerous sources also confirmed these subjective observations.

 

[radioplay]

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Frequency response graphs, opinions of people, etc: I've observed that it's all not going to matter if someone is set on getting something. The wierdness or "charm" of the upper-mids/lower treble of the W3000s were disclosed and acknowledged by practically all owners very early on in this thread. Various FR graphs from numerous sources also confirmed these subjective observations.

Well, it was certainly disclosed, but made out to be something pleasant and musical... until, that is, a few tentative notes of doubt were raised (by Muppetface and ZenErik, to name two), which I (admittedly) discounted as outlier opinions. I'm just adding my voice to the mix to suggest that perhaps they weren't such outlier opinions after all.
 
I gave it another listen this evening, just to be sure, and confirmed that it's more weird than nice for my tastes--at one point it made a male falsetto actually sound like a woman. It also has one of the most annoying cables I've ever encountered--stiff and tangle-prone.

 

[shimmer n roar]

but i do find the unique coloration of this headphone pleasing. should i have told you that you might not?

 

[shimmer n roar]

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Frequency response graphs, opinions of people, etc: I've observed that it's all not going to matter if someone is set on getting something. The wierdness or "charm" of the upper-mids/lower treble of the W3000s was disclosed and acknowledged by practically all owners very early on in this thread. Various FR graphs from numerous sources also confirmed these subjective observations.

x2.

 

[radioplay]

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but i do find the unique coloration of this headphone pleasing. should i have told you that you might not?

only if you like drawing imaginary implications.

 

[shimmer n roar]

whatever. at worst you've experienced buyers remorse with a refund pending.

 

[Skylab]

 The wierdness or "charm" of the upper-mids/lower treble of the W3000s was disclosed and acknowledged by practically all owners very early on in this thread. Various FR graphs from numerous sources also confirmed these subjective observations.

Right, and anytime we are talking about colorations, some people will like it, some people will love it, some people will think it's just OK, and some will hate it. This has happened with every headphone on earth. That's why there are a lot of different sounding headphones

 

[Mudshark]

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The problem is that for example for me, the treble is pretty much perfect. I can't warn anyone that it's going to be harsh. = /

 
x2 Roger that!  I am hearing sweet, clear and realistic treble on the W3000ANV.  If the W3000ANV sounds harsh in the treble, it could be down to insufficient break-in (mine required @ 50 hours+/-).  If the treble is still harsh after break-in, IMO it's time to check the downstream gear.

 

[wind016]

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so the w3000anv is still doing it for you? is there anything you miss about the Stax 02mk1?

 
Yes, I don't really see myself buying another headphone or amp any time in the near future. I'm pretty set with it. Maybe a darker sounding DAC would be nice though. I do miss the Stax airiness and non-fatiguing nature, but I don't listen too long anymore.