Not Enjoying My ESW9s Anymore! What to Do?

[Szadzik]

Head-Fiers,
 
I have had my ESW9s for 5 months now and had really liked them; before I got my Sennheiser MX980 earbuds. The earbuds provide clear and analytical/ natural/ not coloured sound with much less warmth than the ATs. 
 
I really love the ATs for their portability, good enough cable, comfort and the looks. But since HPs are all about sound and not the looks I need something that will suit my needs better.
 
I now prefer the Senns due o their neutrality and do not enjoy my ESW9s as much as I would like to. 
 
My question is:
 
What do I do to get a more analytical/ neutral/ less coloured sound? I also want the soud to be full/ rich and detailed at least as good in these departments as the ATs..
 
Three routes I have thought about are: 
 
1. Using EQ on my Walkman. Probably will never get what I really want.
 
2. Getting a portable amp that will make the ATs a bit less coloured and more analytical. If I decide to do that, what amp should I get? My budget is 200GBP
 
3. Get a different pair of headphones that I will like more. If I decide to go this route, what HP should I get instead of my ATs? Budget 200GBP and they need to be at least portable as ESW9s.I thought about Senn HD25 1-II maybe?
 
 
TIA all and I hope you can help me out here.
Szadzik

 

[Ypoknons]

I know my ESW10JPN are still better than my OMX980 

 It still has better bass punch, at least. I don't know how much better, to be honest. But the OMX980 is really nice, it really is. I'm still thinking about the Senn's upper midrange, which is a more accurate rendition of trumpets? hmmm... 

 

[Szadzik]

Yah, ESW10JPN are great HPs, I am not certani though, if they will not get me the AT home sound which is a bit too warm as in the case of ESW9s. Plus I am not certain I can get  ESW10JPN for the money I can spend.
 
Quote:

I know my ESW10JPN are still better than my OMX980 

 It still has better bass punch, at least. I don't know how much better, to be honest. But the OMX980 is really nice, it really is. I'm still thinking about the Senn's upper midrange, which is a more accurate rendition of trumpets? hmmm... 

 

[Ypoknons]

It seems there is no AT house sound, I've heard the 10's are considerably less warm than the 9's. But no, I don't think it's a great value for SS unless you happen to be totally in love with that tonal balance. 

 

[Szadzik]

Exactly my point. I am erally considering the HD25-1 IIs now. Will have to read up on them and put my ESW9s on sale ASAP as in 3 weeks I am going on holiday and will need to have something apart from my earbuds.
 
Any opinions on the Senns?
 
Quote:

It seems there is no AT house sound, I've heard the 10's are considerably less warm than the 9's. But no, I don't think it's a great value for SS unless you happen to be totally in love with that tonal balance. 

 

[Szadzik]

I am also reading up on the Senns and it seems that they may be a step-down from the ESW9s in general.
 
I am also thinking here, what happens if I extend my budget to 300GBP? Are there any portable headphones I can get for that price that are much better than ESW9s and more suitable for my requirements?
 

 

[Damnegy]

I don't know if you have considered this, but if you are not in a hurry (if it is ok to keep your ESW9 for those holidays ^_^'), take a look at the Beyerdynamic T50p (not out yet...) Some first impressions may please you

 

[Szadzik]

Yip, I can see them available on pre-order here in UK and am not in a hurry so will wait and see.
 
Do you think getting a portable amp would help? Will a portable amp help make the phone more nuetral if I choose the right one?
 
Getting an amp instead of changing headphones would be my preferred route as it is more future-proof.
 
Quote:

I don't know if you have considered this, but if you are not in a hurry (if it is ok to keep your ESW9 for those holidays ^_^'), take a look at the Beyerdynamic T50p (not out yet...) Some first impressions may please you

 

[Szadzik]

Any thoughts on this guys?

 

[Damnegy]

Quote:

Any thoughts on this guys?

Sorry, I was at a friend's... I am not really into that amp thing for portables, but I do have a Fiio E5 (if it can be considered as an amp, as it is quite cheap...), so I will try that later and tell you about it then

 

[Szadzik]

Thanks a million!
 
Quote:

Sorry, I was at a friend's... I am not really into that amp thing for portables, but I do have a Fiio E5 (if it can be considered as an amp, as it is quite cheap...), so I will try that later and tell you about it then

 

[Damnegy]

So after a short comparison on rock, alternative, classical and acoustic, the Fiio E5 is barely not bringing anything more than the ESW9 itself, but again, it is only an E5... Except for the bass boost, that on some songs kills other instruments, but on others is fine.

 

[Szadzik]

Thanks mate.
 
Anyone else any opinions? Is it that I am criticizing these nice phones that everyone decided not to chime in
 
Quote:

So after a short comparison on rock, alternative, classical and acoustic, the Fiio E5 is barely not bringing anything more than the ESW9 itself, but again, it is only an E5... Except for the bass boost, that on some songs kills other instruments, but on others is fine.

 

[Mad Max]

Get MDR-7509, then cover it with Dynamat. lol
 
Excellent headphone with a sugery-sweet sound, thumpy bass, and very wide soundstage. Very detailed 'phone that will rub your face in mp3 artifacts 'til it burns. Or you can go with lossless music and not have any issues. xD
It won't have bass as good as ESW9, though, but it won't be bad either. It is somewhat neutral.
If you get it, I can show you how to mod it. Not sure how it compares to SRH840, which may be the other option that is right for you.

 

[Szadzik]

The 7509s look pretty interesting. I ill have to read up on them, however I have to admit I am a poor modder and will have problems with such stuff, would prefer something that does not need to be modded right away. Plus getting dynamat will not be cheap and will up the price of the phones considerably. I am pretty new to all this and have not had any good Sony headphones, but somehow am not fond of the brand.
 
SRH840 on the other will be eliminated without even checking them as I need something portable and they are much too big for that
 
Thanks for the suggestions, I will read up on those Sonys and see what I find
 
Quote:

Get MDR-7509, then cover it with Dynamat. lol
 
Excellent headphone with a sugery-sweet sound, thumpy bass, and very wide soundstage. Very detailed 'phone that will rub your face in mp3 artifacts 'til it burns. Or you can go with lossless music and not have any issues. xD
It won't have bass as good as ESW9, though, but it won't be bad either. It is somewhat neutral.
If you get it, I can show you how to mod it. Not sure how it compares to SRH840, which may be the other option that is right for you.