[StevenBrouwer]

Fellow Head-fiers,
 
I have been spending some time on the head-fi forums (it had been a while..) and of course I am now determined to buy a new headphone. In this case the Audio Technics ES10. 
 
How did I end up chosing for this expensive hifi-beast?
 
First of I "needed" a new headphone for on the go (mainly in the subway) and I had certain criteria for it:
* No IEM's: I have sworn off IEM's, I just don't like the way they are. So I had to pick a regular portable isolating HP.
* I have already owned the sennheiser HD25-1, however I felt this HP looked silly in public so the new headpone needed to look really really good
* It had to sound good, be very comfortable, compact and easy to use.
* Most important genres for me are: D&B, dubstep and dance. So the new HP should have good bass.
*The new HP will be used with laptop and unamped iPod classic and I was aiming for a budget around €100 (-.-).
 
I ended up deciding between the B&W p5 and the AT ES10, because those were the only (!) good looking ones. But because I thoughed the p5 bass signature would be terrible for my prefered genres and the comfortability and noise isolation would be more or less comparable, I decided for the AT ES10.
 
But before I pull the trigger on this HP, I of course like to ask you guys your opinion about this.. I especially like to hear more opinions about the AT's because it seems not so many is known about it.
 
Cheers!

 

[Smallville]

Have you considered the AiAiAi TMA-1s? You might not like the looks, but they're a lot cheaper than the ES10s. You can't go wrong with the ES10s though. I have a pair of ES7s(2nd pair) and they are amazing for the price!

 

[DTKZ]

I'm not really sure whether I'd recommend the ES10. I'm curious as to what differences you're expecting between the HD25 and the ES10? The ES10 have a more balanced sound in comparison to the HD25. The ES10 treble is less aggressive and the bass does not punch quite as much as the HD25 does. This is not to say that the ES10 are lacking in that regard though. They can certainly punch when needed. They just have an overall more laidback sound in comparison.
 
Another important difference is isolation. The ES10 do not isolate as much as the HD25, P5 and TMA-1. While I would say the isolation of the other three are somewhat comparable, the ES10 is definitely a step lower in that regard. They can certainly be used on a portable basis in a city, but if I were going somewhere extremely crowded, I might prefer the the isolation of the HD25 instead.
 
I don't mean to be downer about the ES10s. I think that that are a really nice and refined sounding pair of headphones but they really are quite expensive. In terms of pricing, they are probably at least twice the cost of a pair of HD25s but whether they are worth that is a little iffy in my opinion.
 
 

 

[StevenBrouwer]

Thank you for your posts, critique is more than welcome. I am actually getting big doubts about the es10's, mainly because of the isolation indeed. However I am sure I really don't like the looks of the HD25-1's, so I won't go back to those even though they sound the best for the money. 
 
What itthen comes down to: Are the B&W p5's good for DnB, dubstep and other heavy bass genres?

 

[shamrock134]

The ES10 works great for the genres you've listed. It has more bass quantity overall than the HD25 and the punch isn't lacking. It responds really well to bass boosting too I've found if you are into that.
 
While totally a matter of opinion, I do agree it looks better aesthetically with the lower profile and shiny titanium cups. Is it worth the money? Probably not. It should be in the same price bracket as the other portables (TMA1, MS400, P5, ESW9 ,HD25). Would I pay the same again if it broke? Yes.
 
It is obviously not as good as the HD25 for isolation, but depending on how/where you use it the isolation is adequate.

 

[a_recording]

I have the P5's and have heard the TMA-1's. If I listened to a lot of dubstep (I don't, but I do listen to some) I would almost certainly go for the TMA-1. The depth and texture of the bass easily trounce that of my M50's which in turn trounce that of the P5's. The P5's have a beautiful lush and thick lower midrange but don't actually reach very low further than that, and overall they might lack a little clarity for those genres (I tend to think the P5's do best with folkish/ indie music actually). I'm afraid I can't comment on the ES10.

 

[ZARIM]

The ES10 will sound great for these genres with more clarity than P5.

 

[shigzeo]

I love the ES10 soundwise and comfort wise. The only thing I wish is that they would have better isolation. If they had that, I'd keep them. I will be posting mine for sale because of isolation. Had they had that, they would be my favourite overall headphone because they sound great inside and outside.

 

[jant71]

Sure there aren't any other pads you could try on them Shigzeo? Maybe worth a try if they would be your favorite.

 

[shigzeo]

I've been looking, but so far, to no avail. I would love isolation like the DT1350, but I use glasses and those hurt after a bit. If anyone knew pads for the ES10 that could isolate, I'd jump for almost any price.
Quote:

Sure there aren't any other pads you could try on them Shigzeo? Maybe worth a try if they would be your favorite.