[dmcs414]

Lately I've really fallen in love with my Audio-technica ATH-ESW9s, and for my next set of headphones, I'd like to find a similar sound signature, but more of a desktop setup meant to be paired with a better amp (I've been leaning toward the Woo Audio 6) and perhaps a better DAC. Right now I use an Emu 0404 USB as my source and the ESW9s do sound lovely to my ear straight out of it playing flac files.

Thought I'd ask for opinions on what full-size headphones share some similarities with the ESW9s, from those that own them or have heard them and are familiar with their sound.

My music tastes are pretty varied, but lately I've been listening to more "world" styles than anything else. I really love the way the ESW9s capture exotic stringed instruments like the oud (a la Anouar Brahem) and the kora (a la Toumani Diabate) and am looking for cans that do this also, but better if possible, and hopefully more comfortable for extended listening sessions. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[dmcs414]

bumpity?

I know there just have to be others out there that enjoy the sound of the ESW9 and know of some full-size cans that sound similar but in general have more of everything the ESW9 does, but in a desktop, properly amp'd and dac'd setup. Would love to hear some opinions on this.

 

[morphon]

Have you looked into the full-size AT wood-cup line? Something like the W1000X or W5000?

Just the first thing that comes to mind - I'm still trying to find a set of ESW9's so I can hear what they sound like.

 

[dmcs414]

Kinda-sorta. I'm a little wary of those honestly as it seems that most of the reviews I've seen around here of these two, even when properly amp'd seem a little "meh" when compared to other phones in the same general price range. Particularly with the W5000.

I know the W1000X has made some people more happy than the W1000 before it, but I'd have to hear someone tell me it sounds a lot like a better version of the ESW9 when amp'd well, before I'd consider taking the plunge.

I suppose I really just need to hit some meets and try a bunch more phones and find one I like that has that hard-to-put-my-finger-on quality that the ESW9s do. Admittedly my general headphone listening experience has been rather limited up to this point. Just what's in my sig and a few others.

I'm really anxious to try the Hifiman HE-5 actually, as well as the new one about to come out. Love what I've heard about this headphone so far and I really love a good value. Granted it will require a beefier and thus more expensive amp to sound its best but that's not such a problem for me as I figure it will also make my other phones sound better to boot.

 

[monsieurguzel]

dmcs414, I have a pair of ESW10JPNs that I absolutely love when running straight out of my iPod and I also that a pair of HD800s running through a 3k Dac and Woo 5 amp and enjoy them both for what they do. I don't know if your logic of a headphone having to trump the ESW9 before taking a plunge into something else. For me the ESW10s have a lot of amazing qualities that makes them extremely enjoyable even though they aren't anywhere near as technically proficient as my other system. I feel that different headphones give different flavors are aren't necessarily better than one another in terms of enjoyment.

As for the W1000X, I am waiting for a pair to get through customs so that I can compare them to the ESW10s. Even though they might not be as good as HD800s, I am looking for a closed can that has a similar AT signature as the ESW10JPN for use at home. If they manage to do that then I'll be extremely happy with them. Btw, for me the D5000s (standard and markl) didn't really vibe with my tastes at all.

As for the HE-5, I had a pair for close to a month before giving up on them....they need a very powerful amp which either limits you to the EF5 or a really expensive $1.5k+ amp. I personally found them very fatiguing and not as enjoyable as my HD650s even though they were technically superior. Also, HE-5s don't really have much to do with the ESW9 / 10 sound, which I would describe as warm, lush, and with good bass / reverb. The HE-5s are a lot brighter and harsher to my ears and aren't easy to listen to for hours like the AT woodies are.

 

[Ypoknons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by monsieurguzel /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for the W1000X, I am waiting for a pair to get through customs so that I can compare them to the ESW10s.

Do let us know, I'll be very thankful.

 

[monsieurguzel]

I've had my pair of ESW10s ever since they were release 1.5 years ago and have been waiting for a full sized closed AT woodie with similar sound ever since. I'm really hoping that the W1000X will fill that gap! But from the description of people on the forum it seems that they might. e.g. forward mids, good bass, and on the warmer sound.

 

[dmcs414]

Thanks a ton for sharing your thoughts monsieurguzel, it sounds like you and I share the same goal as far as finding another pair of headphones with the kind of sound the ESW9s and I assume 10s have. I'll be really anxious to hear what you think of the W1000Xs when you get them.

When I try to think of how to explain the sound of ESW9s, I want to use terms like warm and lush but I'm hesitant because to me those terms seem sort of subjective. I want to find better terms for describing their sound as compared to other phones, but it makes me feel a little better to hear you describing them that way also; I know it's not just me.

I think with more time and experience with other headphones, my ability to describe them should improve some. I definitely agree that forward mids, good bass and a warm sound is accurate as far as I know. I think for the kind of music I'm listening to right now, the forward mids is what attracts me the most, especially for strings-based music.

I too am finding that I'm not that crazy about my Denons stock sound but I haven't tried the markl mod yet and won't give up on them until I do.

Your comments about the HE-5 definitely give me pause. Fatiguing treble is easily my most-disliked feature of any given pair of headphones. Nothing bothers me more than sibilance and too much treble. I can deal with head-rattling bass all day, and even prefer it with some kinds of music, but even a little too much treble bothers the hell out of me.

 

[monsieurguzel]

Yes, I would definitely call the esw9 sound a relaxed sound that is very tomalley balanced and easy to listen to for extended periods. If you like the esw9 I'd highly suggest you try out the 10s(if you can find them) as they extend the bass deeper and enhance the mids in my opinion. Stringed instruments, acoustic music, and jazz all sound wonderful on these cans.

As for Denons, the second you markl mod them, they will have nothing to do with the original can and are nowhere near as mellow after the mods. The mids get brought forward and the bass is tighter but it has more pronounced treble and slightly harsher / forward sound that I wasn't in love with at the time. They also lacked the warmth and didn't at all sound like wooded headphones.

 

[dmcs414]

Anyone else have thoughts on this? I guess I figured (and hoped) a few more would chime in. Would love to hear a few more opinions of those who have been able to compare ESW9s (and 10s or 10JPNs) to other more desktop-oriented phones.

 

[milesandcoltrane]

I've heard that the RS-1 is supposed to be quite close to the ESW10JPN which I love. Possibly brighter I would reckon, but flat pads might tone it down a little to a level similar to the ESW10JPN.

I've tried the ESW9a and found the bass on these cans to be more prominent than the ESW10JPN which has a more prominent mid-range and top-end. So that kinda puts the RS1 even further away from the ESW9a, at least to my ears.

I've got no experience with the bigger AT woodies so i can't comment, though I am looking forward to comments on the W1000x from monsieurguzel.

Given that the ESW9a is bassier (to my ears, based on pretty brief listening sessions) I think the D2000 might be quite close. I'm not too sure, cuz I've never done a side to side comparison so others might want to chime in. Personally I found the D2000 to have extremely boomy bass and pretty unnatural and weird sounding treble with peaks that show up sometimes. (again brief impressions so do take this with a pinch of salt).

 

[Mato]

*bump* for more opinions on this.

I love my ESW9As too - would love to hear of some full-size 'phones that compare.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Tough one, ATH-AD2000 might be the closest, but it's open, not sure if that's what you want. W5000 would be quite a departure.

 

[dmcs414]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milesandcoltrane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Given that the ESW9a is bassier (to my ears, based on pretty brief listening sessions) I think the D2000 might be quite close. I'm not too sure, cuz I've never done a side to side comparison so others might want to chime in. Personally I found the D2000 to have extremely boomy bass and pretty unnatural and weird sounding treble with peaks that show up sometimes. (again brief impressions so do take this with a pinch of salt).

I have the D2000 (and had the D5000) and the ESW9 both so can speak to some of this. Even when properly amp'd with an EC/SS, which is designed for low-impedance phones like Grados and Denons, I find the mids very recessed in the D2000 compared to the ESW9, whether it's amp'd or not. Not even close really. I also find the bass in the Denon much more prominent than the mids, which is perhaps what causes for me the recessed attribute I mention; the bass is louder, fuller, with deeper extenion, more accuracy, more sub-bass, all those things people talk about for artists like Burial and the like. And if bass is your number 1 headphone requirement, I think the Denons are probably pretty great and wouldn't hesitate recommending them for a second.

That used to be me. My first few posts here were all very bass-centric, but what I realized after listening awhile was that no headphone can replace speakers and subwoofers for the bass-centric music I listen to, and additionally, I figured out that what I enjoy most about headphone listening isn't that kind of music. I find that if I listen to music that is more mids-centric like acoustic or world or jazz on phones designed to accentuate the full spectrum, and particuarly mids, that ellicits for me a much more pleasureable headphone experience than any of my attempts to bring a club into my headphones. I used to DJ years ago and I got used to hearing bass a certain way for electronic music. If it's not rattling my chest wall something's wrong.

Anyhow, I suppose there might be certain types of music where the ESW9 seems to have better bass, but for the bassy music I listen to, the Denon (either D2000 or D5000 because they're basically identical save cups/cable) is the clear king. Though because I'm so enraptured by my ESW9s and their sound at the moment, I'm probably going to mod my Denons before too long because I've heard that tends to curb the bass some and bring out the mids and highs.

Edit- Hey I just realized I was posting in the older thread I had created with this topic. You guys will probably want to check out the newer thread I made with some excellent comparison posts in it. Right this way - http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/wha...h-esw9-486586/

 

[Vergex2]

HE-5/EF-5 is a brilliant combination in my opinion when it works properly. Unfortunately, this rarely is the case.

Though I personally do not find the treble fatiguing or harsh (although MANY people do), I do find it fatiguing to wear at all due to its weight (which actually isn't even exceptionally high for an ortho, look at Audeze's) and it simply isn't very comfortable. Adjusting the headband and keeping it in place is also difficult due to the the mechanisms used. I have to readjust it almost every time I take it off, and its a pain.

Build quality is definitely however, the biggest problem with the combo. My EF-5's power supply was faulty on arrival and would give out intermittently when pushing the amp past 40%, and eventually died after 3 weeks of use. I'm sending it in for warranty (wish I could get a refund, but they've been ignoring my emails and PMs mostly. It really irks me and I sincerely wished I'd have done more research).

Also, an extremely common problem with the HE-5s are wood cracking. I noticed cracks I believe straight out of the box, and they haven't been getting any better. I sincerely hope that they're cosmetic, but my gut feelings disagree, as people have apparently returned 2-3 HE-5s within less than a year due to wood cracking. Supposedly the LE version fixes harsh treble and wood cracking, but with a reputation like this, worse than sub-par customer service and all, I would never buy from them again.

Also, it's been mentioned before, but you either grab an amp with a lot of juice or an EF-5 - they're very, very hard to drive.