[Jon-LF]

almost feel guilty for saying this here but i rate the th900 more highly than the w3000anv to be honest

 
I've noticed a few of your posts "The 3000anvs are easy to drive", as well as this one. 
 
I've always felt the Th900s were more musical than the 3000anvs, at least till I found the right amp pairing for it. I don't
actually think the 3000anvs are easy to drive (optimally). 
 
They play out of anything, but are very amp dependent. It seems like hybrid tube amps do well with it, like the Svetlana
and the Eddie Currants/ Elekits. 
 
At this point, for personal preference, on this setup, I rate the 3000anvs significantly higher than the TH900s - mainly 
because of it's musical mids vs what seems to be recessed mids on the TH900s. 
 
I somehow think the TH900s sound great on most amos. 

 

[up late]

thanks for noticing. guess we don't agree.

 

[dallan]

I liked them both when hearing them and had to choose between the two.  At the time I was able to get a good deal on the W3000anv and I knew it was limited.  Stock on them was running down so i jumped, knowing that i could secure the TH900 at any time.  I am so impressed with the W3000anv though that i haven't really thought about it since.  The TH900 thread sits in my subscriptions basically unread at this point.  
 
 
The issue with the TH900 that really killed it for me though is that they are semi-open.  I have a set up geared to the HD800s that is almost unsurpassable unless budget really changed that covers open headphones and four(top tier?) closed headphones with no need for a "semi open".  The W3000anv sit on top of those four closed without question in every a/b that i have done.  My only problem with them is that they are too beautiful and i always feel i have to baby them since they are still scratch free, so i often don't use them as much as i would if they were more resilient.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Funny, my wife complained that my W3000ANVs leaked more than they should. She prefers my TH-900s as they leak less. Neither headphones are stellar for isolation.

 

[dallan]

That's interesting, but my concern is the leak of sound in actually….

 

[Bolardito]

I own both and for me the W3000 leaks a little bit more than the TH900 but it isolates better..sounds strange I know but that's how it is..

 

[vlach]

Driving W3000ANV (or any other AT headphone for that matter) is not a problem. The issue is their low impedance and high sensitivity - I often had problems with background noise, especially with cheaper amps. Right now I am pairing it with Svetlana 2 and I think I hit my sweet spot with that combo

As for closed upgrade - I think there are only 2/3 other headphones that are in same tier when it comes to closed design - TH-900, LCD-XC (and some people would consider T5p as well). As much as I would like to have all of those, my finances won't let me (well, for now ), but from what I have read I don't think neither of those is real and obvious upgrade, it's just a different flavor on practically same level - W3000ANV being vocal master for more intimate listening, TH-900 as exact opposite (more bass, more highs, less mids) and LCD-XC as more neutral/natural sounding headphones with great imaging and soundstage.

I wonder if the JVC DX700/DX1000 qualify as contenders for closed woodies.

 

[filuS]

Well, they certainly are closed. There are not many comparisons between DX1000 and the other three, but based on comments from people who owned W3000ANV and DX1000 - all of them stated W3000ANV to be considerably better. But to be completely honest - I don't know DX1000, never really took interest in them before.
 
Maybe I should have added there Sony MDR-R10 but since they are extremely hard to come by (and considerably much more expensive) I don't think it's fair to throw them into mix of those three (four) I mentioned.

 

[dallan]

The DX1000 are certainly good closed phones and I really like them. In the right mood or at times I choose them over the W3000anv and I could see some liking the sound signiture more. For me they seem a step down from the W3000anv though, especially in detail and clarity. My list for closed that I own puts the 3000 on top followed by the two ulrasones and then closely behind them is the DX1000. On given days and for certain music or purposes I grab the one that seems to fit.

 

[up late]

th900 was a closed can last time i looked but it doesn't isolate very well. w3000anv does a better job but mine clamps more than the th900 so that could be why. like macedonianhero says neither of them are stellar in that department.

 

[3X0]

Denon uses the term "Acoustic Optimizer" to describe the acoustic principle at work in these headphones. Bah, marketing blurbage!  
In order to have the lovely uninterrupted wood housings (though the D2000 is plastic) of these headphones--which does give them a simple and elegant look--the acoustic engineers had to deal with the potential of resonances developing in the chamber behind the driver. This is a very real problem in sealed back designs, and is what makes sealed headphone performance generally inferior to open headphone designs. In the case of the Dx000 headphones, the engineers developed an acoustic labyrinth of channels, damped windows, and vents which are designed to inhibit and control resonance and response. (All well designed headphones have these elements, but because of the closed back of these headphones this design appears to be somewhat more complex than most.) The external vent of this design is a thin gap around the entire ear piece between the magnesium frame and ear cup housing.
 

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/luscious-denon-ah-d2000-ah-d50000-and-ah-d7000

Audio Technica's have channeling/venting as well but it is much less leaky.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Audio Technica's have channeling/venting as well but it is much less leaky.

Side by side and on my head, I found the exact opposite.

Isolation wise, neither are great.

 

[snapple10]

anybody use this for movies?  getting some distortion with it - voice is like vibrating, if that makes sense
 
anybody else notices this or is it just this pair? 
 
thanks

 

[daigo]

  anybody use this for movies?  getting some distortion with it - voice is like vibrating, if that makes sense
 
anybody else notices this or is it just this pair? 
 
thanks

 
I use my W3000ANV for general computer use, including movie watching and gaming when I'm not listening to music and I haven't noticed any distortion in dialogue while watching movies.  Could you provide a better description and the type of movie you're watching?

 

[snapple10]

Was watching Temptation - the confession of a marriage counselor on Netflix
Around about 35 minutes left - voice like vibrating
Also, last night- forgot the title
Switched to HE 500 - clear speech as one expects

I figured this might be a good place to ask before spending $$ to change drivers or fix things

Thanks for taking the time