[Dsnuts]

Quote:

I just went down to listen to many different closed cans(mostly those designed to be used as portable cans) including k550, beyer t70p, focal spirit one, shure840 and of course, ath WS99. I really preferred them to all the other cans. Now i totally get what the dsnuts meant by he liked the balancing of this can and it is a audiophile bass can. Well textured bass with right amount, forward and lush mids and highs. Every other cans sounded lifeless,boring and sometimes even unnatural when I compared them with the powerful WS99. However I would like it to have slightly wider staging(depth is good enough), very slightly less bass quantity and very slightly more treble. Then this would really be can for all audiophiles and not only bass inclined audiophiles. Well, doesn't matter much to me, I'll just take it as AT being faithful to the Solid Bass name. I am getting these tmr and when I head down to the store I will also audition the M100. If you guys have any other cans you want me to compare the WS99 with, tag this post and reply so that I can audition them and give comparisons. Overall these are totally bang for the bucks and great phones. really great.  

I want to say you should try out the A900X. .What makes the WS99 sound so lush however is the dual air chambers and the depth of sound they have. I think the stage will sound a bit more congested on the WS99 because of how they are tuned to be forward vs laid back. The sense of space would be much wider I think if the highs mids and lows was lesser. But for a sound that is this forward the sense of space is more than proper, especially for a closed can. 
 
On second thought the negative of the A900X while it is how you described your likes in sound does not have the same depth of sound the WS99 has. So a give n take. They do have the wider stage, bit more highs and a bit less bass with a solid mid range.. But does not have the added depth or the quality in the bass region and the speed of the WS99.. Try them out however might surprise you. 

 

[Zeiram]

Well you lot got me to pull the trigger on a pair over Pro900 and M100s. 

 

[Maxx134]

I found these via an "ath ws99" google search. They might not even be ws99's though for all I know!

Yes those are exactly them and it is amazing how the illusion of sleekness in the ws99 design.

As crazy as I might sound, I think I like the WS99's over everything I have currently.  I really haven't been listening to much else so no direct comparisons are made.  When I put the 99's on, I don't feel like taking them off.  It's engaging, fun, has depth, vocals, treble and bass.  It hits all the buttons without lacking anything that I notice.  I love the 40's and most of everything else I own but the 99's are the most addicting phones I've heard…EVER!!

Yes I am also realizing its hard to beat.
That's why I am pulling out the big guns on it soon with the es10 and Grado Alessandro.. Yes cheating with an open can model.
Woohoo I see a fight coming on..

Yes two jealous bullys came to kick ws99 but!
Hint: can you say, "solid bass"? ; )

M100 are probably the interesting ones to compare against. Yamaha PRO 500 another perhaps but is significantly pricier so would be quite weird if it didn't sound better, I think for you Yamaha PRO 500 may sound sliiiightly closer to your ideal preferences  based on how you described it.

The yamaha has a chance to beat the ws99, but the yamaha is a physically huge headphone.
The m100 I have on hand.
In comparison, there is no comparison.
It has a nice stage, further back and more recessed mids compared to the ws99, but also in comparison the bass is heavy, flabby and unrealistic.

There is no competition in its class or price, we have to go older model, higher priced, and open air to get to beat the WS99..!

Edit: I also have a modded Fostex T50rp on the way coming to kick its arss haha.!

 

[sacrifice13]

I'd love to know how much of an upgrade the WS77's are to the 55's. I'd love to have the 99's but they are a bit out of my price range at the moment. I was considering the ES700's as well, but I do like me some bass. Might have to bite the bullet on the 77's at some point.

 

[tokendog]

Wish Amazon would get these back in stock so I could try them out.  I'm not 100% sold on them enough to purchase from a retailer in Japan.

 

[Maxx134]

I'd love to know how much of an upgrade the WS77's are to the 55's. I'd love to have the 99's but they are a bit out of my price range at the moment. I was considering the ES700's as well, but I do like me some bass. Might have to bite the bullet on the 77's at some point.

The es500 are around $50 less for around $100 and have same size driver.. as the 77.

Much much more classy looking than the 7.

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

I'd love to know how much of an upgrade the WS77's are to the 55's. I'd love to have the 99's but they are a bit out of my price range at the moment. I was considering the ES700's as well, but I do like me some bass. Might have to bite the bullet on the 77's at some point.

I think it will be a safe bet that the WS77 will be a nice upgrade on the WS55. Just based on all the newer ATH cans and iems this year the WS77 is a new phone from AT so they will have even a better balance and deeper bass end..I say go for it.. I have yet to be disappointed with ATs newer stuff.
 
I know a few guys got the new CKS99 as well and I am waiting for someone to review those.

 

[Jung Woo Cho]

Yes those are exactly them and it is amazing how the illusion of sleekness in the ws99 design.
Yes I am also realizing its hard to beat.
That's why I am pulling out the big guns on it soon with the es10 and Grado Alessandro.. Yes cheating with an open can model.
Woohoo I see a fight coming on..

Yes two jealous bullys came to kick ws99 but!
Hint: can you say, "solid bass"? ; )
The yamaha has a chance to beat the ws99, but the yamaha is a physically huge headphone.
The m100 I have on hand.
In comparison, there is no comparison.
It has a nice stage, further back and more recessed mids compared to the ws99, but also in comparison the bass is heavy, flabby and unrealistic.

There is no competition in its class or price, we have to go older model, higher priced, and open air to get to beat the WS99..!

Edit: I also have a modded Fostex T50rp on the way coming to kick its arss haha.!

yeah. I just heard the M100 but meh. Ws99 is better. Sweeter mids,tighter bass, fuller treble. No comparison.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

yeah. I just heard the M100 but meh. Ws99 is better. Sweeter mids,tighter bass, fuller treble. No comparison.

 
WS99 seems to be surfacing as the ultimate mid-fi basscan for people who prefer the quality over quantity at a very aggressive pricing / scaled down features. It may cost around or little north of $200 currently but seems to be offering sound quality worth the double I get the picture of reading this thread. Sweet

 

[Jung Woo Cho]

I also got to hear A900X on rsa darkstar and I loved it. Love the balance, with a slight bump in the bass and brighter overall than ws99. Perforamance wise, 900X beats ws99 but music wise, ws99 beats 900X. Just sounds more fun

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

I also got to hear A900X on rsa darkstar and I loved it. Love the balance, with a slight bump in the bass and brighter overall than ws99. Perforamance wise, 900X beats ws99 but music wise, ws99 beats 900X. Just sounds more fun

 
"Fun" is the keyword for me, I primarily want something that engages me with the music rather than something that makes me analyze all the details etc. I just want the music to make me tap my foot, maybe nod my head to the rythm of the beats, get me in da groove. That's why I think headphones like HD800, AKG K70x, Hifiman etc is not suited for me.
 
Don't get me wrong though, I still appriciate / want good quality sound without excessive resonances or weird tonalities or big bumps/spikes in the FR but when it comes how to process the soundstage, for me personally it's important with that more "forward" / in-your-face sound, so for me WS99 is a lot more suitable than 900X for that reason. I also care more for depth than width in the soundstage. My Q40 is pretty limited in width as well but got somewhat decent depth.
 
I'm still looking for some decent places to put the order on WS99. I'm very limited on time in my sparetime so haven't therefore bothered searching for best options. I'd love to order from amazon.jp but I'm not interested in dwelving into how the Tenso forwarding procedures works like, too much of a hazzle to make me concider it. I'm from Finland / europe too I may add.

 

[Jung Woo Cho]

WS99 with its grandpa ws70-the very first can from solid bass line and also my first can
 

 

 

[waynes world]

^ tenso takes about 15 to get setup (if you follow the tutorial). After it is setup though, it is a bit too easy to use again lol!

 

[Jung Woo Cho]

Btw one more thing, the cables of ws99 are really soft. Like it

 

[as.we.proceed]

Why is everyone still talking tenso? There are at least 2 decent shops one can order from in the US.