[acidtripwow]

I tried the ATH-W2002 for the first time last night. I had it connected to my Audio Valve RKV II amp and was using my Sony SCD-C333ES SACD/CD player as the source.

First off, these are probably the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. They seem to just float on your head and don't really clamp on. For a pretty large closed headphone that are extremely light.

The first SACD I tried was a new one I just picked up a few days ago - Roger Waters "Live - In the Flesh" just because it was already in the player. By the way, this SACD is way overpriced for the sound quality you get. The DVD sounds much better in my opinion. I've listened to this SACD using my JVC HA-DX3 and Beyer DT 770 headphones before so I had a good idea of what it sounded like before using the 2002. On the 2002s the bass was extremely boomy sounding. This could be the recording and/or the RKV II which can go really low. On the plus side the highs were extended and their was a lot of good detail. Guitar playing came over quite well and clear. Voices of the backup singers were clearly audible.

Next up I tried the Gladiator Soundtrack. I know this recording very well since I've listened to it almost every day since I picked it up. This was a better sound test for the 2002s which handled everything extremely well. The bass was not boomy but clearer and better defined than on the Roger Waters SACD. I'm thinking that the 2002s can go quite low when called upon to do so. The highs were very well extended as before. The violin playing came through with plenty of bite. The Grado HP-2 is very good with classical music and the 2002s didn't quite match up at this point but they did sound very good. The HP-2s are better at not only getting the note right but also uncovering the sound of the individual instrument.

There are only a couple of things I can complain about right now. First, these headphones will need a lot more break in but currently they sound a little cold. Yes, they can produce a lot of detail but they don't sound very warm or laid back. Everything comes flying at you whether you want it or not. Not that I mean it's a bright sounding headphone just that I don't think it rolls off the bottom or top end. This could have a lot to to with the synergy of the headphone with the RKV II amp. Secondly, paired with the RKV II I heard a lot of background hiss. This may be caused by the impedence of the 2002s. I may have to invest in a good solid state amp to get the best that these headphones have to offer.

This is very preliminary findings and your findings may be totally different than mine.

 

[M Rael]

Keep the info coming, acidtrip, its great to hear what other people think! As far as amps are concerned I finally ordered one from HeadRoom, so I'll have that to add to the mix tomorrow. I hope you are able to try different amps as well, as time passes.

 

[markl]

Hi Acidtripwow,
Can the RKV really be used with the 40 ohm AT's? You may indeed need a better amp to fully power them.

I'm glad you agree that they are on the "cold" side of neutral. That's why I said a tube amp would be mandatory. I bet the ZOTL would be great. Not sure that an ss amp is the way to go. Didn't you have on at one time, or am I thinking of someone else?

Keep the comments coming!

markl

 

[KR...]

Quote:

As far as amps are concerned I finally ordered one from HeadRoom, so I'll have that to add to the mix tomorrow.

which one?

 

[M Rael]

Hi KR. Well as usual things have a way of snowballing on me.. for the sake of curiosity I'm trying the HeadRoom 'Little, More Power' which should show me an improvement over the 100mW jack on my CDP and the Apheared amp I have. If its not clearly better than either of those, I'll have to send it back. At the same time as I type this though, I'm smack in the middle of trading my Grado 325's + cash for a Wheatfield HA1.. but thats a deal that isnt finalized yet, so I dont know where I stand. But hopefully when the dust settles I'll have the Little More Power and the HA1 to compare.

 

[KurtW]

You're right markl, the ZOTL is great for these phones. It was designed to drive low impedance and does it without any noise. These phones sound good right out of a portable CDP but the ZOTL and a good CD player really takes them to another level.

I also tried them with my Wright 2A3 SET amps. Because of the W2002's very high efficiency and low impedance I get a little hum from these amps. Actually I got a recall notice from Wright Sound about this problem but never noticed it before on the speakers because I use different amps for the subwoofers. Overlooking the hum problem, the sound was beautiful, more airy than the ZOTL.

I have also tried the W2002 with the Sudgen HeadMaster. Before any significant amount of break-in on the phones this combo was somewhat cold. Now however it's quite good, especially for rock. I still think the ZOTL is a better match overall but depending on what sound you're looking for I wouldn't rule out a good solid state amp.

 

[dngl]

markl- is your Melos silent with the W2002Hs? with the R10s?

I get a very slight hiss with my CD1700s, but those are 32ohms with a 106db efficiency...

 

[JML]

Try the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, too.

On the ATH-W100, there are some passages with bass that I felt. I don't mean heard. FELT.

The MDR-V6 doesn't even come close to how deep these ATs can go, and I'm not yet using a dedicated headphone amp (on the way...).

 

[dngl]

makl- is the w2002h as visceral as the sony cd3ks? those can have a real "ear-woofer" effect...

sorry i'm asking you all these questions, markl.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally posted by M Rael Hi KR. Well as usual things have a way of snowballing on me.. for the sake of curiosity I'm trying the HeadRoom 'Little, More Power' which should show me an improvement over the 100mW jack on my CDP and the Apheared amp I have. If its not clearly better than either of those, I'll have to send it back. At the same time as I type this though, I'm smack in the middle of trading my Grado 325's + cash for a Wheatfield HA1.. but thats a deal that isnt finalized yet, so I dont know where I stand. But hopefully when the dust settles I'll have the Little More Power and the HA1 to compare.

The little?
For crying out loud, dude, you have the 2002, I know, and deep inside you know too, that there is only one headroom amp that can do these headphones justice

Stop *****footing around and get the ....

 

[markl]

Jon Beilin,
I hear the absolute teensiest, tiniest bit of hiss when sound is muted, but it's way way below the level of hiss and noise floor of any CD/SACD you play.

The W2002 does give you somewhat of the effect you describe in the bass, except that W2002 is very pleasantly smooth in the bass area, and hardly seems to be straining at all.

But you pay a small price for smooth, effortless, substantial bass of W2002. The thing with both the CD3K and the R10 is the superior way they present drum thumps. They sound 3D. W2002 lacks their realness in that area and aresomewhat more flat.

Cymbals are less brassy and more tinny on the W2002 than the R10. They kind of go "pish" instead of "crash!" with a long sustain. This is a minor quibble and not noticeable unless you happen to have an R10 as a reference.

I like the bass of the W2002 very much, I'd say it's one of its strongest points.

markl

 

[KurtW]

I also occasionally get bass that seems to be more felt than heard with the W2002, which is very unusual for a headphone. But on my reference bass CD, Lyle Lovett's Road to Ensenada, the W2002 has a very deep rumble but the individual bass notes that are in the 30-50 Hz range seem to be missing when you compare it to the V6 or really good subwoofers. Perhaps the W2002 has a resonance peak around 20 Hz or so...I remember something about that from somewhere.

To put this into perspective, I don't think the W2002 bass is perfect, but it is excellent and I find it preferable overall to the HD580/600, Sony V6 and any other headphone I've ever heard.

 

[uvak]

I do not really experience alot of hissing noise from my CARY/AT combo.

The only time I hear them is when I listen to some AAD recordings.

 

[M Rael]

I'm going to point Kelly to the last two posts here (markl, KurtW) because he is asking about the W2002 bass on another thread (especially as it compares to the V6.) Its really helpfull even for me to read these other comments about W2002 bass- I havent heard all the other comparison headphones out there and its educational to get this other info.
What Kurt said about feeling the bass is what I referred to in my first impression as low frequencies expanding into the room and away from the headphone. I think it must be related to the wavelength of the frequency.. that the sound loses most of its directionality and is just 'felt' as part of the room (with you in it.)

I have the Stereophile Test CD with the test tones, and it doesnt seem like the W2002 strains to reproduce 25Hz at all. Going down to 20Hz it gets quieter, but its still pretty substantial. Beneath 20Hz it gets mostly inaudible. I can crank the volume and get a sense of 16Hz, but thats cheating.

I'm surprised that audio-technica went to the trouble of developing the DADS bass system only to have the bass (initially) described as lacking. Thats whats got Kelly confused. He seems to be under the impression that the W2002's bass is thin. I'm glad you came back and posted again KurtW.. that helps!

 

[dngl]

impressive! have you taken a Ratshack SPL meter to the w2002h? maybe your hearing gets weaker below 25hz (most peoples' hearing is weaker below 25hz)