[tk3]

Finally got my hands on a pair of these. (no pics, sorry, no camera, but I can assure you that the texture on the right cup is especially lovely)
I read the older threads about fit issues with them, I'm wondering if anyone has bent the metal bands so much that it actually gives some clamping force (about the same as when you push against the cups with your fingers), or if this is possible at all?

I find that the bass logically becomes more dominant with more clamping, but the sound becomes more boxed in also, and less airy/lush.
I'm wondering if Audio Technica didn't make these with the intention of having a semi loose fit in mind, opposed to heavy clamping, any ideas?

I tried some bending, but not with very much force, since I'd hate for either of the bands to go *snap* and having me stare at them in disbelief, that would really wreck my mood for a long time.

Since they are brand new out of the box, no real impressions yet, except that they get quite hot with this temperature, I really need airco.

 

[MaloS]

Adding clamping reduces sound-quality overall I think, its better to use amplification/eq to get the bass up stronger.
Apparently Fitz has twisted the band a couple of times to something around a 1 inch tube size, and it still stayed together just fine and went back to original shape. You can try that, but take it with a grain of salt and be careful.

Personally I think the best bet is to find an appropriate amp for them and stick with the loose, airy fit.

 

[jjhatfield]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally I think the best bet is to find an appropriate amp for them and stick with the loose, airy fit.

Admittedly I've only had my W5000 for a few days, but I agree with MaLoS' quote above. The sound congests a bit when I push the cups against my ears, and I find they perform better when I just let them alone.

I'm also not much of a can modder though. I like to leave headphones as stock as possible, not only to maintain resale value but also to try to understand the manufacturer's intention. After all, a large chunk of what I pay for headphones no doubt goes into R&D, I might as well try to reap the benefit of that.

 

[LonerGenius]

Why is everyone so bass hungry??? The W5000's, with proper amplification, accurately reproduce what was recorded in teh studio (or concert hall , or whatever). If the song is full of bass I get it in my ears just fine through my W5000's.

I believe that too many headphones on the market exaggerate bass. I personally over the past fews days of listening to my W5000's, have been more disappointed in the recording industry and NOT my headphones. If you think bass is lacking in the W5000's I have some music track recommendations that demonstrate the bass capability is fantastic.

Mostly I think that if you perefer exaggerated, unrealistic bass to accurate sound reproduction then you should downgrade from the W5000's and give up the wonderfully amazing sound they produce so you can have your precious bass through lesser headphones.

 

[tk3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonerGenius /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why is everyone so bass hungry??? The W5000's, with proper amplification, accurately reproduce what was recorded in teh studio (or concert hall , or whatever). If the song is full of bass I get it in my ears just fine through my W5000's. I believe that too many headphones on the market exaggerate bass. I personally over the past fews days of listening to my W5000's, have been more disappointed in the recording industry and NOT my headphones. If you think bass is lacking in the W5000's I have some music track recommendations that demonstrate the bass capability is fantastic. Mostly I think that if you perefer exaggerated, unrealistic bass to accurate sound reproduction then you should downgrade from the W5000's and give up the wonderfully amazing sound they produce so you can have your precious bass through lesser headphones.

This is not really about the bass, I think I actually prefer the sound without artificial clamping.
The main point of this thread is that I'm wondering if anyone is out there that has a well thought out point about wheter the headphones are intended to be worn as they are produced, or that if altering its fit will improve the sound in various ways, not necessarily only the bass.

Now I'm aware that everyone has a different head and tastes, and what works for you may not work for me, but wanting to see other people share their experience about this particular subject is what I made the topic for.

 

[LonerGenius]

For me...the W5000's are not tight on my head nor are they loose. I think they are great the way they are. Though I should point out that when people refer to my BIG head it is in reference to my overblown ego and not the actual size of my noggin, but who knows.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonerGenius /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mostly I think that if you perefer exaggerated, unrealistic bass to accurate sound reproduction then you should downgrade from the W5000's and give up the wonderfully amazing sound they produce so you can have your precious bass through lesser headphones.

Driven by a few very high end amplifiers I tried W5000 is still falling short of where bass should be for some instruments, but I am comparing from musician perspective as I get to play with alot of different toys these days. It is pretty damn good, but its not quite perfect, impact is not fully there. All the headphones which people love the bass from are a terror to my ears though, hd650 for example is flabby and bloated to hell.
If you want to hear bass produced RIGHT, try a Sony R-10 =]

Now back to the topic, this feeling of it is very intended I believe. All attempts to alter the fit make the sound worse. Also the angling position has to be retained which is the reason for its excellent instrument separation and soundstage. I think if you try it with a strong tube amplifier - Zana Deux or RSA Raptor, you will be very satisfied with how exactly it sounds. W5000 is one of the headphones I feel justifies its price fully because of this capability to sound really satisfying, musical, and real when matched with a proper system... (although people will say that about RS-1 also which I can't bear...)

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonerGenius /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why is everyone so bass hungry??? The W5000's, with proper amplification, accurately reproduce what was recorded in teh studio (or concert hall , or whatever). If the song is full of bass I get it in my ears just fine through my W5000's. I believe that too many headphones on the market exaggerate bass. I personally over the past fews days of listening to my W5000's, have been more disappointed in the recording industry and NOT my headphones. If you think bass is lacking in the W5000's I have some music track recommendations that demonstrate the bass capability is fantastic. Mostly I think that if you perefer exaggerated, unrealistic bass to accurate sound reproduction then you should downgrade from the W5000's and give up the wonderfully amazing sound they produce so you can have your precious bass through lesser headphones.

The problem with your thinking here is that the W5000's bass quantity varies depending on fit. Someone with a larger head will likely experience more bass while someone with a smaller head will experience less. Whether people enjoy the W5000's fit or not, it is looser than most other headphones. With a small enough head this can become an issue, and there's no way you can say with any certainty that bass quantity is perfectly adequate for everyone. I'm not talking about individual taste either.

Of all the headphones I've heard I believe the W5000 had the best bass quality. With bass that good, I don't see anything wrong with trying to tease out little bit more quantity by altering the fit to individual head size.

Edit: when you consider that Audio-Technica produced two sizes of W5000 it's a little silly to be a purist about modifying its fit.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superpredator /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem with your thinking here is that the W5000's bass quantity varies depending on fit. Someone with a larger head will likely experience more bass while someone with a smaller head will experience less. Whether people enjoy the W5000's fit or not, it is looser than most other headphones. With a small enough head this can become an issue, and there's no way you can say with any certainty that bass quantity is perfectly adequate for everyone. I'm not talking about individual taste either. Of all the headphones I've heard I believe the W5000 had the best bass quality. With bass that good, I don't see anything wrong with trying to tease out little bit more quantity by altering the fit to individual head size. Edit: when you consider that Audio-Technica produced two sizes of W5000 it's a little silly to be a purist about modifying its fit.

The problem we have here is though that the increased volume of bass comes at the cost of the rest of the range. Thats a nono, there are better options for bass-boosting.

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem we have here is though that the increased volume of bass comes at the cost of the rest of the range. Thats a nono, there are better options for bass-boosting.

I've owned a W5000, for many moons in fact. I know what pressing the cups towards the ears just slightly sounds like. I know that is sacrifices some of the air and sense of space and I know that it can improve focus and bass quantity while leaving quality alone. My point was that frowning upon alteration of the fit as though it's unnecessary or somehow tampering with perfection is nonsense.

If your head is medium-sized and LonerGenius's head is big, you are probably hearing two different W5000 sound signatures. If you alter the fit of the W5000 just a touch to get a slightly tighter fit that is comparable to the fit LonerGenius is getting with an unaltered pair, where is the problem?

I had a an opportunity to compare a W5000 and a W2002. From that experience it was pretty clear that the sound signature I was hearing from the W5000 was due in part to its somewhat loose fit, which to me seems a little like cheating. I was able to reproduce the W5000's airy, open sound with the W2002 by mimicking the 5000's looseness. I was also able to produce a more focused sound with the W5000 by mimicking the W2002's grip.

Since there are multiple sizes of heads and since the W5000 fits them all differently and since the character of its sound varies depending on fit, I don't think anyone can claim that they know exactly how the W5000 is supposed to sound. Most of us are probably in the same general range, and that's why we can have conversations about this splendid pair of headphones and understand each other, but a little intelligent tweaking is hardly going to throw one's fit so far out of the range that one wouldn't be listening to a W5000 anymore.

For the record, I had no need to alter my W5000's fit.

 

[MaloS]

So many options and all could be wrong - my moral of the story was - try a more expensive headphone -_-

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif So many options and all could be wrong - my moral of the story was - try a more expensive headphone -_-

I did.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhatfield /img/forum/go_quote.gif Admittedly I've only had my W5000 for a few days, but I agree with MaLoS' quote above. The sound congests a bit when I push the cups against my ears, and I find they perform better when I just let them alone.

May be when you press the cups against ears, but definitely not when adjusting headband, as resulting clamping force is completely different.
I have not noticed ANY sound degradation, loss of air or any other negative side effects adjusting headband on my pair. The only outcome is more impact full bass.

 

[LonerGenius]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superpredator /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem with your thinking here is that the W5000's bass quantity varies depending on fit. Someone with a larger head will likely experience more bass while someone with a smaller head will experience less. Whether people enjoy the W5000's fit or not, it is looser than most other headphones. With a small enough head this can become an issue, and there's no way you can say with any certainty that bass quantity is perfectly adequate for everyone. I'm not talking about individual taste either. Of all the headphones I've heard I believe the W5000 had the best bass quality. With bass that good, I don't see anything wrong with trying to tease out little bit more quantity by altering the fit to individual head size. Edit: when you consider that Audio-Technica produced two sizes of W5000 it's a little silly to be a purist about modifying its fit.

The probem with your thinking is that bass quantity coming from the headphones has nothing to do with the fit of the headphones, or for that matter even the proximity of the headphones to your zip code. The sound reproduction is the same whether or not you are even wearing the headphones. What you hear can change but to think that the "bass quantity" changes with positioning makes no sense.

It would be like saying the horsepower an engine produces is different for the driver and the passenger. Perhaps different perception from person to person...BUT THE OUTPUT IS EXACTLY THE SAME.

I was simply stating my belief about accurate sound reproduction vs. the want for more bass.

 

[jjhatfield]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif May be when you press the cups against ears, but definitely not when adjusting headband, as resulting clamping force is completely different. I have not noticed ANY sound degradation, loss of air or any other negative side effects adjusting headband on my pair. The only outcome is more impact full bass.

I probably should have prefaced all this with saying my head is pretty big. To illustrate, I cannot successfully use a K701. The bottoms of the ear cups push up against the bottom of my ears, and the painful strap of doom digs deep into my skullbone.

So actually I'm quite content with the clamping force of the W5000!