[DaNuS]

I've been looking at possibly picking up a pair of these but using the thread search it seems that there is/was some build quality issues. Has anyone recently picked up a pair? Is the "rattling" problem still an issue with these?

 

[Mher6]

I picked up a pair this month and have not heard any "rattling." I've never even heard of this problem before.

 

[slwiser]

I never had any quality issues with my ATH-W5000 when I had them and I had them over a year. The only real common issue with these may be fit related. Some units seem to be tighter than others. There were a few reports of some wire becoming in contact with the driver and making some sounds but this was rare I think. This was also reported in the L3000, maybe even with more frequency. And I am not sure that this is not related to so many people actually opening them up and checking them out and putting them back together.

It is almost like a sneeze once someone sneezes everyone finds that they have to sneeze. This happens a lot with a lot of equipment and things. Human nature I guess.

 

[Fitz]

The "rattling" problem is inherent to the way the drivers are designed, as they have a large amount of slack on the voice coils which passes through an opening in the back of the driver. In most cases the wires stay clear of each other and the edges of the opening, but in a few instances they may be in the wrong position and will rattle against the housing or diaphragm. It may also be the case that on most pairs the wires are sized properly and don't have the same potential problem.

It seems that in the vast majority of cases though, this problem never manifests. If you do open the headphones up, you have to be extremely careful because it is very easy to accidentally touch these wires and trigger the problem. I fixed mine by gluing down the extra slack on the wires, but I wouldn't really recommend anyone to try it unless you have experience with headphone/microphone element repair.

 

[Icarium]

Yeah its never affected me.

 

[vcoheda]

i don't own a pair of W5000s but the main complaint i read about them is fit and getting a good seal.

 

[rlanger]

Yeah, if you can get the fit right, they are pretty outstanding sounding headphones.

 

[tk3]

Yeah, the W5000's are very, very fit and positioning dependant.
After playing with them for a few months, I'm still not comfortable with leaving them on one spot, I'm still experimenting with them.
When the fit is good, the soundstage goes up really high, and is pretty wide also and can seem to be projected from behind you pretty far, which is impressive to me.

Vocals are separated very well and clear, and projected in front and slightly above of you, and everything else is layered and separated really well.
The way the background instruments and vocals interact with the main vocals is really magical, the goosebump factor is really high when you get the fit right, and it's really easy to notice when you do.

But the opposite is also true, when you don't have them fit well or positioned properly for your head, the vocals and everything else can become very congested.

 

[Afrikane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaNuS /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been looking at possibly picking up a pair of these but using the thread search it seems that there is/was some build quality issues. Has anyone recently picked up a pair? Is the "rattling" problem still an issue with these?

I think this issue was picked by AT in the very first production run and it has subsequently been addressed by them. Certainly nobody has brought up the issue for at least a year as far as I recall.

 

[MaloS]

The fit thing is partly because the driver is angled. Mi**** on the ear - game over. Seal is needed for the bass to come to play.

 

[Minimauled]

I bought a pair a month ago new and there was a loose connection causing an intermittent problem with one of the channels being out. I sent them back but the supplier was out for a while so I got a refund.

So if you get a pair I would twist the 1/4" jack around a bit to see if you have the same problem so you can catch it in time for return.

 

[The Pieman]

I haven't had any issues with mine. First I have heard of a rattle problem.

cheers
Simon

 

[LonerGenius]

Zero issues here. Fit for me has not been an issue either...LOVE mine.

 

[fkclo]

My W5000 works absolutely fine.

Actually, the quality of Audio Technica headphones is much better than most others I have seen. I have owned 4 ATH cans, and none give me a problem.

F. Lo

 

[GarryH]

Danus,

6 months with no problems here.

Cheers,
Garry