[markl]

As promised, here's a new thread that will evolve into a review of the W2002. This will be more like a little diary of the ownership/listening experience, written as I progress.

Opening Thoughts
In a lot of ways, it appears that Audio Technica had the Sony R10 in their cross-hairs when they began designing their wooden phones. They openly, almost brazenly adopted many of the innovations of the Sony R10, especially on this latest model, the W2002, which even shares the R10's lambskin ear cushions. AT has released five models of wooden headphones in all, with 4 models preceding the W2002. They've had five shots at beating the R10-- have they succeeded? Was that even their goal?

The way I see it, the W2002 is the result of 4 successive product development experiences with "high-end" wooden phones, so I expect that the W2002 is probably as close to a state of the art dynamic headphone as exists today. What would the R10 sound like after four more product iterations? Is this even a fair comparison? Perhaps sound/design/marketing goals were fundamentally different? From this side of the ocean, it's hard to really know.

True, The ATH W2002 is priced well-below the Sony R10, although you will recall that the R10 originally came out in 1989 when the relationship of yen to dollar was very different. I wonder how the price of the R10 and the ATH W2002 would really compare in today's dollars?

Why am I hung up on that? I THINK it's valid to do a head-to-head with these phones, but I'm not sure. In any case, that's how I'm going to proceed.

The Box:
A very handsome and macho-looking case that appears to be made of plastic with maybe aluminum trim. Though the box is designed to look somewhat like a Haliburton case, let's just say, its not quite as rugged. More for show, but that's fine, I am not hung up on cases, but I know some of you freaks are.
When you open the box, you get a big grin. The W2002 is buried in a red-satiny shiny material that drapes randomly all over like the backgound to those nude Marilyn Monroe photos. The effect is somewhat gaudy, almost bawdy and pornographic. Nestled deep inside all this material is Marilyn-- I mean the W2002, and I am immediately struck by their size--they are definitely smaller than the R10s.

Verdict: Nod must go to Sony's absurdly posh leather box and hard-bound book. (What, no hardcover book on the development of the W2002? AS IF!)

Fit and Finish
She sure is purty. Every bit as purty as the R10, but not as substantial. The R10's are BIG and comfy and snuggle the head perfectly. There's plenty of room within the R10's earcup for your ears, but not the W2002. They don't quite fit as well or as comfortably as the Sony R10's over my (admittedly large) ears.
W2002 does not have as much cushioning as the ultra-comfy R10s. Nevertheless, the W2002 is very, very comfortable in its own right-- no big red flags there.
On my head, the W2002 is not as snug as the R10s and are probably closer in snugess to the somewhat loosey-goosey Sony CD3000. W2002 feels somewhat heavier on your head than the R10s, but they are not heavy. One advantage of the W2002 over the R10's is in my ability to put my head back on my comfy chair. The R10s portrude way out in the back (baby got back!) and so they sometimes collide with the cushion in an uncomfortable way, forcing the headphones forward, if you can picture that. I do not have this problem with the slimmer W2002 and that's a good thing.

As far as build quality goes-- the wooden enclosures are indeed very beautiful, but with the heavy laquering, they almost feel like plastic. The assembly itself is not as rugged or sturdy as the R10. Of course, they are two completely different designs, but the magnesium R10s convey stability, while the W2002 has a plastic-y frame that emphasizes flexibility. This may be a deliberate design choice that I will come to appreciate over time, it may be a limitation of the design, or a limitation of the materials they had available to use for the construction. In any case, W2002 is not as substantial in places where they pivot as the R10. Those two thin "rails" that circumnavigate the head are not especially sturdy, but maybe they don't need to be. There are two independently-moving pads that rest on top of the head. They have lots of moving pieces that allow them to conform to your head, but they are constructed of somewhat thin pieces of platic.

The cord is very nice, but not as thick and supple as the r10s. The plug on the W2002 is SWEET. Really buff, beefy, heavy, and purty.

Verdict: Nod goes to Sony R10 in terms of comfort and in terms of (apparent) build quality. That said, the W2002 is extremely attractive and very well-built. It's only in comparison to the R10 that it could possibly come up short. ATH W2002 is probably more comfortable than the Sony CD3000 or HD600, although its been months since I've had either of them.

The W2002 will be burning in for several days, so as I have information on sound quality that's coherent and meaningful, I will post.

markl

 

[Flasken]

You know what would be great? If you decided that you liked the r10's better... That way there would be alot of postings between you and M Rael, discussing (ok,ok... fighting over...)which is best.

 

[M Rael]

Glad your W2002's got there as expected markl.

See, I already like your approach to this review/diary of the W2002 experience. Anything that you mentioned I wouldnt have said the same way is as nothing.. except that part where you thought the lacquer.. I'm actually not sure what you were saying. The lacquer process is still semi-transparent, meaning you see a little wood grain underneath. The full bore gloss of the finish is only possible by virtue of a certain number of coats. I'm a painter and I know something about this. You took this a step further and used a 'plastic' reference. Shame on you.

The lacquer process you are looking at markl, has a tradition of centuries, in Japan. You look at the surface and equate it with something man-made from recent chemistry lab history. Youre barking up the wrong tree my friend. This finish has existed for centuries and you think it reminds one of plastic? Wheres your musical soul when you need it?
To me the R10 (flasken should enjoy this) looks inexpensive because of its dull sheen finish, and in certain light looks like it accepts fingerprints and hand oil a little too easily. Tip: get one of those eyeglass cloths and keep it in the W2002 case. I keep one folded up in the cord tray, and it makes cleaning a breeze. You will find that after a few months you will be able to see faint traces of raised wood grain on the enclosures, if you look at them in the light. In any case, I think the lacquer is thick enough to acheive that gloss, but thats it. The lacquer isnt applied by spray equipment markl, like they would use on something cheap (not that the R10 is cheap, but it uses a sprayed on finish.) And its a natural lacquer they use, not synthetic. Its an elaborate process. I hope this fact isnt wasted on you (I dont mean that as harshly as it might sound.)

I relate to what you mention about the case. I knew there was something I liked about it, and now I realize it was the Marylin/bawdy/***** connection. Well said. And funny.

BTW: what serial number are yours?? Theres a little sticker on the underside of the headband, right next to the right ear pad. See it?? What number are yours-- ?

M

 

[markl]

Mine are 0593.

About the lacquer-- it's very very attractive, no doubt about it. But it's a healthy thick coating so you aren't really touching wood. On the R10, the wood is more exposed.

I can already tell that this is going to be a very interesting comparison. With no break-in, the ATH W2002's at this point have a different sound than the R10 in terms of the "flavor" of the music. That's vague, but that's the best I can do.

ATH W2002 sounds tighter and plays slightly louder than the R10s. ATHW2002 has a sort of pinched nasal quality to the vocals, and cymbals sound weird. That is to say, they are portrayed differently than on the R10's. Too soon to say what's better or worse. W2002 has less air and ambience and soundstage is not as deep as R10. These are definitely things than can change with burn-in, but those are my off-the-cuff knee-jerk reactions. I tend to focus on the negative before I can hear the positive, but that's just me.

Overall, out-of-the-box impression of W2002 sound quality is positive. Nothing glaringly bad, most things very very good indeed. This will be fun.

markl

 

[M Rael]

Thanks for the serial number! Toms are in the 200-300 range, and mine are 0485.

I'm just saying that audio-technica did something really really special with the finish.. and I'd hate to think you couldnt appreciate the depth of it. As if you were some redneck using a 500 year old samurai sword to cut weeds 'out back'. Get it? Is this why they dont usually sell to Westerners?

p.s. audio-technica didnt print a booklet, true. what they did instead is create a website which includes tons of pictures, design intentions, specs, and history- totally devoted to the W2002. if i'm not mistaken, Sony doesnt even acknowledge the R10 on their website. weird!

 

[KurtW]

Did you guys end up paying duty on yours? UPS just came by with mine and they wanted $39.30 for duty, which caught me by surpise as I somehow thought that would be part of the freight, which was paid by AT. The serial numbers are kind of interesting since there were 1000 made.

 

[markl]

Yeah, that was rather an unpleasant surprise. So, too was the $42 my bank charged me to wire money. Total cost now something like $782!

Don't keep us in suspense Kurt! We want your impressions ASAP. Cheers and enjoy!

markl

 

[M Rael]

Yeah Kurt! Spill the beans! What do you think! (and whats your serial number, soldier) And yeah I got knocked for duty fee's too, but I got my bill in the mail weeks later.
...........................

Heres a pic to show what markl was saying about R10/W2002 earpads:

 

[KurtW]

Well, the most disturbing thing about the duty was they would not take cash, only a check and I didn't have any checks with me, so he took it away!

Whaaaaaaa.

However, I think I did talk the UPS guy into coming back this afternoon, so I ran out at lunchtime to the bank and got a money order. I'm still waiting for his return....

Quote:

Don't keep us in suspense Kurt! We want your impressions ASAP.

I think I'm only allowed to give my impressions on the looks for the first few days, not the sound. To quote another reviewer: "The W2002 will be burning in for several days, so as I have information on sound quality that's coherent and meaningful, I will post."

 

[M Rael]

Quote:

Originally posted by KurtW I think I'm only allowed to give my impressions on the looks for the first few days, not the sound.

Yeah, thats what I meant- you just spent $700+ for some headphones! That warrants a few words of object impressions I think. Man, they had your headphones and took them away! Thats a real ball-buster. Good thing you were able to talk sense into the UPS guy. You also could have given cash to a coworker and have THEM write a check. No? Oh well..
If worse comes to worse you can pick them up at the UPS station after hours; those guys are there till 8-9pm usually. Bring an Uzi, just in case.

 

[acidtripwow]

I should be getting mine soon, I hope.

 

[KurtW]

Well, they're finally here. Reporting in for serial number 602.

The case is a little better than what I expected after reading Markl's comments on it. It weights a lot more than the headphones, and should protect them just fine while looking pretty nice too. No lock though, I guess you are supposed to use handcuffs like in the blues brothers movie.

Did you guys hear a chorus of angels singing when you first opened the case? Maybe it was just my imagination running away with me.

First impressions on my modest office setup is that they sound very good. Every now and then I sneak a listen, and either they are improving or I'm getting more used to the sound. I'll have a better idea when I take them home tonight.

 

[markl]

Oh, don't get me wrong, the case is extemely cool. It's so cool that I wouldn't want to be carrying it through any major U.S. airports at this time.

However, compared to the R10's case, its just not in the same league of absurdity!

markl

 

[M Rael]

markl, when you start posting your listening comments I'll either remove or really shrink the image(s) I posted. For now though, I'd like to keep going and ask W2002 owners to send me their serial number if they would. I know acidtripwow and at least 1 or 2 others who are expecting to take delivery soon. I'm going to show it on the main page of my site in this way:

 

[markl]

No, no, no! Keep the pictures! I meant to thank you for posting them. The more the merrier!

Who are the other mystery W2002 owners? Step forth and declare yourselves!

Wow, from the looks of it, Audio Technica mania has officially kicked into high gear here at Head-Fi. I would advise keeping your perspective and taking comments and actions of the Head-Fi "elders" with a grain of salt. It may seem that we're all rushing out willy-nilly to get these, but frankly, there was no choice. It was a now or never thing for me given that there were so few left, so I said "screw it, I'm gonna get mine" and just went for it. And so far I'm glad I did. They will give the R10s a run for their money! I'm not convinced their "better", but, yeah, they're good.

Nevertheless, we should welcome Audio Technica to the fold of hallowed and esteemed headphones!

markl