[PenDragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raelamb /img/forum/go_quote.gif The longer I own these cans the more I love them

I'll second that! I've had mine for close to 2 months now (using them on a daily basis, a good 200-300 hours of burn-in) and it seems like they keep improving still. All that's left is to recable them I guess ^^

 

[raelamb]

APURESOUND portable cable really tightened the ESW9's up nicely!

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raelamb /img/forum/go_quote.gif APURESOUND portable cable really tightened the ESW9's up nicely!

That is what would make them even better is to have their sound tighten up some. I will have to think more about having this done.

 

[Digital Osmosis]

Sorry if I end up rambling a bit: last night I went to the AudioCubes store in NYC. First off, although it's not directly related to my question, it's worth noting that that store is absolutely awesome. I had a blast playing with awesome headphones and insane Japanese gizmos. Okay, getting back on track: I went there to try on the ESW9s, which they didn't have in store. Okay, not that great - they did however have the ATH-ES7s, which I heard are basically the same shape as the ESW9s. The good news is the ES7s fit me surprisingly comfortably, which is well, good to know.

I also got a chance to plug my iPod into a bunch of the headphones they had there, and the results were... interesting. I don't have a trained ear, but on some of the higher end 'phones, like the W1000 or the Denon D1000, I heard... nothing particularly special. I could tell they were better than my beat up old Sony MDR-V600s, but to my ear, they weren't all that much of an improvement. Maybe they're meant to be heard with an amp? I don't know, but I don't have an amp and won't be getting one in the near future, so it's kind of irrelevant. The ES7s, on the other hand, were totally different. While I originally tried them on to get an idea of how the ESW9s would feel, I found myself absolutely loving the sound. My iPod, to my ears, sounded way "better" (clearer vocals, better separation of instruments, more lively beats) on the ES7s than any of the higher end 'phones.

Anyway this roughly brings me to my question, which is this: How does the ESW9 sound compare to the ES7s? Do they have a "distinct" sound, or are the just like ES7+++? Because for whatever reasons my ears were not pleased with much but the ES7s. If the ESW9s have that sound but more, I'll almost definitely pick them up. But if they don't, I might just go with the ES7s because I know they sound really good to me.

 

[Michael Jennings]

Are we starting to get a sense of particular synergies between smallish portable amps (pico, etc.) and the ES W9's? I'm thinking about adding a more portable alternative rig to my Lisa setup.

Thanks!

 

[JML]

I think everyone who has heard the ESW9 vs. ES7 thinks the 9 is far better.

An iPod, esp. if loaded with compressed music and without an amp, isn't going to reveal what superb headphones can do. You'll hear something better from quality headphones than from the stuff portable players are sold with, but you're not going to hear all that's available within the field of quality headphones.

 

[ktheone]

I have received mine, and after listening to it carefully, I notice that the bass is kinda weak, right? I mean, bass is there but the "quatity" is not much in compared with other AT cans, for example AD900.

Is it because that I don't use an amp? I thought the pair is only 42 ohm, which should be fairly easy to drive...

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktheone /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have received mine, and after listening to it carefully, I notice that the bass is kinda weak, right? I mean, bass is there but the "quatity" is not much in compared with other AT cans, for example AD900. Is it because that I don't use an amp? I thought the pair is only 42 ohm, which should be fairly easy to drive...

Burn-in.

 

[Digital Osmosis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JML /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think everyone who has heard the ESW9 vs. ES7 thinks the 9 is far better. An iPod, esp. if loaded with compressed music and without an amp, isn't going to reveal what superb headphones can do. You'll hear something better from quality headphones than from the stuff portable players are sold with, but you're not going to hear all that's available within the field of quality headphones.

I suspect you're right on that, but since I don't have an amp, and plan on using my iPod quite a bit, the other 'phones seem pointless for me.

I remember reading that people tend to think the ESW9 is generally better than the ES7s. I'm wondering if they have a similar sound. I don't know if that question is too vague to mean much, but I was very impressed with the ES7s, and less impressed with the other headphones that people generally consider to sound better than the ES7s.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Jennings /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are we starting to get a sense of particular synergies between smallish portable amps (pico, etc.) and the ES W9's? I'm thinking about adding a more portable alternative rig to my Lisa setup. Thanks!

The amps I've used with the ESW9s in order of personal preference:

LaRocco PRII
LaRocco Diablo
Headamp pico
RSA SR-71
Rockhopper mini^3

I'm currently using the pico as the default amp.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif The amps I've used with the ESW9s in order of personal preference: LaRocco PRII LaRocco Diablo Headamp pico RSA SR-71 Rockhopper mini^3 I'm currently using the pico as the default amp.

How is the Pico with these headphones? I'm thinking of buying these sooner or later for when I go visit Kauai later on this summer.

 

[Skylab]

I was able to listen to the Pico with my ESW9 and I thought the combination was terrific.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Thanks for the confirmation, Skylab. I've been going batty the last month or so trying to find the right IEM for me, from Livewires to the triple.fi to Shure E530PTH to the Q-jays...but I think I'll stop at these portable headphones and save up for them.

 

[kiwirugby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktheone /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have received mine, and after listening to it carefully, I notice that the bass is kinda weak, right? I mean, bass is there but the "quatity" is not much in compared with other AT cans, for example AD900. Is it because that I don't use an amp? I thought the pair is only 42 ohm, which should be fairly easy to drive...

Not my experience at all, but then I am using them with a DAC/amp.

MarchingMule could well be right: burn in!

 

[ManAtWork]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the confirmation, Skylab. I've been going batty the last month or so trying to find the right IEM for me, from Livewires to the triple.fi to Shure E530PTH to the Q-jays...but I think I'll stop at these portable headphones and save up for them.

The sound is different between portable headphone and IEM, because IEM is placed deep in your ear canals, you can hear many details, deeper bass. No to mention which is better, but you have to aware this when shifting from IEM to portable headphone.