[n0ah]

so who has recable success stories? i'd have no luck at attempting such a thing myself but would be interested in having them done at some point. for the amount i'd be willing to pay i wouldn't expect much of a bump in sound quality, just more of a sturdy cord really, though i suppose by that logic i should just wait til i catch a bad enough snag on them before i worry about getting them done.

 

[alleggerita]

Just got a pair of the ESW9 a few days ago and it blew me away. I'm using the ADDIEMs and the ADDIEM is actually very good, very underrated I have to say. But I know IEMs will never provide me with the kind of wide soundstage I crave for. Hence the decision to get the ESW9. Well, I'm not saying the ESW9 has soundstage that can fight with the big boys, but for a closed, portable can it's rather good.

I was actually intending to get the ES7. At that time I never knew about the ESW9's existence because I'm still rather new to the world of headphones. When I was trying out the ES7, I saw the ESW9 and decided to give it a go as well. Turned out that I preferred ESW9's sound signature more. It's more laid back and there's more bass yet it's controlled enough. Unlike the ES7, which I found it too bright and upfront. I thought maybe the demo set was rather new, haven't had enough burn-in. But shop owner said that demo has been there for a few months already. So I believe the ES7 will induce ear fatigue even faster than the ESW9.

After deciding on the ESW9, I enquired about the price and got a shock how much more expensive it is compared to the ES7. But oh well, it's well worth the money and I'm loving it!

It might even help me to save money, because I don't think I'll be going for an upgrade anytime soon.

Some pictures:

 

[aegid]

Quote:

I don't think I'll be going for an upgrade anytime soon

That's what they want you to think.

 

[alleggerita]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aegid /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's what they want you to think.

Maybe I should stop visiting head-fi so oftenly, lest I fall for another earphones/headphones.

head-fi is such a sin, lol.

 

[Landis]

I was thinking about picking up a pair of these for my father, but I haven't found too much info on what kind of music these are good with, but plenty of information on how they sound.

My father listens to rock and blues mostly; Stevie Ray Vaughn, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, etc.

If this isn't my best option for that genre in this price range, could someone point me in the right direction?

 

[alleggerita]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landis /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was thinking about picking up a pair of these for my father, but I haven't found too much info on what kind of music these are good with, but plenty of information on how they sound. My father listens to rock and blues mostly; Stevie Ray Vaughn, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, etc. If this isn't my best option for that genre in this price range, could someone point me in the right direction?

I would say it's a GOOD option, but not the BEST.

The ESW9s sounds fantastic for slower music like jazz, classical, soul, and maybe pop. Fast rock songs might catch it out a little, because IMO the ESW9s are a little 'slow'. Just my $0.02.

 

[majurglery]

I like my Esw-9s, but find that they have a noticeable vocal recession, which keeps me from really loving these headphones. They are great looking though

 

[kb1gra]

I have two fairly dumb noob questions about these:

1. I hear a lot of differing opinions on the bass of these headphones. I listen to chiefly electronic/EBM/industrial, a lot of old-school techno. Will these headphones play well with that or should I look elsewhere? (I run a CMoy amp, though part of the reason I am really interested in these is that they perform well unamped, which would be great coming from a pair of 300ohm sennheisers).

2. here's the really noob question: are these circumaural or supra-aural? I can't tell from the pictures what the relative size of these are. I'm guessing they're supra-aural, in which case, does anyone find that they compress the cartilege on the upper ear after a few hours of wear?

 

[majurglery]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb1gra /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have two fairly dumb noob questions about these: 1. I hear a lot of differing opinions on the bass of these headphones. I listen to chiefly electronic/EBM/industrial, a lot of old-school techno. Will these headphones play well with that or should I look elsewhere? (I run a CMoy amp, though part of the reason I am really interested in these is that they perform well unamped, which would be great coming from a pair of 300ohm sennheisers). 2. here's the really noob question: are these circumaural or supra-aural? I can't tell from the pictures what the relative size of these are. I'm guessing they're supra-aural, in which case, does anyone find that they compress the cartilege on the upper ear after a few hours of wear?

1. IMO i think these are great phones for electronic/bass driven genres, as they do bass quite well and the overall sound signature lends it self well to this kind of music.

2. Yes they are supra-aural, and yes they do compress the upper ear a lot at first. what you should do to lessen the pressure on your upper ear is the stretch them out with a pillow that has been folded over. This will loosen the clamp and thus lessen the amount of pressure placed on the upper ear. After that, normal wear will make he earpads conform to your ear and make hem even more comfortable. When i first recieved the ESW-9s, my ears were very sore from the amount of pressure that was placed on my ears, but after stretching them out and wearing down the pads, these cans are very comfortable.

 

[AwakenedBeing]

Hi,

I just got the ESW9A and they sound great. I ordered these from Adorama ($218 shipped), which is an authorized dealer listed on Audio Technica's website.

I checked this site for fake comparisons of the ESW9: [Information] Tout sur la contrefaçon d'Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 - Forum GenerationMP3


Was confused with my packaging since it matched the fake one exactly posted except for the registered trademarks.

The leather pouch is the same as the real. However, there was no certificate.

This is the front of my package.

The headphone matches everyone else here. The only difference I can tell from my model compared to some members is the 3.5mm plug.

The left plug is from my ATH-CK10, which is the same as others. Right is ESW9 or ESW9A. I was surprised that the cable is identical to my ATH-CK10, just a bit longer!

Adorama said that these are real since they just received them directly from Audio Technica last week. I e-mailed Audio Technica, but they haven't responded. Anyone know if the ESW9 and ESW9A have different packaging, or did Audio Technica change it over time?

 

[aegid]

Do note that the left hand box is the Japanese-only box (these are the early ESW9s) and the right hand box is the "international" box.

 

[AwakenedBeing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aegid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do note that the left hand box is the Japanese-only box (these are the early ESW9s) and the right hand box is the "international" box.

Thanks for clarifying. That is exactly what Audio Technica just told me. Back to listening!

 

[joeq70]

My ESW9s will be here in a matter of hours...impressions soon to follow!

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AwakenedBeing /img/forum/go_quote.gif I checked this site for fake comparisons of the ESW9: [Information] Tout sur la contrefaçon d'Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 - Forum GenerationMP3

When I look at the various pictures on the French comparison site, the most distinguishing aspect of the fake phones is that the "wood grain" appears to have a halftone linescreen, i.e. the grain is just printed onto the surface. (Look closely at the two photos showing close ups of the words "Audio-Technica" on the ear cups.) I don't read French very well, but I gather that the description says that the fake's cups are glossy plastic, rather than wood. (Sorry if all this was already mentioned somewhere in the 70+ pages of this thread.)

Anybody know how the fakes sound?

 

[joeq70]

My pair finally came in! And I've noticed something about these headphones. Some people have stated that they are supra-aural and sit on the ears, however....they actually fit nice and snug all around my ears. I tested it both ways and noticed that the sound is VASTLY superior when the cups fully enclose my ears. Maybe this accounts for some of the disparity in people's impressions of these phones.