I haven't spent much time with the 5000, but from what I read it went to the same school as the w100, which I did own for about a month. As soon as I put those on, man the brightness was in your face. That was out of my soha, and even after I built my new tube amp, I could not get past the upper midrange. It just about led to sibilance in a lot of recordings. Just as I thought I'd just get used to it, I got this vtg, which was everything I wanted the w100 to be, and more. I guess I am looking for a more euphonic sound.