hwalker

That reminds me of a time when a head-fi member asked to me a post a fictitious positive review of his custom-made cable that I didn't even listen to so that he could sell it on head-fi. I think that was one of things that made me stop going there. (In addition to a major house renovation that kept me busy that is) Oh and that I'm pretty happy with my current low-end gears

Years ago I had a chance to listen to the A900 and the W100 at Head-fi meetings, one of which NotoriousBIG_PJ hosted. (Thanks again!) I liked the comfort level and general pleasant sound with vocals, but there was something about their upper-mid-range that made them much more coloured than other headphones that were present. Aerius also pointed out that violins just sounded different on those ATs and I fully agreed . On the other hand I think that colouration made them more pleasing with many of the pop vocals to my ears. And last year I finally got to hear the W5000, and a number of other models. While it was a very nice headphone, it instantly made me remember the old experience with the W100 and the A900. The tonality just didn't do it for me and I expected a bit more for the price, even in terms of build quality. I think it's a case my preference differed from the characteristics of a brand line. I would love to have them just for their ergonomics.

I've owned the old DT880 before and current have been using the ER4P and the HD650 for years. The DT880 in many ways similar to the HD650 but (and a big but) with a major boost in the treble area and a wider soundstage but with less depth. Now the treble makes it "airy" but often the sibilance got out of control. Some people would like it that way but to me there was just something that made the DT880 uninvolving. Was it the midrange? Lack of warmth? I don't really know. Then again I prefer the ER4P/S over any headphone and many would call the ER4 uninvolving. On the otherhand, the DT880 is very very well built, I think it's much more durable than the Sennheisers or Audio-Technicas, which is a plus if you plan to carry it around. Also I liked the fairly neutral presentation of low midrange and bass, but at the end wasn't too happy with how it handled upper range and vocals felt too "light."