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Posted

The HA5000 is full time Class A amp. It pulls about 27-30 watts out of the wall. Efficiency being what it is gives you lots of watts out as heat...I guess about 25 watts into the small space. It is well ventilated with slots below and above the MOSFETs with big heat sinks.

Posted

Must have been, I got scared there for a minute.

Haha, yeah I edited it as soon as I re-read the post.

Maybe if you lay it on the HA5000.

That's also true, one time I left the amp running with the W5000 on top and the metal bits got really hot.

Posted

ESW9 impressions by boomana

Wha? Are we listening to the same phone? It's a fun mid-fi phone and all that but....

It seems to me to be like the (totally different sounding of course, but similar situation where the way it looks clouds your judgement) ES9 where you spend a few weeks listening to it and think, hey, that's kind of good... then you listen to a KSC-75 and go "oh fuck."

Still, more fool me for continuing to buy the damned things.

Posted

I still like the ESW9s a lot. No, they don't compare to better full-size headphones, but I wasn't expecting them to, nor have I made that claim. As far as good-sounding, portable, closed headphones go (a definite need for me), I'm loving these. If you're looking for what the best headphones can offer, these don't come close (especially in separation/air...things can be a bit thick), but then we're talking home headphones/systems. If you're looking for the best in portability (non-iem), I haven't found better. Amp choice does make a difference (I've been messing with an assortment), and I can no longer really recommend them unamped, though volume is no problem straight from an ipod. They also aren't the best with heavy rock, etc., but are wonderful with acoustic, small combo jazz and much of the music I listen to daily.

btw, I don't get the deal with the KSC-75. Sure, cost to performance ratio is maybe the best around, but outside of that and the plus of not caring if you lose them or they break, pffft.

Posted

Similarly I don't make claims to the KSC-75's greatness. The fact that the EW9's barely outperfom them (if at all - consequently the 'oh fuck') is a case in point to A-T's frequent 'form over function', which includes the ESW9. It doesn't isolate much, it's not exceptionally comfortable, it is not particularly suitable for everyday throwaround use and neither is it sounding that much better than a mediocre DJ phone.

My point is that if you like these because you're influenced by the way it looks, you should acknowledge it. The reason both EW and ESW stick around in my inventory is that occasionally I like wearing functional jewelry.

Posted

I really like the ESW9. Not as rugged and practical as the HD 25, but it's foldable (fits better into messenger bag) and, despite me being a Sennheiser whore, it also sounds arguably better to me, especially because there is some kind of soundstage. Sure, it's a bit coloured and sounds not so great with orchestral stuff, but I can live with that. Great for my needs in the library and on the bike. And it does look very nice, which is a big plus actually.

The EW9 was horrible, I agree, but the ESW9 is nice.

Posted

btw, I don't get the deal with the KSC-75. Sure, cost to performance ratio is maybe the best around, but outside of that and the plus of not caring if you lose them or they break, pffft.

Neither do I...I have a pair, but I don't care for them much.

Posted

Similarly I don't make claims to the KSC-75's greatness. The fact that the EW9's barely outperfom them (if at all - consequently the 'oh fuck') is a case in point to A-T's frequent 'form over function', which includes the ESW9. It doesn't isolate much, it's not exceptionally comfortable, it is not particularly suitable for everyday throwaround use and neither is it sounding that much better than a mediocre DJ phone.

My point is that if you like these because you're influenced by the way it looks, you should acknowledge it. The reason both EW and ESW stick around in my inventory is that occasionally I like wearing functional jewelry.

Interesting. I have the KSC-75s here now (bought a pair to give to my trainer) and the ESW9s. There is a significant difference in sq, when using an amp, in imaging, clarity and tone. I imagine you've put cost into the mix. I don't think that way. Something either sounds much better or it doesn't. Isolation? No awards here, but good enough for my purposes. Comfort? Crazy good right out of the box, but I have a small head so that might make a difference. DJ headphones? I have zero experience. Why not do a comparison with ones you know well? I'd be interested in reading that.

Ben, I have zero problems with your impressions of the ESW9s and how they differ from mine. You could even be right, but your choice to stoop to personal cattiness as a way to dismiss my opinion while boosting the validity of yours is embarrassingly unnecessary and, due to your willingness to post while lacking knowledge of your subject (me), is indicative of sloppy thinking as well. You suggest I allow impressions of beauty to override a clearly separate ability to form and articulate judgments about sound quality. Do you really believe I'm that shallow and lacking in self-reflective intelligence? As evidenced by what? Tell me how you learned that about me. Do you really believe that members of this forum can't see motives through language? Can't see your unattractive eagerness to win points even if you're talking through your ass. Careful with your answers. Few here are as stupid as you are showing yourself to be.

Posted

The comparison to illustrate the point of looks vs performance (and the influence of this on the perceived sound quality, especially if you scout around for reviews online) was made between the EW9 and the KSC-75, two *directly* comparable items. Obviously I wouldn't compare between completely different classes of phones when making statements of the above nature.

Oh, and I may be catty at times but it's not my usual practice to descend straight into calling someone stupid unless very justified. May I suggest that you beware at jumping to such conclusions.

Longtime readers of my posts not on this forum may note that I am incredibly bad at coming up with reviews once I've said I will do so - so I'll avoid a straight commitment to a comparative review with a couple of DJ-phones, which who knows, the Panda may have already done. Nevertheless if the opportunity presents itself I will try to put my detailed thoughts in writing in a timely (?) manner.

Posted

Oh, and I may be catty at times but it's not my usual practice to descend straight into calling someone stupid unless very justified. May I suggest that you beware at jumping to such conclusions.

Ah, but I have supporting evidence to to back my claims. Do you really want me to go there?

The comparison to illustrate the point of looks vs performance (and the influence of this on the perceived sound quality, especially if you scout around for reviews online) was made between the EW9 and the KSC-75, two *directly* comparable items. Obviously I wouldn't compare between completely different classes of phones when making statements of the above nature.

ESW9 impressions by boomana

Wha? Are we listening to the same phone? It's a fun mid-fi phone and all that but....

It seems to me to be like the (totally different sounding of course, but similar situation where the way it looks clouds your judgement) ES9 where you spend a few weeks listening to it and think, hey, that's kind of good... then you listen to a KSC-75 and go "oh fuck."

Still, more fool me for continuing to buy the damned things.

Please forgive my mistake in thinking that you were speaking of the ESW9 since your post was a response to my ESW9 impressions. Do you actually have the ESW9s? I'm now confused.

EDIT: I just read that it was a typo...still I'm confused. Do you have ESW9s?

Posted

"Supporting evidence"?

*slips into a suit, tweaks tie, shuffles papers and stands up*

It seems apparent to me that in order to prevent the dilution of threads beyond on-topic chit-chat with overlong disputes over the technical validity of a member's post, queries as to whether they are hard of thinking or a member of the ungulate family and other such distractions that I will have to be a little more specific.

The posting was a result of correlating commonly voiced opinions on many headphones considered 'mid-fi' and perhaps even panned as such on audio forums, and comparing the relative capabilities of those headphones with the particular phone under discussion.

The earclip comparison was, as previously indicated, intended to highlight in a far more directly comparable manner the evaluation by various parties of a good looking and a particularly average-performing phone against one where looks are not a deciding factor.

However, misspelling the model number undoubtedly contributed to unnecessarily inflaming the matter at hand, the fault for that being entirely mine. Also the earclip reference, while it was initially intended to clarify the matter using - as previously indicated, directly comparable items instead of those having a slightly different purpose or utility in terms of fit type or design type - was also in hindsight a misjudgement as it may have had the opposite effect to clarification among those I judged able to understand the parallels involved.

It is also possible that the naming of you and referring to your opinion may be interpreted as a claim that you specifically have fallen prey to 'hearing with your eyes'. This is not the case, and I make no such accusations. The post was essentially self contained and although it points to your evaluation, was a relative opinion given my experience of a wide range of phones in this general category, mixed with a minor degree of incredulity regarding the implied positioning of the phones on the headphone ladder, as it were.

As I have stated on a number of occasions on another popular headphone forum, I do not usually make comments on a phone unless I am in possession of it, and indeed with the exception of the RP-DJ1210W - which was a fictional product intended to invoke a certain degree of jest at the nature of the parallels made in my first post on this matter in this thread - I possess, or have possessed all of the headphones which has been mentioned in relation to the occurrence of this particular minor dispute - and where relative opinions are given between two or more phones, they are usually given by having them on hand at the same time.

In reference to the later post mentioning that I may elect to post a relative opinion in detail, it would seem that such an exposition is in fact an ideal way to highlight what the prospective user of the ATH-ESW9 might expect in terms of where the phone sits in terms of more generally well-known articles, be they well or poorly reviewed on headphone forums. However as I mentioned, due to time and other reasons I am notoriously bad at holding myself to a writing deadline and therefore I must decline at giving a definitive date that such a posting might appear.

Until then, might I suggest that this matter be done and over with, with my apologies given as above for the errors of spelling and content judgment - both parties opinions have been presented and hopefully the approach of both parties to arrive at the content of their respective posts is now clear to most third parties, until such time as a further post as indicated above is made.

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