Audio Technica W1000X

[Ridleyguy]

The W1000X has now earned its way to become my number one headphone, over both my HD650 (Equinox) and K701. Of the three, they are the only one where I have clearly noticed benefits from burn-in time, although I listen to music to burn-in my headphones, which may explain why i don't notice changes at 100 hrs. etc.

For classical music lovers I believe the W1000X is highly competitive with the HD650; with chamber music because of its great 3D soundtstage and detail, and for many concerto recordings because it brings forward the soloists so that they are not overpowered by the orchestra. For large choral works - again its 3D soundstage and detail are impressive.

I can't comment on Currawong's remarks about its upper mids/lower treble, as while I am knowledgeable about classical music, I am not about frequency graphs, and amps, etc. I would describe the sound as having some 'color' - but in a positive way for my taste. For those familiar with older British Tannoy speakers like the Monitor Reds, for example, the sound of the W1000X has a similar very musical lush sound, but the HP is more detailed. After burn-in, the W1000X sounds smoother to me, and loses some initial sibilance with certain recordings.

This is a great headphone IMO, but part of my enthusiasm for it may also come from the fact that it seems to pair very well with my RWA Isabellina amp/DAC.

[K3cT]

I guess I never really got over the "coloration". It can sound excellent with certain music but horrid with others and as someone who listens to a wide variety of genre, it's something undesirable after all.

[Hens]

Yes the AT coloration is still there.

I recently went back to demo these headphones at my local store seduced by the talk of sound stage (something I didnt really listen for when I first auditioned them).

I agree they have excellent imaging.

Anyway, back to the colouration, there is something about At's that just sounds "artificial." I wanted so bad to like them, but in the end I just couldn't justify spending the money on them, maybe things would be different if I could listen to a pair in my own home setup, but for me, I think the hd650 does a better job all around.

[Ridleyguy]

I think you would agree that there is some coloration with every or almost every headphone and speaker. The amp. you used with the W1000X likely also had a big influence too, as I find it to be amp. sensitive, although I want to try several amps. out at CanJam with the W1000X to confirm this. I am not referring to the power required to drive the W1000X, as they are easily driven, it is the SQ differences.

I found it somewhat ironic reading Hens comments about the W1000X, which is not to say he is wrong, because this is a matter of personal preference, musical tastes, etc., but while I keep bringing out my HD650 with different recordings, hoping that I will like it better with some music than the W1000X - so far at least, they just keep going back in their box.

All I can say to people, is that at least with my setup, Macbook Pro>USB out>RWA Isabellina>W1000X, the W1000X is the most musical and engaging headphone I have listened to. I find it to be clearly superior to my HD 650 (Equinox) and my K701 - for most of the music I listen to, which is about 80% classical, plus some jazz, Pop, and other genres. Although I was building my system around the HD650 - I don't even think it's a close contest between the two when you hear them with a good amp. side by side. The W1000X has better detail, a far deeper soundstage, has a slightly 'sweeter' sound, and to my ears is far, far more musical and engaging.

I have commented in several threads that the W1000X sound reminds me of the SQ of British speakers such as Tannoys, but with more detail. They produce a 'lush' sound that you either like for their musicality or don't, because it is not a neutral sound.

I would strongly encourage people though to at least investigate the W1000X further and not dismiss it without hearing it yourself. Naturally not everyone is going to like its distinct sound signature - but for others, it is a headphone that could end your search for the perfect headphone for you in this price range - I think it is that satisfying a product.

[Currawong]

Ridleyguy: I would strongly encourage you to re-read your Head-Case welcome PM, as I think you would agree, if you got a feel for the forums first, instead of treating people here like noobs, that this isn't Head-fi.

[Ridleyguy]

Ridleyguy: I would strongly encourage you to re-read your Head-Case welcome PM, as I think you would agree, if you got a feel for the forums first, instead of treating people here like noobs, that this isn't Head-fi.

My apologies if I offended anyone, as this wasn't my intention at all. I hadn't read it, but will do so. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

[Hens]

haha, its ok ridleyguy you need a much thicker skin around here than on headfi.

if I wasnt trying to be a bit less impulsive with my headphone spending, I'd have bought a pair just because they are oh so drop dead sexy.

[Ridleyguy]

haha, its ok ridleyguy you need a much thicker skin around here than on headfi.

if I wasnt trying to be a bit less impulsive with my headphone spending, I'd have bought a pair just because they are oh so drop dead sexy.

Thanks Hens. I appreciate you saying that.

[Ben Gramain]

<Imagine W1000s with more treble>

Holy frack. If that's for real, do not want. I was hovering over the buy button only a few hours ago.

Plus that wood finish looks like something that would be lurking at the bottom of the toilet pan after a Prawn Dhansak & Chicken Tikka Massala induced case of the runs. The photo for the model I was hovering over looked a lot darker than that, more like halfway between the W1000 and the W2002. Is that colour for real?

[K3cT]

The finishing is always light brown in color.

And bad idea for the W1000X to have more treble.

[Currawong]

By "more treble" I meant it the treble isn't congested as you get with most of the ATs with the regular pads. It's certainly not bright, and between the mids and whatever treble peak is there, everything is fairly subdued. The peak is probably somewhere around 8-10k. Roughly speaking, if you have a regular AT, roll up a couple of tissues and stuff them under the pads and you'll get a similar result, depending on which pair you have.

[Ben Gramain]

By "more treble" I meant it the treble isn't congested as you get with most of the ATs with the regular pads. It's certainly not bright, and between the mids and whatever treble peak is there, everything is fairly subdued. The peak is probably somewhere around 8-10k. Roughly speaking, if you have a regular AT, roll up a couple of tissues and stuff them under the pads and you'll get a similar result, depending on which pair you have.

I've had the A900, A1000, W1000, W2002, W5000 and more - many at the same time - and I have to admit that the above makes very little sense to me in terms of correlating what's been said so far.

So are we talking about a diffuse yet reasonably extended treble in the manner of an upper-end Sennheiser, without going into the W1000's partially lean-bass-induced-perception of peaky treble?

[Currawong]

I was thinking more of the limited woodies, where the treble is congested until you stuff the pads a bit to get your ears further from the drivers. I should have said this in my post. I felt the bass was better in the W1000X than in the W11, W10LTD and W10VTG. I don't know why the W5000 doesn't have the same problem, but I haven't spent much time with one. What was apparent though is that the ~X models, as a result of the thicker pads, have a better overall presentation. It would be very interesting to know which ATs used the same drivers (or, like Grado, the same driver but with different coatings).

I need to check if it wasn't the AT amp that wasn't causing the W1000X to have more bass than when I tried it with the Luxman. For some idiotic reason I don't think to check these kinds of things when I am listening.

[K3cT]

Nah, I don't think the treble is like those upper-end Sennheiser ones. It's definitely more in-your-face kind of treble but not as painfully bright and forward as the W5000.

I still think the W1000X is a viable option if you're looking for sub-$700 closed cans but I do seem to prefer Denon D7000 for its more neutral presentation. I understand that the Denon doesn't get much love here though.