[alexpea]

AD2000 vs W5000 vs K701 vs SA5000

If you were to choose between these phones, which one would it be? (Don't concider the price. It doesn't matter) I listen to all kinds of music except jazz, classical and orchestra (like many head-fiers do..) Mostly trance..

Thoughts on other phones I've tried:

Beyerdynamic DT 880 2005 Edition --> Way too bass-shy.
Audio-Technica ATH-A900 ---> Beautiful. Maybe a little thin sounding overall.
Ultrasone Proline 750 ---> Lacks power. Deep-bass is too dominant. Metallic highs.
AKG K81 DJ --> Boomy bass, nice mids and ok highs.

From what I've read, this is what I assume about these phones:

AD2000 ---> VERY rich sounding. But lacks power and punchy bass.
W5000 ---> Sensitive for amplification. Very nice sounding overall.
K701 ---> Sensitive for amplification. Lacks volume in the low-end-area.
SA5000 ---> Top notch for trance. Big soundstage, but recessed high-freqs.

Please enlighten me with YOUR thoughts on the phones - and which one I should get... I currently own Proline 750's, but they just aren't for me. I own a Little Dot 2+ and will be amplifying the headphone I chose on that one. So keep that in mind.. Are the HD650's worth concidering btw?

 

[cotdt]

Don't forget the new Denon D2000 as well. It's supposed to sound very much like the K701 but more bass. Maybe it sacrifices soundstage a little compared to the K701, but I will see once I receive my D2000 in a few days.

 

[alexpea]

Thanks for the heads-up!! I read a nice review of the D2000's today actually. They seem very nice.

 

[tomjonesrocks]

As an owner of the AD2000 and A900--if you think the A900 is a little too "thin sounding" recommending another headphone would be difficult for me. I consider A900 to be the second bassiest headphone I've ever heard below the DT770/80 which has even more (bloated?) bass but (IMO) has nothing else to offer.

To say the AD2000's bass *isn't* punchy isn't what I'd say though--the AD2000 bass is *extremely* punchy--there just isn't a big pronounced LOW-end a la A900/DT770. It doesn't have a continuous bassy signature the way the A900 or K81DJ has for example. For electronic music though, as I'm sure you've read--the AD2000 is pretty amazing.

Of note, when I was debating between AD2000 and SA5000 I thought I read SA5000 was thin on bass. Although I haven't heard it, it almost sounds to me like the AD2000 and SA5000 have similar signatures in a way as the SA5000 is supposed to be fast and detailed also.

As I don't think any of the phones you're looking at are a slam dunk for you it certainly doesn't hurt to explore the new Denon--although it will be awhile before a consensus opinion is in on that one. I'm curious like everyone else but I've already read "it's no L3000" which is what I suspect my ideal headphone would be (and yours too, maybe).

Like you though I like the A900--but with AD2000 around the difference in SQ is pretty extreme when I switch off between the two so I keep trying to replace my A900--but so far unsuccessfully. The phone I'm waiting to be delivered at the moment for auditioning against my A900 is the DT 150--which from what I read may very well be a phone to consider for you also. We'll see on it--haven't heard the phone yet but reviews around here are pretty positive.

 

[alexpea]

^I haven't read anything about the DT 150. But damn those phones look ugly Hehe.. Please post a review when you get them!! Would be very interresting to see how they compare to the A900's.

 

[drews]

I absolutely adore my SA5Ks for trance/electronica and found them to be a massive improvement over my old HD650 and K701s, at least for that genre. The AD2000 will be my next experiment...

 

[Zoide]

Strange how the SA5000 seems to be having a little resurgence. I never listened to them, but I've heard even Sovkiller has found them to be too bright/thin. And that's from someone who loves the CD-3000, which IMO are great cans but too bright and thin. I can hardly imagine how someone would find another can brighter and thinner relative to that

 

[drews]

Perhaps it's my little Xin amp helping (taming?) them, but I don't find the SA5Ks to be either thin or overly bright - they're just highly detailed, with fantastic bass and a totally involving sound. It also helps that they're ultra light and comfortable.

"Thin and bright" would better describe my short lived affair with the DT880...

Drew

 

[panyncor]

If you found the DT-880's too bass-shy, I would recommend against the W5000's. I just got mine a few days ago and they're still burning in (about 60 hours), but right now they're no-contest lighter in the bass than the DT-880's. I just compared some Massive Attack tracks, and there was considerably more slam from the DT-880's than from the W5000.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panyncor /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you found the DT-880's too bass-shy, I would recommend against the W5000's. I just got mine a few days ago and they're still burning in (about 60 hours), but right now they're no-contest lighter in the bass than the DT-880's. I just compared some Massive Attack tracks, and there was considerably more slam from the DT-880's than from the W5000.

+1. Although with PRII I got awesome amounts of bass =]

 

[Zoide]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panyncor /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just compared some Massive Attack tracks, and there was considerably more slam from the DT-880's than from the W5000.

Whaaaaa? That would mean the W5000 have *very* little bass & slam, judging by what I have read about the DT 880.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide /img/forum/go_quote.gif Whaaaaa? That would mean the W5000 have *very* little bass & slam, judging by what I have read about the DT 880.

That is right. They are almost electrostatic in their bass impact, but they have very low extension. Thats partly the reason for my love for them - I do not like SLAM -_-.

 

[ast]

had K701. have all the rest. W5000 is definitely too bass-shy for your purpose. AD2000 has plenty of bass which is bunchy and powerful, but a little less controlled.

The winner is ......... SONY SA5000 !!! The bass is very tight and deep. Sound stage is awesome. overall balanced. Yes its treble roll off is audible but not to bad for trance.

 

[Veniogenesis]

Here I will only talk about the AD2000, K701, and SA5000 since I have not heard the W5000.

For trance, I would undeniably choose SA5000 out of any of the headphones I've owned or heard. It's simply amazing with trance. In my opinion, it's got speed, got PRaT, has an amazingly fast decay, separation is extreme, has the great kick, has tight and deep, and its soundstage is wide. Despite its plasticky timbre (which almost has an advantageous effect in terms of electronica), it is my favorite headphone for electronica of any sort. With the right amplifier, it kicks serious butt.

K701 is rather nice; it does many things well and is a jack of all trades. Unfortunately it doesn't get me excited like the SA5000 does.

AD2000 is like the K701, but a better headphone to own in my opinion. Smoother, less bright, just as good in any respect that the K701 is good in, and much more airier. I tend to think the AD2000's bass is better.

So here is the deal. If you want something specialized for electronica, SA5000 is the way to go in my opinion. They are a special headphone however and need the right amplification and the right music. If you want to worry less, the AD2000 is your best bet. It doesn't require much amplification to drive, can improve nicely with good amplification (dampening, control, etc.), is sweet and airy, has full sounding bass, is piercingly bright, and has a nice timbre to match different genres of music. It is the best jack of all trades headphone in my opinion. It's also quite detailed (though perceived detail on the SA5000 is greater and separation is much more pronounced on the SA5000) and has enjoyable pace (though its speed is not on the level of the SA5000. But note that extremely fast decays are not suited for the typical genre of music). Anyways, those are just my rants and thoughts on the issue. Good luck!

 

[james__bean]

All of these headphones can be great if you build the right setup around them. With my equipment, I like the AD2000 over the SA5000. While the SA5000 has better separation and detail, its far too fatiguing to listen to in my system. The AD2000 may sound a bit "muddier", however it still delivers a nice punchy sound that works well with everything I throw at it. I really can't say that about the SA5000.