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Author Topic: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X  (Read 4081 times)

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OJneg

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #20 on: April 24, 2015, 03:48:01 AM »
Quote from: GoldfishX on April 24, 2015, 03:11:55 AM
Yup, sounds just about right. It's not a fair fight between these two.

How would you describe it though? I want to say it's a combination of a thinness + a sort of straining to enunciate words. Like I'm not getting any of the throatiness.
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Thad E Ginathom

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #21 on: April 24, 2015, 11:17:49 AM »
Quote from: OJneg on April 24, 2015, 02:37:24 AM
Oh man, just AB'd this vocal track vs. my HD600. The HD600 destroys this thing in vocal clarity + liquidity. My opinion of these just went down a few notches. Did you guys notice this sorta thing?

I guess I should be glad to hear that. Much as I wanted to be loyal to this brand, with its wings and comfort, I bought (unheard and partly on advice here)... HD600.
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kothganesh

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #22 on: April 24, 2015, 01:18:46 PM »
nice to shoot first and confirm later :D
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GoldfishX

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #23 on: April 24, 2015, 03:33:18 PM »
Quote from: OJneg on April 24, 2015, 03:48:01 AM
How would you describe it though? I want to say it's a combination of a thinness + a sort of straining to enunciate words. Like I'm not getting any of the throatiness.

I forget the specifics, but the small soundstage and the combination of the driver being right up against my ear and me never getting it to fit snugly on my head led to a lot of inconsistencies. My pair is long gone, but I haven't missed them at all, nor do I regret not getting a chance to try them with any of the equipment I've upgraded since selling them.

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keanex

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #24 on: April 26, 2015, 04:20:46 AM »
I never thought the AD2000 or Ad2000x as big on clarity tbh,
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dreamwhisper

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #25 on: April 29, 2015, 04:09:34 PM »
Quote from: OJneg on April 24, 2015, 02:37:24 AM
Oh man, just AB'd this vocal track vs. my HD600. The HD600 destroys this thing in vocal clarity + liquidity. My opinion of these just went down a few notches. Did you guys notice this sorta thing?

Does the AD2000 have some redeeming characteristics vs the HD600?
Speed, bass impact?
« Last Edit: April 29, 2015, 04:56:36 PM by dreamwhisper »
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fishski13

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #26 on: April 29, 2015, 04:27:35 PM »
side by side comparisons at a meet, the AD2000 and AD2000X sounded very different from one another.
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Mr.Sneis

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #27 on: April 29, 2015, 10:46:40 PM »
The ad2000 is a special butterfly.  It is not best at anything, especially with hd800 in the picture, but there is some magic to them when you get the amping just right.  I think fishki has mentioned intimate to me in the past and it is very correct.  In what experience I have had it is not related to cleanliness, power/current/slew rate etc. etc.  They are bass weak but I prefer the ad2k soundstage to the Senns.  They are "fast" and maybe even a bit artificial in this area, HD6x0 are definitely truer to life to my ears. The fit is not for everyone either, they are better than Grado at least.

The ad2kx fixes some of the old ad2k problems, bass is better with more overall body, amping is much less finnicky.  Fitment is even worse IMO.  I never got the same magic with the x.

Plug a pair into the MPX3 that I sold to Hans or a Zana Deux and you will see the magic unfold.  Maybe it is OTL amps that have something to them?
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fishski13

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #28 on: April 30, 2015, 05:00:13 AM »
i've only heard the X a couple of times briefly at meets, but i didn't feel it had the seamless top to bottom freq response of the AD2K. it was weird sounding. like it's older sibling, it might be require the listener to throw all other HPs in possession into the closet for a period of time, listening exclusively to the ATs, if one is going to half a chance of appreciating their distinctive sonic sig.

the AD2K soundstage is grado-esqueweirdwallofsoundfishlens-ish. it's one of those presentations you either get used to or not. it has an intimate "thereness" that i like. vocals can be sweaty lap dance.

i think part of the reason many feel that they don't respond to amplification like some other HPs is because of their inability to create a credible soundstage. Tari's Moth 2A3 had a freaky real life-like soundstage that was largely lost on the AD2K. the Moth's most awesomeness-est ability to suspend disbelief and portray music as a real, breathing, life-like event was not lost and only augmented the already excellent AD2K in this regard.

the speed and effortlessness of the AD2K pretty much matches any ortho or estat in my experience (i didn't hear this with the X). i think the congested soundstage detracts in an absolute sense of the meaning though. it could be 'cleaner'. irregardless, it can carry a tune with the best.

i don't hear any artificial dynamic-ness, yocto or yotta.

i think the AD2K excels at acoustic instruments. tonally, i love how spanked skin and vibrating wood are rendered. people can moan about the resolution, but i can easily hear the difference when the Wyrd is inserted in front of the Gungnir. an upstream chain that has a little more meat and flesh will get you rounding bases to home plate.

if yer a bass-head look elsewhere. it renders the double bass perfectly.

the AD2K is an idiosyncratic HP. 

 
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ericfarrell85

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Re: Audio Technica ATH-AD2000X
« Reply #29 on: April 30, 2015, 06:47:34 PM »
I agree with 90% of the above, save for the soundstage part. AD2K is truly a wonky headphone, but out of my ZD it pushes the mids forward, but the secondary sounds can be quite diffused. It's funny that way, intimate and sometimes distant. While it never reaches the point of sounding coherent, damn if it doesn't draw you in sooner or later.
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