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What followed—Jazz and minimalist Pop—became pure bliss. This is where the Wood Series has always excelled with its organic warmth. Impulse fidelity plus bubbly highs inject into the music plenty of liveliness. Popular singers Katie Melua and Norah Jones did the honors. Sadly the mastering mix of either’s solo debut is flawed and we suffer strong sibilants or outright clipping as a consequence. While the W1000X showed the flaws clearly, they didn’t impinge at all on participatory enjoyment. I next reached for the second-last Vienna Teng album Dreaming Through The Noise. This became another ideal encounter for the W1000X. Voice and piano moved center stage and enticed the listener. The ‘phone removed all veils for very tactile intimacy supported by the sealed concept which doesn’t cause forwardness but assists a high degree of presence.

I was generally impressed by how the W1000X injected space into recordings. Most of them emerged neither too centrally focused nor too artificially spread out. Excessively close-mic’d as well as space-enhanced post production tricks were treated with equally convincing scale. This could backfire too. On efforts like the Westminster Choir’s Festival Te Deum or Diana Krall’s Girl in the other Room which were mastered with very specific recorded ambiance (often containing plenty of acoustic reverb), the W1000X failed at recreating this ambiance as believably as an AKG 701 or Beyerdynamic DT880. Grand venues were rendered too small to be fully believable. The AT instead shrunk them to a smaller Jazz club. Lateral localization and stage depth remained sharp and expansive however.

For context let’s invoke specific competitors. General resolution was comparable to others at this price. Slightly superior to a Sennheiser HD650 or Denon D7000, the Grandioso won’t touch top models like a Sennheiser HD800, Beyerdynamic T1 or big Stax like the Omega2. Perhaps that’s where the W5000 Raffinato model would come in. As mentioned earlier, a clear strength of this design is high impulse fidelity to convey the encoded energy and live vibe of the music. Compared to bigger open-backed Sennheisers (HD650 + HD800), AKGs (501 + 701) and Beyers (DT880 + T1) and even sealed Denons (D7000) the midband was still mildly recessed but clearly more filled out and better differentiated than the W1000 predecessor had it.

The bass too differed from the W1000. The W1000X was clearly the more potent without sacrificing control. In the treble the house-sound emphasis remained. But it's execution remains very special. It’s not a general lift of the entire top end but a very specific nod at a far narrower band. Inherent in that tailoring is that subjective brilliance and transparency are never betrayed by undue insistence. This retains balance and integration so that treble peaks never attract the wrong kind of attention. Rather they become special qualities that endear one to the bigger models of Audio-Technica.


The W1000X also remained highly efficient. Very low amplification factors were required to achieve standard listening levels. This also meant astute reaction to distortion or noise. Sources like computer and laptop caused background hiss which other headphones couldn’t capture. A good dedicated headphone amp suitable for low-impedance loads with fully discrete architecture like Kevin Gilmore’s HeadAmp GS-1 will guarantee perfect quiet and superior control however. Even a properly designed mini amp like Corda’s Swing made for a most respectable showing wit the W1000X.

Conclusion: The W1000X is the latest evolutionary installment of the ATH-W wood series which for me finally cashes in fully on Audio-Technica’s established house sound. Versus the predecessors bass power has been significantly increased and particularly the midband has gained in mass vis-à-vis the W1000. The ATH-W1000X excels at electronica and Jazz where its liveliness and impulse response are fully exploited. As a user of multiple headphones the W1000X would be an ideal second choice. It presents a very different perspective to models by AKG and Sennheiser. Its closed alignment makes for an attractive complement to their open models. Should a K701 or HD650 start to sound boring, a reach for the W1000X will turn the tables. Fans of more minimalist mixes could well find the Audio-Technica suitable as their only choice. In matters of wear comfort and finish, this model takes no prisoner. Rather it shadows most the competition.


Highlights:
  • Gorgeously finished wooden housing and matching plug cover.
  • Very natural, organic and lively presentation.
  • Next to the L3000, bass quantity and quality are the best in the ATH-W Series.
  • The company’s HF voicing creates high brilliance which renders female vocals incomparable.
  • Gains in midband heft make for more believable fleshier male vocals than the W1000 predecessor.
  • The latest evolutionary refinements of the wing support and high-quality cushions make for wear comfort that's without equal.
  • A good sonic counterpoint to top models from Sennheiser and AKG.

Facts:

  • Concept: Sealed dynamic headphone
  • Nominal impedance: 42 ohms
  • Weight: 350g
  • Other: Solid Cheery ear cups, 6.3mm plug with wooden housing.
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