Audio Technica AD2000: Review and responses from the loaner programme

[kchew 0]

I've owned my Audio Technica AD2000s for almost a year now, and while I feel they are a darn good pair of headphones, they are probably one of the least known of the big open circumaural "flagships" like the AKG K701, Beyer DT880 and Sennheiser HD650. So here's a review that will come in three parts: a review on it's own, a comparison with it's closest rival, the AKG K701 and the responses from a loaner programme I had started in another forum, where four people tried the AD2000 for a week each and wrote about the experience. Without further ado, here's the first part, the standalone review.

 

Standalone review

 

Introduction

 

The AD2000s were one of the headphones I was considering to replace my AKG K240 Studios back in middle 2008. While they weren't bad by any means, I was looking for something with a bit more transparency, detail and soundstaging, so I shortlisted the AKG K701, Audio Technica AD2000, Beyer DT880 and Sennheiser HD650. The K701 was pretty nice, but a little too airy for my tastes when it comes to pop. Classical was utterly fantastic on them though. The Beyer was also nice, but I struggled to come up with one outstanding feature that made me want to buy them. The HD650 I dropped almost immediately, the low end was too strong for my liking. I was then left staring at the AD2000 box, wondering if this was the one for me. They weren't burnt in so I couldn't really auditioned them, but I took the gamble and returned home with them. And now after almost a year, can they compare to the "Great Three"?

 

Build

 

Wow, these are nice headphones. It has a sleek metal form with hex grilles and dark blue finish. You can see the wiring and drivers through the grilles, this really defines the "open" in open headphones. The double entry cable is thick, but not very flexible. It's terminated to a 1/8" plug with a 1/4" screw-in adaptor in silver trim. The fabric earpads are smooth to the touch and the "wings" that support the head add to the futuristic look. The cups are hinged at the top and can swivel in and out a little, although the joint feels a little loose. You wouldn't want to twist the cups too much! Looks-wise, these give the impression that "I'm going to enjoy my music".

 

Comfort

 

Uh-oh, what had I gotten myself into? The AD2000 out of the box has a vice-like clamping force and the fabric earpads are so thin that my eartips touch the drivers. What were Audio Technica thinking?! I had to bend the headband by quite a bit, so much so that both earpads no longer touch each other when I take them off. For the thin earpads, I had to buy an air hose from an aquarium and line the insides of the earpads with them to bulk them up and increase the separation, known as the phatpad mod in head-fi. Why wasn't this done at the factory? Next to come would be to bend the headband above the cups a little so that they are more parallel to my head, as the bottom part of the cups clamp harder than the top. Future owners will have to spend a while customising their AD2000s to fit their head perfectly, or else the clamping force and thin earpads will drive people crazy. Right now I can go for 5 hours without taking them off, which is an improvement. Another thing of note, these headphones should not be touched when worn or you'll be "treated" to a cacophony of scraping sounds due to the metal construction.

 

Sound

 

Setup: Foobar (Kernel streaming) -> Asus Xonar D2X (master clock 44.1 KHz) -> VDH Digicoupler -> Stello DA100 (upsample 192 KHz on) -> Valgrind interconnects -> Stello HP100 (low gain) -> AD2000 (with stretched headband and phatpad mod)

 

Bass: Bassheads look elsewhere. It's a polite bass which jabs at you instead of punching you in the gut with followthrough. It's not as anemic as a K701 on an iQube (I hate that combo), but it's on the lean, clean side. Bass hits low, but it does not have enough mid-bass to get you headbanging. It is not particularly impactful as well, but it is a very fast bass that is snappy and quick to decay for the next bass line. The bass is definitely inadequate for rock, rap and R&B, but it suits trance and techno very well when you have very fast drum beats. Bass can be improved somewhat by not stuffing the earpads with an air hose like what I did, but it's still not going to turn them to bass monsters.

 

Mids: This is where the AD2000 excels, and boy does it delight! This is a lush headphone, and the upper midrange where female vocals reside is particularly forward, giving the impression that female singers are singing right in front of you. The AD2000 is really a female vocals specialist; male vocals are crisp and clear, but the AD2000 has the uncanny ability to extract every single ounce of emotion from female singers and place them right in front of you. When Jane Monheit sings the last two lines of Over The Rainbow:

 

"If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,

Oh why, oh why can't I?"

 

On any other headphone (even the Sennheiser HD800), you would just shrug off the lyrics. With the AD2000 however, your heart bleeds for her upon hearing her pleading to the heavens. And it's not just female vocals that the AD2000 renders with gusto; guitar riffs both acoustic and electric sound fantastically alive and engaging, as if the guitarist was playing his heart out, grinning crazily with a glint in his eye. In Hirano Aya's God Knows, the sharp, cutting sound of the Gibson SG Special screams for attention, and the guitar finale in The Eagle's Hotel California truly sounds like a masterpiece. This truly is one of the best, if not the best midrange I have ever heard, and it is the standard from which I judge other headphones and IEMs. Be warned though, once you get used to this kind of midrange, it would be very, very hard to find anything similar to it, which can spoil your search for better headphones. It sure spoilt me!

 

Treble: I'm not too fussy about treble; as long as it's not sibilant, it's good in my book. Even so, the treble on the AD2000 is just right, lot's of sparkle when needed and without a hint of sibilance, except on poor recordings and encodings. You can listen to the treble the whole day and not feel fatigued, unlike some Grados. It may not match the extension of the AKG K701, but cymbal crashes in classical sound realistic, and xylophones, glockenspiel and triangles have a certain "bite" that's quite pleasing after coming from IEMs and headphones with rolled-off treble.

 

Soundstage: The AD2000 has a very airy presentation about it, and the soundstage is wide but two-tiered - female vocals in front, everything else a little behind. The soundstage is very pleasing for mainstream music, but when the going gets congested in classical, the AD2000 starts struggling to place all instruments in their right place. For complex passages in pieces like Holst's Jupiter, it gets harder and harder to identify similar-sounding instruments and their locations, as if the stage has a limited area and squeezing in more instruments would lump some of them together. Even so, the soundstage performs pretty well for classical and is definitely sufficient for most genres.

 

Detail: To say the AD2000 is not detailed would be false, but when the soundstage gets congested when more instruments come into play and the weak bass makes it harder to pick out double basses and bass guitars, I can't help but wish for more details occassionally. It is still detailed enough to pick out musicians turning pages, the vocalist breathing in gasps and the person coughing at the back of the hall, but if I notice something new in a familiar song, more often that not it is my ES3X or K701 that reveals it first and not the AD2000. You're not going to use the AD2000 for monitoring or fault finding; it is more musical than analytical and most times that makes enjoying music easier.

 

Pace, Rhythm and Timing (PRAT): These headphones are very fast, especially in the attack. In Cyndi Lauper's My Baby Just Cares For Me, the drum beats hit very suddenly with surprising impact, and this is very noticeable when switching to slower headphones like the AKG K240 and even the AKG K701. Decay is very quick as well, perhaps to a fault as bass has no time to linger around and become bloated. The AD2000's speed makes it very suitable for techno and trance where the rising tempo can be clearly felt, and when paired with a fast amp like the Rudistor NX-03, you'll be in one heck of a ride with it's superb sense of rhythm and timing.

 

Amp Synergy: At 40 ohms, the AD2000 can be driven by anything. While it is not fussy over what amp it is paired with, it scale very well with better amps; on an iQube it sound very clean and detailed, paired with my Stello HP100 it becomes even more lush, and with the Yamamoto HA-02 it becomes very smooth in a dreamy manner. Considering it's light bass, musical amps seem better like the Larocco Diablo and Rudistor NX-03. However it did not like the RSA Raptor rolled with tubes meant for the Sennheiser HD650. I would like to try the AD2000 with the Rudistor RPX-33 and the Eddie Current Zana Deux, which is said to be a match made in heaven since the AD2000 is one of the headphones used when tuning the ZD.

 

Conclusion

 

These are a solid pair of headphones, although they are not for everyone. Bassheads need not apply, and the lean, clean sound characteristics make them unsuitable for certain genres. Flaw seekers who revel in the slightest details might not find them as revealing as cheaper options like the AKG K701. However, if you love female vocals, if you thrive on midrange or if you enjoy trance, techno and electronica, then come along and be entertained. Just remember to get them adjusted well to your head first. And if you become addicted to it's signature midrange, good luck finding something that betters it.

 

Pictures

 

Normal view:

 

Front view:

 

Pads with phatpad mod:

 

Meshed beauty:

 

Wiring close up:

 

Plug and 1/8" adaptor:

 

 

AD2000 vs K701

 

AD2000 vs K701, both are open circumaural flagships, both have similar sound signatures, and both are in my possession right now. The question is, which is the one that will spend more time on my head?

 

The setup is the same as the standalone review, and the K701 has over 500 hours on them.

 

Build

 

Score one for AKG. Yes, it's plastic and not magnesium alloy like the AD2000, but if I dropped my K701, I would just dust it off and put them back on. Not for the AD2000, I would frantically search for any scratches and scuff marks if it dropped. That's the thing about AKGs, they are built solid and look like they can take a beating, something my K240 Studios did. The K701's leather headband is also sturdy unlike the wings of the AD2000, which are attached to the frame by just two thin metal prongs. There's no need to put on gloves to handle the AD2000 or rest them on a silk cushion when you are done, but they definitely need more care as compared to the AKG.

 

Comfort

 

Eh, the jury is still out on this one. The AD2000 needed to have it's headband stretched, bent and contorted to get it right, and even then an airhose might still be needed to fatten the earpads. For the K701, the leather headband has to be seasoned or it'll be extremely uncomfortable. For the first few days, the middle bump on the headband was digging into my skull. Once that phase was over, I had to repeatedly bend the headband to season them or its stiffness will just pull the cups up my head slowly while listening. Even after about 80 hours of headtime, the headband is still not seasoned to my liking. It's going to be a long ride to get either of these headphones to fit perfectly if you get them.

 

Sound

 

Bass: If you don't like the K701's bass, then you wouldn't like the AD2000. Given the K701's bass-shy reputation, it is ironic that it has more bass quantity and punch than the AD2000. However, this is only true if the K701 were amped properly; on an iQube the AD2000 beat the K701, but the reverse is very obvious on a Stello HP100. The K701's bass goes lower, hits harder and has more midbass volume than the AD2000, but due to it's neutral monitoring nature, it's still not going to please a basshead.

 

Mids: If you had not heard the AD2000, then the K701's midrange sounds great. Female vocals have a very pleasing lush quality, instruments sound realistic, and when both come together like jazz with a female vocalist, the K701 can really entertain even with it's bass-light nature. However, it pales in comparison to the AD2000 which is even more lush, even more forward and even more soul-stirring. The K701 presents music as it is, the AD2000 injects emotion into music. The AD2000 may not have a realistic midrange, but it's ability to pour heart, mind and soul into music makes the K701's midrange sound recessed and sterile. The K701's midrange is not lacking; it still sounds good but the Japanese uta-hime still trumps the Austrian soprano in the end.

 

Treble: Both headphones are bright, no doubt about that. The K701's treble however is sparklier and reaches higher, effortless reaching the upper end better than the AD2000. When cymbals crash, the AD2000 sounds a little dull and muted compared to the K701 which renders the higher frequencies with aplomb. It was the AD2000 which showed me the importance of treble, but it is the K701 which expanded my horizon and brought me to greater heights. However, due to it's treble-oriented signature, the K701's treble can be fatiguing on poorly recorded tracks with sibilance. And when you have several cymbals at once, you can be assaulted by a "wall of treble" crashing onto you. The AD2000's treble still sounds natural without getting fatiguing, but the K701's treble is fantastic, if the recording is top notch.

 

Soundstage: Here, the AD2000 bows down to the King. The AD2000 sounds like a medium-sized open air stage, the K701 sounds like an opera hall with a hundred meter wide stage. The K701 puts instruments in their place with frightening precision without breaking into a sweat, even when the number of instruments grows quickly. Not so for the the AD2000 which starts to falter and blend instruments when the going gets congested. The sheer width of the K701 is great for classical symphonies and instrumental pieces, but it can be unrealistic for pop songs which are played on small stages. Here, the AD2000's soundstage sounds more realistic, but you're still aware of it's soundstaging limitations.

 

Detail: Someone once wrote that the K701s can "reveal a flea fart in a cathedral", and that's probably not far from the truth. They are much more ruthless than the AD2000 in detail retrieval; songs that I knew by heart played from the AD2000 seem to have been scrubbed clean to crystal clear perfection when played through the K701. The AD2000s are still detailed enough to reveal wind instrument players gasping for air, the audience coughing or the musicians turning the pages on the scores, but the K701 can reveal so much more with better instrument seperation. They really live up to their monitoring abilities unlike the AD2000 which sacrifices some detail for musicality.

 

Pace, Rhythm and Timing (PRAT): It's very hard to distinguish the two in this area, but the K701 is just slightly slower than the AD2000. Even so, both are still excellent choices for fast tempo music like techno and trance.

 

Amp Synergy: Forget about portable amps for the K701. The RSA Mustang drove it decently, but desktop amps really make a difference for the current-hungry AKG. The Stello HP100 and Heed Canamp that I've tried drive it very well, but straight from and iPod or with an iQube, they were sorely lacking in bass with uncontrolled treble. In contrast, the AD2000 is perfectly with almost anything, whether straight from an iPod, a Govibe Petite or an SPL Phonitor. Getting an AD2000 would not need a rig overhaul, but getting a K701 would require serious planning if your rig is not up to scratch.

 

Conclusion

 

The K701 is the superior headphone in technical terms. It gets many things right - quality bass, extended treble, expansive soundstage and fantastic detail retrieval, but it somehow comes off as cold, analytical and emotionless. The AD2000 on the other hand is the opposite; it delights with it's larger-than-life midrange, but falters in other technical areas. Considering their similar sound signatures, it is strange that these headphones can be opposites. But it is not fair to have a winner here as they both excel in different areas. The AD2000's gorgeous midrange and speed are excellent for female vocals and electronic music, while the K701's huge soundstage and flaw-seeker nature make them fantastic for classical and instrumentals. Both are great for jazz and trance, both do not fare well for rock, rap and R&B, and both are a mixed bag for pop. At the end of the day, what I chose depends on what I want, and both excel in giving me what I want. If there were to be a winner, it would be me for having these fantastic headphones to serve my musical needs.

 

Responses from Loaner Programme

 

I started a loaner programme in another forum as my K701 was being burnt in and the AD2000 was lying idle, so I decided to share the Audio Technica love. With the loaner's permission, I will post three of the responses here, the fourth is a member here and will post his impressions soon.

 

From "victaru":

 

June 17 2009

 

Dear everyone,

 

As I speak, victaru is currently ending journey with "Melodies of Life", the theme song for Final Fantasy IX. And what a fitting end (i believe), as i have brought him to different parts of the audio world, some which he enjoyed, some he loved, and some made him wince... i'll try my best to describe his emotions here.

 

He used his iPod + Voyager rig to listen on me. Mr. Voyager told me he's still in the midst of being burnt in, currently clocking 120+ hours of pink/white noise, freq sweeps and normal usage.

 

I'll try my best to describe his audio journey:

 

1. Overture by Noriyuki Makihara, from his live performance CD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA "CELEBRATION"

Ah, the opening track. I guess he specifically chose this, as it the opening number of a live symphony orchestra. Well, i am up to the challenge! I gave him a wider soundstage, making him feel like he's present at the concert. I gave the orchestral instruments my best shot, and i could see he loved it. However, i could note a slight tinge of dissappointment, as my bass department didn't seem to satisfy him... well, we'll see... Grin

 

2. Fill this night (Paradox Mix) by Clazziquai Project, from their remix Album "Pinch Your Soul"

Immediately after the live opening, he switched genres! Clazziquai Project is a fusion of electronic music, acid jazz and house, and this track is no less challenging! I gave him details he hadn't noticed yet, and I gave him the best i could produce for the female vocals...and he seemed satisfied with it! Cool

 

3. distancia para un duelo from TV Animation Bleach Original Soundtrack 3

Again, a change of genre, this track concentrates on accoustic guitars and violins/cellos, and he absolutely loved it!

 

4. Another Day by New Beginning, from Cafe Del Mar Vol12

Right off the bat, he switched to Chillout music, however, i didn't panic, and did my best in the vocals, at one point he was taken aback as the female vocal suddenly went so close to him, he felt she was singing right beside him! HAHA~~~ Grin

 

5. Melodramma by Andrea Bocelli, from the album Cieli di Toscana

Ah, an italian tenor. I pushed my limits with male vocals (many say my strong points are with female vocals), and i gave him a good experience with this track, and with the orchestra accompaying the tenor, i guess he must have felt that he was listening live!

 

6. Electronics by Clazziqua Project, from the album SPECIAL ALBUM [METROTRONICS] with DJMAX

This guy is out to test me, back to Clazziquai Project. At this point in time, he turned down the volume A bit... did i sound too harsh on this track? But i could see him enjoying the track, and seemed to find the little details i revealed to him amusing Cheesy

 

7. Tonight, tonight, tonight by Beat Crusaders

More male vocals... doesn't he have any ladies in his pod?? :Smiley Anyway, i think i did a good job on this, as the bass i gave him was more clean than he had expected.

 

8. After Dark by Asian Kungfu Generation

Again, more males... :Smiley :Smiley :Smiley :Smiley, cleaner, more detailed guitars is what i gave him, and he didn't complain

 

9. 朝ANSWER (AsaANSWER) by Pengin

MALES!!! He has to be gay! Anyway, this is a hip-hop kind off track, and the results i gave him seem to be ok... afterall, he didn't complain.

 

Today analysis: Although he didn't give me enough females to have "fun" with, with the tracks he thrown at me, and the results i gave him, he seemed to better appreciate neutrality now...

 

Well, its off to the bed with him, guess he'll come at me tomorrow again... ciaoz!

 

June 24 2009

 

Hey everyone!

 

I wasn't able to check in the past few days, the skinny guy has been a busy dude, late listenings (seemed to be very busy at work) and he sleeps immediately right after that, giving me no chance to the computer...

 

what has happened during the last few days? Plenty! He isn't that gay after all! He started to listen to female vocals, oh joy! Maaya Sakamoto, YUI, and plenty of ladies! He does seem to have a heavy preferance to Japanese vocals though... that pervert... Grin i wowed him with what i could deliver. Cool

 

Not only music, he watched videos with me too! Anime, movies, anime, anime anime.... wait, i did mention anime, did i? I did my best, since i wasn't really good with movies, but he seemed very pleased with the results!

 

Tomorrow, it's back home to kchew, and to the next journey!

 

From "crazyguy106":

 

K701 and AD2000... Straight off the bat.

 

I see why people love female vocals with the AD2000. The high mids are accentuated with the driver placed rather forward to give you this intimacy with the singer. Whereas on the AKG K701 the singer sounds like she's part of the band (which I prefer). This was simply from the first song from Dinah Washington's Blue Gardenia ablum, Soft Winds. Male voices harmonising behind her sounded rather similar but it's really the female vocals, her harmonic range, which rings at the front of the headphones, giving you this absolute intimacy. I believe this is what Kelvin and David LOVE. Haha. Not so much for me but I do appreciate this feeling. =)

 

Wow... But it's quite interesting because when I was first testing it using a bass video on youtube.

I subscribe to this guy for regular updates on bass rig. I could tell that AD2000, over the same bass tones, sounded like it lost its body. It's weaker in its low mids, and thus would give a "less precise bass" feel. And sound a bit empty even next to the K701.

 

K701 bass is known for accuracy, not boom, because of the low mids high bass ability with low bass attenuation. AD2000 seems to have tapered by the high bass range downwards.

 

This is a preliminary testing and this is a preliminary review. More to come in this space!

 

***After that...***

 

As I give AD2000 a last listen before I hand it back to KChew, I have to admit that I haven't had much time to really spend on the AD2000...

 

But I have to say it's definitely enjoyable to say the least. Not ultra detailed, but all the mids/solo instruments and female singers just come alive. They feel like they're in your face playing/singing for you. There's quite a bit of a bump in the high mids range which is what I quite like as it gives a bit more punch than other headphones.

 

The music is always intimate... Though details are often lost as the balance is too much for the high mids. Like tinkly piano sounds behind a vocalist would be completely drowned if it was just a tad softer than your usual recordings. But that being said, its soundstaging is good enough despite the closeness of the music and the ability of the headphones to give you an up-close-and-personal feel is quite awesome if you are the kind who loves to be the audience getting pampered by the attention of the vocalist.

 

I realised that the two headphones, k701 and ad2000 are rather similar in their sound signature, other than that nice higher high mids bump and the soundstaging. To be thoroughly honest I would probably never buy it, but I can imagine many people who prefer being in the audience would absolutely love this to bits.

 

I would be happily waiting for the day I can buy my dream HD800....

 

And from "sgr1":

 

hi everyone

 

first of all i would like to thank kchew for his generosity in lending us his AD2000. Big thumbs up to him for his willingness to loan a darn expensive headphones to total strangers for trial.

 

Secondly i have to say that i am extremely new to the hobby so i won't be using the technical terms because i am still trying to find out what they exactly mean. Smiley

 

Equipment:

I am using an imod with iqube and sometimes the Voyager. I have to say that the iqube pairs amazingly well with the AD2000 but not so well with the Voyager. I hear distortions with the Voyager but i am not sure if there's a problem with my batteries Huh? Maybe someone can enlighten me.

 

I currently have a Audio Technica ES7 and a pair of Shure SE530 so that gives you an impression of what kind of sound signature i would be comparing against.

 

Vocals:

Because i am a huge Cai Qin fan, I go through most of her albums with the AD2000 and I am amazed. Period. So flabberghasted with it that I was stunned for a while when i first heard it. I hear details, the warmth and smoothness of her voice; it feels like nothing that I have heard before. The beauty of how Cai Qin sound is simply breathtaking. I spend most of the "loan" nights listening to it in darkness when everyone is asleep. I have a female colleague who tried it and she didn't want to return it to me! When she first heard the AD2000, she exclaimed "Now I know what the fuss is all about!"

 

Pop:

Next up is Michael Jackson. Decided to feel a bit sentimental and wanted to try out his songs with the AD2000. Going thru MJ, I hear the details and more amazingly, layers of the instruments. It's almost like "kueh lapis" because i can hear the distance and positioning of different instruments in the songs.

 

I tried Coldplay's Viva Vida too and it's the same. But the AD2000 does lack a bit in the bass area as in it has very refined bass and not punchy as I would like it with pop.

 

Conclusion:

Do i like it? Yes i do! I seriously lurrrrvveee it. Even tho it's really pricey (for me) and it doesn't suit all genres but i am struck by how clear, precise and detailed vocals sound with it. I so miss them...

 

And until the fourth loaner posts his impressions here, that's the end of the review.

Edited August 7, 2009 by kchew

[ical 0]

Nice!!

 

Btw, the HD800 you've heard at that time is only a days old, out of the box(got it the day before mini meet). You should hear what it has turned into now after burned in. Previously I was not impress but now is it a different story. Enjoying every moments of it now.

Edited August 1, 2009 by ical

[uberburger101 0]

Woah, great effort on the review/compilation. It's going to be hard for me to top that.

[kchew 0]

Btw, the HD800 you've heard at that time is only a days old, out of the box(got it the day before mini meet). You should hear what it has turned into now after burned in. Previously I was not impress but now is it a different story. Enjoying every moments of it now.

 

This calls for another meetup.

 

 

Woah, great effort on the review/compilation. It's going to be hard for me to top that.

 

No need to top me, you had 7 days while I had 11 months. Just write honestly.

[ical 0]

For you no problem. Just let me know.

Edited August 2, 2009 by ical

[kidult 0]

excellent reviews to all

[kchew 0]

AD2000 vs K701 review section is now up.

[ical 0]

Excellent write out. Enjoy reading it.

[uberburger101 0]

I guess it's my turn now.

 

Prologue

I would just like to thank kchew (Kelvin) again for the incredible opportunity to try Audio-Technica's flagship open-back headphone, it was a great experience. Regretfully, I did not get as much time with it as I would have liked due to the start of school, orientation camps and whatnot.

 

Introduction

I will be doing a comparison of the AD2000 with one of my favourite headphones, the Grado RS-1. I listened through the whole of each album using both headphones and jotted down the differences.

 

Equipment useu

Myryad MC100 - MAD Ear+ HD with GE TMBP 5751 - headphone

 

Comparison

 

KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope

 

One of my in-heavy-rotation albums, I figured it would be a good test to see how each headphone handled non-audiophile quality recordings.

 

The immediate differences I noticed was that the AD2000 was noticeably brighter than the RS-1, so the entire album sounded more electric on the AD2000 compared to the RS-1 which sounded mellower in comparison. KT's vocals stood out more on the AD2000, and cymbals were definitely more pronounced. The RS-1 did sound slightly muddy on a few tracks due to a larger midrange presence.

 

A downside though, the AD2000 got pretty fatiguing after half the album, whereas with the RS-1 I did not have that problem.

 

On select tracks that have less accompaniment such as "Silent Sea" the AD2000 really nailed them with KT's crisp voice really coming through, however on slightly heavier tracks the brightness of the cymbals overwhelmed the vocals for me, and I preferred the RS-1 for a mellower sound.

 

Eric Clapton - Unplugged

 

RS-1 definitely has a more textured, intimate sound compared to AD2000. I felt a lot of the decay and emotion from Clapton's guitar riffs were lost on the AD2000. Clapton's voice also lost some of his roughness on the AD2000.

 

RS-1 is a clear winner for this one.

 

The Fray - How to Save a Life

 

Drums have more satisfying kick on the RS-1 as compared to the AD2000. There's better soundstage and separation on the AD2000, but not very significantly. Electric guitars work better on the RS-1 than the AD2000, there's just something special about electric guitars and Grados. Male vocals sound more realistic on the RS-1 as well, sounds a tad too thin on the AD2000.

 

I'll have to give this to the RS-1 as well.

 

Bruce Springsteen - In Concert

 

Separation is clearly better on the AD2000, however it does lack the crunch of the electric guitars. The sound is just too clean and thin for this particular genre. Bruce Springsteen's voice lost most of his roughness and body on the AD2000. AD2000, though technically superior, was just not as engaging due to the lack of body.

 

RS-1 for rock.

 

Eva Cassidy - Live at Blues Alley

 

Vocals are more present, sweeter and crisper on the AD2000. Percussion has a very nice snap and just the right amount of aggressiveness without going over the top. Piano has a more realistic tone on the AD2000 as compared to the RS-1. Soundstage is slightly larger, more precise and focused on the AD2000 which works really well for this album when combined with the sweet vocals. There however is just a slight bit of fatigue after listening to the whole album with AD2000, probably due to the brighter nature.

 

Overall, this is clearly one album that the AD2000 wipes the floor with the RS-1.

 

Jazz at the Pawnshop

 

AD2000 is more lively, and very snappy with this album. Percussion, in particular, shines. Drum beats are tighter, though with less presence than the RS-1. AD2000 has better resolution and slightly better soundstage too. Piano, once again, is more realistic on the AD2000. Treble is airier on the AD2000, and as mentioned a few times above, more prominent as well.

 

AD2000 was largely more impactful and engaging on this album as compared to the RS-1, which almost sounded sluggish. Details jump out at you on the AD2000.

 

One more win for the AD2000.

 

Nils Lofgren - Acoustic Live

 

AD2000 has better transients and decay, though at the expense of a little body. The AD2000 is brighter, with a little more bite to the guitars. However, I thought the AD2000 was bordering on fatigue. AD2000 had more focused vocals, albeit leaner.

 

This was one of my favourite albums on the RS-1, though after hearing the AD2000 I really can't say who's the winner for this one. I like the AD2000 for the snap and speed, but I still like the RS-1 for the midbass reverb and overall body.

 

Antonio Forcione - Touch Wood

 

AD2000 more dynamic, with better resolution and detail. Mostly the same observations as above, better transient detail on the AD2000. Female vocals more forward on the AD2000, though male vocals lack a little body.

 

Stacey Kent - The Boy Next Door

 

I bought this particular CD after 10 seconds of hearing it in the store. Her voice was fantastic, yet I could not replicate that exact feeling at home on my system. RS-1's midbass seemed to work against it terribly in this case. AD2000, however, brought back the same feeling as I had in the store. Her voice was so crisp, sweet and forward, exactly as I would have liked. What was amazing on the AD2000, quickly became average on the RS-1. I definitely did not see this coming.

 

A hearty win for the AD2000.

 

One Billion Applause 2 - The Best Of Teresa Teng

 

Clearer and crisper vocals on the AD2000, though the RS-1 has ever-so-slightly more texture. It's easier to follow the bass line with RS-1, and the imaging I get from the RS-1 is more coherent than with the AD2000. The AD2000 does give the impression that the singer is TOO isolated from the rest of the picture.

 

Although the AD2000 nails the vocal range better than the RS-1, I have to give it to the RS-1 for a more coherent imaging and a more textured fluid sound.

 

Conclusion

After a few moments on my head, it was pretty obvious that the AD2000 was a technically superior headphone as compared to the RS-1. It has a larger, more enveloping soundstage due to the circumaural nature. It has better transient response, resolution and detail retrieval.

 

Sonically, both headphones are coloured and this colouration works differently for each of them. AD2000 thrashes RS-1 in jazz and percussion-heavy tracks, with its speed and snappiness leaving the RS-1 in the dust. On female vocal tracks with little accompaniment, AD2000 shows its true prowess as well, though I can understand if some comment that the midrange is too forward/coloured/fake.

 

AD2000 has a cleaner, crisper sound with the lack of midbass bloom and the more accentuated upper-midrange. Comparatively, this can make the RS-1 sound slightly muddy. AD2000 has a brasher, more detail orientated sound and you will definitely notice new things with your music. RS-1 focuses on a smooth, mellow sound which lets you be able to listen for hours on end. It all depends on what you're looking for.

 

AD2000 is simply divine for a lot of audiophile material (especially vocals), it is less forgiving than the RS-1. Team SOURCE FIRST should love the AD2000. AD2000 literally hurts on bad recordings.

 

AD2000 works very well on jazz, percusssion, female vocals, good recordings in general.

RS-1 works well on rock, male AND female vocals, pop, recording quality is slightly less important.

 

A HUGE thumbs-up for the AD2000, at the start I kept listening to female vocals and I really wanted to get myself a pair just for that genre. I think that's the biggest compliment I can give it.

 

Thanks again, kchew!

[kchew 0]

That... is a fantastic review.

 

Thank you for rounding up the loaner programme uber, your excellent review was thorough, informative and very enjoyable to read. I had a hard time believing you had little time with them as you said! Now I need to get that Stacey Kent album as well.

[ical 0]

I know what you're busy with. Nice review! Want to join Team Sorcerer?

Edited August 17, 2009 by ical

[uberburger101 0]

Thanks for all the kind comments. Now I'm busy with things more distracting than audio.

[sep90 0]

hmm i am interested in trying the ad2000 from u chew

may i borrow yur 1 for audition ? likewise meantime i can lend u my recabled akg 701 to u

[luv_ever 0]

Thanks for the review!

It definitely gave me an insight

on whether I should buy this headphone or not.