Headphones
Audio Technica ATH-W5000
'Raffinato' is Italian for refined or polished. It's also the name Audio Technica gave its top-of-the-line ATH-W5000 full-sized sealed audiophile headphones. This detailed pair of headphones deliver defined resolution in full measure with a controlled bottom and level mid-range, so it'll please those interested in hearing quiet musical nuances, low-level recording subtleties and page turns. Exquisitely built, superbly engineered and comfortable, these display-worthy master cans are a joy to behold & hear for any headphone afficionado.
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Product Features:
- A fast and hyper-articulate headphone for lovers of detail.
- Sealed design provides isolation from outside noise.
- Beautifully built with striped ebony earpieces and glove leather earpads.
- Comes with terrific, satin lined, hard shell carry case.
What's In The Box:
- Hard Case
- Cable Storage Bag
Applications:
The Audio Technica ATH-W5000 Raffinato headphone was formerly a hard-to-find 'import-only' model that has recently found its way to these shores due to major consumer demand. The W5000's reputation was made on the strength of high-end headphone geeks clamoring for a serious audiophile-oriented sealed-earcup version of AT's famous open-back designs, all long renown for soundstage spaciousness and supreme wearing comfort. Sonically, expect a unique musical perspective offering excellent clarity in the upper highs but a slightly recessed, wonderfully nasally quality in the mids that some listeners will certainly find inviting with certain vocal ranges. The bass is tightly controlled without over-exaggeration and, as usual, the depth of the soundstage imaging remains one of the prominent strengths of this Audio Technica master-level headphone. Our feedback shows this to be a favorite of classical music afficionados and audiophile listeners interested in a very open-toned musical presentation that fully recovers expansive, realistic room sounds along with a deep sense of instrumental 'space'.
The Raffinato's distinctive wood earcups have been copied before by other manufacturers but AT's oversize construction is well-known for comfort above all and the ATH-W5000 does not disappoint. They're certainly very ergonomically comfortable and airy-feeling on the head for such big sealed full-size [circumaural] cans and the pivoting wings on the headband nicely 'auto-adjust' for fit. However, they're probably a bit too big and loose for the smaller-headed person. The sealed earcup construction provides some mild degree of ambient isolation and noise leakage protection. The headphone cord exits from the left earcup and extends about 9 ft., terminating to full-size 1/4" plug. We recommend the Cardas Audio 1/4"-to 1/8" adapter if plugging into a source with small, sensitive 3.5mm [1/8"] jacks. The headphones arrive in a plushly-padded, red/purple silk-lined hard-sided valise that's perfect for long-term storage or for extremely secure transit of your beloved pricey Raffinato headphones. A 1-year warranty is standard with Audio Technica headphones.
Specifications:
- Coupler Size: Large
- Cord Type: Straight Y
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year
- Weight: 340 grams w/o cord
- Cord Length: 10 ft. (3 m)
- Isolation: approx 8dB
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Detachable Cable: No
- Connector Type: 1/4" with 1/8" adaptor
- Noise Cancelling: No
- Wireless: No
- Microphone: No
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 40 ohms
- Ear Coupler Type: Full-Size
- Acoustic Seal: Closed
- Headphone Type: Full Size
Additional Resources:
- Product Reviews
- Playback Magazine, Tom Martin
Average Rating
Posted by Asr from CO on 2010-01-27
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Sound quality, aesthetics, & carrying case included
Cons: Sound quality, low isolation for a closed headphone, picky w/ equipment, & potential fit issues
The W5000's sound quality isn't entirely natural, as it has a forward upper mid-range that can make instruments like woodwinds sound extra reedy or alternately vocals extra nasal, with a slight imbalance of the lower mid-range, so some instruments can sound a bit hollow as a result. Bass/mid-bass is unusually light for a closed headphone (most closed headphones have considerable bass response due to a closed design alone) but is still plenty deep and forceful. Treble is good, with proper audible extension yet isn't overly sharp. There are a lot more subtleties to the sound quality though that can't really be explained given the limitations of the written word versus actually hearing something for yourself. The W5000 has the sound of being highly detailed and "musical" which is admittedly nebulous but once you hear these against some other headphones like the AKG K701/K702, Beyerdynamic DT880, Sennheiser HD600/HD650, et al, the meaning of "musical" might start to make sense. The W5000 does a number of things sonically those other headphones don't - such as presenting a highly precise soundstage that's neither too small or too big (very unusual for a closed headphone in particular), exposing multiple details simultaneously (particularly simultaneous volume & pitch modulation), and properly separating multiple instruments from each other allowing each one to be distinctly heard, even within the same frequency band.
And sound quality isn't the only issue with the W5000, as the frame won't fit a wide variety of head shapes, especially on larger heads. It's not a very isolating headphone either as you can still hear your environment somewhat with them on and playing music - but on the other hand it doesn't leak much and won't bother people nearby. And the picky with equipment aspect cannot be overstated - it pays to properly research this subject before jumping into a purchase, and more info on it can be found at Head-Fi.org.
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