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Sound Quality |
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• Has a frequency response that would be great if it didn't have issues towards the high end.
• Low distortion.
• Good, not stellar tracking – again, there were problems at the high end.
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Tour & Design |
Page 3 of 12 |
Isolation |
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About our testing:
For more information on our tests, read this article.
Frequency Response (2.69)
What we found:
The ATH-W5000s had a bit of an issue with high-frequency sounds, which we thought was a bit odd since our initial impression was they focused too much on mid-to-high-end frequencies. We ran this test multiple times, but that downward spike towards 7kHz was always present. Other than this spike, the ATH-W5000s did a good job. We're guessing that hump in the middle is indicative of our initial impression, and bass insn't bumped up as much as you'd see on typical headphones.
Overall, it's a bit wonky of a frequency response, especially for a set of high-end headphones. We ran this test multiple times, and found the issues towards the high end varied a bit in their severity, but were constant in their appearance.
One theory we came up with is that a lot of this deemphasis comes from sound leaking out of the headphones, due to the poor seal. If that is the case, then the ATH-W5000s would actually have done very well on this test.
How the Audio-Technica ATH-W5000 compares:
What is frequency response?
Your headphones' frequency response refers to the ways in which they emphasize any given frequency. Dynamic headphones tend to alter various levels, such as giving boost to the bass or to various frequencies in the high end.
How the test works:
The way we test frequency response is a dark and mysterious art. First we put the headphones on HATS, our head and torso simulator. We then use SoundCheck, an electroacoustics analysis program, to send a set frequency sweep through the headphones. HATS's precision microphone-ears record the headphones' playback. We then measure the collected playback against the original sound file, specifically looking for the decibel output for each given frequency. For more info, click here.
Distortion (6.37)
What we found:
What we found on the ATH-W5000s was very little distortion, except for a bit in that area of mysterious weirdness towards 7kHz. In general, the W5000s did well on this test.
How the Audio-Technica ATH-W5000 compares:
What is distortion?
Distortion refers to any differences between the original soundwave and your headphones' output. Distortion is bad, because it fundamentally alters the way your playback sounds. The percentage to look for here is 3%, which is the point at which distortion starts ruining your sound quality.
How the test works:
Our distortion test basically listens for differences between the headphones' playback and the source file they're being fed. We then graph those differences above, as a percentage. If you love learning, you could feasible click here and continue on your knowledge adventure.
Tracking (4.47)
What we found:
The ATH-W5000s had some issues with tracking, towards the lower end and towards the high end (the aforementioned inegmatic spot of "seriously, what's going on here, W5000s?"). That spot towards the high end is where they lost a majority of their points.
If you have a head that's perfectly shaped to accept the W5000s, or if you mod them in some way to get a good fit, they'll probably suffer less from the issues detailed in this section.
How the Audio-Technica ATH-W5000 compares:
What is tracking?
Tracking refers to the relative volume levels of the left and right channels. If your playback is telling the left and right channels to output exactly 84dB, it's bad if one plays at 70dB and one plays at 90dB. The ideal output would be both channels playing at 84dB, but even if both are playing at 90dB it's better than an uneven sound.
How the test works:
For this test, we play a frequency sweep through both channels. HATS listens, reports to SoundCheck, and we compare the various decibel levels of each channel to each other, resulting in the graph above. When the blue line dips below the zero mark, it means the right channel was playing louder; rising above the zero mark means the left channel is louder. For more info on tracking or our tracking test, read our main test article.
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