Audio Technica
Mike Piskor 2016

Audio Technica Headphones – Restore, Repair, Enjoy!

Michael
Features

Audio Technica ATH-ESW9A

For $160 or so used on Amazon, you can grab yourself a set of these and that will turn heads everywhere you go.  I highly recommend you purchase Orange Bees Wax polish, which when applied to the exterior wooden cups of the ESW9A will result in a candy-like glaze that will last a day or two. 

You should polish all wooden headphones at least once or twice a week to keep them fresh and clean, but also to maintain a constant lacquer visual appeal without actually needed to apply lacquer.

The ESW9A comes with beveled pads that are different from all the other stock pads of the ES/W series from Audio Technica.  I do find them comfortable, but not quite as comfortable as the flat pads of the ESW11LTD that make a lot more surface contact with your noggin’. 

Made of real lambskin leather, both the ESW9A and ESW11LTD pads can get a bit warm after a few minutes of usage.

ESW9A

Summary

The general sound signature of this headphone mirrors the ESW11LTD: a flat, linear sound without too much of a forward midrange bloom. 

Although, the midrange is very Audeze LCD3 and very forward from top to bottom and there isn’t even a hint of a V shape inside their presentation: Audio Technica tuned the drivers to produce a forward midrange with bass and treble level out to either side.

The end result of which comes out to feeling very forward, but also very linear. The sound signature has a nice solidity factor and feels hefty, lacking that thinness common in portables and it is something most everyone considers “lush” in the midrange.

The treble is also a bit unclean and slightly prone to slam, I wouldn’t call it smooth and there is a noticeable grain to it. In terms of clarity, it is still one of the better $150-200 on ear that I’ve ever heard, besting the HD25 series from Sennheiser audibly.  

Some Japanese sellers refuse to drop prices to humane levels, so ignore the $250+ ads out there and buy a used one from Amazon’s Warehouse used headphones section for $150 instead.

Bass Texture

The ESW9A’s bass texture and type is actually quite pure and lacking any boomy/muddy flavoring, although it is just a step into the world of what I consider bass-moderate in terms of quantity and just one step outside of being lean. 

This model also does not improve with EQ or boosting of any kind, but does decrease in quality when bass boosted and when crossfeed is active.  Do not expect great dynamics or realism, the stage is claustrophobic in all of these models except the ESW11LTD, but if you are a vocalist enthusiast and on a budget, I’ve never come across anything else that looks sexy and sounds good too. 

There are two versions of the ESW9:  The ESW9 original that uses Cherry Wood, and the ESW9A that uses African Pollok wood cups.  Both sound the same acoustically.

Audio Technica ATH-ESW9A Traits summed up:

  • – Forward sound signature, but linear feeling with equal parts bass, mids and treble quantity
  • – Thick, weighted sound signature
  • – Moderate levels of bass and treble quantity, moderately harsh treble that is a bit too bright
  • – A bit overly slamming with treble

Audio Technica ATH-ES700

Audio Technica is notorious for their lack of comfort in the design elements of most of their portables and this model is no exception.  Out of the lot, it is the only one I find uncomfortable.  It is also the only one to use a dual pole rail system for the headband, where all the others use a solid and thin piece of aluminum instead. 

I can actually feel the rails on the top of my head and through the headband…ouch.  The horrid quality pads don’t help either, which are swappable only the ESW10JPN’s stock pads.

Sadly, the ES700 and ESW10JPN are a few millimeters smaller than the other models and that makes it hard to swap pads freely between these two models and the rest. Yes, you can struggle to get the smaller ES700/10JPN pads onto the other models, but they are stretched to their limits and you should never even attempt to do so.

Sound Summary

The Audio Technica ES700 is the sharpest and most unclear of the entire series, but shockingly I got this headphone on eBay for $40, when normally it is sells for $110. 

At the $100 or so price point, I don’t think any other on ear that exists can compare to it for musicality factor, it even bests the Phiaton MS400 of a similar price these days to an audible degree from top to bottom. 

The ES700 is also midrange prominent and there is a noticeable bloom effect with this model for all vocal experiences.  The bass is again pure sounding and lacking a muddy appeal, although it is not at all responsive to EQ alterations and tends to lose control fairly quickly. 

It also is right on the horizon of what I consider something to be bass moderate in quantity.  Clarity however is another story, as it appears noticeably inferior to the quality of the ESW9A.

ES700

Treble

Treble is the weakest link in the chain inside the ES700 and I feel it to be a bit bright, overly harsh and grainy.  This doesn’t help the fact that it is the smallest sounding in staging between all 5 of these models, or that the pads seem to restrict the sound stage and treble potential this model can achieve. 

Like the 10JPN that shares the same pad and cup size, the ES700 can be improved with the larger model earpads and the ESW9A pads work best.  Stray away from the ESW11LTD pads if you want to go larger, as the ESW11LTD pads mute the entire experience from top to bottom. 

You might also consider the 10JPN’s pads that are real leather and much softer than the low quality, stiff ES700 pads. This model also does not respond well with EQ or boosting of any type.

Strangely, Audio Technica says this model is rated at 56ohms, yet I have found it to be the most efficient of the series with all my amplifiers and sources.  None of them require amplifiers and are all mildly efficient, but the ES700 plays as higher volumes than the rest and when swapping each out of the same amp without touching the volume knob…weird.

Audio Technica ATH-ES700 summed up:

  • – Very forward mids
  • – Moderate heft to the sound signature, similar to the stock ESW10JPN
  • – Moderate bass quantity and good quality for the price, but ugly and harsh treble compared to the rest
  • – Most efficient despite the company saying it is the least efficient
  • – Least comfortable

Audio Technica ATH-ESW10JPN

I won’t go into too much detail about the design of this model, as there is a giant section already available in the Urushi portion of this article that describes it in detail.  

The ESW10JPN is the same size as the ES700 and a few millimeters smaller than the ESW11LTD, ESW9A and the ES-10.  As mentioned, you can swap the pads of the ES700 and 10JPN freely, however the stock pads of the 10JPN are of a much higher quality. 

Audio Technica used Black Cherry Wood on this model and a hand crafted Urushi Lacquer that took months to apply.

Sound Summary

This model is quite similar in sound setup to the ES700 and with a very forward midrange.  The entire headphone from top to bottom also feels thinner than the ESW9A.  This is not a lush sounding headphone and clearly offers a relatively thin substance factor.  

Again and just like the ES700, the headphone is a bit harsh on the bass and treble impact, although they are audibly superior in clarity to the ES700 and the ESW9A.  This headphone sounds very pure and even a bit flimsy at times with a crystalline/purist type of sound signature.

Audio Technica

Unlike the Audio Technica ES700 and ESW9A’s poor EQ response, the ESW10JPN increases in quality with certain EQ options active.  With just a small amount of crossfeed applied, this headphone inverts to a headphone I don’t recognize compared to its stock sound. 

Furthermore, the addition of the ESW9A pads in place of the smaller stock pads alters the sound for the better.  I will never use this headphone without crossfeed and without the ESW9A pads!  The stock bass quantity is pretty much the same as the ES700, which is a bit thin and pure sounding, lacking depth and weight. 

However, once crossfeed comes into play, the entire bottom end of this headphone feels like it puffs its chest a bit more. The lacking solidity factor becomes a non-issue with a slight amount of crossfeed and a small bump in the bass quantity via a booster. 

So many other reviewers called this headphone a “lush” sounding headphone similar to the ESW9A…and I cannot disagree more.  Without crossfeed active, the headphone feels rather thin to me.

ESW10JPN summed up:

  • – Very forward midrange.
  • – Somewhat moderate heft (kind of thin) sound signature that is improved with crossfeed.
  • – Good quality top to bottom, but a bit harsh with slam and kick on the bass and treble.
  • – Acceptable comfort that improves drastically with ESW9A pads
  • – Pain in the ass to refurbish, the most desirable ES/W series, and the rarest of the bunch.

Audio Technica ATH-ES-10

Oh boy, I doubt most people will believe me in the following section.  But, that’s okay.  If I hadn’t experienced all of these headphones at the same time, I’d likely say I was full of crap as well. 

But, the ES-10 is audibly clearer than the ESW10JPN and is certainly the black sheep of the entire ES/W series of headphones from Audio Technica.  It shares a larger driver and housing similar to the ESW9 and ESW11LTD but happens to be the most V-shaped of the entire lot, but it also is significantly smoother and more relaxing on impact than everything else.

Sound Summary

V shape bothers me, but not in this model.  Despite the prominent bass and treble, the midrange is still what I consider moderately forward and not subjectively problematic in the slightest with its recessed tendency: the ES-10 feels like a boosted ESW11LTD in setup.

When I swap this headphone on my head and coming off the Ultrasone Edition 5 ($2800), I realize that the Edition 5 is significantly more mid-recessed than the ES-10, yet the ES-10 is still a bit V-shaped.  Here we have a good midrange placement and forwardness factor in a headphone, but also one that implemented the most bass and treble quantity of the entire series. 

Pads

Pads also make an immense difference in quality across the board and it seems it meshes most with the Audio Technica ESW9A pads.  The ES-10 with ESW9A pads sounds audibly cleaner in the bass regions and by comparison to the ESW11LTD, which loses control much quicker and sounds less firm and solid than the ES-10. 

The stock pads of the ES-10 are awful and distort the entire presentation, so depending on your preferences, grab yourself a set of ESW11LTD or ESW9A pads for replacements. 

Typically, anyone who has kept the stock pads and has yet to use a set of Audio Technica ESW9A replacements on the ES-10 has all missed out on the potential this headphone is capable of and are missing out on the great bass depth and involving sound signature of the ESW9A pads allow for. 

The ESW11LTD pads smooth out the bass and drop some quantity, as well as mask the treble just a bit and in turn make the headphone feel a bit more linear in the physical setup.

Audio Technica

EQ

The Audio Technica ATH-ES-10 happens to be one of the most responsive to EQ headphones that I’ve used in a while.  This model has great potential to become something very different from what it offers in its stock form, depending on your EQ setup.  

With crossfeed active, this headphone is a pleasure to listen to and super power in the portable world: the stock quality is fine to begin with, but greatly improved in center imaging and solidity factor with crossfeed active. 

I am legitimately shocked by how well this headphone responds to anything I toss at it.  I’ve been able to drop in a +5dB on both the treble and the lower end with great success, all while moderate crossfeed is active and all while not losing much quality. 

With my iBasso DX90’s custom Rockbox firmware, I am able to toggle an impressive list of EQ functions on and off at will, yet the ES-10 never really falters and keeps up with me as I turn things on and off just to see what it can and cannot handle. 

I can jack the bass booster up to +10dB and the treble up to +8dB and hear sonic quantity differences every +2dB increments…which means the headphone responded audibly in the quantity of the bass or treble with from 0.0 to +2dB, from +2dB to +4dB, +4dB to +6dB and so on. 

The Audio Technica ESW11LTD, 10JPN, ESW9A, and the ES700 all failed to respond nearly as well as the ES-10 to alterations via EQ of various types.

Repair work

Like the ESW10JPN repair I went through, I’ve also repaired the scuffs on this ES-10’s titanium housing.  Thankfully, the repair only took 60 seconds with this wonderful titanium repair kit from Boston Watch Company, which you can purchase on eBay or Amazon for about $35. 

This kit almost completely removed all the scuffs that weren’t extremely deep on my ES-10’s cups, so feel good in knowing that maintaining and repairing this model’s metal cups is relatively easy and cheap.  This headphone was so to my liking, that I custom recabled it myself…yum.  Here is a video of the entire process!

ES-10 summed up:

  • – Slightly recessed midrange, but still so yummy and enjoyable
  • – Immensely lush sound, more solid than the ESW9A, the densest feeling of all
  • – The most soft and relaxing, least impacting/harsh of the lot
  • – The most bass quantity and most responsive to EQ, sparkled and beautiful treble
  • – Excellent comfort with ESW9A/ESW11LTD pads
  • – Jet black background compared to all other models that are noticeably less darkened

Audio Technica ESW11LTD

The most expensive of the series, the Audio Technica ATH-ESW11LTD is stupidly overpriced at $700-800. There is no doubt this 11LTD is one of the better and most musical portables money can buy, but it is far from the best in terms of clarity and fidelity overall.  

Nobody buys this headphone for $700-800 for the sound quality, they buy for the sexy looks, pretty good sound quality that is still very good for a mid-tier headphone, and to make all the other collectors jealous that you have one.  

This model uses Onigurumi Japanese Walnut wooden cups, which are “renowned for their warm sound signature”.  I agree with that statement and I’ve found it to be an improved ESW9A across the board and sharing identical properties, but the 11LTD feels like it is the most neutral in tone of the lot and the least colored sounding down below in the bass end of the spectrum.

Audio Technica ESW11LTD

Sound Summary

It doesn’t have a forward midrange bloom effect but instead offers a linear appeal with equal parts bass, mids, and treble.  It is also the most spacious and aired out of the series, by far.  It is very sweet up top and polite all around, but not quite on the level of the ES-10 in terms of a soft impact level. 

Everything else outside of the ES-10 sounds noticeably harsher on impact, but this ESW11LTD is a step or two behind in softness factor.  The 11LTD has some issues on the bass end that bothers me, as the texture of the bottom end of things feels less solid than most of the others in the ES/W series.

All the other models feel denser and of a purer type, the ESW11LTD actually feels a bit thinner and less solid and focused.  I want more quantity of it that can compare to the more than plentiful amount experienced in the ES-10.  But, for what it seems to be intended to offer, the lack of bass quantity is objectively fine and plenty responsive.

Amp 1

It is very obvious Audio Technica wanted this model to be the most refined, clean, and linear of the bunch.  It is still very forward-sounding, but this model’s lower and top ends do not struggle for attention and play ball with the midrange placement. 

The Audio Technica ESW11LTD still offers a lush midrange and dense appeal top to bottom, but also what my ears sense as uncolored bass and treble: the ES-10, 10JPN, ESW9A, and the ES700 all feel noticeably brighter in the treble and also offer a more solid feeling bass experience.

This model is also not justified for usage with my iBasso DX90 and it requires a better source, whereas none of the other models seem to benefit from my desktop amplifiers in terms of quality or staging.  It seems the DX90 maxes out the clarity potential of the ES-10, ESW9A, ESW10JPN, and the ES700…but not the ESW11LTD. 

There is an audible superiority factor in clarity when swapping from my portable music players to something like my Felix Audio Expressivo or Airist Audio desktop amplifiers.  Musical amps and sources work best here, so try to avoid neutral or blandness in hopes of retaining the fun factor this headphone was intended to offer.

Audio Technica ATH-ESW11LTD summed up:

  • – Very linear feeling, same physical setup as the ESW9A
  • – 2nd best mid/treble density factor behind the ES-10
  • – The most spacious, by far
  • – Lacking bass density compared to other models, but certainly the clearest sounding of the lot
  • – Benefits from better sources and desktop amplifiers
  • – Bordering the line between musical and reference tone

Pads Selection

Pads Galore

I’ve purchased a ton of Audio Technica pads from various sellers on eBay, all of which are absolute garbage except one.  This set specifically that I’ve marked as “awesome” are the cheapest and is actually made of low-quality leather, which I’ve found to mesh nicely with every set on the list. 

Pad swapping made a world of difference, especially so on the 10JPN and ES-10, so choose carefully.  Both the $50US or so ESW10JPN and ESW11LTD replacement pads are thick lambskin leather, but all the other models use a low-quality fake vinyl-like material with stiff foam or half-decent pleather. 

Audio Technica Pad swapping can make or break the experience and I’ve found the ESW10JPN to react very well to the ESW9A pads, the ESW11LTD should stick with its own stock pads and the ES-10 to also sound best with the ESW9A pads.  

Seems like the ESW9A pads are the safest bet and they also do sound very good every other model on the list, but tend to cause the treble of the ESW11LTD to feel a bit muted than what the stock ESW11LTD pads offer up top.

Pad Selection 2

If you can’t afford the expensive and official replacement Audio Technica pads, grab this one from eBay or Amazon that I’ve highlighted.  Just match up the image and ignore any other pads for sale that don’t look identical to this picture, these are good replacement pads, nothing else of the many other pads I’ve purchased are worth even the few dollars they charged for them. 

I paid a whopping $4.99US with free shipping for these and they are the only set that I am aware of that are leatherette, likely fake, but still very comfortable, and that does not ruin the sound when placed on any of these headphones.

Audio Technica Excellent Pads

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, I’ve found the ES-10 to offer the best price to performance and it is really the only one I want to use.  I really enjoy this headphone a lot and I can’t believe how well it reacts to EQ alterations of various types. 

If you want a great value portable, this is it.  It has plentiful bass, treble and clarity all around, but also is the yummiest and softest impact of the entire series: the Black Sheep and the one I wish Audio Technica would revise into a full size model and maybe push the midrange forward a bit more. 

All of these models are good and years later remain my picks for the best musical portables in their respected price tiers.  No, they are not the cleanest portables you can buy, but they are the only musical portables that are clear enough for me to actually use and keep for myself. 

If you are a purist, look away.  If you are looking for something to rock out to without sibilance or painful impact levels, something with strong midrange emphasis, then try to grab one of these 5 models from the ES/W series of old and avoid the newer models recently released by Audio Technica. 

Odds are good I’ll resell the 11LTD soon, but likely keep my refurbished ESW10JPN for some time…if only to admire how sexy it looks.

 

Audio Technica

Despite Audio Technica’s failures to address issues that annoy us, their older lineups of ES/W series headphones are all worth every penny.  

Neigh 8 years later, I’m still floored by the ESW9A, despite it being the most common and easily purchased off the lot, the ESW10JPN still makes me want to fall to my knees and cry over how satisfying the vocal experience can be, the ES-10 is a near-perfect portable and the ESW11LTD will remain legendary to most of us who have heard it.

 If you are on a super budget, then grab a set of ES700’s and enjoy!  Just make sure to grab a replacement pad online somewhere and swap out those horrid stock pads and your best bet are certainly the official ESW9 replacement pads.

The Audio Technica Headphones ES/W series from Audio Technica are all beautiful, easily repairable for the most part, mod friendly, have a high price to performance ratios, and also are the most fun and musical portables money can buy. 

I hope this article helped at least a few people, as it sure did take a long time to complete that forced me to put my heart and soul into it.  Thanks for reading.

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Michael
Reviewer
Self Proclaimed Musicality Guru, Photographer, Audiophile and part time Ninja. I started my audio journey back in 96' and haven't looked back. My ultimate goal in this life is to experience as many Hifi rigs as possible...because I am an audio addict.

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52 Responses

    1. Thankfully, these headphones are all super easy to remove the cable.

      Remove the pads, they slip right off.

      Make sure you have a good screwdriver with a magnet on it, so you dont lose the screws which have a knack for trying to literally just teleport into the abyss upon removal.

      The metal/wood plate will pop off when the screws are removed, which leads to the internal driver area. You’ll see the cable soldered in place without much around it, making it extremely easy to recable.

      Just make sure you have a solder tool and maybe the suction removal tool for solder too.

      Beyond that, its just a matter of stripping your new cable and soldering the leads back to where the stock cable was. It is very, very easy. If you do a recable, please send me pics or post them on the Headfonics facebook page for me to see!

      1. Thanks. That sounds doable.
        I most likely will do a detachable mod like this. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-technica-ath-es-10-impressions-thread.545288/post-11987752

        Though would prefer to have a standard cable size it seems easier to do.

        I’m very tempted do so do this mod by Bill-P that apparently makes it even better. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-technica-ath-es-10-impressions-thread.545288/post-10937819
        Though too be honest, have no trust in my ability to tell how much material to use based on sound alone.

        Also, what DAC/Amp combo would you recommend with the ES10? I’ve tried looking through the site but there’s so many products I don’t know where to begin.

        P.s. thanks for recommending these phones many years ago.

      2. Hi!

        I have ESW10 that got destroyed in an accident: the plastic yoke thingy broke, the headband is damaged and the cable is torn. Basically I need to replace everything aside from the cups. I know what to do with the cable, but the headband assembly leaves me scratching my head. Do I try calling AT in Japan (closest to me geographically) and ask for replacement parts? Do I find a broken pair of ESW9s and make a frankenstein? Are parts even compatible between ESW9/ESW10?

        Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. This is a very cherished item for me.

        Thanks, and thanks for the excellent article!

  3. Great article.
    I’m a small fan of the series myself, although I only had ES700 which I have modified with some cork.
    Afterwards I managed what I thought was original ESW9, but they were just well made (in terms of look) knock-offs. Sound was terrible.

    Then I bought ESW9, loved the sound.
    Problem that I have is the first generation of ESW9 uses mediocre quality of plastics, they did broke few time. AT asks over €50 for replacement headband (in parts). I think I need to find those knock-off’s again :)

    ATM my ESW9 have lot of modifications and repairs, headband is flued with epoxy – looks bad, drivers were replaced with ES700 and interior was layered with a bit of cork under the yellow fibre that AT uses. Much better sound.

  4. Hi 24bit, great article! Which titanium repair kit you have used for ES-10?

    Would love to see the videos (re-upload without music?). Thank you!

    1. I lost the files, my SSD decided to cease breathing. Never made any backups, which traumatized me over the loss I think haha!

      I bought the 2piece kit that contains that square pad this, which I bought on Amazon and not through their site:

      Light pressure and a few minutes of work and you should be able to buff out light to moderate scuffs and give it a new-ish looking restored visual appeal to any brushed titanium surface. This is not for polished steel/titanium with a reflective surface, it’s only for brushed metal. On these headphones, the brushed metal is horizontal from left to right, so moving the pad gently from left to right will recreate the “grain” of the metal and those lines as they were originally. If you go up and down against the lines or direction the piece of metal was brushed in, you’ll ruin everything so be careful!

  5. Hi 24bit, that’s a tremendous review, especially the Urushi part! What happened to the video? Why did you delete them?

    1. The music track was flagged for copyright. It was a freeware, public domain track without the possibility to claim it. I made an unwise choice and contested it, lost because Youtube doesn’t actually care about anything. Lost despite it being a free track anyone can use anywhere. So, the videos were removed against my will. Put a ton of work into this, months actually and filmed it only to have it all get taken down. Thanks for the lovely words on the article though, I appreciate it!

      1. That must be so angering. Any chance you would re-track it and upload again? I would love to see the video!

  6. Love this article! I may not be able to lacquer ever but I find it reading the guide and watching the video enjoyable. :-) Like many, I myself are still looking for a second hand ESW10JPN that I can get my hands on and I have not given up yet. lol

    1. The ESW950 is a rehash of the ESW9, but with different wooden cups and a detachable cable. The ESW990H is a 950 with a microphone on the cable. They are the same headphone and both use the same wooden cups, sharing the same specs as well.

      1. Okay, thanks.
        Have you found some sound impressions or comparisons?
        There’s not much.

        1. I spoke directly to Audio Technica Japan about it via email, I’ve not heard them and don’t know anyone who has heard them yet. If they can’t provide photo’s of it, don’t trust that persons impressions.

                1. My local AT store told me they will try their best to have some ESW950 and ESW990H but not sure at all.
                  Wait and see.

  8. A terrific article! I use ESW9 with iBasso DX50, and then synergy is great for styles like jazz, soul, funk. ESW9 seems a bit dark and softens the brighter sound of DX50, sounding a big analog-like. Still, I can’t say it is universal and would use something else for rock or electronic music.

      1. The only problem for me was the build quality. The skin on pads has grained, and the cord has broken and stopped working for one of the channels. However, after ordering custom genuine leather pads locally and switching to a better cable the durability seems much better. The model is lightweight and convenient for outdoor use, while the isolation is not for subway or other noisy environment.

        1. You’re right. Using it in subway is not very convenient. On airplane or train it’s ok for travelling.
          But when you use it in subway, girls look at you. In that way it’s useful :D

          1. I’ve been wearing the 11LTD out often and I get more uncomfortable in public with it as time goes on. Scared someone is going to jump me, because it really looks like candy glazed wood after a polishing. :[

    2. I had the ESW9, it was lovely for jazz.
      Maybe you can try the ESW9LTD if you have the chance, a little more balanced sound and more versatile for different genres.

      1. Thanks! I’m also curious to try ES10. Another convenient option is Momentum Over Ear 2, not sure how it compares.

        1. Pairing Momentum 2.0 with DX50 would sound a little boring, less engaging, I think. With DX90 it sounds good overall but lacks some coloration, some character.
          I would recommend Aedle VK1, B&W P5 S2 or P7, easy to find for demo for some, it depends on your taste.
          ES10 would be the best of them. You know that our mate Michael “24bit” sells his one, don’t you? :D

          1. I’ve listed my 10jpn even though I said I wouldn’t haha. I don’t mind giving up my 10jpn to someone who enjoys art as much as I do and who would appreciate the work I put in the custom woodied version. After months of listening to them, I feel the 11LTD is the one I want to keep for me that I will use at home. The ES10 is what I want to use on the go (but I want a mint condition). The 10JPN is wonderful, but I think it gets lost in my collection, as does the ESW9 and ES700. All of them are great, but I’ve had a ton of people who want to buy my 10JPN, so I’ll test the waters with that and see what I can make on it. If I hadn’t pulled the trigger on my new set of custom empire ears Zeus ciems recently, I’d keep all of them. But, the amount of money I threw at the machinery needed to mod the earcups exceeded the price I paid for the 10jpn haha.

            1. You have a very very hard decision to make !

              According to what you said before, if I were you, I would sell ESW9, ES700 and ESW10JPN.
              ESW9 and ES700 are not necessary when you already have ESW11LTD and ES10 imho.
              It’s hard for me to say this but you should sell ESW10JPN but only if the price reaches all the expenses that you made on it, not below. If not, it’s a wonderful collector’s item to keep.
              ES10 is your favorite on the go, ESW11LTD is your favorite to keep at home and your (OMG) Zeus CIEMs for both use.

              I have not such issue cos my 10JPN is my only favorite portable headphone but the 11LTD is also really good.. lol

              1. Yea, it is all about balancing the sound signatures of headphones I currently own and want to use. The 10JPN is so good, but if I am going to keep it and display it, it has to be 100% mint with a perfect condition box. I loved hunting for it for so long and I’ll happily do it again for a fully mint, or at least A-‘ish 10JPN without any letter loss. The 11LTD meshes so well with my Airist Audio amp, its like pure butter. So soft and tasty, forward and musical. I’ll definitely be keeping that one for the sound quality it offers as well as the great condition it is still in. Lets hope someone wants my 10jpn haha, if not, thats cool. It will just sit on my desk looking beautiful for the rest of my life.

                1. I hunted for my 10JPN during 3-4 years, I was close to give it up :D
                  I guess the mint 10JPN you’ve described looks like mine hahaha, cups like mirrors, no scratch on it. But I have now some scratches on the headband cos of transportation during my last trip, not cool.

                  Reading how you talk of your 11LTD makes me want to have one now!

                  Good luck with your beautiful issue.

  9. Glad to read an article on the ESW series.
    Congrats Michael for your work on the lacquering, you respect the art and your headphone.

    I had the ESW9, have the ESW10JPN, tried the ESW11LTD some time ago, didn’t like the ES10.
    I have recabled my ESW10JPN with OCC Copper with nylon sleeve and bought the official replacement pads from Japan on Ebay and it’s my perfect portable headphone, I would never sell it.

    With the well-used stock pads, it sounds a little like the ESW9, more thicker sound.
    With the new pads, it sounds more like the 11LTD, more balanced as I remember but the 10JPN has the lovely midrange that seduces me instantly.

    The 11LTD was very good, balanced sound, bigger soundstage, bigger driver > bigger pads > more confortable, sweet memories. I would have bought it if I could that time.

    I recommend ESW owners to recable their headphone so that it can be used at their full potential and also for durability cos the stock one is not very good…
    I really enjoy my 10JPN more after recabling. The sound is cleaner, clearer, scales well with power.
    What would it be with the 11LTD!

    This is my opinion, you can give it a try.
    Cheers

      1. I remember when the 11LTD was out, I went to the AT store with my recabling 10JPN. And we compared the two with the seller. It wasn’t a night and day difference, we agreed that both were close. Of course the soundstage on 11LTD was larger due to its larger parts. The midrange on 10JPN was more forward. That was all I noticed subjectively in sound.
        But my 10JPN was recabled and the 11LTD was with stock cable!
        That’s why I wrote above that I couldn’t imagine what the 11LTD would sound with same recabling!!

        I recabled mine 4 years ago so I didn’t remember well how 10JPN sounds with stock cable.
        But all I can remember is that the soudstage was narrower and also with high power output source, it still remained narrow average soundstage, more left/right stereo. It was like the power couldn’t go fully through the cable and was limited.
        Take this with a grain of salt cos it was long time ago..

        Recently I tried it with Plenue S, QP1R, Paw Gold and the soundstage wideness particularly scales very well with more power, it embraced the auditor, like a bubble, at a very good level for a portable headphone.

        I am curious to read your impressions on your ES10 with ESW9 cups, I didn’t like the ES10 cos the treble was piercing my ears and had too much bass for my taste.

        Glad to share opinion with ESW lovers :)
        Cheers

        1. I have to custom drill more holes into the ESW9 cups to fit the ES10. Not sure what to do about that at the moment, might just leave things as they are and store the darker cherry wood cups.

          I’m sticking with the ESW10JPN as my portable of choice. Despite the 11LTD being better everywhere, I prefer the setup of the 10JPN. The fact that I put so much effort into three refurbished sets of earcups makes me want to use them over the others haha. Odds are great I’ll recable it as well sometime soon. The ESW10JPN will be my primary portable (non ciem) and the ESW11LTD likely will never be taken out of my house and only used with desktop amplification. I’ve an offer on the ES10 already so I will probably sell that as well, despite it being my favorite of the bunch. It is the readily available and easily purchased, so I don’t feel bad in reselling that one.

          1. I saw your pictures. Very beautiful. Good job.
            In fact now you have a ESW9LTD10JPN !! :D

            Think twice before selling it (ES10 with ESW9 cups, right?). Audition it for some time after finishing your cups. It may be your perfect headphone! haha

            Enjoy the hobby, my friend.

            1. I’ve listed the 11LTD and the ES10 for sale. I’ve invested too much into the ESW10 repairs to sell that, so odds are good I wont ever sell that ESW10JPN. The ESW9 and the ESW10jpn share the same cup sizes and the ESW9 cups wont fit on the ES10 or the ESW11 sadly. It is odd, because the 10jpn driver plate is smaller than the ESW9 driver plate. The ESW9 pads are much larger than the ESW10jpns as well. It is a weird mesh, everything on the 10jpn is smaller but it shares the same wooden cup size and dimensions to the ESW9.

              I miscalculated it seems. So, I’ve two sets of spare cups for my ESW10 haha and I think I like the lighter color woods I made. The Dark one is porous and doesn’t look as nice, in my opinion. Hoping someone buys the ES10 and ESW11LTD from me…lol. I’m poor after this article, Urushi is expensive.

              1. OMG, I’ve just seen that you sell now your 10JPN instead of 11LTD mentioned earlier.
                What’s going on?? WTF! lol

                1. Just testing the waters, more of a Interest Check to see how much I might get offered. Odds are strong I’ll not ever actually sell it.

                  1. Oooook!

                    Well, if I had a lot of money to spend, I would have bought your 11LTD, just to help you of course haha.
                    Unfortunately we’re both poor at the moment.

                    2. I have sent my DX90 in Russia for modding. I’ll have it back next week maybe.
                      I can tell you one month without DAP is very hard!
                      Also trying some iems, so in theory I won’t make other purchases for some time.
                      But I’ll keep it in mind, we never know what happens next :)

  10. I’ve had my eye on a pair of used ESW9s for a couple weeks now and reading through this has finally convinced me. Is there anything I should be looking at regarding quality when I meet up with the seller to give them a listen? Any trouble spots I should pay attention to?

    1. Absolutely make sure the driver ring is blue. Take the pads off and take a gander into the holes of the driver plate, if you can see anything vibrant blue, its real. If there isnt something blatantly blue in there, its a fake ESW9.

      1. Thanks for the reply. I’ll be sure to check out under the pads to see what’s what.

        1. Yep, lots of fake ESW9’s out there, all fakes lack a blue ring. Most reputable and good sellers aren’t aware they are selling a fake, or that they bought a fake originally. Blue inside the driver = good to go ;)

  11. I really regret giving up my ESW11Ltd, months before I acquired an equalizer. It would undoubtedly still be my favorite portable today. My ESW11Ltd had a weird midrange coloration. The ESW9a I have now has a broken cable, so I should get that fixed – recabled. But unless there are non-beveled pads I can put on the ESW9a, with ease, then it will just collect dust.

    1. It is hard not to love the 11LTD and objectively it is the best of the crop. The “awesome” pads are non-beveled and work well with every model in the lot, they are $4.24 right now on eBay. I highly recommend them, they are much better than any other pads out there.

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