Audio Technica rewrote the rules of portable with the ATH-ES10. When it was announced last year, I noticed that the ES10 is not just another new portable. It uses a 53mm driver, the same size driver as the one used in the bigger W-series headphones such as the W5000 and the new W1000X. Big sized drivers, most of the time, have an advantage over smaller ones, especially when it comes to bass. What’s amazing is that Audio Technica still manages to fit the 53mm driver into a housing not much bigger than the Sennheiser HD25-1. With a housing that size and a foldable headband, I’d consider grouping the ES10 as a portable. Of course they’re not ultra portable like the Sennheiser PX100, but if have ever use your SR-60 Grado outdoor, then you know what I’m talking about.
The Titanium housing is finished with a hairline finishing. What does a hairline finishing look like? If you use an Ipod without any form of protec
tion, you know that the glossy back side very quickly collects scratches, and so you have no choice but to spend $30 for some plastic or rubber silicone protection. The hairline finishing is sort of like that, except that they are done professionally and the scratches are all aligned to one direction. It comes out as a nice and classy finishing. The finishing not only gives you a unique, non bling-bling look, but I figure it may help to hide any scratches the housing may pick up on the way. Not that titanium is very easy to scratch, but I don’t dare to test it out on this ES10.
Franz Dy
Thanks for the nice review. i disagree on the part that it really needs an amp to shine. Played it straight from my comp and sounded terrific. maybe an amp will improve the sound quality but not by much. and it blows all portables as of today
Mike
Hi Franz,
Glad it sounds terrific straight from your computer. I didn't try it with a computer, but rather from an Ipod. I felt that when driven straight from the Ipod, I have to turn the volume out to louder than my normal listening volume before the cans really opens up. With a portable amp, somehow that's no longer necessary.
Franz Dy
I also agree with you that it has the most bass over any portable headphone present. Like having twin subwoofers beside your head. Out of the box it sounded good. Hopefully after 100hrs+ it will sound more controlled. Id like to see you do a comparison between b&w p5 esw10 and others within the price range
Dennis
I’m looking forward to read such comparison too! Really interested in B&W P5 in particular (reviews leave me puzzled – they tend to be only 100%-positive or 100%-negative and that’s strange). By the way, in your opinion – what headphones are better suited for classical music – Senn HD25-1-II, ATH-ES10 or B&W P5 ?
Claude Daniel
I was wondering is there any authorized retailer in US so I can get it. It is probably the best portable headphone for me. I guess I may subject to warranty issue if I got it from Japanese ebay retailer.
Mike
I doubt it, Claude. You can try audiocubes, as they carry a lot of stuff only sold in Japan.
Boyd
Hi, Mike
Can you compare betweem ATH-M50 and ES10? thx in advance : )
Mike
Boyd, I no longer has the ES10 around, and I don't think I remember enough about it to compare to the M-50. 🙂
Chi-Hwa Michael Ting
I’ve auditioned the M50,ES10, and ESW9 and found the ES10 to have a bigger sound range than ESW9. The ESW9 does have a sweet mids but the ES10 was much better on the music I listen to Rock, Electronic, and Pop out of my iPod. The M50 and the ES10 both sounded good for my music straight out of the iphone, and they are quite similar. The ES10 sounded it has a wider range but needed a but more amp than my iPhone while the M50 sounded very much like home.
I will soon visit a show room that will have the ES10, M50, and the DT1350 all together at the same time to compare them side by side!
Mike
Boyd,
The M-50 is a lot more linear in the frequency response, as it is mostly still a monitoring headphone with a slightly boomy bass. The ES10 is voiced more as music listening device, with fuller midrange, punchier and weightier bass section, better vocals etc.
Ceyer Solomon Waki
Hey Mike,
Do how would you compare this to the Pro700 in terms of value, bass power/impact, and overall sound quality
Mike
I can’t comment on the value, but the Pro700 Mk2 is a pure bass head headphone. The ES10 is a hi-fi headphone with a good bass.
Ceyer Solomon Waki
So which would you say moves the most air, or basically, which one utilizes their big drivers for bass the most?
Mike
It’s probably the Pro700 Mk2.
Tom Kinsella
Hi Mike
I’d like to know if an Audio Technica ATH-ES10 would benefit more from a JDSLabs C421 or an ALO National for on the go, most genres of music?
Thank you.
Mike
Tom,
The C421 is nice, but the National will be better.
shigzeo
The National is very good with the ES10 (my favourite portable headphones), but is more than ample over and over again for the ES10. You can crank the volume to almost 100% with the National and a strong input signal with almost no phase distortion in the ES10. Incredible, but impractical.
Fabien
Hi Mike,
How would you describe the bass on the ES10? Very boomy, boomy, slightly boomy, tight?
Thanks in advance!
Mike
Not very boomy actually.. somewhere between a tad boomy to pretty well controlled. Of course, with that sort of a bass quantity, you definitely won’t expect the kind of tight bass as in the HD25-1 for instance.
Fabien
Thanks mate!
Evan_Beezy
how about a comparison or review of the es700? Seems to have a lot of interest around it.
Mike
Sorry I don’t have the ES700.
Marc
Mike, how would these compare to the Sennheiser HD25 ALUs?? Bass, speed, and overall sound quality?
Mike
ES10 is slower, mellower, darker.
dalethorn
I’ve been watching this for some time, trying to figure out the signature in advance, so I don’t get stuck with another very colored headphone. Even if the signature were unbalanced for hi-fi listening, I’m willing to use a simple EQ to make it better, but some headphones don’t fix up even then. So it would be helpful if I could find that information.
Pepijn
I resurrected my ES10 this week. With a new set of china special sheepskin pads and headband.
The bass on these things is insane. Just listened to the 3 Cities album by Bombay Dub Orchestra on the ES10, powered by a Ifi Hip DAC. It’s like you’re being wrapped in a mellow, warm, blanket of bass…
Not the most neutral of headphones, but such an easygoing sound…
Erick Mayo
Outstanding Headphones for Hi res Audio formats. The ES10 Titanium housing looks and make sound well balanced for any kind of music. Sound stage is deep and well detailed.
I am using them with a Audeze Deckard DAC(32/384kHz) and Dragonfly red(24/96kHz) and the music rise to such melodic and real point that make me smile listening again my daily MQA playlist.
In conclusion great headphones to enjoy your daily Hi res music.
My former ATH-ESW9 last many years so I am expecting the same construction quality on this ATH-ES10.