Headphones
Audio Technica ATH-AD900
MSRP $299.95
Stock Status: 1 to 2 Weeks.
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The open-back Audio-Technica ATH-AD900 is amongst the lightest headphones in its class which means unequaled long-term wearing comfort even during extra-long listening sessions. The AD900 sound quality is also stellar with an airy acoustic presence and fully detailed tonal smoothness that's sonically engaging and musically accurate with any genre. Wonderfully galvanizing with complex or densely powerful recordings.
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Product Features:
- Large bobbin-wound 53mm CCAW dynamic drivers
- Propriatery '3D wing' support design for superb comfort
- 250 gram total weight makes this one of the lightest headphones in the category
- Magnesium frame and perforated honeycomb casings for an incredibly 'light on the head' feel
- Engineereed & manufactured exclusively in Japan
What's In The Box:
- 1/4" stereo plug adapter
Applications:
Clean musical detail and precise acoustic punch are the sonic hallmarks of the Audio Technica ATH-AD900 headphone. Designed for audiophile home listening rooms, the open-back construction of the AD900 offers an extremely effervescent, uncluttered, expansive sound that sings especially well with well-produced recordings and great audio sources. Although slightly forgiving in the mids with a round, silken sound in its uppermost treble ranges, feed the ATH-AD900 a reference recording and prepare to get a truly immersive 'inside the music' listening experience unmatched at this price. Employing some of the largest 53mm bobbin-wound drivers found in any headphone, the ATH-AD900 accurate definition of nuanced musical subtleties is acoustically impressive as is recovery of low-level details like soundstage imaging spatiality and recording room textures and wave reflections. Perhaps not the choice for crunchy head-bangers and deep-house bass mavens, but a fine all-around headphone with minimal coloration and excellent musical balance.
The Audio-Technica ATH-AD900 has true 'around-the-ear' (circumaural) earcup dimensions, meaning its a fairly big headphone designed for home and office listening. Audio Technica's proprietary "3-D wing" construction has some of the best wearing ergonomics found in full-size headphones. Although the AD900 are efficient enough to be used without any amplification, a dedicated headphone amp audibly improves detail resolution and timbral accuracy / transparency in our subjective listening tests. Please allow about 200-300hrs of play-time (aka 'burn-in") for these headphones to fully break-in and sound their very best as they can be slightly brittle-sounding immediately out of the box. The ATH-AD900 cord extends about 10ft in length and terminates to a high-quality stereo plug. Manufactured and engineered exclusively in Japan.
Specifications:
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 35 Ohms
- Detachable Cable: No
- Cord Length: 9ft
- Cord Type: Straight Left-Side
- Coupler Size: Large
- Ear Coupler Type: Full-Size
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Acoustic Seal: Open
- Weight: 250 grams
- Connector Type: 1/8
- Headphone Type: Full Size
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year
- Sensitivity: 100 dB
Average Rating
Posted by phileguy from atlanta,ga on 2012-03-15
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: good value and sound quality
Cons: big
4 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by Headphone high from Seattle on 2011-09-26
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Realism
Cons: Silly, complicated suspension
7 out of 12 people found this review unhelpful. Did you?
Posted by Mark from New Jersey on 2011-05-09
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Light, clean sound, comfortable, great value.
Cons: Not for a basshead.
Packaging:
I was rather unimpressed at the packaging a pair of $400 MSRP headphones came with. They come in a cardboard box with a "door" which opens to display the headphones through plastic. It looks rather nice, but it leaves something to be desired. Included was a 1/4'' adapter and a plastic headphone stand. I expected that some extras would be included for the price, perhaps extra ear pads, but just the bare essentials were included. Everything was secure and safe though, and the plastic headphone stand does include the model number which shows when the headphones are placed on them, so it could be worse.
Comfort:
I've worn a lot of headphones and these are definitely one of the most comfortable, especially for long sessions. Once these headphones are placed on your head you will barely notice them, they are that light. The velour ear pads are rather soft and they do not cause any additional heat like leather sometimes does. Some users complain about their ear touching the driver, I had this problem as well when I first got these. It took a bit of experimenting to find the perfect way to wear these, but now my ears fit perfect with the sound actually sounding better in this new fashion than I'd been used to. Overall these headphones are very comfortable and I have no problems wearing these for 8 hours sessions.
Design:
You're either going to love or hate the wing design depending on your head. Some users complain that these are too loose, but these users have found some ways to fix this problem. These headphones are built solidly, no creaks, or loose parts. As for looks, I'll leave that for you to decide, but I think they look great.
Sound Quality:
Best for the price, hands down*. There are no headphones that compare to the clarity, soundstage, and balance these headphones have. I've tried many headphones since I've bought these, and many before I have, but there was always something I felt missing from the music and these headphones have it.
The lows are exactly what I look for in a headphone. They are tight, punchy, accurate, and fast without interfering with the mids. These headphones can keep up with any genre without a problem, from drum and bass to jazz. While I find the bass to be wonderful, it does leave something to be desired when listening to bass heavy genres like dubstep. For every other genre these headphones are more than enough for the average listener in the bass department.
The mids are where these headphones shine. The clarity is simply astounding and there's a brilliant airy quality to it. Though they have an airy quality, they are by no means "laid-back" they are very engaging and aggressive without being in your face. These honestly put Grado's famed mids to shame for me.
The highs are wonderful as well, the mids blend perfectly into them for a fantastic balance. Airy, clear, and accurate are how I would describe the highs, with no sibilance. The highs shine on these without causing fatigue.
The soundstage is one of the best, if not the best, under $500. The sound is vast and airy with fantastic imaging. The instrument separation is phenomenal on these headphones. On a properly recorded album I have no problem picking out each and every instrument at any point during the song.
*Best for the price is highly dependent on how much you're paying for these since the price fluctuates highly. They range from $200-$300 depending on when/where you buy them. For $200 I challenge someone to find me a better all around headphone, for $300 it gets tough, but I still maintain my claim.
Value:
As I said earlier the price on these ranges. For $200 I would snatch these up in a heartbeat if I was purchasing headphones for a friend. For $300 it gets tough, but mostly only because I know they can be found cheaper. These headphones are well built, comfortable, have fantastic sound quality, and come with a stand/adapter. What more can you ask for?
Please keep in mind my ratings are in comparison to similarly priced headphones, not $1,000 headphones.
31 out of 33 people found this review helpful. Did you?
