Customer Reviews

Audio Technica ATH-A900 Audiophile Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased these from Audio Cubes through Amazon. I received them in about 5 days (USPS missed me the first time they tried to deliver). These are my 7th pair of relatively high quality earphones and earbuds.

Based on listening, I would give them 5 stars. I also have the Sennheiser HD 280 pros, an old set of Sony MVR 6s, a relatively new set of Beyerdynamic DT-880s, and both Etymotic ER-4p and ER-6 earbuds.

First, I think the A-T 900s are the most comfortable earphones I have worn. Sound is very good. Certainly better (to my taste) than either the Sony MVR 6 of the Sennheisers 280s, but of course the A-T's cost twice to three times as much. I think both the MVR 6 and the HD 280 are good phones for the money. However, the A-T 900 is just a better set of cans.

Compared to the DT 880s, I find them different but both are excellent. The Audio-Technica phones have more emphasis on bass but are not as crystal clear as the DT 880s. I listen to (in rank order) jazz, folk, classical, blues, and classic rock. Probably 70% or what I listen to is jazz.

My initial impression is that I will prefer the A-T 900s for jazz and the DT 880s for classic and folk.

Certainly for the price difference -- unless you are going to primarily listen to classical and have a headphone amp or are going to use the headphones only with a shelf system with a good headphone output circuit -- I would suggest the A-T A900s (which you can get for about $80 less through Audio Cubes if you don't mind delivery from Japan). I also considered the Sennheiser 595 and 600 phones but wanted something I could listen to in bed without keeping my wife awake. If being sealed is not an issue, the Sennheiser phones are rated as excellent and I hope to pick up a pair sometime.

The other option for someone who can purchase only one set of phones or buds is the ER-4p. I have used mine for 6 or 7 years. The Etymotics provide about 30 db of isolation and have excellent sound. I have used mine at the gym, mowing, and riding a motorcycle (you have to wear earplugs riding a bike or you will quickly have hearing damage from the air flow through your helmet). However, I don't like earbuds for listening while sitting in my house reading or writing.

So for a set of sealed cans, I think the AT ATH-A900 phones are an excellent choice. For jazz, the SENN 280s are also very good but I find them uncomfortable for extended wear. The A-900s are very large but light and do not put pressure on the center of your head.

Closed headphones keep sound out and in. Sound around you doesn't disturb you and sound from the headphones doesn't disturb those around you.

It is easier to make and therefore cheaper to buy open headphones. But the isolation can be real important.

The A900s have one of the best reputations of closed headphones. Slightly recessed midrange sound and very large size, but comfortable and good sound.

See head-fi.org and headphonereviews.org for more information and options.

BTW - I modified mine with some putty and cotton to tone down the bass some - my preference. I thought the bass was too overpowering. See headfi for the mod.

Well I'm not usually the reviewer type. I do often find myself trying many of the same type of thing. In this case, that happens to be high end headphones. Now I've never owned a $600+ headphone, but I will tell you what I have owned. Senns HD-280's (closed) Senns HD-595 (open) Logitech G5's (closed) A pair of everglides, many lower end logitech's, and probably every gaming headphone that ever existed (razor etc)

Most recently I have gone from Senns HD-280's > Audio technica A900's > Logitech G5 > Senns HD-595's.

Moving from the 280 to the A900's was definately an upgrade. Going from the A900's to the G5 and the HD-595's was a downgrade. I ended up returning both. The G5 (for what it is) sounds great and probably on par with some higher end headphones when your playing games, and taking advantage of Dolby 7.1. However after listening to music with a good set of cans, you will be madly disapointed. Also games that dont use 7.1 (unreal tournament 2004) sounded absolutely terrible.

As far as the comparison with the HD-595's. Well, I will give the 595's highs, they are slightly clearer, without a doubt. However, the 595's have no lower end base at all. It was painful to listen to it. Mids on both are about the same. The main reason I prefer the A900's is because of the closed design. I know alot of people say open headphones sound better. Well that definately wasnt the case witht he 595's. Maybe if your in a room with absolutely zero background noise. I have an A/C and PC in my room, and it was really easy to hear those things through the 595's, where with the A900's that is not a problem at all.

Comfort is a draw. The 595's are way smaller. They are comfortable, and they do not make your ears warm after excessive use. The A900's are much larger, and they are closed, so when my A/C is doing its job, i can really feel my ears being warm lol, and have to take them off and wait a few seconds every once in a while. This is not a big deal tho.

Alot of reviewers are those who listen to music I dont listen too. I find this hard for me to take in what they have to say as it really doesnt relate to me. Hopefully this review will reach out to those who more match my tastes. I listen to Rap/R&B/alternative (keyshia cole, taylor swift, eminem, paramore, three days grace) to name a few. The A900's are definately the best in what i listen too. I cant say how they would compare to classical, or jazz, because honestly I dont listen to that stuff. Also, I am a gamer, and these cans rock! 3D positioning is A+ and base and rumble in games sound totally awesome with the A900's. Also, I am 25, so figured Id put that out there.

Anyway, you wont be disapointed with these headphones. They are definately top notch. Im sure some of the $300+ headphones may be comparable, or maybe even better, but for what ive had the chance to listen to these are definately worth the money. Ill say it one more time, if you spend your money on these, it will be one of the best sound investments of your lifetime :)

After finding a disheartening lack of comparative reviews online I decided that I would write about my own experiences with the above headphones. This review is targeted only at headphones for gaming based on sound from a PS3 slim connected via Monster Ultra Fiber Optic and set to Dolby Digital. I understand there are significantly more options than those I have tested. However, my wish is to give a first-person detailed and reliable account regarding the phones I currently or have previously owned. For a summary of what I found just scroll to the bottom of the review.

As a sidenote I have watched just about every youtube video, read every gaming website review, and scanned through every forum in my search for audio bliss. This is the cumulation of my knowledge and experiences.

Originally I had wanted an all in one processor for DTS and Dolby Digital with a simulated surround sound. I watch most movies and play most games at night, and was trying to "kill a few birds with one stone" on this one. After round 1 of extensive research I settled on the Sennheiser RS130s. I bought two sets. The sound was pretty good. I could not detect ANY simulated surround, but for watching movies the dialogue was VERY bright and enjoyable. In addition there was no interference with my Wii or PS3 due to the RF and the charging system was a good setup. Unfortunately, the wireless was also the problem. I tried switching through every single channel and resetting the base unit. I consistently got a weird "modem" buzzing and clicking sound in the background. Some people might be able to overlook it, but I definitely could not. Back they went and back I went to burning my eyes reading everything online.

Round 2 I decided to bite the bullet, and ordered the Sony MDR-DS7000 headphones from Japan, complete with a second set of phones. They cost me a pretty penny. Once they arrived I tested the voltage coming through the adapter from Japan and found it was much higher than the 9V required for the processor and phones when plugged into a US 120V outlet. After shelling out another $120 for 3 adapters from the Sony MDR-DS6000 series available in the US (courtesy of Sony Style) I was finally able to make sure I hadn't been ripped off from overseas. (The headphones each use 1 adapter to charge the lithium ion batteries. The 3rd is for the Processor.) I was quite satisfied to learn that my bluray, ps3 and wii could all be connected to the same unit. Also, the sound was absolutely crystal clear without a single beep or incoming fax noise. Lord of the Rings sounded great and the VPT surround sound cinema mode made the movie sound like it was being played in a large theatre room. Pretty cool, but not really the "surround sound" I had hoped for. Still....it was an improvement from the Sennheisers. And so I proceeded for a few months before deciding that I'd like to get a system more suitable for the PS3. The large hall effect didn't really seem like it was cutting it anymore. So I considered: Should I try ordering the newly improved MDR-DS7100? Hmm...probably not since they just increased the battery life by 3 hours, and increased the drivers from 40mm to 50mm. The surround effect would be the same. I also considered the Pioneer SE-Dir800c once again, but decided against it based on a few factors. The headphones break in nearly 60% of consumer reviews at a swivel point, the batteries (AA) must be charged separately from the unit, the system only has 1 fiber optic input, and additional headphones are only sold in Japan (unless you want to buy a 2nd transmitter as well). It seemed like a lot of trouble, even though I've read almost 2 million times by now that Dolby Headphone technology is vastly superior to Sony's Virtual Phone Technology. And so we come to Round 3: The Tritton Ax Pros.

A long time ago, before my head was filled with all sorts of useless information on headphones, I owned the Tritton AxPros. This was back when people cared less about how they sounded and more about getting sent the wrong set from Amazon or having to look for places to plug in 2 adapters. OMG! 2 adapters! Yeah...I have a surge protector...not a big deal. Back in those times I was very impressed with the quality of the Trittons for 3d mapping in games. Resistance: Fall of Man and other games from way back in the long long ago sounded significantly better when played through the headphones. The only problem was that finding the proper EQ was a pain and my neck felt like I was wearing Rampage Jackson's chains around my neck after playing. After contacting customer service and adjusting the delay to +10, and decreasing the rear speaker and sub (which felt like it would blow out my eardrum on normal) I was satisfied. Looking back I can safely say that my complete satisfaction was, in part, due to my lack of anything to compare sound quality towards. Fast forward to now. After not quite getting the full experience from the Sony headphones, I decided to repurchase the "newly improved" Tritton Axpros I had been so fond of. When I got my new set I looked over it for a long time. The AC adapter is definitely "cheaper" than both of the older ones (lighter less durable plastic), even though there is now only 1. The break-away cable is a good feature, although you still have to roll it up the same as if you just disconnected it from the decoder box. The microphone has gotten a MUCH needed improvement and is now rubberized/bendable and works a lot better. The headphones still shine a halloween orange glow through the Tritton logo. They also still induce serious headaches from squishing your head like a vice. Funny enough, they actually do not weigh much more than my Sonys. The difference is that Sony has a second band to turn the headphones on that takes most of the pressure off from the top and sides of your head. Tritton has no such feature, but feels much sturdier (like it was carved from a plastic tree). The Tritton also has the individual speaker adjustment, as before, with different colors for different sound levels. This works fine, but a digital +1, +2, +8 numerical readout would be much better. Each color level has 3 or 4 levels before bumping to the next color. Between white and red (medium and max) is "cyan" which is the high volume level. This would be fine if you could ACTUALLY TELL a difference from the white. I believe the Cyan simply leaves the white light on while simultaneously turning on the blue. The problem is that the white light completely overpowers everything else. It looks like the volume goes straight from white to red after about 8 clicks. Pretty dumb. Use purple or yellow or a black light. Don't try to combine colors to cut costs Tritton! The newer model also has the feature of being able to turn off the inline controller by holding the "mute and front speaker" buttons for a few seconds. Here's the problem with that: 1.)when turning the system back on you're usually holding the mute button so it mutes everything. The way the mute/volume is set up you usually end up also raising the volume as you unmute it. You probably shouldnt have the headphone on when turning the inline controller on anyway since it makes a HUGEEE POP noise when powering on that almost makes your ears bleed. This doesn't even power the unit itself on though. It just powers up the phones. The Dolby decoder box has a completely separate power on button. So.....they took away one AC adapter, but actually made it just as much of a pain in the A*$ to turn on and off. Here's the rub though - when you turn off the main decoder box, it resets your settings. That's right. All of the DRC, Sound Delay (Center and Surround) and master volume settings you pulled out the decoder box to program have all been reset. At first I kept thinking to myself, dang...the game sounds different everytime I turn it back on again...I must have not put the time delay on the right setting. After testing it though...I found the cause. Maybe mine's defective because I don't remember my old unit ever doing this. Must be an "improvement" eh? Now for the sound quality.

Discrete sounds and directions. This is where the Tritton Axpros start to do something right. I switched the fiber optic input from my Sony MDR-DS7000 into the Pros back and forth about 50 times. I tried it with Uncharted 1 + 2, God of War 3, God of War Trilogy, Infamous, Killzone 2, Modern Warfare 1 and 2, Battlefield: BC2 and Bioshock 2. Results were surprising. The AxPros actually blew the Sony's out of the water. In Battlefield, when I swung the knife I could hear it echo in the winter mountains and the fires flickered on different sides as I walked. Riding the vehicles sounded like I was right there. Modern Warfare 1 and Uncharted 1 were actually the most remarkable. In Modern Warfare 1 I could hear the helicopters flying overhead and DIRECTLY pinpoint where they were. I tried about 10 times to close my eyes and see if I could locate a circling helicopter. I was right 9/10 times. The Sony headphones (playing on the dedicated PS3 "game" mode) were extremely muffled. Gunshots sounded tiny and shallow. The Trittons just made it seem like I was right there in the environment. In Uncharted I kept restarting the 2nd scene in the jungle and testing the sounds while running through the creeks, in and out of the waterfall, and through the group of birds. With the Trittons it sounded like I was right there. With the Sony's it sounded like I was listening through a set of headphones. Then---slowly---as I listened to Sully talk about finding his "bride in a brothel" for the 20th time, I realized I was missing a vital part of the puzzle. Dialogue. Take this into perspective. The Sony's have 2 dedicated 40mm drivers. The Trittons have 8- 30mm drivers. Usually dialogue is only going through 1 set of speakers (center or front) on the Trittons, depending on the game. The driver quality is also considerably lower than the neodymium found in the Sony's. I went back and listened to Modern Warfare 1 and Bioshock 2. Then I listened to dialogue on Infamous and on God of War 3. Holy Jeez! The Trittons were cutting out some of the dialogue or seriously distorting it. This wasn't during key story moments when everything was evenly balanced. Rather, it is when multiple things are going on at once. Funny enough, this is one of the MAJOR things that all the Astro supporters were talking about when discussing potential missteps with multiple drivers. In a helicopter scene on Modern Warfare I could barely make out what people were saying over the radio. On Bioshock 2 the radio feeds were slightly distorted. On Infamous all of the "S" sounds in dead drops or phone calls came across like static on a radio. On God of War 3 on the ending fight (as Zeus is floating down towards Gaia's heart) he shouts "Hmmm....Kratosss..." in this weird almost comical way. When playing through on the Sonys I could hear it clearly and it always made me laugh after I died for the 50th time. When using the Trittons...I couldn't even hear him say it. I could faintly hear "Hm....SSS." I tried adjusting all of the sound levels individually and could not bring out that line of dialogue. So, after all of my research I started asking myself, would I be missing more dialogue on other games if I stuck with the Trittons? I can't look past the fact that while multiple drivers does = better immersion, it also means less clarity. I also agree with the claim someone else on some distant site said: Sound has a few dead zones on the Trittons. When turning you will clearly notice a sound jump from one speaker to the next. It's not a terrible thing. Some might even like it due to its similarity to real 5.1 setups. But in a video game, if you have that right spot the sound starts to vanish unless you keep turning. I was told that decreasing the surround effect negates this effect, but that comes at the cost of reducing the 3d effect. This is what got me thinking about the Dolby Headphone systems.

I read all about using the Astro Mixamp with other headphones: Beyerdynamic 880s, Sennheiser 555s, 595s, Audio Technica Ath AD700s, AD900s. I wasn't so into researching the Turtle Beach wireless because it uses infrared and has a mic that will not connect to a PS3. If I wanted a standalone infrared processor...I'd just go with the Pioneer SE-DIR800c which are also great for movies even though they'll be duct-taped in about a week due to their fragility. I looked at the JVC dolby processor, but read in a few places it has a small lag between what you see and hear. The Astro Mixamp seems quite good, and a LOT more accessible/user friendly than the AXPROs. Most reviews have stated that the Astro headset is fairly comparable to the Tritton Axpros, so I cannot justify spending an extra $100 for such a slight upgrade. The exposed wire on the Astro set also seems like a bad design flaw. Most websites give the Astros a 9.0 and the AxPros an 8.8. If I truly wanted an upgrade in soudstage and quality, I'd have to purchase an audiophile set of headphones such as those listed above. So that's exactly what I did.

I ordered the Audio Technica ATH-A900 headphones in addition to the Astro dolby mixamp. After connecting them together I ran extensive tests using all of the same games as before: God of War 3, Uncharted 1 +2, Infamous, Call of Duty MW 1 +2, Killzone 2, and Battlefield BC 2. First and foremost, the setup was MUCH simpler than the Trittons. The mixamp is powered by AND provides voice chat through the single USB cable. The ATH-A900s are also lightyears ahead of the AXpros in terms of comfort (using a wing stabilizer to decrease weight). They are VERY large, but since they are closed they keep sound in/out very well. I would say about the same as the Sony MDR-DS7000 headphones, and considerably better than the Trittons. If this isn't an issue for your household I would recommend the AD series since an open sound is slightly better for soundstage. The mixamp uses a Dolby headphone type 2 configuration preset which is not user adjustable. You get one surround/delay effect. Depending on your view this can be a pro or a con. On the one side, you simply plug in your headphones and start up your game. On the flip side, those who enjoy tweaking surround levels and speaker volumes will be discouraged. Personally I enjoy having everything tweaked to standardized optimal settings. For all of the long hours I spent adjusting the Trittons I still never locked onto what I found to be a "perfect" setting. Voice chat is also MUCH easier to control with the single balance knob of the Astro Mixamp. The only problem is that without an inline volume control you will have to find your optimal volume level before sitting down to enjoy whatever game you are playing. The mixamp is "smarter" than the Tritton Dolby box in that it turns itself off whenever the headphones are unplugged. In addition if you have it powered via USB it will turn off whenever the USB power is turned off (in my case the PS3), even though you will have to manually turn it back on. The portability of the mixamp may also factor into your decision since it can be powered via batteries, although this did not affect my review. The first thing I noticed when playing Call of Duty was that dialogue was very bright and crisp. It was SUBSTANTIALLY better than the AXPROs, and marginally better than the Sonys. I would actually say it was most comparable to the dialogue from the Sennheisers I first owned, although lacking the annoying extraneous noises. Without the Dolby Headphone mode it sounds exactly like what you would expect: sound through a pair of quality 2 speaker headphones. However, with DH turned on the game gives you a very enjoyable out-of-head surround that easily surpasses the VPT of the Sony Headphones. I will not lie though. The 3d effect is definitely subpar compared to the effect of the Trittons. In Call of Duty I could no longer pinpoint circling helicopters. In Uncharted I could no longer hear strangle ambient jungle sounds as if they were all around me. HOWEVER, (and this is the most important part of this review) sounds were distinctly more REALISTIC. It seems like a strange trade-off. In Battlefield BC 2 crackling fires and vehicles no longer sounded like they were in-my-face with the Audio Technicas. Instead they sounded like a normal fire crackling on the ground. In short, it no longer seemed like sounds were being "forced" into specific positions coming into my ears. This is no easy task to convey. The Sony headphones failed to convey the spatial quality of games in an accurate setting. The Trittons created a very pleasing 3d effect but with diminishing realism for voice and sounds. The Astro mixamp/audio technica setup slightly decreases the 3d effect but sounds EXACTLY like what I believe the sound engineers recorded. Ultimately the preference is yours. For games like Infamous the Astro/Technica setup blows everything else out of the water. Not only was dialogue extremely clear, but the entire soundstage sounded realistically recreated for the city environment. With the Trittons certain aspects were enjoyable (fountains, passing cars), while others were abysmal (scuttling trash monsters, yelling fans, distant gunshots). Using the Audio Technica headphones I can hear every single detail I was missing with the Sony headphones, but also enjoy ultra realistic sound for everything else in-game. Rear noise is easier to pinpoint with the Trittons, but I still get the same feeling of "being there" with the Audio Technicas. From a trade-off perspective I would say that the Astro/Audio Technica setup definitely takes the crown. I can put fifteen mini-speakers around my head and pinpoint EXACTLY where a crackling fire or babbling brook is located. Yet if the speakers aren't great, will the sound QUALITY make it sound exactly like what a brook or fire should sound like? Instead it sounds like a precisely located yet slightly unrealistic sound reproduction. This is my best analysis of the Trittons vs ATH A900s. The A900s sound like "real water, or real fire." The trade-off is yours to decide between.

Either way, The Trittons or Astro/Audio-Technica setup is still better than the Sony MDR-DS7000s for gaming. Your preference will determine what is the best fit for your style of gaming. Based on my experieces I would say that since the new Tritton AX700 utilizes the same technology as the Astro set, it would be moot to compare similar technologies. If you enjoy the Dolby Headphone processing of the mixamp, then it would be wise to get the astros based on the extent of other relevant gaming features. If you desire an alternative surround experience, then go with a multi-speaker headphone setup.

IN SUMMATION:

Sony MDR-DS7000:
(+) Crystal Clear Static Free Wireless, Decodes Dolby and DTS, Multiple Fiber Optic Inputs, Long Battery Life, Very good for movies, Clear Dialogue, Can be used with a combination of analog and digital inputs
(- ) No microphone input for voice chat, Poor spatial mapping for gaming, VPT is a poor surround sound simulator, VERY costly to import from Japan, Needs alternative power supply or universal adapter

Dialogue: 8/10
Effects: 6/10
Ambient: 5/10
3d Mapping:4/10

Tritton AXPRO:
(+) BEST 3d mapping, Good integration of voice and in game volume, In-line volume adjustment, Very User Adjustable Sound Levels across all fields (speaker volume, delay setting, DRC), Good Immersion and Ambient Sounds, BEST VALUE for surround experience
(-) Most UNCOMFORTABLE of headphones tested, Tendency to distort or unrealistically convey dialogue and certain sounds, Most complicated to setup and fine tune to enjoyable settings, Poor on/off integration based on power being separated into decoder box and inline controller, Closed headphone design with open headphone sound leakage

Dialogue:6/10
Effects:7/10
Ambient:10/10
3d Mapping:9/10

Astro Mixamp w/ Audio Technica ATH-A900
(+) MOST REALISTIC sounds of all headphones, EXTREMELY Precise dialogue and sound effects, Very good out-of head 3d simulation based on Dolby Headphone technology, Integration of voice-chat and power source through single USB cable, Extremely simple interface, Highest level of connectivity and portability for competitive gamers or LAN parties, Most comfortable of headphones tested
(-) Not quite as good Rear Surround as Trittons, Less Ambient effect heard in background

Dialogue:10/10
Effects:9/10
Ambient:8/10
3d Mapping:7/10

Personally, I prefer the Astro/Audio Technica combination above the others. It is probably the most enjoyable surround experience I have had when playing a videogame through headphones. As such, if you do a LOT of voice chat and online play then I would probably suggest purchasing the complete Astro setup for the use of their headset microphone (which from what I have read is stellar). If you care less for voice chat than detailed immersion (but cost is a factor) then go with the ATH-A700s and Astro Mixamp. If you prefer extreme 3d mapping and may or may not be on a budget, go with the Trittons. If you hate wires, then go wireless with Turtle beach or the Sonys from above. If you are like me and play most games without voice chat and demand high quality crisp dialogue and effects then go with the Astro/ATH900 setup.

Hope all of the time I spent writing this helps you decide what is most important to you

Choosen to replace a sein hd 595 because of the sound leaking when I listen (UAC by my girlfriend), The ath 900s don t have this leaking problem and I was very surprised by the quality for closed headphones.
Good bass, way better than hd 595, and at least as good for the rest, even better to me.
ordered from France and received 5 days later from Osaka
Also I love amazon.fr and in this case amazon.com for their seriousness

I purchased my A900's over two years ago and am still impressed with their performance. I switch between my computer with a sound blaster sound card and an MCS Turntable (Technics) with a Stanton 681 EEE Mk2 cartidge for my source. Both utilize an MCS receiver which makes for a pretty decent headphone amplifier. I have also auditioned the 'phones through an Akai receiver + Technics SL-D202 with an older Audio-Technica cartridge and a higher-end Onkyo reciever with a CD transport.

Overall impressions are excellent. MP3's sound muddy through these headphones, even when encoded at high bit-rates. I don't understand why such a high bit-rate sounds substandard, but it does. The difference between 192 kbps encoding and 320 kbps is readily apparent and I have even A/B tested myself to prove that it was psychological. The difference is really there! Such excellent audio quality comes at a price - no longer will your MP3 collection pass muster nor will poorly mastered albums be tolerated, but the truly excellent albums sound truly amazing! Highs sparkle, lows are tightly controlled and detailed. The middle frequencies are a bit recessed leading to a non-fatiguing and "chilled out" tone. They are perfectly matched to ambient music, classic rock, alternative rock, etc. The Dark Side of the Moon simply sounds amazing! However, this is not to say they don't sound great reproducing other genres as well. I listen to fair bit of electronic music as well and they also sound great! Higher energy music does not have the life sucked out of it, but these headphones are not 'in your face' like Grados. I personally love the Audio-Technica sound (which also seems to have the effect of not pushing defects to center stage, a huge plus when listening to vinyl), but if you listen to high intensity music, perhaps a pair of Grados would be more to your liking.

Comfort is simply amazing. The 3D-Wings are supportive and essentially not felt. You can listen to these for hours with almost no fatigue, the biggest issue being weight. During the summer, they can get a bit hot as well. Isolation is excellent as they are closed cans. It is not as good as what IEMs can provide, but is certainly good for a set of cans.

The bottom line is that these are top drawer cans at a decent price. For something cheaper, I hear the ATH-A700s have 90% of the sound at half the price. They also feature the 3D-wing design.

These headphones are among the most evenly balanced and quality closed headphones (cans) I have ever had.

Normaly when you have closed cans, you have to compromise soundstage and bass clarity/control for the isolation. However with the ATH-a900's you get a massive soundstage with very controled and detailed low tones.

Comfort is one of the a900's strongest points aswell, these headphones can be worn for hours as they sit so lightly on your head you barely notice they are there. However, due to there closed nature, they can warm your ears up quite nicly, requiring you to air them out ever once in awhile, this is the same with all closed headphones however. I have fairly thick framed glasses and these headphones do not squeeze hard enough to cause fatigue (from the glasses being pressed against the side of my head) or strain on my ears.

Isolation is good, not the best, but it will isolate other peoples voices or computer noise arround you, good for watching TV, movies and playing games.

Portability is not very good. These are big headphones, and due to there comfort level, they do not stay as well on your head as other street headphones. They are best used while sitting upright, these cans have a hard time staying on at the right listening position if lying down or moving about.

The headphones impedance is rated at 32 ohms. What this means is they do not require as much power as other headphones to drive them. Will most defineatly work with almost all forms of portable electronic device without need of amplification.

The only thing I can complain about these cans, is the cord can be alittle difficult at times. Especialy when it gets twisted. The outher textile layer makes the cord strong and sturdy, but this can cause it to be more temperamental with it being twisted ;) The pleather ear peices might not be suited to some peoples taste aswell, if you wear glasses, the pleather can causee some ammount of noise for any movement between the frames of the glasses and the pleather. This is the same for all pleather ear pads.

These are wonderful headphones--in fact, these are one of my favorites for a closed backed headphones. If you do not need complete isolation from the world around you, open backed headphones generally sound much better. The separation from bass and midrange is quite good. The upper end is quite nice as well.

These are quite efficient headphones and will do quite well without a dedicated headphone amplifier, but they will open up miraculously with a headphone amplifier. Whether listening to your mp3's on your computer or from an Ipod, a headphone amplifier turns these very good headphones into wonderful headphones with a deep, rich bass.

I have ordered a bithead amplifier so that I can carry it in my pocket. My headphone amplifiers are small, but require being plugged into the a/c current in the house. I want a battery powered headphone amplifier that is suited for being taken on the go.

Don't hesitate to purchase these headphones if you ane not looking for an open back headphones.

Not cheap, but I'd rate them over the Sennheiser's that are $100 more... really outstanding separation, soundstage, clarity, range... if you can't spend $2000 on speakers, spend $200 on these.

I did a fair bit of research before buying these cans. I went with these because of a few reasons. 1. Audio-Technica makes some the best headphones out there. 2. The pads were over ear, which is THE only way to go if you listen to music more than an hour at a time. 3. The frequency response was great (5-40,000 Hz), great lows AND highs. 4. Construction was strong and of good quality. 5. All the reviews I read were good or great! You can buy less expensive cans but don't expect the quality to be the same. And you can spend more and get more. But for the price, you get a good deal on these. If your still shopping around I'd recommend reviewing my top 5 against anything out there. Oh, and look to see when they were released. Newer technologies usually have a better product, (usually). Good luck.