Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yes, they actually look as cool as the photo, December 2, 2007
First let me say that these are perhaps the coolest looking headphone's ever. They are s.l.i.c.k.. They are also pretty comfortable especially as these type of "on ear" headphones go but after about an hour or two your pinna will start to ache. Of course this type of headphone is probably the least comfortable depending on the person (I can't wear the inner ear ones as long without my auditory canal starting to throb) and anything with a headband, while more conspicuous, will be far more comfortable. As an aside, the Grado's are probably the most comfortable headphones on the market at any price range.
They do look and feel very delicate and probably would not last being tossed into a backpack but use of the included padded case and some basic caution should be adequate to keep them in operational condition.
Sound quality is good for being enclosed headphones and you really get what you pay for here. To get better sound quality you'll have to spend more money or switch to an open field transducer like Sennheiser or Grado specialize in. The wood, while an acoustic damper at concert hall scales, acts more like concrete to the scale of headphones providing a very concise response that doesn't have the "sponginess" of plastic enclosed transducers. They cherry wood is also as fly as it gets in a very "I'm cool enough to listen to Hip Hop but sophisticated enough that my hip hop is the Beastie Boys" way.
In summary; these things are good looking enough to wear even if you aren't listening to music, sound good enough to really enjoy your music, and are comfortable enough to wear for an album or two. If you want to wear headphones all day don't get these or this type of headphones for that matter. If you want better sound quality for the money get the Grado Prestige SR 125 - Headphones ( ear-cup ). If you want better sound and discrete headphones you'll need to pay more and should perhaps look at some of the re-tasked professional inner ear monitors from companies like Sure Brothers.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Little pieces of heaven, May 22, 2008
Me: {if you care...} BA in Music, 20+ years music/sound production consultant...
You: on occassion like the likes of Diana Krall, Tommy Emmanuel and Anthony Wall ...
then you'll love these cherry wood-covered sonic marvels. They are wonderful to listen to, and eye-catching pretty as well. I don't mind letting others used these - as clip-ons, they are not exposed to personal hygiene like earbuds are. It's important to note these are set up to run the wire around the back of your head and not down the front of your neck. I've found this impacts by a fair amount how well they stay on my head.
Pros: they really sound great, very balanced, easy on the ears (you could seriously wear them for hours and forget you have them on), big sound but easy to carry with included pouch, no "in ear" fitting/discomfort issues
Cons: Only one so far, and it's not much of one - because they are clip-ons and light, I forget I have them on and move quick enough to dislodge them a bit on occassion, like when I play the Air Drums. It's not a show stopper, you get used to it quick enough. I don't jog but I am not sure you could wear them jogging, but for fast walking or a plane ride, they are great.
I've let others listen to them and they love them too. The price point is a tough one - do you really want to drop $100+ for phones you haven't heard? When I pay this much, I want a really good sound. These deliver and then some. I have pro quality recording phones and these keep up with them very well. I also have/had Bose earbuds - I returned them, these are much, much better sounding and fitting. Like I said, they are balanced sounding - they are not thumpers, they don't make your earlobes rumble. They play the lows just fine, but if you're used to a car stereo that rattles the windows with a 5000 watt subwoofer, you might find these a little light in the bass.
If you are after clarity, like to listen to what the musician recorded, like to listen to classical, pop, rock and jazz, I think you'll be in heaven hour after hour if you select these.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising Clarity and Power, July 18, 2008
I bought these not knowing what to expect. I've never owned Audio-Technica equipment before. Having Grado headphones and audiophile speakers (av123), I consider myself a bit of a junior snob when it comes to sound reproduction. Grados not being a very portable type of headphone, I've used a pair of Koss KSC-75, which were doing a very nice job for their size. Well, those busted a little while ago and so I decided to roam around for a different set. At that point found these. Reading several reviews I expected to find that they worked about as good as the Koss's for five times the price.
I eventually decided as long as they weren't worse than the Koss's, they would do the job with with an upgrade in style. I mean come on, wood enclosures? That's just awesome! And considering Amazon was selling them for less than half their retail price, it also felt like a darn good deal.
Well, now I have them and I'm thoroughly impressed. If that's all you needed to hear you can stop reading and buy these. Unless you're a mega-audiophile snob, you won't be disappointed.
Ok, so now let's take the review step by step:
Fit - If you've ever used clip-on head phones, you'll usually note a couple of issues. First, the shape of the clip can affect the wear comfort allot. Rigid clips end up digging into the ear making it impossible to wear for a long time. Second, it's often the case that to make them comfortable you have to wear them a bit loose so that they don't press on your ears too much. Unfortunately, this makes them unstable and unfit for moving around even a little. Fit them too tight and they are a hassle to get on and off. Third, if you wear glasses like me, you soon find that clip-ons take up a bit of room on your ear, making it impossible to wear bent stem frames. I was fortunate that I wear straight stem frames, so I only had to move the stem up and rest it on the clip-ons. Most of the time this worked fine, but it does skew your vision.
Well, the ATH-EW9 solve all o these issues. The clips are made of soft flexible rubber suspended by a wire. You never feel the wire and the rubber just forms around your ear. The pad in front of the speaker is a soft cloth covered memory-type foam. Next, the clip is on a spring load so they open and close clam-like, giving easy on and off action. Lastly my glasses and the clips fit well together on my ear, barely know they are near each other. The weight is a feather. When put these on, having used the Koss's, I felt like I didn't even have them on.
Sound - In a word: "clear". In two: "clear" and "powerful". Unless you're a bass-head you'll find the max power output of these 28mm drivers seriously louder than is comfortable. The bass is clean and tonal and is capable of pounding a little bit, though not head rattling. They are also not completely closed, having side vents porting the back of the diaphram. This seems to help make the sound crisp without being tinny and effects a wider sound stage.
All in all I'm really glad I got them. They are very stylish and sound as good as I'd expect from such lightweight headphones.
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