Audio-Technica ATH-AD900

I've been a lurker for a long time, but now that I've got some more money and better cans, I thought I'd write a review of the AD900s.

I upgunned to the AD900s from my AD700s and an HD 555 modded to HD 595, so my review will be based on that comparison. I'm listening to these through a Asus Xonar Essence STX, and am using v0 mp3 files.

So everyone always says the AD700s and HD 595s have a great soundstage, and I'll agree, and the AD900s have an even better soundstage. It's really a cool feeling when you can listen to a song or piece of music and actually feel the instrumental separation that couldn't before. The separation is very clear and distinct, almost to the point where I would say it's almost TOO good for things like gaming, when a left directional sound almost sounds like it's only coming out of the left can, which I guess is good for competitive play, but it sounds pretty unnatural. On the downside, it makes listening to anything Glee insufferable because it sounds so fake by comparison to other recordings.

In terms of the mids and highs, there's really nothing much to say that hasn't already been said. They come through clearly and with plenty of punch, and because of instrumental separation it almost feels like you can hear things you weren't able to before in certain pieces. Anywhere where the AD700 excelled, these do even better, with sharper tones, and the HD 595s don't really compare in this department. The most noticeable places are in any song with lots of vocals, where the vocals are presented at a higher volume than the instrumentals, and in the big romantic classical pieces, where the soloist comes out much more than before. Also, in Battlefield 3, where the cracks of sniper shots become much more distinct and impactful than before.

The bass is where the Audio Technica AD700 is severely lacking, but I feel that the AD900 makes up for it in every way (although I am listening through an amp). I don't really own or listen to much electronic/techno, or other bass-heavy music so maybe I'm a bad judge of bass, but I feel like the AD900s have enough to satisfy me. Both the powerful rumbles and the sharp percussive sounds are really great here (think subwoofer vs 1812 overture cannons). The HD 595s have pretty decent rumbles by comparison, but the sharp percussive effects don't come through as well. One of the places where I really notice these coming through is in video game explosions, When done right, they don't really blow your eardrums out, but you can definitely feel the rumble in your ears. I'm someone who really isn't a basshead, but I thought the AD700s were actually quite light on bass and I think the AD900 is a marked improvement over them. I don't think I would necessarily want any more than these provide.

The design is basically the same as the AD700s, but these feel a little smaller, and have a higher, more metallic build quality. The thing I like most here is the design feels very strong and the frame doesn't involve using plastic which is one complaint I'd have about the HD 595.

The comfort is the one area where I feel these come up short. I am coming from the AD700s primarily, which I will admit are the most ******* comfortable headphones I've ever worn in my life. But where I could easily have 8-10 hour work sessions with the AD700s, I definitely can't with these. The angle of the driver is an annoyance, and they are smaller, so they fit much tighter on my head. With the driver angle, it's mostly an issue of getting the position on your head right. I feel the optimum comfort is when the back of the pad touches the back of my ear, but I really can't figure out why AT would do away with the angled drivers when they were so ******* awesome to begin with. I may be looking to put a little padding in the rear of the pads to increase comfort, but I'm worries this will dampen and muddy the sound too much.

Overall, I would say that these are a very good buy. And one strength is that it doesn't take the veteran audiophile to hear the differences here. Even a casual user can easily tell the changes between the AD900, the AD700, and HD 595 without jumping between them. At $200 I feel they are a steal, and even if you dislike the particular sound signature, you won't be disappointed in the purchase like you would for other cans. They have a sound that works very well for certain genres of music, they're relatively inexpensive, easy to drive, and even if you are a basshead they may fill a niche in your lineup that you didn't know you had before.

These are great headphones for quite a budget price (at least in Japan and America). 

I also own the AD2000 and the W1000X so here is a little comparison:

The W1000X would be the warmest sounding of the bunch. The AD900s openness also takes away something from the bass area that would be needed for a warm and embracing sound. The AD2000 is airy as well, but a lot closer and tighter than the AD900. In direct comparison the AD900 seems to be rather muddy with not quite as clear mids and highs than the AD2000 or W1000X. Whereas the AD2000 doesn't seem to be needing any amplification (of course it scales well), I would highly recommend to amplify the AD900. Comfortwise it's en par with the W1000X or maybe even better, considering that the W1000Xs pleather pads can get pretty hot on the ears. Listening to the AD900 I can understand people complaining about a certain detachment from the music, as if one is floating in outer space with the music being everywhere. If that is not your cup of tea, better stay away. All in all the AD900 is extremly non-fatiguing even at higher volumes. The W1000X has to be seriously EQed before being comfortable for longer sessions and even the AD2000 needs some adjustment at higher frequencies for that. The slight muddiness of the AD900 on the other hand let's you dive right in without any adjustments at all. I like Audio Technicas adapter to 1/4 a lot, it's a sturdy unobstrusive construction. 

I can highly recommend the AD900 to anyone listening on a budget and preferring a translucent and open soundstage.

Great for classical music, might not work as well for close quarter chamber music or tight cellar jazz recordings though. It's pretty good for electronic stuff as well, mind the lack of bass though.

I'll start of with the physical aspects.  The headphones have a magnesium and plastic construction and feel light but well built.  The 1/8 to 1/4" TRS adaptor is nicer than most and the cable is good (thick, no memory, strain relieved etc.) but single entry which I don't care for.

Fit is very good, the self adjusting wings work exactly as advertised and put very little pressure on any part of my head.  Despite the very large size of the cups, the driver housing (not the driver itself!) still comes into contact with my ears, kinda like a on-ear phone.  I don't find this to be a problem, it never bothers me and ears don't get warm in there.  There are mods to correct this but I don't like the change in SQ.

The AD900 is midrange forward phone that is quite a bit on the bright side.  However, the treble is clean and not at all harsh sounding so it is not as jarring as it can be in the Grado/Alessandros.  The midrange is the highlight of the sound signature which I find to work quite well for the rock based music I listen to.  It puts the guitars forward which I like but isn't thick sounding (for want of a better description) so it remains non fatiguing and doesn't detract from the rest of the range.  Bass is tight and well controlled with decent punch but very little weight.  This is my only complaint.  Extension however, is very good.  Soundstage is large but I never considered this to be an important factor, it is impressive though, if you are into that.  The phones are very detailed and fast so they can easily keep up with complex music.  The overall sound signature is quite easy to listen to, slightly warm.  I would not call them neutral or transparent.  Power requirements are low.

To sum up, a very nice phone.  I listened to them almost exclusively with rock:  indie, folk, acoustic, hard rock, extreme metal, punk, prog and some others.  I find them to work well with these genres but haven't heard them with much else.

This is my first review so forgive me if I make any mistakes. Everything below will be in my humble opinion. I don't have good amp to drive them either, but most people agree that these cans do not need an amp to drive.

Comfort:

Supposedly, audio-technica's AD series is a line of very comfortable headphones that has warm sound. I didn't think they were particularly comfortable because I didn't like how my left ear is touching the driver on the left side of headphones. One possible explanation is I have weird ears, that might be the case but I have not had problems with other headphones before. Another explanation is the phones are old and the pads have been worn down. Anyway, this can usually be solved by inserting some sort of spacer(straws, tubes) in the pad. It didn't work for me, but other people has reported that it helped tremendously. 

Another positive note to add is that the wing system works VERY WELL. It takes much of the pressure off your ear and you will feel very good wearing them for long time(if the ear touching driver does not bother you).

Sound:

From little experience I have with UM3x, RP-21, and Mylarone x3i, I only thought the sound was mediocre. 

Make no mistake, ad900 has bass and able to produce bass accurately above 40Hz. But it doesn't have enough bass impact most of the time. Sometimes, I can feel it somewhat but it makes me feel like I want more. It gives me a little taste of quality bass, but doesn't give the full blown smooth bass that I want. I don't think ad900 gives enough speed. It feels like it is always holding on to a note a tad too long. Maybe someone can appreciate this kind of bass and speed.

On the high and detail side, I am able to hear some new sound from ad900 that I have not heard from previous headphones. That is really wonderful for me. I really like that feeling that I am now really listening to music now by finding those additional details that I have been misting before. One of the complaints that made me want to sell the phones is the way vocal is presented. I always feel like the people singing are so so far away from me. Maybe this is what people call forwardness. To me, the sound is always there but not in my ears, if that analogy makes any sense. The violin sound is also far away from me, I want to sit in the front row to absorb all the details but I am sitting in the back rows. I can hear the music and see people playing but it just doesn't have the same impact that I want. Of course, if you like this laid back sound, try ad900 by all means.

Sound stage/instrument separation:

People say ad900 is very airy. If airy means everything sounds very distant, then yeah. Like I noted before, I feel like I am in the back of the concert hall.

Something AD900 does very well is instrument separation. I have a really good sense of direction of where the sound is coming from when I am wearing ad900. I don't know if this is contradictory to what I said before but it is true. I really like this aspect of the phones, being able to tell where the violins, where the singer, where the pianos are.

I hope my experience can help you guys decide if they want AD900 or not.

Basic summary:

Excel in: instrument separation, very airy, able to hear the tiny fluctuation of the bass guitar strings.

Not so good in: ear touching driver = uncomfortable(YMMV), not enough bass impact, in the back of the concert hall.