bangraman
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2002
- Posts
- 10,305
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- 65
Okay, I spent two HOURS of my extremely valuable time sitting in front of the mixer with a laptop pershed on it, writing this review in Word, which I cut and pasted here, then corrected a bit. You’d better like it!!!!
I never did listen to the ATH-A9X, so I didn’t get to find out whether the A100Ti is significantly better than the A9X. Now, I have the chance to find out the answer to the same question with the next generation of these phones, the ATH-A900 and the ATH-A1000.
Compared to the old generation phones, the A900/A1000 have a more squared-off look from the front, which is much more appealing than the ‘coconut halves on the head’ effect of the A100Ti and especially the W100. Despite theflattening though, they can't be considered small phones. As a comparison the Sennheiser HD600 looks sleeker on the head although the A-T's look better than the HD600. If you're familiar with the Sony CD1700, these are about the same size.
They also have new internals in the form of a new cavity in the phones, named DADS, which is intended to increase the bass response. Other physical features of the phone have I’m sure been slavered over many times previously so I won’t bother mentioning them. But one question I will answer is; “Do the ball bearings on the ATH-A1000 make a difference over the standard whatevertheyuse on the ATH-A900?” The answer is no, at least not in the short term or the period when us Head-Fi rabid maniacs feel the urge to upgrade again
(ablaze in particular
)
What I will say before I go onto the sound is that both the A900 and the A1000 are designed and built with an attention to detail that shames any other equivalent manufacturer.
Audio-Technica ART series make similarly priced Sennheisers look like amateurish DIY projects, and similarly priced Beyerdynamics look and feel like something that came out of the dumpster. Comparing similarly priced or even more expensive Grados (in my case the SR325 vs the A1000 (£280 vs £180) and the SR80 vs the A900 (Both around £100)) in terms of build, we have a saying in Japan “Tsuki to suppon no chigai” which literally translated compares the insurmountable gulf of aesthetic comparison between a moon and a turtle (don’t ask, it’s metaphysical, zen, all that stuff…). Even the ever-consistent Sony have some way to go in terms of competing in quality, design and finish at similar prices.
The other thing of major note before listening is the comfort. It’s not a sumptuous, opulent comfort in either the A900 or the A1000’s case, but a just right, fuss free fit that makes you appreciate the thought that’s gone into these phones. So they’re already way ahead before a single note’s been played…
So what about the sound?
I have to tell you this: I can’t tell a huge difference worth articulating precisely between the A900 and the A1000, only a vague feeling that the A1000 is a little more direct than the A900. If I'd had one on my head for a few minutes and you asked me to say which one it was, I couldn't tell you. So this preliminary review largely covers both.
And, it’s important to tell you that I’m going to cheat. For the bulk of the actual comparison I used a mixer. I can change the sound using the mixer, but I can also find out roughly what it sounds like “flat”. One of the beauties of a good mixer is that you have very precise control of the sound and this is hopefully helpful in looking at the phones. I did also use a valve HP amp but the results tracked my mixer-based opinions very closely so I’m sticking by my mixer findings.
The overall character of the sound is crisp yet impactful. Highs are precisely articulated, without becoming overly harsh. Mids are well defined. The closed colouration feel that many sealed phones exhibit is largely absent from these phones, and the soundstage is expansive. Overall this is the best of both worlds, the feel of an open phone with the added detail and other advantages in normal listening circumstances of a closed phone.
What about the bass? Does the DADS bass enhancement work? In a word, yes. Turning up the bass results in a serious kick with absolutely no trace of the ‘bass note elongation’ that can plague some DJ-intended closed phones. Comparing it ‘defeated/flat’ against what seems to be the mid-priced benchmark here, the HD600, there’s definitely more kick to the bass, but not over-done) with no bloat to speak of. It is just like the rest of the response, crisp yet somehow voluminous, and very effective.
Is the A900/A1000 the nirvana of Audio-Technica? Having not tried the W1000 yet, let alone the W2002, I can’t say that for sure. But I personally like the sound of these phones better than anything else I have at the moment, and I can say is that both the phones are generally superb. Both provide effortless listening to detailed, crisp music. Bad compressed audio and poor recordings did of course result in sibilance but not to the teeth-gritting level of some other phones. On the issue of value for money, the A900 provides practically all of the sonic and comfort benefits of the A1000 for over $100 less… If you can live without the ‘limited edition’ fever, the A900 on a sound/value ratio is a better buy. Aesthetically too, the understated blue of the A900 is an equally class act compared to the ‘THIS IS TITANIUM’ grey of the A1000.
That's it! No more reviews!! Too much like hard work.
I never did listen to the ATH-A9X, so I didn’t get to find out whether the A100Ti is significantly better than the A9X. Now, I have the chance to find out the answer to the same question with the next generation of these phones, the ATH-A900 and the ATH-A1000.
Compared to the old generation phones, the A900/A1000 have a more squared-off look from the front, which is much more appealing than the ‘coconut halves on the head’ effect of the A100Ti and especially the W100. Despite theflattening though, they can't be considered small phones. As a comparison the Sennheiser HD600 looks sleeker on the head although the A-T's look better than the HD600. If you're familiar with the Sony CD1700, these are about the same size.
They also have new internals in the form of a new cavity in the phones, named DADS, which is intended to increase the bass response. Other physical features of the phone have I’m sure been slavered over many times previously so I won’t bother mentioning them. But one question I will answer is; “Do the ball bearings on the ATH-A1000 make a difference over the standard whatevertheyuse on the ATH-A900?” The answer is no, at least not in the short term or the period when us Head-Fi rabid maniacs feel the urge to upgrade again
What I will say before I go onto the sound is that both the A900 and the A1000 are designed and built with an attention to detail that shames any other equivalent manufacturer.
Audio-Technica ART series make similarly priced Sennheisers look like amateurish DIY projects, and similarly priced Beyerdynamics look and feel like something that came out of the dumpster. Comparing similarly priced or even more expensive Grados (in my case the SR325 vs the A1000 (£280 vs £180) and the SR80 vs the A900 (Both around £100)) in terms of build, we have a saying in Japan “Tsuki to suppon no chigai” which literally translated compares the insurmountable gulf of aesthetic comparison between a moon and a turtle (don’t ask, it’s metaphysical, zen, all that stuff…). Even the ever-consistent Sony have some way to go in terms of competing in quality, design and finish at similar prices.
The other thing of major note before listening is the comfort. It’s not a sumptuous, opulent comfort in either the A900 or the A1000’s case, but a just right, fuss free fit that makes you appreciate the thought that’s gone into these phones. So they’re already way ahead before a single note’s been played…
So what about the sound?
I have to tell you this: I can’t tell a huge difference worth articulating precisely between the A900 and the A1000, only a vague feeling that the A1000 is a little more direct than the A900. If I'd had one on my head for a few minutes and you asked me to say which one it was, I couldn't tell you. So this preliminary review largely covers both.
And, it’s important to tell you that I’m going to cheat. For the bulk of the actual comparison I used a mixer. I can change the sound using the mixer, but I can also find out roughly what it sounds like “flat”. One of the beauties of a good mixer is that you have very precise control of the sound and this is hopefully helpful in looking at the phones. I did also use a valve HP amp but the results tracked my mixer-based opinions very closely so I’m sticking by my mixer findings.
The overall character of the sound is crisp yet impactful. Highs are precisely articulated, without becoming overly harsh. Mids are well defined. The closed colouration feel that many sealed phones exhibit is largely absent from these phones, and the soundstage is expansive. Overall this is the best of both worlds, the feel of an open phone with the added detail and other advantages in normal listening circumstances of a closed phone.
What about the bass? Does the DADS bass enhancement work? In a word, yes. Turning up the bass results in a serious kick with absolutely no trace of the ‘bass note elongation’ that can plague some DJ-intended closed phones. Comparing it ‘defeated/flat’ against what seems to be the mid-priced benchmark here, the HD600, there’s definitely more kick to the bass, but not over-done) with no bloat to speak of. It is just like the rest of the response, crisp yet somehow voluminous, and very effective.
Is the A900/A1000 the nirvana of Audio-Technica? Having not tried the W1000 yet, let alone the W2002, I can’t say that for sure. But I personally like the sound of these phones better than anything else I have at the moment, and I can say is that both the phones are generally superb. Both provide effortless listening to detailed, crisp music. Bad compressed audio and poor recordings did of course result in sibilance but not to the teeth-gritting level of some other phones. On the issue of value for money, the A900 provides practically all of the sonic and comfort benefits of the A1000 for over $100 less… If you can live without the ‘limited edition’ fever, the A900 on a sound/value ratio is a better buy. Aesthetically too, the understated blue of the A900 is an equally class act compared to the ‘THIS IS TITANIUM’ grey of the A1000.
That's it! No more reviews!! Too much like hard work.
