[Sycraft]

So I'm looking at getting some new phones. I have some Sennheiser 590s that I'm not all that enthralled with anymore. So I'm looking at options. The 595 was my first thought, I've heard they are a good bit better than the 590s and I don't dislike Sennheiser (my 580s were quite nice).

However I got some ATH-A700 Arts on recommendation here when I was looking for sealed phones for work. They've been real good both in terms of sound and in terms of comfort, so I was thinking maybe looking at Audio Technica for home.

Well my first thought was go for the 900s, since they are higher quality. I also figured I'd probably look at open instead of closed since isolation isn't a concern at home.

However I was surprised to find that the Air 900s are significantly more expensive than the Arts. In the 700 series the Air and Art are about the same price but the 900 Airs command a premium.

So I have three questions:

1) Are the ATH-AD900 Airs worth the extra money? Is the sound quality a big enough step up over the ATH-A900 Art that it is worth going for?

2) How about the ATH-AD700 Air? How does it fair compared to the 900?

3) Any other phones I ought to consider instead?


Unfortunately there's no Audio Technica dealers where I live (well, other than low end DJ phones) so I'll have to buy cold like I did last time. I'm kinda hoping to stick around $200, but I'll go over if it is worth it. However that's the source of my dilemma. The 900 Art is right at my budget, the 900 Air is a good deal over.

The use for these is mostly critical listening to mixes I'm playing with. At home I listen on B&W speakers 99% of the time since I generally prefer the better soundstage you get (especially with surround). However, it is damn hard to beat headphones for revealing detail. A $200 pair of headphones can rival $10,000 speakers in that regard, and my speakers sure as hell aren't that good.

So if you've got any feedback on the matter of Air vs Art, I'd appreciate it. Like I said, the 700 Arts I like (though the bass is perhaps just a bit strong). Also if there are other phones I should consider, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks.

 

[thedauntlessone]

AD900 is open and A900 is closed.

 

[Sycraft]

I am aware of that. My question is in relation to how they sound.

 

[odymmij]

The closed one should have better bass and the open ones will have way better mids.

 

[donunus]

you mean more bass, not better bass

 

[esuko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif you mean more bass, not better bass

Do not know how the ad900 sounds. But the a900 kind of has that fat subfoower sound i used to hear from peerless xls-12.

 

[Beefy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by esuko /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do not know how the ad900 sounds. But the a900 kind of has that fat subfoower sound i used to hear from peerless xls-12.

The AD900 sounds 'right' to me. I'm still relatively new to this hobby, but IMHO the AD900 is a great all-rounder for the price. Smooth when it needs to be, punchy when required.

For comparison, I much prefer the AD900 to my UE SuperFi 5Pro and my Alessandro MS-1. I also tried the cheaper AD700 before I bought...... the bass isn't louder in the 900's, but it is much more 'staccato'. For my money, I'd *never* trade this for the slow boominess of a closed headphone.

 

[shigzeo]

the ath-ad900 however is other than being lighter and not so hot, pretty much similar sounding to the ath-ad700 which i used to own. my friend owns the ath-ad900 so i have heard it often.

it is an okay headphone but i would not recommend it if you have heard other phones in the price range. i know the poster above me likes it so obviously there are many opinions about it, but... i am just not for it. the fat bass of the a900 did me much better than the no bass of the ad900.

 

[coredump]

By comparison

A700 - Lots of bloated bass, weak mids, odd sounding vocals, large sound stage, heavy, hot, fun

AD900 - Clarity, Very large sound stage, light but well defined bass, light and comfy, sterile

The AD900 is a great choice if you don't have an amp and don't plan to get one. If you have an amp there are probably other headphones in that price range that should be considered.

 

[shigzeo]

i had the ad700 so it was virtually the same sounding as the ad900 - lightweight and feather soft but for my head, audio technica wing support is worthless. essentially, i have a very narrow head so if the phone is a bit heavy, it slides from my head and onto my shoulders (exagerration) very quickly. the ad900 was lighter thus it did not slide down but after being introduced to the beyer dt880 i made my sale and bought my first what i consider to be hifi phones.

the at phones are low imp and get volume quickly but they also overload amps very soon as they have a high voltage to volume requirement that most high imp phones do not. they will sound just as good from an ipod but are more in danger of clipping. in fact, they need a more powerful amp than do senns and beyers for instance.

i like how they are in between the capabilities of grado and beyers. they have soundstage which is nice but still are light enough for rock so they are in a way, best of both worlds. i am not a rock fan but - at as it is from a company where rock has reigned for so long, are great rock phones.

 

[Beefy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coredump /img/forum/go_quote.gif AD900 - Clarity, Very large sound stage, light but well defined bass, light and comfy, sterile

Yes, the soundstage is absolutely remarkable on the AD700 and upwards. I love the feeling of swimming in sound!

Quote:

Originally Posted by coredump /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you have an amp there are probably other headphones in that price range that should be considered

Out of curiosity...... anything in particular you would recommend?

 

[coredump]

An HD600 can be had for about the same price but it needs an amp.

 

[shigzeo]

it would be interesting to test portables or computers running the 32-40 ohm ats. i know they are not as sensitive as iems are but i am sure that they cause a roll of bass with most smaller sources that would not occur with an amplifier.

technically, all headphones need an amp for at least something though they tend to sound good even without amps. at are nicely aggressive but not too much so. as for soundstage, they are good for rock phones for sure, but nothing like companies like akg (too much) or beyer for instance.

but, that you can get good volume from a pmp is great - even though i am sure you are losing bass

 

[Beefy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coredump /img/forum/go_quote.gif An HD600 can be had for about the same price but it needs an amp.

Not in my town

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif it would be interesting to test portables or computers running the 32-40 ohm ats. i know they are not as sensitive as iems are but i am sure that they cause a roll of bass with most smaller sources that would not occur with an amplifier.

Comparing my AD900 from an 80Gb iPod classic versus a Corda Arietta....... There is very little difference in tonality over the whole frequency range. No roll off that my ears can detect at either end of the spectrum. However, the iPod definitely loses some of the punchiness that the dedicated home amp provides.

It is pretty much exactly the same with my similarly easy to drive MS-1's.

 

[esuko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sycraft /img/forum/go_quote.gif The use for these is mostly critical listening to mixes I'm playing with. At home I listen on B&W speakers 99% of the time since I generally prefer the better soundstage you get (especially with surround). However, it is damn hard to beat headphones for revealing detail. A $200 pair of headphones can rival $10,000 speakers in that regard, and my speakers sure as hell aren't that good. Thanks.

By the way have you tried any AKG headphones. They are used in many recording studios. I only own AKG K340 so can not help you with the current lineup but maybe someone else can