Audio-Technica ATH-WP900
Jun 8, 2021 at 5:53 AM Post #811 of 1,365
Tried them at a shop during my lunchbreak.

Comfort is pretty decent. But it does feel rather cheaply made, with most of the construction being plastic.

Cables are thin and stringy but ok. Not a deal breaker.

The sound is quite polarizing and coming from an R70x, I really disliked what the WP900 does to male vocals. I also think the R70x is built better, with more support for aftermarket earpads. There's next to no available earpads for WP900 available online or in-store. R70x comfortably fits with the XL Brainwavz round pads.

I would suggest auditioning them before buying, as I feel they would make a good secondary can for a different sound signature if you're coming from HD600 / R70x type sound.

I would be incredibly unhappy with these as a primary can as they don't play nice with all music genres. Might be a good recommendation for gaming and movies.

A pity that it is one of the remarkably rare breed of headphone that is portable, with detachable cables, good quality build (for portable) and with decent sound. Of course the Focal Celestee exists, but it's much heavier and inconvenient to bring around.

Not really worth the asking price of almost 500 USD when R70x and HD600 can be found for 300 USD.
Agreed the R70x’s are a better tuned headphone in comparison to the WP900’s.
 
Jun 8, 2021 at 6:19 AM Post #812 of 1,365
Look into the JVC HA-SW01.
They do look splendid. Like a better 1AM2. Sadly there's barely any JVC distribution in SG. Can't audition them. Great recommendation though!
 
Jun 8, 2021 at 6:31 AM Post #813 of 1,365
They do look splendid. Like a better 1AM2. Sadly there's barely any JVC distribution in SG. Can't audition them. Great recommendation though!
I ordered from Amazon Japan. 30 day refund if you don't dig them.

After changing the stock pads to Yaxi pads, they have - and I do not exaggerate - redefined my understanding of portable headphones. In contrast to the WP900 (which I love and was one of the first advocates of), the SW01 are incredibly balanced across the FR. They have a similar tuning to some of ZMFs headphones - slight mid-bass hump, textured mids, and smooth but airy treble. Overall, they do not have the sound profile of a portable headphone; they could easily replace a desktop/full-size headphone without any compromise.

The build is also substantial and yet the pads fold, so they can easily be transported in an WP900 style case.

I wish more people would try them - especially with the Yaxi swap - so that they too could discover their manifold charms.

*Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored by JVC even though I am currently accepting - indeed, encouraging - sponsorship deals* :ok_hand:
 
Jun 9, 2021 at 12:13 AM Post #815 of 1,365
Have you some comparison with Hifiman?
i have Ananda and want second Headphones this AT. :)
If your budget is high enough for Ananda, look at AWAS instead of WP900
 
Jun 9, 2021 at 12:29 AM Post #816 of 1,365
Have you some comparison with Hifiman?
i have Ananda and want second Headphones this AT. :)
I had the anandas for a while.

To me, subjectively:

The anandas are better in:
Soudnstage
Tonal balance
Midrange voicing
Treble extension
Open back nature

The wp900 are better at:
Bass punch and texture
Dynamics by a lot
Staging and instrument separation (this is very subjective to my perception, I prefer dynamic driver presentation of sound over planars)
Portability and comfort

If you really like the anandas I think you would love the wp900, their tuning is very different in a complementing way.
 
Jun 11, 2021 at 10:05 AM Post #817 of 1,365
I had the anandas for a while.

To me, subjectively:

The anandas are better in:
Soudnstage
Tonal balance
Midrange voicing
Treble extension
Open back nature

The wp900 are better at:
Bass punch and texture
Dynamics by a lot
Staging and instrument separation (this is very subjective to my perception, I prefer dynamic driver presentation of sound over planars)
Portability and comfort

If you really like the anandas I think you would love the wp900, their tuning is very different in a complementing way.
So I couldn't stand it and tried to order! First impressions…

Light, small, great travel and silent variant… I'm a little bothered by the plastic processing, but the wood is great. sunburst is fantastic.

The cable doesn't look like much… What do you think of it? it feels miserably done to me. When the music isn't playing, sometimes it seems to grumble or what? Should I make a change or tips on another?

Sound… Exactly according to what you write… Trebles sometimes sharp… Nice bass, overall such a nice dynamic. But anandas are not. :)
 
Jun 11, 2021 at 10:16 AM Post #818 of 1,365
What do you mean by grumble? At most I get some hiss when the gain is too high so I lower the volume.

The cable is kind of the same cheaper msr7 have, they sound good and I dont get microphonics, you can get a nicer one if you want just look for ad2c.

Also burn them in and hear what changes.
 
Jun 11, 2021 at 10:19 AM Post #819 of 1,365
My set will be here tomorrow. Looking forward to getting reacquainted with their sound.
 
Jun 11, 2021 at 10:32 AM Post #820 of 1,365
What do you mean by grumble? At most I get some hiss when the gain is too high so I lower the volume.

The cable is kind of the same cheaper msr7 have, they sound good and I dont get microphonics, you can get a nicer one if you want just look for ad2c.

Also burn them in and hear what changes.
I don't know how to describe it… when the music is not playing and the headphones are plugged in dac / hugo2 /, it, grumble, cracks variously, grunts when you move the cable, it changes. or the volume, some field magnet?
 
Jun 11, 2021 at 10:38 AM Post #821 of 1,365
I don't know how to describe it… when the music is not playing and the headphones are plugged in dac / hugo2 /, it, grumble, cracks variously, grunts when you move the cable, it changes. or the volume, some field magnet?
Dont really know why that is, none of those sounds happen when the headphone is unplugged? Happens with both cables? From cellphone?

Maybe someone else can help better...
 
Jun 11, 2021 at 7:48 PM Post #823 of 1,365
Has anyone come across a properly measured FR graph for the WP900? I haven't seen one myself and I'm curious.
 
Jun 17, 2021 at 7:56 PM Post #824 of 1,365
Got the AT WP900's today. I'm giving them a go with my new Xduoo MT-604 tube amp. So far no complaints about sound. It's full bodied, the bass is very deep, midrange is were it needs to be, male and female vocal clarity is superb, and the treble is clear and airy. I'm not sure if it's the tube amp or the headphones that's sounding good, but the synergy between them is amazing.

IMG_1114.jpg
 
Jun 24, 2021 at 4:50 AM Post #825 of 1,365
These are great portable cans. I'm using them with my Dragonfly Cobalt and the sound quality is excellent. The earpads do warmup your ears after long listening sessions. Everything else about them is fine. They are lightweight, bass is weighty and textured. Vocals are clear and slightly forward. Treble has good clarity and presence. All are nice attributes and what you want in a set of quality portable headphones.

I'm toting them around in a GoCase, I had sitting around that I've seen another head-fier using and it works out nicely. I just wish I didn't have to connect/disconnect the cables every time I wanted to store them.

5002248F-93B6-4141-A482-535C3F032EF2.jpeg
 

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