[Mhog55]

I personally don't like stock TH900, sharp treble that gives me headache, bass gives me headache too LOL. And this is coming from a person that actually enjoys Grado.

That being said I'll only recommend TH900 if you do Lawton mod, which is what I'm using at the moment. It smoothes out the sharp treble and bring out the mids a bit, also the Lawton cup increase the scale of things. Trade off is...... $$$$$$ LOL.

For something cheaper you could try TH-X00 Mahogany or E-Mu Teak. Personally I like TH-X00 over E-Mu Teak but some like E-Mu Teak more.

I've tried the Teaks and Ebony, as well as the Denon 7200 and 9200. 9200 is a very nice sounding headphone, but I ac prefer my Kennerton Gjallarhorn with its darker signature for rock and metal.

 

[Hyde00]

I've tried the Teaks and Ebony, as well as the Denon 7200 and 9200. 9200 is a very nice sounding headphone, but I ac prefer my Kennerton Gjallarhorn with its darker signature for rock and metal.

lol niceeeee, I keep hearing people talk about Gjallarhorn I need to try it one day.

Though I realize I like brighter signature LOL.

 

[Mhog55]

lol niceeeee, I keep hearing people talk about Gjallarhorn I need to try it one day.

Though I realize I like brighter signature LOL.

Yeah, the Gjallarhorn probably wouldn't be for you then, but otherwise it ticks a whole lotta boxes.

 

[taube Taube]

Thanks bud, kinda what I figured.

The problem with these headphones is not that they are bright or have a V-shaped frequency response. Many people like it, including me. They have a strong dip in the lower middle, which gives the voices a strange childish accent, while the piano and saxophone are overly sonorous and devoid of physicality. I'm waiting for the company to release a corrected version of the headphones, then I'll buy them again.

 

[Nostoi]

The problem with these headphones is not that they are bright or have a V-shaped frequency response. Many people like it, including me. They have a strong dip in the lower middle, which gives the voices a strange childish accent, while the piano and saxophone are overly sonorous and devoid of physicality. I'm waiting for the company to release a corrected version of the headphones, then I'll buy them again.

They're not going to release a "correction version" of these; they're designed to sound they way they do - engaging, fun, and slightly brash. If you want a pair of Audio Technica's with outstanding mids, you need AWAS or AWKT.

EQ has been mentioned before to mitigate the mids on the WP900, but the only "cure" is really a tube amp in my experience, which fills out that dip in the lower mids.

 

[taube Taube]

They're not going to release a "correction version" of these; they're designed to sound they way they do - engaging, fun, and slightly brash. If you want a pair of Audio Technica's with outstanding mids, you need AWAS or AWKT.

EQ has been mentioned before to mitigate the mids on the WP900, but the only "cure" is really a tube amp in my experience, which fills out that dip in the lower mids.

When you say "engaging, fun, and slightly brash", do you mean their overall tone? I totally agree. Unfortunately or fortunately, I would like exactly WP900. I have not seen anything more convenient. It's terrible that they distort the voices of the singers I know so well. I have a bunch of much cheaper in-ear headphones that get the mids right.

I don't think a tube amp will help here, I use a fairly dark source iFi Hip Dac. I don't have them anymore anyway... Perhaps there will be another model of a similar design.

 

[Nostoi]

When you say "engaging, fun, and slightly brash", do you mean their overall tone? I totally agree. Unfortunately or fortunately, I would like exactly WP900. I have not seen anything more convenient. It's terrible that they distort the voices of the singers I know so well. I have a bunch of much cheaper in-ear headphones that get the mids right.

I don't think a tube amp will help here, I use a fairly dark source iFi Hip Dac. I don't have them anymore anyway... Perhaps there will be another model of a similar design.

Yes, overall tone. I don't think anyone would describe them as refined (and I'm saying this as someone who likes them a lot). The WP900 are really an oddity in the AT cannon. I'm not aware of another unashamedly V-shaped headphone in their history (I could be wrong). Most of their tuning is rather mid-centric, easy on the sub-bass, with a lot of accent on upper mids. Classical "Japanese tuning."

A kind Head-Fi member just loaned me the older ATH-W1000X, which I believe date back to 2010. These retain a great fidelity to voices, so if you want a pair of headphones with a mid-centric leaning that do justice to the weight of the human voice, check 'em out. Otherwise, AWAS.



You won't find that in WP900. A tube amp doesn't transform them into something they're not, but it does add more body to the mids.

 

[Maxx134]

I think WP900 is baby TH900

I think after the Yaxi pad upgrade, they are now a bit more like a baby 9200 .

The problem with these headphones is not that they are bright or have a V-shaped frequency response. Many people like it, including me. They have a strong dip in the lower middle, which gives the voices a strange childish accent, while the piano and saxophone are overly sonorous and devoid of physicality. I'm waiting for the company to release a corrected version of the headphones, then I'll buy them again.

I didn't like the sound when I first got them, but I could tell they are a direct descendant to the past models, which I loved as I first started this hobby with them.

I do feel the resolution on this WP900 has improved significantly over all the past portable units, and the angled baffles is a nice improvement as well.
I simply can't let these WP900 go as I like the form factor and beautiful wood cups so much.

But now with the upgrade YAXI pads, the signature has improved significantly, with more spacious image and more even balanced sound, with retained deep bass. I also using the inner cloth facing forward,

which also helps tames the trebles peakyness, so it overall seems more refined sound.

Then I even out the signature while created more Soundstage with this adjustment explained here, and it's getting even more customized to however you would like it, so it can be more an every day unit.

Finally, I cut a phone TPU screen protector into round circles, to cover and place over my wood cups, so they won't get scratches.
Will post pics soon.

A kind Head-Fi member just loaned me the older ATH-W1000X

I feel those models have issues with headband needing the rubber band mod to keep them from slipping on smaller heads.

 

[docentore]

I think after the Yaxi pad upgrade, they are now a bit more like a baby 9200 .



I didn't like the sound when I first got them, but I could tell they are a direct descendant to the past models, which I loved as I first started this hobby with them.

I do feel the resolution on this WP900 has improved significantly over all the past portable units, and the angled baffles is a nice improvement as well.
I simply can't let these WP900 go as I like the form factor and beautiful wood cups so much.

But now with the upgrade YAXI pads, the signature has improved significantly, with more spacious image and more even balanced sound, with retained deep bass. I also using the inner cloth facing forward,

which also helps tames the trebles peakyness, so it overall seems more refined sound.

Then I even out the signature while created more Soundstage with this adjustment explained here, and it's getting even more customized to however you would like it, so it can be more an every day unit.

Finally, I cut a phone TPU screen protector into round circles, to cover and place over my wood cups, so they won't get scratches.
Will post pics soon.


I feel those models have issues with headband needing the rubber band mod to keep them from slipping on smaller heads.

I havent seen you for a while. Thanks to you and @H20Fidelity I got into the ESW/ES series and JVS headphones.

 

[Nostoi]

I feel those models have issues with headband needing the rubber band mod to keep them from slipping on smaller heads.

Yes, this is my first time on the wing system - can't say I love it, but it's certainly comfortable if somewhat prone to falling off.

 

[DerEineDa]

Over the last three days I've compared the WP900 to my trusted MSR7b, for approximately 3 to 4 hours each day. I don't know if it will be very helpful for other people, but I thought I would write down some kind of mini-review.

Keep in mind that I am not an expert and I've never done this kind of review before. I will probably use some wrong words when describing the sound. Also, english is not my native language, so please take that into consideration.

I don't have tons of experience with headphones. Over the course of the previous few weeks I was actually searching for a replacement for my ATH-DSR9BT (which are bluetooth headphones), that are unfortunately on their last legs. So at first I was actually comparing bluetooth headphones (Sony MX5, Sennheiser Momentum 4, Technics EAH-A800), but none of them could hold a candle to my ATH-DSR9BT. In fact, none of them even came close! They were all just severely lacking in resolution and clarity, even with ANC disabled. Then I got an idea: My old ATH-MSR7b actually sounds a lot like the ATH-DSR9BT (but I think the DSR9BT are still slightly better, especially when wired), so there surely must be a way to add bluetooth capabilities to the MSR7b? Long story short: That was my introduction into the world of Bluetooth-DACs. After trying the FiiO BTR7, I ended up with the iFi GO blu, which is a really awesome little device! It plays *very well* with the MSR7b and the XBass option adds the missing bit of *oomph* that the MSR7b are usually a bit lacking of. But of course, XBass was turned off for both headphones for comparison sake.

So, why am I even here? I am very satisfied with the ATH-MSR7b and the iFi GO blu, but in the process of comparing headphones and DACs I just stumbled upon the ATH-WP900 and immediately fell in love with the design. Also, while my ATH-MSR7b are still working perfectly fine, I already have them for several years and, as mentioned, I think they are just not *as good* as my ATH-DSR9BT that I was looking to replace. But, to be honest, I just couldn't resist this sexy design.... So here I am.

First, a few facts that could be useful to mention before I go into my impressions with the WP900:

• I am in my mid-thirties. I have above average hearing as certified by my ear-doctor who measured my hearing abilities after an ear-infection last year. I can hear high frequencies that the vast majority of adults cannot hear anymore (which is both a curse and a blessing for me, but probably a major reason for why I value Audio Technica for their headphones that have a lot of detail in the highs).
• Both the WP900 and the MSR7b were connected to the iFi Go blu by using the 4.4mm balanced cable that come with their respective headphones.
• The iFi Go blu has been connected to my smartphone via USB and I used the HiBy Music Player to directly output the music to USB, thus circumventing the Android audio stack and avoiding any kind of resampling.
• I mostly listen to video game music, which doesn't really say anything, because video game music can be of any genre, like Classical/Orchestral, Rock, Electronic, Chiptunes, J-Pop... Most of my music has been bought at bandcamp.com and downloaded in FLAC format.

After comparing the headphones for over 10 hours across three days, these are my conclusions:

Do the WP900 have superior sound quality when compared to the MSR7b? Yes, I think so! Especially when listening to classical music, the WP900 really shine! The separation of the instruments is the clearest I've ever heard and the sound stage is just as impressive! I love my DSR9BT for the fact that I can so clearly hear *where* each and every instrument is coming from. The MSR7b just couldn't replicate this with this kind of perfection. In my opinion, the WP900 are a step above of both of the others when it comes to pure sound *quality*. But, as I've been warned a few comments above, the WP900 have a different sound *signature*, which is my biggest issue with them.

There has already been a lot of discussion about the V-shaped frequency response of the WP900 in this thread. While this is probably true, I personally didn't notice the often mentioned subdued mids. I think the mids sound about the same as with my MSR7b and DSR9BT. The highs sound also very similar to me. As far as I know, headphones by Audio-Technica have a reputation for having rather harsh highs. If this is true for the MSR7b and the DSR9BT, then this certainly also holds true for the WP900. That said, I actually think the WP900 have better *controlled* highs. There is just as much detail in the highs as with the other two, probably even more so. But there are some high frequencies (especially when listening to chiptunes) where the MSR7b are almost *hurtful* to listen to and where the DSR9BT sound slightly less hurtful. Compared to these two headphones, the WP900 are actually *pleasant* to listen to when it comes to these very high frequencies. I am extremely impressed!

Now I want to speak about the bass, and this is the reason why I will probably return the WP900. Damn, that's certainly a lot of bass! I've mostly used headphones by Audio Technica before, so I am just not used to such prominent lows. I was hoping that this is just a matter of acclimatization. So instead of returning the WP900 right away, I have been using them for a few days almost exclusively, but I just cannot get over how *exhausting* it is to use them for more than half an hour or so, especially when listening to bass-heavy music. They sound great, but it's just too exhausting to listen to! This is surely hightly subjective and there a probably tons of people who love this kind of bass. But I am using my headphones like 80% at home, often for many hours at a time, so I just cannot get over it. If you are a bass-head who mostly uses the headphones in short bursts while being outside (and/or you just love bass), I highly recommend these headphones!

But if you are like me who likes to use the headphones at home for multiple hours after a stressful day at work, these may just not be the right headphones for you, unfortunately. Maybe some of you are able to tame these headphones by using an equalizer or other earpads (like the Yaxi mentioned a few comments above). But unfortunately I haven't been able to properly adjust the equalizer without making other songs just sound wrong (remember: I am not an expert) and I also don't have any 3rd party earpads.

EDIT: Added this paragraph:
On the flip side, after using the WP900 for a while, the MSR7b almost sound *hollow* when switching back to them. It takes quite a while to acclimatize back to the very subdued bass of the MSR7b after having used the WP900. Still, the MSR7b are much more relaxing to listen to. If I actually need a bit more bass with my MSR7b, I can still enable the XBass mode of the Ifi, which works extremely well with the MSR7b. Interestingly, even with XBass disabled the WP900 still have a lot more bass then the MSR7b with XBass enabled. The MSR7b with XBass enabled hit just the right amount of bass for my taste.

So, yeah, I will probably return them just because of the excessive bass. This is really a very tough decision that hurts me a lot, because other than that I freaking LOVE these headphones! The design is awesome and the sound quality is without a doubt a step above my two other headphones. The WP900 are an upgrade to the MSR7b in many aspects where I was looking for an upgrade, but I just cannot handle the excessive bass. I am very sad about this, especially since now I know that the MSR7b are not the end of the line.

About the comfort and the build quality: I don't have a lot of headphones to compare them to, but I find the WP900 slightly more comfortable than the MSR7b, which I already find very comfortable to begin with, but maybe slightly too loose for my head. The WP900 clamps very slightly harder than the MSR7b (but could be due to age), which is a positive for me. Some people have complained about the build quality of the WP900, but I think they are perfectly fine. The build quality seems very similar to the MSR7b, in a good way. Compared to my DSR9BT, whose build quality just sucks ass (rattling buttons, squeeky frame whenever I move my head), I cannot really complain about both the WP900 and the MSR7b.

 

[Hyde00]

Over the last three days I've compared the WP900to my trusted MSR7b, for approximately 3 to 4 hours each day. I don't know if it will be very helpful for other people, but I thought I would write down some kind of mini-review.

Keep in mind that I am not an expert and I've never done this kind of review before. I will probably use some wrong words when describing the sound. Also, english is not my native language, so please take that into consideration.

I don't have tons of experience with headphones. Over the course of the previous few weeks I was actually searching for a replacement for my ATH-DSR9BT (which are bluetooth headphones), that are unfortunately on their last legs. So at first I was actually comparing bluetooth headphones (Sony MX5, Sennheiser Momentum 4, Technics EAH-A800), but none of them could hold a candle to my ATH-DSR9BT. In fact, none of them even came close! They were all just severely lacking in resolution and clarity, even with ANC disabled. Then I got an idea: My old ATH-MSR7b actually sounds a lot like the ATH-DSR9BT (but I think the DSR9BT are still slightly better, especially when wired), so there surely must be a way to add bluetooth capabilities to the MSR7b? Long story short: That was my introduction into the world of Bluetooth-DACs. After trying the FiiO BTR7, I ended up with the iFi GO blu, which is a really awesome little device! It plays *very well* with the MSR7b and the XBass option adds the missing bit of *oomph* that the MSR7b are usually a bit lacking.

So, why am I even here? I am very satisfied with the ATH-MSR7b and the iFi GO blu, but while in the process of comparing headphones and DACs I just stumbled upon the ATH-WP900 and immediately fell in love with the design. Also, while my ATH-MSR7b are still working perfectly fine, I already have them for several years and, as mentioned, I think they are just not *as good* as my ATH-DSR9BT that I was looking to replace. But, to be honest, I just couldn't resist this sexy design.... So here I am.

First, a few facts that could be useful to mention before I go into my impressions with the WP900:

• I am in my mid-thirties. I have above average hearing as certified by my ear-doctor who measured my hearing abilities after an ear-infection last year. I can hear high frequencies that the vast majority of adults cannot hear anymore (which is both a curse and a blessing for me).
• I compared the WP900 to the MSR7b by connecting them via 4.4mm balanced connector to the iFi Go blu.
• The iFi Go blu has been connected to my smartphone via USB and I used the HiBy Music Player to directly output the music to USB, thus circumventing the Android audio stack and avoiding any kind of resampling.
• I mostly listen to video game music, which doesn't really say anything, because video game music can be of any genre, like Classical/Orchestral, Rock, Electronic, Chiptunes, J-Pop... Most of my music has been bought at bandcamp and downloaded in FLAC format.

After comparing the headphones for over 10 hours across three days, these are my conclusions:

Do the WP900 have superior sound quality when compared to the MSR7b? Yes, I think so! Especially when listening to classical music, the WP900 really shine! The separation of the instruments is the clearest I've ever heard and the sound stage is just as impressive! I love my DSR9BT for the fact that I can so clearly hear *where* each and every instrument is coming from. The MSR7b just couldn't replicate this with this kind of perfection. In my opinion, the WP900 are a step above of both of the others when it comes to pure sound *quality*. But, as I've been warned a few comments above, the WP900 have a different sound *signature*, which is my biggest issue with them.

There has already been a lot of discussion about the V-shaped frequency response of the WP900 in this thread. While this is probably true, I personally didn't notice the often mentioned subdued mids. I think the mids sound about the same as with my MSR7b and DSR9BT. The highs sound also very similar to me. As far as I know, headphones by Audio-Technica have a reputation for having rather harsh highs. If this is true for the MSR7b and the DSR9BT, then this certainly also holds true for the WP900. That said, I actually think the WP900 have better *controlled* highs. There is just as much detail in the highs as with the other two, probably even more so. But there are some high frequencies (especially when listening to chiptunes) where the MSR7b are almost *hurtful* to listen to and where the DSR9BT sound slightly less hurtful. Compared to these two headphones, the WP900 are actually *pleasant* to listen to when it comes to these very high frequencies. I am extremely impressed!

Now I want to speak about the bass, and this is the reason why I will probably return the WP900. Damn, that's certainly a lot of bass! I've mostly used headphones by Audio Technica before, so I am just not used to such prominent lows. I was hoping that this is just a matter of acclimatization. So instead of returning the WP900 right away, I have been using them for a few days almost exclusively, but I just cannot get over how *exhausting* it is to use them for more than half an hour or so, especially when listening to bass-heavy music. They sound *great*, but it's just too exhausting to listen to! This is surely hightly subjective and there a probably tons of people who love this kind of bass. But I am using my headphones like 80% at home, often for many hours at a time, so I just cannot get over it. If you are a bass-head who mostly uses the headphones in short bursts while being outside (and/or you just love bass), I highly recommend these headphones!

But if you are like me who likes to use the headphones at home for multiple hours after a stressful day at work, these may just not be the right headphones for you, unfortunately. Maybe some of you are able to tame these headphones by using an equalizer or other earpads (like the Yaxi mentioned a few comments above). But unfortunately I haven't been able to properly adjust the equalizer without making other songs just sound *wrong* (remember: I am not an expert) and I also don't have any 3rd party earpads.

EDIT: Added this paragraph:
On the flip side, after using the WP900 for a while, the MSR7b almost sound *hollow* when switching back to them. It takes quite a while to acclimatize back to the very subdues bass of the MSR7b after having used the WP900. Still, the MSR7b are much more relaxing to listen to. If I actually need a bit more bass with my MSR7b, I can still enable the XBass mode of the Ifi, which works extremely well with the MSR7b. Interestingly, even with XBass disabled the WP900 still have a lot more bass then the MSR7b with XBass enabled. The MSR7b with XBass enabled hit just the right amount of bass for my taste.

So, yeah, I will probably return them just because of the excessive bass. This is really a very tough decision that hurts me a lot, because other then that I freaking LOVE these headphones! The design is awesome and the sound quality is without a doubt a step above my two other headphones. The WP900 *are* an upgrade to the MSR7b in many aspects where I was looking for an upgrade, but I just cannot handle the excessive bass. I am very sad about this, especially since now I *know* that the MSR7b are not the end of the line.

About the comfort and the build quality: I don't have a lot of headphones to compare them to, but I find the WP900 slightly more comfortable than the MSR7b, which I find already find very comfortable but maybe slightly too loose for my head. The WP900 clamps **very slightly* harder than the MSR7b, which is a positive for me. Some people have complained about the build quality of the WP900, but I think they are perfectly fine. The build quality seems very similar to the MSR7b, which is a good thing. Compared to my DSR9BT, whose build quality just sucks ass (rattling buttons, squeeky frame whenever I move my head), I cannot really complain about both the WP900 and the MSR7b.

Nice review!

I have to say I agree, "upgrade" is a constant battle between technicality vs sound signature. A lot of the time the "upgrade" will have different signature so it's often "different" than "better".

That being said, by trying a lot of different gear we gain different perspective so you should keep trying!

I think if you want closer to MSR7B signature and not too much bass then maybe try AP2000Ti or A2000Z.

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-ca/ath-ap2000ti
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-ca/ath-a2000z

Don't worry it took me going through almost the entire Denon/Fostex line up until I finally find my upgrade LOL (like 7-8 headphones later?).

I believe you should have better success than me lol.

 

[DerEineDa]

I think if you want closer to MSR7B signature and not too much bass then maybe try AP2000Ti or A2000Z.

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-ca/ath-ap2000ti
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-ca/ath-a2000z

You are probably right. I guess (with a complete lack of evidence) that I prefer the sound quality of the WP900 over the MSR7b mostly because of the bigger drivers. So it stands to reason that both of the headphones you mentioned could be the improvement that I am looking for, since they also have larger drivers.

But unfortunately, their prices are just way above the limit that I am willing to spend. I got the WP900 for 499 EUR, which is already a very good deal (since they usually go for 649 EUR in Germany). The DSR9BT were also around 500 bucks and I just cannot really justify paying much more than that. But maybe I should keep my eyes open for used ones...

Edit: I also don't really like the design of the ATH-AP2000Ti...

Edit 2: I should probably just buy the ATH-WB2022 and be done with it..

 

[Hyde00]

You are probably right. I guess (with a complete lack of evidence) that I prefer the sound quality of the WP900 over the MSR7b mostly because of the bigger drivers. So it stands to reason that both of the headphones you mentioned could be the improvement that I am looking for, since they also have larger drivers.

But unfortunately, their prices are just way above the limit that I am willing to spend. I got the WP900 for 499 EUR, which is already a very good deal (since they usually go for 649 EUR in Germany). The DSR9BT were also around 500 bucks and I just cannot really justify paying much more than that. But maybe I should keep my eyes open for used ones...

Edit: I also don't really like the design of the ATH-AP2000Ti...

Edit 2: I should probably just buy the ATH-WB2022 and be done with it..

LOL don't jump straight to flagship, the thought of "buy the best one and be done with" doesn't work.

I bought and sold D9200 and TH900, though now with Lawton TH900 it's good. I guess third time's the charm? Flagship have their own signature too so you're just trial and error at higher price point LOL.

You could also look at A1000Z which is a little bit cheaper but A1000Z would be "beefier" sounding as oppose to A2000Z which is "brighter" sounding.

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-ca/ath-a1000z

And yes looking at used also help cut the price down too. Oh there's also the legendary A900X LTD which I actually have no clue what the sound signature is but might be in your price point?????

EDIT: Come to think about it are you looking for bluetooth headphone?

 

[DerEineDa]

EDIT: Come to think about it are you looking for bluetooth headphone?

Originally I was. But I am now using the Technics AZ60 for my on-the-go needs. And now, after having invested into a Bluetooth-DAC and a proper cable with A2dc connectors, I guess I don't need bluetooth over-ears anymore. Especially not after the current line-up of Sony, Sennheiser and Technics have disappointed me so much! Sure, I could shell out even more for some B&W PX8 or Focal Bathys, but I don't want to spend that kind of money for headphones with integrated batteries.