vlenbo
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2011
- Posts
- 2,646
- Likes
- 146
The Audio Technica Headphone Comparison Thread, From 2011 - 2015
The ath-re700s on the left, the ath-msr7 in the middle, the ath-ws99 on the right
The ath-msr7 on the left, followed by the ath-ws99, then the ath-es700,
The ath-a900x on the back with the ath-r70x at the far back.
Background Check
It has been six years since I owned Audio Technica products. Most of the Audio Technica offerings in my collection range from in-ears to headphones. Each headphone, while sounding slightly different, tweaked, or improved, normally contains a familiar signature called a “house sound.” The reason I kept buying from Audio Technica is due to their realistic female vocal reproduction. Audio Technica achieves lifelike vocals through an upper-mid emphasis. However, Audio Technica also emphasizes the treble region to create a decent sense of ambience while engineering the headphone to produce intimate sound to the music. Due to my love for Audio Technica’s efforts and achievements, I chose to instigate a thread that covers Audio Technica’s house sound. Of course, I started owning a headphone since 2011, and still continued to purchase from Audio Technica today. Each headphone has its own strengths and weaknesses, but my concern is how the company progressed in each headphone’s release. While I lack the quantity to compare Audio Technica’s headphones objectively (as each headphone has its own target audience), I promise my readers to provide the best effort in comparing and evaluating each headphone by the usual categories of sound quality, soundstage, imaging, durability, comfort, and more.
During 2011, my ears enjoyed hearing the sparkliness of the treble. Most of the products I owned tended to lean towards treble quantity and quality. However, I would rather listen to a slightly relaxed treble signature in my headphones, and fortunately, only one Audio Technica product achieves my preference. Having said that, almost all headphones in this thread never cease to retain the smile on my face.
Ath-es700s
The Audio Technica Es700s are on-ear headphones that reveal the true beauty of aesthetics and sound.
The vocals (specifically female vocals) present themselves flamboyantly in each recording, almost overshadowing the highs and lows. Voices from males and females almost sound organic due to the smooth, thick, and irresistibly warm nature of the vocals. The mids from the es700 sound warmer than the A900x, but drier than both the re700s and ws99s. To describe the smoothness of the mids, a whip cream analogy should get my point across. The creamy, airy, but thick presentation that the whip cream contains in both texture and appearance is exactly how both the es700s and ws99s sound (less so on the es700s, but the analogy still applies).
The bass on the es700s lack in quantity, but more than compensates with the quality. The mids may tend to encroach on the bass’ low quantity. While the bass lacks texture, the plucking sounds of bass instruments are portrayed well, but do not sound stupendous for the price. The Ath-es700s can handle complex passages decently, but there are other headphones that supersede it.
The highs convey a sparkly presence in almost all music, but become minutely overshadowed by the mids. However, there should be enough treble quantity and quality to provide the listener a fun and musical experience. Be aware that the highs may sound grainy on certain music, such as classic rock and jazz. I realize that this headphone may be using the same driver as the es7, but to my ears, the es700s sound fantastic for the price!
The Ath-Ws99s
Drop the bass! It’s all about the bass! We enjoy that flabby dabby bass! 2012
In all seriousness, Audio Technica’s W99 product placement lies in the bass consumer market. Fans of the beats series should immediately consider the Ws99s as a viable contender in the audiophile market. Audio Technica hoped to create a wonderfully fun headphone that focused on the bass without neglecting the importance of the mids and highs. I will admit, Audio Technica executed their idea properly. Of course, great quality sound should always be accompanied by comfort, which the Ws99s rightfully do.
The Ws99s contain pretty profound bass for a 45mm over-ear headphone. The lowest frequency that the bass stops at should be around 35hz or so. Despite the mid-bass’ bombastic nature, the mids and highs still retain their presence without being overshadowed by the bass. The bass seldom fatigues the listener with its quantity. The bass contains the texture, power, and clarity to differentiate itself from the mid and high frequencies. The only flaw I found in the ws99's bass was that the Bass string plucks and tugs may become slightly smeared due to the lack of dryness (as the bass is actually warm and smooth sounding), and tangibility of the bass strings that headphones with less bass contain (like the re700s, the es700s, and the ath-a900x).
The mids for the ws99s are phenomenal. Thick, buttery smooth, and lively mids are what I would call the ws99’s mids. For some recordings, the es700s can sound somewhat dry (despite my liquid like mids comment), but with the ws99s, they stay consistently smooth and clear, despite being slightly warmer and thicker than the es700s. Instruments have enough clarity to help the listener tell the timbre of an instrument apart. String instruments sound great on the ws99s, and the bass only helps compliment genres like rock, and even metal (due to the speed of the bass, which is slightly faster than the es700s, but slow on complex passages).
The highs are something unique to the Audio Technica house sound (in comparison to the a900x). They are definitely present, but they surprisingly lack the thickness that the mids and lows do. I don’t mean to say that they sound horribly thin, but slightly incoherent with the rest of the frequency. Having said that, the highs are grain free, smooth, and slightly warm compared to the es700s. The highs sparkle and do a good job of providing an airy sound to the closed ws99 headphone.
For a visceral bass and mids experience, without losing the treble quality and quantity, the Audio Technica ws99s are great, and for the current price, even better!
The Ath-re700s
Ath-re700 2014
The headphone that I blatantly overhyped (and thankfully became resisted) as the treble quantity and quality lacked for the price point it originally retailed for.
The bass on the re700s were unbalanced as the mid-bass certainly sought to provide its own flair to the bass for the average consumer.
The bass definitely has the latent ability to unravel minute detail in bass strings and texture that the other headphones lack. However, the bass provides an intense bass impact when listening to hip-hop or house music such as daft punk’s “Doin it right.” The bass detail is commendable in comparison to an Art monitor headphone like the A900x as string instruments shine with this headphone. The articulate nature of the bass helps the re700s separate it from the other frequencies, even with the slight bass bloat.
The mids are surprising once again as the sound definitely derives from Audio Technica’s house sound, but lacks the finesse that the es700s and ws99s have. The mids that the re700s produce sound slightly incohesive, especially when the listener hears the lack of clarity of the es700s and the thickness that the ws99s and es700s possess in comparison. The mids sound thin, most likely due to the upper mids to lower treble emphasis. The mids sound euphoric for lacking some weight to the mids, but I am speaking in the sense of how lifelike they sound. Electric guitars and string instruments successfuly satisfy me for their fantastically crunchy texture. The piano also contains great detail as the weight of the bass helps provid the natural timbre of the instrument. While I listed some pros on the mids section, peaks at the upper mids vex me to no end. The vocals sound a bit thinner than I'd like, and the harshness of the sibilance causes my ears to fatigue. If I had to compare it to a cheaper headphone like the mikros90, I would have to state that the mikros90 bests it in the mids region, despite the closed/somewhat congested sounding mids. The re700s, while clear, does not beat the mikros90 in clarity, weight in music, and balance.
The highs are splashy at times and even sibilant, especially since they lack the thickness that even the ws99s has over this headphone. The treble sounds unnatural, warm, and lacking in crispiness or bite that I would normally like. I am very treble sensitive, so this headphone was not for me.
I recommend this headphone, but only if both bass and treble are one’s priority, while still having decent sounding mids.
We’re getting closer to the best ones, please keep reading, it should not take more than a few minutes.
The next headphone comparisons are the msr7s, ath-a900x, ath-r70x, which are recent headphones (excluding the a900x model as it was released on 2009. I’m implementing it with the recent headphones due to comparison reasons with the open reference r70x headphone).
The Ath-Msr7s
I wanted to have a separate review for these, so this will be very short, thus, it will be in an impressions format. 2014
The ath-msr7s are fantastic, and dare I say wonderful in value. I have to be earnest about one major detail regarding this headphone. I originally despised the headphone’s sound signature due to the treble's strident (though minuscule) nature. The pain I felt would be considered meager to people who enjoy treble. To my ears, I would gauge the intensity of the sibilance to be at least 1db. It isn’t bad at all to be honest, and would encourage people to try this headphone out.
The bass immediately impresses me. While this headphone requires more sub-bass to fit my preference, the mid-bass contained pretty adequate quantity. The quality from the bass was tight, quick, and smooth. The bass from this model contains even more clarity than the ws99s and the es700s from my collection. However, it still requires a bit more dryness and clarity to be the best all round bass for a portable closed headphone (the thinksound on1s do that for me, but with a slight bloat problem). Regardless, this headphone synergizes well with rock, metal, and maybe even hip-hop if you want some punchy bass (no subbass love though).
The mids are superb. The vocals sound forwarded (or to some, a bit recessed, but only a smidge), while sounding pretty sweet and smooth without sounding analytical. This headphone has more mid thickness than an es700 (or es7), but lacks the thickness of the ws99s. However, the headphone makes up for the thickness with intimacy with the female vocals. To my astonishment, the male vocals quality surpassed other headphones in this comparison thread (sans the r70x). The males and females sounded airy, lively, and almost realistic, if it weren’t for the slight nasal tone of the mids (in comparison to the other mentioned headphones). The msr7 is a closed portable over-ear headphone that does not emphasize female vocals as much as other headphones.
The highs prove to be the most updated Audio Technica house sound yet! The highs do not sound as sibilant as the re700s, nor do they sound grainy like the es700s. Unfortunately, the cymbals do tend to sound splashy in certain songs, so please be aware of that. The treble literally slips through my ears in a form of soap and comes out through the other end of my head. The treble presence is slightly more elevated than the mids and bass, but not hectically so. The airiness that this headphone provides is almost astounding as it creates an almost spacious soundstage… almost. The msr7s lack the depth in the soundstage to sound lively, but once again, the intimacy is what most likely helps this headphone shine (though most of Audio Technica’s house sound involves intimacy, so).
I highly recommend this headphone if one’s budget lies in the $200 area, while also not minding some design flaws that this headphone encounters (will cover on it later).
The Ath-A900x and R70x
Ath-a900x 2011
Ath-r70x 2015
The last headphones in my collection had me addicted to them for a long time already (more so with the a900x since I owned it longer).
Both headphones have a magical sound signature that I do not usually expect from Audio Technica, especially the r70x. I’ll begin with the a900x.
The a900x specializes in both mids and highs, but not forgetting the bass.
The bass has decent quantity for a closed headphone (not more than the es700s unfortunately). The A900x also possesses the bass texture that I always miss with Audio Technica’s newer offerings. The bass' texture is slightly warm, and the bass never overpowers the mids or treble. Bass guitars sound deliciously smooth. The headphone lacks bass impact and immediately rolls off at 50hz. Despite the small shortcomings, the headphone’s bass is top notch for its current price.
The mids have a special veil that allured me when first owning it. Females sounded seductive, even if their voices are thinner than I would normally prefer. The A900x literally keeps me addicted to its sound signature, regardless of the sparkly highs and lack of bass quantity. The A900x continues the tradition of providing a close, intimate, and slightly lively nature of Audio Technica’s vocal production. Take note that the vocals sound decently dry without losing the smooth nature of the other Audio Technica products. Though the A900x restrains itself from unleashing its full potential in the vocals, the caramel taste and syrupy nature of the mids cajoles me to continue using these headphones.
The highs are definitely fuller than the re700s, but still lack the smoothness of something like the msr7s. Despite this flaw, the highs are sparkly, never sibilant, and definitely powerful enough to create a transparent sound for everyone’s music.
If one person wants a more balanced sound that could be considered flat (the vocals may ruin that ideal), then please listen to the msr7s, as the highs are controlled but lively, mids are somewhat thick and clear with slight warmth, and a great quality with quantity mid-bass.
The r70x’s bass quantity nearly matches the msr7’s. The minor difference between both the msr7s and r70x is that the texture and clarity of this open-headphone actually bests the msr7s by a small amount. Unfortunately, this open-headphone does lack the capability to output the lowest bass tones (52hz vs 35hz). Despite the small caveat, the r70x portrays bass as organic and warm while possessing the clarity that its brothers haven’t refined (except for the msr7s, A900x, and the re700). Texture is on par with the msr7s, only succumbing to the msr7’s mid-bass punch.
The R70x prevails in the mids, in both instruments and vocals. The msr7s interpretation of string instruments may sound crunchy and lifelike, but the R70x creates its own through smooth and full sounding instruments.
The msr7s interpret string instruments as crunchy, detailed, and lifelike, while the r70x smooths the crunchiness and detail while adding weight to the instruments. The r70x causes the music to sound realistic instead of the lively and energetic nature of the msr7s. If people yearn for a great balance of the whole sound spectrum, the r70x does so righteously. Male and females do not compete against each other when they begin to sing. Equal opportunity is the R70x’s top priority in all instruments. Smooth, warm, clear, and balanced are sound characteristics of the r70x.
The highs are one of the best I’ve ever heard in an Audio Technica headphone. The r70x's combines the thickness of the ws99s, clarity of the msr7s, and the es700s relaxed treble to instigate the most relaxing listening sessions. Highs may need some more sparkle compared to other Audio Technica headphones, but for me, the relaxed or “dark” treble is what I searched for. Audio Technica finally delivered the sound I yearned for. The airiness of this headphone is as good or better as the msr7s, with a wider and deeper soundstage.
If you are looking for a headphone that strikes the balance of all sound frequencies, and you are using this headphone to master songs (or just enjoy music for long sessions), please buy this fatigue-free headphone!
Bass (Quality) – Ath-R70x >=Ath-Msr7 >= Ath-A900x >= Ath-re700 > Ath-es700 > Ath-Ws99
Bass (Quantity) – Ath-Ws99 > Ath-re700 > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-R70x > Ath-A900x = Ath-es700
Bass (Texture) – Ath-Ws99 > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-R70x > Ath-re700 > Ath-A900x > Ath-es700
Mids (Quailty) – Ath-Msr7 = Ath-R70x > Ath-a900x > Ath-Ws99 > Ath-es700 > Ath-re700
Mids (Quantity) – Ath-es700 > Ath-re700 >Ath-ws99 > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-A900x* > Ath-r70x
The Ath-A900x lacks weight to the mids, causing me or other listeners to believe the mids are somewhat recessed.
Highs (Quality) – Ath-Msr7 > Ath-r70x > Ath-Ws99> Ath-A900x > Ath-es700 > Ath- re700
Highs (Quantity) – Ath-Re700 > Ath-A900x > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-R70x > Ath-es700 = Ath-Ws99
That’s about as much of a sound quality comparison I can currently make, unless you have more questions, I will leave it at this and move on to the soundstage and imaging.
Soundstage comparisons
In terms of width – Ath-r70x > Ath-a900x = Ath-msr7 = Ath-ws99 > Ath-re700 > Ath-es700
In terms of depth – Ath-r70x >= Ath-msr7 > Ath-a900x >> Ath-re700 > ath-es700 > ath-ws99
In terms of height – Ath-r70x > Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700 > Ath-a900x > ath-es700 > ath-ws99
In case you yearn for additional information (or if you want me to expound on my evaluation of the soundstage in each headphone), then allow me to draw it out for you.
The ( o ) is the listener’s head, the / mark indicates height, while the underscore represents width in conjunction (or by itself) with both the \ / marks, and positional accuracy in music alone.
Ath-r70x – \____( o )____/
Ath-A900x – \___( o )___/
Ath-msr7 - \___( o )___/
Ath-ws99 - ___( o )___
Ath-re700 – \__( o )__ /
Ath-es700 - _( o )_
Depth is as follows
________
Ath-r70x - \ /
\ /
\_____/
Ath-A900x - _______
\ /
\_____/
Ath-Msr7 - _______
\ /
\_____/
Ath-ws99 - N/A (Lacks depth)
Ath-re700 - _______
\ /
______
Ath-es700 - N/A (Lacks depth)
The ath-re700s do not receive two \ marks because of the lack of imagery cohesion that both the a900, msr7, and r70x possess. The line on the top and bottom does not completely represent the soundstage, but the depth, the distance between the sound in the front and back, as you would hear in musical performances in 3D environments.
Imaging
Ath-r70x > Ath-A900x >= Ath-msr7 >> Ath-re700 = Ath-es700 = Ath-ws99
That’s about as much soundstage information as I can currently provide.
The next thing is microphonics, cable quality, Isolation, and sound leakage.
Cable quality – Ath-a900x > Ath-es700 > Ath-r70x > Ath-ws99 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700
Microphonics (best to worst) – Ath-es700 > Ath-r70x > Ath-a900x > Ath-ws99 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700
Isolation (Best to worst)
Ath-Es700 > Ath-ws99> Ath-re700 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-a900x > Ath-r70x
Sound Leakage (Best to worst)
Ath-re700 > Ath-es700 > Ath- Ws99 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-A900x >= Ath-r70x
The last two parts of my evaluation and comparisons are the comfort and build quality of each headphone.
Comfort
Ath-r70x > Ath-ws99 > Ath-es700(WS55/Esw9 lambskin pads) Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700 > Ath-es700 (vanilla pads)> Ath-A900x
The Audio Technica r70x is the most comfortable due to the light clamp force, plush 3d wings, and velour ear pads.
The ath-ws99 follows suit due to its over-ear design and because of its plushy pleather earpards. The headband has more than enough cushion to provide the second most comfort to the listener.
The ath-msr7s would have been tied for first place if the headband cushioning was a bit thicker and softer. The earpads, however, are definitely plushy, but somewhat stiff compared to the ws99s.
The re700s don’t really have much headband cushioning, but it has enough comfort for me to live with it. The earpads, while certainly not as plush as the ws99s, are definitely softer than the es700s.
The es700’s stock earpads are terrible. The average listener wouldn’t be able to last even an hour session with these headphones. With the lambskin mod/ath-ws55 pad mod, however, they should be able to listen to the headphones for more than 4 hours. The headband cushioning is lackluster, but is borderline ok for most people.
Lastly the a900x have decently comfortable earpads with soft 3d wing support pads. The most unfortunate thing about the headphone is its weight In comparison to every Audio Technica headphone and its enormous size. The A900x’s size, lack of clamp force, and lack of 3d wing clamp pressure, the headphone usually feels slippery enough to fall off the listener’s head.
Build Quality
Build quality should be very subjective to the reviewer (or listener), so I will only add my own views on this topic.
In terms of build materials, I believe that the Audio Technica Msr7s have the most metal out of all headphones. The headphone with the most plastic material would be the re700s (but it has at least 30 or more percent of metal materials). The sturdiest build should be the msr7s, whether it contains metal or not. The second sturdiest Audio Technica headphone would be the A900x, mostly due to its weight. The third and final placement in the sturdiest build of headphones would be the Ath-r70x.
Ath Msr7s have the best fit and finish in comparison to Audio Technica’s other headphone products. The headband lacks the flimsiness of the on-ear headphones, and surprisingly, the ws99s, which is also another over-ear headphone. Overall, the msr7’s tough housings (made of magnesium and steel), steel framed headband, and smooth fit and finish help it achieve first place.
In comparison to the msr7s, the a900x uses a mix of plastic and metal for its overall build. The headband material is made of two plastic tubes, while the housings are mostly made of metal. The housing support is also made of plastic. Despite the plastic materials (as people may assume that metal is a premium material), the overall structure of the headphone feels balanced, stable, and sturdy enough to place it second place.
In comparison to both mentioned headphones, the Ath-r70x mostly uses plastic material called Polymer Fiber plastic with a metal headband and grill. Despite the additional use of plastic in comparison to the a900x, this headphone does feel pretty well built to last three years or so. The headphone’s lightweight nature helps the listener wear this comfortable headphone for a long period of time.
The es700s are pretty sturdy in their housing material, but the headband has me slightly worried. The ws99s also relate to the es700 well, as the headband build quality feels less than stellar, but not exactly terrible. The re700 places itself above the aforementioned headphones due to the sturdy build and stable headband design. It feels pretty light and the housings, along with the headband, are rigorous as a rock.
The 3d wing suspension system of the ath-A900x are slightly worse than the r70x in terms of clamping force. The Ath-R70x does a better job of resisting the weight of gravity when it rests on my head, but despite that, the A900x headphones are still decent for fit, if you have a good sized head that is.
Conclusion
To be honest, I just realized how much of an Audio Technica fan I am and wish to own other brands. While I do own A sony headphone and thinksound's on-ear headphone, I do not believe I will be purchasing any other headphone due to the Ath-R70x's smooth, mellow, and natural sound signature. I'm elated to own the Ath-R70x and do not believe another headphone can best it for my purposes. That does not mean I will stop reviewing headphones, however, as I plan to review each of these headphones in this comparison thread, and of course, the in-ear monitors of other companies like ortofons, JVC, HIfiman, and more.
I hope you enjoyed reading the comparisons, please leave a comment if you require assistance, or if you want to critique my post, go right ahead! Remember, constructive criticism is something I look for.
The ath-re700s on the left, the ath-msr7 in the middle, the ath-ws99 on the right
The ath-msr7 on the left, followed by the ath-ws99, then the ath-es700,
The ath-a900x on the back with the ath-r70x at the far back.
Background Check
It has been six years since I owned Audio Technica products. Most of the Audio Technica offerings in my collection range from in-ears to headphones. Each headphone, while sounding slightly different, tweaked, or improved, normally contains a familiar signature called a “house sound.” The reason I kept buying from Audio Technica is due to their realistic female vocal reproduction. Audio Technica achieves lifelike vocals through an upper-mid emphasis. However, Audio Technica also emphasizes the treble region to create a decent sense of ambience while engineering the headphone to produce intimate sound to the music. Due to my love for Audio Technica’s efforts and achievements, I chose to instigate a thread that covers Audio Technica’s house sound. Of course, I started owning a headphone since 2011, and still continued to purchase from Audio Technica today. Each headphone has its own strengths and weaknesses, but my concern is how the company progressed in each headphone’s release. While I lack the quantity to compare Audio Technica’s headphones objectively (as each headphone has its own target audience), I promise my readers to provide the best effort in comparing and evaluating each headphone by the usual categories of sound quality, soundstage, imaging, durability, comfort, and more.
During 2011, my ears enjoyed hearing the sparkliness of the treble. Most of the products I owned tended to lean towards treble quantity and quality. However, I would rather listen to a slightly relaxed treble signature in my headphones, and fortunately, only one Audio Technica product achieves my preference. Having said that, almost all headphones in this thread never cease to retain the smile on my face.
Ath-es700s
The Audio Technica Es700s are on-ear headphones that reveal the true beauty of aesthetics and sound.
The vocals (specifically female vocals) present themselves flamboyantly in each recording, almost overshadowing the highs and lows. Voices from males and females almost sound organic due to the smooth, thick, and irresistibly warm nature of the vocals. The mids from the es700 sound warmer than the A900x, but drier than both the re700s and ws99s. To describe the smoothness of the mids, a whip cream analogy should get my point across. The creamy, airy, but thick presentation that the whip cream contains in both texture and appearance is exactly how both the es700s and ws99s sound (less so on the es700s, but the analogy still applies).
The bass on the es700s lack in quantity, but more than compensates with the quality. The mids may tend to encroach on the bass’ low quantity. While the bass lacks texture, the plucking sounds of bass instruments are portrayed well, but do not sound stupendous for the price. The Ath-es700s can handle complex passages decently, but there are other headphones that supersede it.
The highs convey a sparkly presence in almost all music, but become minutely overshadowed by the mids. However, there should be enough treble quantity and quality to provide the listener a fun and musical experience. Be aware that the highs may sound grainy on certain music, such as classic rock and jazz. I realize that this headphone may be using the same driver as the es7, but to my ears, the es700s sound fantastic for the price!
The Ath-Ws99s
Drop the bass! It’s all about the bass! We enjoy that flabby dabby bass! 2012
In all seriousness, Audio Technica’s W99 product placement lies in the bass consumer market. Fans of the beats series should immediately consider the Ws99s as a viable contender in the audiophile market. Audio Technica hoped to create a wonderfully fun headphone that focused on the bass without neglecting the importance of the mids and highs. I will admit, Audio Technica executed their idea properly. Of course, great quality sound should always be accompanied by comfort, which the Ws99s rightfully do.
The Ws99s contain pretty profound bass for a 45mm over-ear headphone. The lowest frequency that the bass stops at should be around 35hz or so. Despite the mid-bass’ bombastic nature, the mids and highs still retain their presence without being overshadowed by the bass. The bass seldom fatigues the listener with its quantity. The bass contains the texture, power, and clarity to differentiate itself from the mid and high frequencies. The only flaw I found in the ws99's bass was that the Bass string plucks and tugs may become slightly smeared due to the lack of dryness (as the bass is actually warm and smooth sounding), and tangibility of the bass strings that headphones with less bass contain (like the re700s, the es700s, and the ath-a900x).
The mids for the ws99s are phenomenal. Thick, buttery smooth, and lively mids are what I would call the ws99’s mids. For some recordings, the es700s can sound somewhat dry (despite my liquid like mids comment), but with the ws99s, they stay consistently smooth and clear, despite being slightly warmer and thicker than the es700s. Instruments have enough clarity to help the listener tell the timbre of an instrument apart. String instruments sound great on the ws99s, and the bass only helps compliment genres like rock, and even metal (due to the speed of the bass, which is slightly faster than the es700s, but slow on complex passages).
The highs are something unique to the Audio Technica house sound (in comparison to the a900x). They are definitely present, but they surprisingly lack the thickness that the mids and lows do. I don’t mean to say that they sound horribly thin, but slightly incoherent with the rest of the frequency. Having said that, the highs are grain free, smooth, and slightly warm compared to the es700s. The highs sparkle and do a good job of providing an airy sound to the closed ws99 headphone.
For a visceral bass and mids experience, without losing the treble quality and quantity, the Audio Technica ws99s are great, and for the current price, even better!
The Ath-re700s
Ath-re700 2014
The headphone that I blatantly overhyped (and thankfully became resisted) as the treble quantity and quality lacked for the price point it originally retailed for.
The bass on the re700s were unbalanced as the mid-bass certainly sought to provide its own flair to the bass for the average consumer.
The bass definitely has the latent ability to unravel minute detail in bass strings and texture that the other headphones lack. However, the bass provides an intense bass impact when listening to hip-hop or house music such as daft punk’s “Doin it right.” The bass detail is commendable in comparison to an Art monitor headphone like the A900x as string instruments shine with this headphone. The articulate nature of the bass helps the re700s separate it from the other frequencies, even with the slight bass bloat.
The mids are surprising once again as the sound definitely derives from Audio Technica’s house sound, but lacks the finesse that the es700s and ws99s have. The mids that the re700s produce sound slightly incohesive, especially when the listener hears the lack of clarity of the es700s and the thickness that the ws99s and es700s possess in comparison. The mids sound thin, most likely due to the upper mids to lower treble emphasis. The mids sound euphoric for lacking some weight to the mids, but I am speaking in the sense of how lifelike they sound. Electric guitars and string instruments successfuly satisfy me for their fantastically crunchy texture. The piano also contains great detail as the weight of the bass helps provid the natural timbre of the instrument. While I listed some pros on the mids section, peaks at the upper mids vex me to no end. The vocals sound a bit thinner than I'd like, and the harshness of the sibilance causes my ears to fatigue. If I had to compare it to a cheaper headphone like the mikros90, I would have to state that the mikros90 bests it in the mids region, despite the closed/somewhat congested sounding mids. The re700s, while clear, does not beat the mikros90 in clarity, weight in music, and balance.
The highs are splashy at times and even sibilant, especially since they lack the thickness that even the ws99s has over this headphone. The treble sounds unnatural, warm, and lacking in crispiness or bite that I would normally like. I am very treble sensitive, so this headphone was not for me.
I recommend this headphone, but only if both bass and treble are one’s priority, while still having decent sounding mids.
We’re getting closer to the best ones, please keep reading, it should not take more than a few minutes.
The next headphone comparisons are the msr7s, ath-a900x, ath-r70x, which are recent headphones (excluding the a900x model as it was released on 2009. I’m implementing it with the recent headphones due to comparison reasons with the open reference r70x headphone).
The Ath-Msr7s
I wanted to have a separate review for these, so this will be very short, thus, it will be in an impressions format. 2014
The ath-msr7s are fantastic, and dare I say wonderful in value. I have to be earnest about one major detail regarding this headphone. I originally despised the headphone’s sound signature due to the treble's strident (though minuscule) nature. The pain I felt would be considered meager to people who enjoy treble. To my ears, I would gauge the intensity of the sibilance to be at least 1db. It isn’t bad at all to be honest, and would encourage people to try this headphone out.
The bass immediately impresses me. While this headphone requires more sub-bass to fit my preference, the mid-bass contained pretty adequate quantity. The quality from the bass was tight, quick, and smooth. The bass from this model contains even more clarity than the ws99s and the es700s from my collection. However, it still requires a bit more dryness and clarity to be the best all round bass for a portable closed headphone (the thinksound on1s do that for me, but with a slight bloat problem). Regardless, this headphone synergizes well with rock, metal, and maybe even hip-hop if you want some punchy bass (no subbass love though).
The mids are superb. The vocals sound forwarded (or to some, a bit recessed, but only a smidge), while sounding pretty sweet and smooth without sounding analytical. This headphone has more mid thickness than an es700 (or es7), but lacks the thickness of the ws99s. However, the headphone makes up for the thickness with intimacy with the female vocals. To my astonishment, the male vocals quality surpassed other headphones in this comparison thread (sans the r70x). The males and females sounded airy, lively, and almost realistic, if it weren’t for the slight nasal tone of the mids (in comparison to the other mentioned headphones). The msr7 is a closed portable over-ear headphone that does not emphasize female vocals as much as other headphones.
The highs prove to be the most updated Audio Technica house sound yet! The highs do not sound as sibilant as the re700s, nor do they sound grainy like the es700s. Unfortunately, the cymbals do tend to sound splashy in certain songs, so please be aware of that. The treble literally slips through my ears in a form of soap and comes out through the other end of my head. The treble presence is slightly more elevated than the mids and bass, but not hectically so. The airiness that this headphone provides is almost astounding as it creates an almost spacious soundstage… almost. The msr7s lack the depth in the soundstage to sound lively, but once again, the intimacy is what most likely helps this headphone shine (though most of Audio Technica’s house sound involves intimacy, so).
I highly recommend this headphone if one’s budget lies in the $200 area, while also not minding some design flaws that this headphone encounters (will cover on it later).
The Ath-A900x and R70x
Ath-a900x 2011
Ath-r70x 2015
The last headphones in my collection had me addicted to them for a long time already (more so with the a900x since I owned it longer).
Both headphones have a magical sound signature that I do not usually expect from Audio Technica, especially the r70x. I’ll begin with the a900x.
The a900x specializes in both mids and highs, but not forgetting the bass.
The bass has decent quantity for a closed headphone (not more than the es700s unfortunately). The A900x also possesses the bass texture that I always miss with Audio Technica’s newer offerings. The bass' texture is slightly warm, and the bass never overpowers the mids or treble. Bass guitars sound deliciously smooth. The headphone lacks bass impact and immediately rolls off at 50hz. Despite the small shortcomings, the headphone’s bass is top notch for its current price.
The mids have a special veil that allured me when first owning it. Females sounded seductive, even if their voices are thinner than I would normally prefer. The A900x literally keeps me addicted to its sound signature, regardless of the sparkly highs and lack of bass quantity. The A900x continues the tradition of providing a close, intimate, and slightly lively nature of Audio Technica’s vocal production. Take note that the vocals sound decently dry without losing the smooth nature of the other Audio Technica products. Though the A900x restrains itself from unleashing its full potential in the vocals, the caramel taste and syrupy nature of the mids cajoles me to continue using these headphones.
The highs are definitely fuller than the re700s, but still lack the smoothness of something like the msr7s. Despite this flaw, the highs are sparkly, never sibilant, and definitely powerful enough to create a transparent sound for everyone’s music.
If one person wants a more balanced sound that could be considered flat (the vocals may ruin that ideal), then please listen to the msr7s, as the highs are controlled but lively, mids are somewhat thick and clear with slight warmth, and a great quality with quantity mid-bass.
The r70x’s bass quantity nearly matches the msr7’s. The minor difference between both the msr7s and r70x is that the texture and clarity of this open-headphone actually bests the msr7s by a small amount. Unfortunately, this open-headphone does lack the capability to output the lowest bass tones (52hz vs 35hz). Despite the small caveat, the r70x portrays bass as organic and warm while possessing the clarity that its brothers haven’t refined (except for the msr7s, A900x, and the re700). Texture is on par with the msr7s, only succumbing to the msr7’s mid-bass punch.
The R70x prevails in the mids, in both instruments and vocals. The msr7s interpretation of string instruments may sound crunchy and lifelike, but the R70x creates its own through smooth and full sounding instruments.
The msr7s interpret string instruments as crunchy, detailed, and lifelike, while the r70x smooths the crunchiness and detail while adding weight to the instruments. The r70x causes the music to sound realistic instead of the lively and energetic nature of the msr7s. If people yearn for a great balance of the whole sound spectrum, the r70x does so righteously. Male and females do not compete against each other when they begin to sing. Equal opportunity is the R70x’s top priority in all instruments. Smooth, warm, clear, and balanced are sound characteristics of the r70x.
The highs are one of the best I’ve ever heard in an Audio Technica headphone. The r70x's combines the thickness of the ws99s, clarity of the msr7s, and the es700s relaxed treble to instigate the most relaxing listening sessions. Highs may need some more sparkle compared to other Audio Technica headphones, but for me, the relaxed or “dark” treble is what I searched for. Audio Technica finally delivered the sound I yearned for. The airiness of this headphone is as good or better as the msr7s, with a wider and deeper soundstage.
If you are looking for a headphone that strikes the balance of all sound frequencies, and you are using this headphone to master songs (or just enjoy music for long sessions), please buy this fatigue-free headphone!
Bass (Quality) – Ath-R70x >=Ath-Msr7 >= Ath-A900x >= Ath-re700 > Ath-es700 > Ath-Ws99
Bass (Quantity) – Ath-Ws99 > Ath-re700 > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-R70x > Ath-A900x = Ath-es700
Bass (Texture) – Ath-Ws99 > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-R70x > Ath-re700 > Ath-A900x > Ath-es700
Mids (Quailty) – Ath-Msr7 = Ath-R70x > Ath-a900x > Ath-Ws99 > Ath-es700 > Ath-re700
Mids (Quantity) – Ath-es700 > Ath-re700 >Ath-ws99 > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-A900x* > Ath-r70x
The Ath-A900x lacks weight to the mids, causing me or other listeners to believe the mids are somewhat recessed.
Highs (Quality) – Ath-Msr7 > Ath-r70x > Ath-Ws99> Ath-A900x > Ath-es700 > Ath- re700
Highs (Quantity) – Ath-Re700 > Ath-A900x > Ath-Msr7 > Ath-R70x > Ath-es700 = Ath-Ws99
That’s about as much of a sound quality comparison I can currently make, unless you have more questions, I will leave it at this and move on to the soundstage and imaging.
Soundstage comparisons
In terms of width – Ath-r70x > Ath-a900x = Ath-msr7 = Ath-ws99 > Ath-re700 > Ath-es700
In terms of depth – Ath-r70x >= Ath-msr7 > Ath-a900x >> Ath-re700 > ath-es700 > ath-ws99
In terms of height – Ath-r70x > Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700 > Ath-a900x > ath-es700 > ath-ws99
In case you yearn for additional information (or if you want me to expound on my evaluation of the soundstage in each headphone), then allow me to draw it out for you.
The ( o ) is the listener’s head, the / mark indicates height, while the underscore represents width in conjunction (or by itself) with both the \ / marks, and positional accuracy in music alone.
Ath-r70x – \____( o )____/
Ath-A900x – \___( o )___/
Ath-msr7 - \___( o )___/
Ath-ws99 - ___( o )___
Ath-re700 – \__( o )__ /
Ath-es700 - _( o )_
Depth is as follows
________
Ath-r70x - \ /
\ /
\_____/
Ath-A900x - _______
\ /
\_____/
Ath-Msr7 - _______
\ /
\_____/
Ath-ws99 - N/A (Lacks depth)
Ath-re700 - _______
\ /
______
Ath-es700 - N/A (Lacks depth)
The ath-re700s do not receive two \ marks because of the lack of imagery cohesion that both the a900, msr7, and r70x possess. The line on the top and bottom does not completely represent the soundstage, but the depth, the distance between the sound in the front and back, as you would hear in musical performances in 3D environments.
Imaging
Ath-r70x > Ath-A900x >= Ath-msr7 >> Ath-re700 = Ath-es700 = Ath-ws99
That’s about as much soundstage information as I can currently provide.
The next thing is microphonics, cable quality, Isolation, and sound leakage.
Cable quality – Ath-a900x > Ath-es700 > Ath-r70x > Ath-ws99 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700
Microphonics (best to worst) – Ath-es700 > Ath-r70x > Ath-a900x > Ath-ws99 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700
Isolation (Best to worst)
Ath-Es700 > Ath-ws99> Ath-re700 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-a900x > Ath-r70x
Sound Leakage (Best to worst)
Ath-re700 > Ath-es700 > Ath- Ws99 > Ath-msr7 > Ath-A900x >= Ath-r70x
The last two parts of my evaluation and comparisons are the comfort and build quality of each headphone.
Comfort
Ath-r70x > Ath-ws99 > Ath-es700(WS55/Esw9 lambskin pads) Ath-msr7 > Ath-re700 > Ath-es700 (vanilla pads)> Ath-A900x
The Audio Technica r70x is the most comfortable due to the light clamp force, plush 3d wings, and velour ear pads.
The ath-ws99 follows suit due to its over-ear design and because of its plushy pleather earpards. The headband has more than enough cushion to provide the second most comfort to the listener.
The ath-msr7s would have been tied for first place if the headband cushioning was a bit thicker and softer. The earpads, however, are definitely plushy, but somewhat stiff compared to the ws99s.
The re700s don’t really have much headband cushioning, but it has enough comfort for me to live with it. The earpads, while certainly not as plush as the ws99s, are definitely softer than the es700s.
The es700’s stock earpads are terrible. The average listener wouldn’t be able to last even an hour session with these headphones. With the lambskin mod/ath-ws55 pad mod, however, they should be able to listen to the headphones for more than 4 hours. The headband cushioning is lackluster, but is borderline ok for most people.
Lastly the a900x have decently comfortable earpads with soft 3d wing support pads. The most unfortunate thing about the headphone is its weight In comparison to every Audio Technica headphone and its enormous size. The A900x’s size, lack of clamp force, and lack of 3d wing clamp pressure, the headphone usually feels slippery enough to fall off the listener’s head.
Build Quality
Build quality should be very subjective to the reviewer (or listener), so I will only add my own views on this topic.
In terms of build materials, I believe that the Audio Technica Msr7s have the most metal out of all headphones. The headphone with the most plastic material would be the re700s (but it has at least 30 or more percent of metal materials). The sturdiest build should be the msr7s, whether it contains metal or not. The second sturdiest Audio Technica headphone would be the A900x, mostly due to its weight. The third and final placement in the sturdiest build of headphones would be the Ath-r70x.
Ath Msr7s have the best fit and finish in comparison to Audio Technica’s other headphone products. The headband lacks the flimsiness of the on-ear headphones, and surprisingly, the ws99s, which is also another over-ear headphone. Overall, the msr7’s tough housings (made of magnesium and steel), steel framed headband, and smooth fit and finish help it achieve first place.
In comparison to the msr7s, the a900x uses a mix of plastic and metal for its overall build. The headband material is made of two plastic tubes, while the housings are mostly made of metal. The housing support is also made of plastic. Despite the plastic materials (as people may assume that metal is a premium material), the overall structure of the headphone feels balanced, stable, and sturdy enough to place it second place.
In comparison to both mentioned headphones, the Ath-r70x mostly uses plastic material called Polymer Fiber plastic with a metal headband and grill. Despite the additional use of plastic in comparison to the a900x, this headphone does feel pretty well built to last three years or so. The headphone’s lightweight nature helps the listener wear this comfortable headphone for a long period of time.
The es700s are pretty sturdy in their housing material, but the headband has me slightly worried. The ws99s also relate to the es700 well, as the headband build quality feels less than stellar, but not exactly terrible. The re700 places itself above the aforementioned headphones due to the sturdy build and stable headband design. It feels pretty light and the housings, along with the headband, are rigorous as a rock.
The 3d wing suspension system of the ath-A900x are slightly worse than the r70x in terms of clamping force. The Ath-R70x does a better job of resisting the weight of gravity when it rests on my head, but despite that, the A900x headphones are still decent for fit, if you have a good sized head that is.
Conclusion
To be honest, I just realized how much of an Audio Technica fan I am and wish to own other brands. While I do own A sony headphone and thinksound's on-ear headphone, I do not believe I will be purchasing any other headphone due to the Ath-R70x's smooth, mellow, and natural sound signature. I'm elated to own the Ath-R70x and do not believe another headphone can best it for my purposes. That does not mean I will stop reviewing headphones, however, as I plan to review each of these headphones in this comparison thread, and of course, the in-ear monitors of other companies like ortofons, JVC, HIfiman, and more.
I hope you enjoyed reading the comparisons, please leave a comment if you require assistance, or if you want to critique my post, go right ahead! Remember, constructive criticism is something I look for.
