dj_mocok
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2003
- Posts
- 5,635
- Likes
- 15
Hello guys.
I just got my headphone last weekend, ATH-A900 and ATH-AD5...
but since people here are generally more interested with A900, so i think i will let you guys know what i think of them...
We've had so many reviews or comments from audiophile members here, but im not an audiophile i admit, so what im trying to do is just to let you guys know how A900 is from beginner's point of view...
Basically, ive been listening to music mainly from my discman connected to MX500, and ive been enjoying it... it's good, well, i THOUGHT it was good, hehe..
Then when i got my A900, and i plugged it straight to my discman, my first impression was like:
"WHOA... ! Holly momma...!"
This thing is frreakin amazing ! I was impressed the moment the music flowed through the headphones...
everything sounds so different from MX500, with A900, everything sounds... well, very MUSICAL.
Im not good at all the audio technicalities and jargons, but the way i judge the music is just mainly based from what my ears tell me..
Listening to A900 is like...well... can i say "rich" ? the music seems very rich, i can hear all different parts and all well combined together and being presented as a... MUSIC IN A WHOLE...which is not the case if you listen to some lower end phones, you would just feel like its coming right from a source, lifeless, not enveloping your ears with music.... and you basically wont be influenced or moved by the music presentation...
when you are listening to A900, you will feel like you are "musically-hugged"... gee....what a term...musically hugged, hehe...
and you will feel that the music is very alive, and not boring at all..
anyway...
One thing i really notice is, this A900 sounds like a no-nonsense, solid performer... i know that its not the most detailed headphone in the world, but what A900 can pick up and deliver, it will deliver it nicely and solidly....
the instruments in the music are pronounced clearly, and there is much more instruments separation within the music itself (soundstage?)
the bass... wow... can i say that A900 is packed with solid bass punch ? might not appeal to some, but for me, A900 has a one-two solid bass punch... like a boxer delivering blow after blow...not blurry, but very fast and solid...
Other parts of the sounds, on highs or mids, i think they are crystal-clear. Really clear... Maybe im a newbie, but i really havent picked up anything that i dont like from what this A900 offers me..
Since it also has good midrange and highs, listening to stuffs like latin music or salsa is really a fun using A900...
A lot of people say that A900 really goes well with everything...
I totally agree with that, ive used them for pretty much all types of music since i listen to most types of music... and A900 really goes well with everything....
I also used them for watching "Saving Private Ryan" and "Monster Inc" DVDs from my PC. although i dont have a killer PC sound system (only an Audigy), but i was still amazed by the sound it delivers....
Watching the Omaha Beach Landing part in Saving Private Ryan using this A900 is really something.... bullets flying everywhere, and the sounds of empty shells from a machine gun hitting the floor sounds so real..... and i could hear the sound of a stray bullet as if it is flying pass through my head from top right flying to top left...
About build quality, word of warning, dont let the picture from Audio Technica's website fools you... they actually look much better on real life than the stupid picture... i actually was a bit worried about the looks, since on the web, the headphone looks more like a light blue, but its actually very dark blue. looks much more elegant.
the aluminium cups are very smooth and shiny, you can tell that is a well designed headphone.
they look like expensive stuff (well, they are not cheap anyway..)
and you can tell right away by looking at the build quality...especially when you run through the cold, smooth aluminium part of the cans.... it will make cans within its class look like cheap stuffs if you compared them side by side...
also, unlike some phones, the headphone jack of A900 is made from metal as well.
Although they have solid built, but they are so many connected parts within the phone (eg. the cups, the 3d wing, etc), its actually more damage-prone. it might survive normal falls, but im sure if you lightly step on it or sit on it (especially on the wrong part, eg. the 3d wing), it will snap and break straight away...
i know some headphones are more "sat-proof", but A900 is unfortunatelly not one of them due to the so many connected parts..
Size... size... are you worrying about the hugeness of this phone ? as the words have been spread, A900 indeed is a big headphone. Its not thick like CD3000, but the cups are big and round....
but trust me, they make it big not to embarass you or something, but when you put this thing on, you know why and you will be glad that it is big... your ears will sit nicely inside the cans, if your ears can talk to you, they would tell you :" gee, thanks for giving us a nice, comfortable, and a big spaced room here..."
Phone isolation, since its a closed headphone, it really performs like closed cans, people will pretty much hear nothing (or very little) when you are listening to them, unless you are listening in a crazily loud volume....
if you wear them when the music is not playing, the feeling is like when you slightly stuck your index fingers into both earholes. thats pretty much isolation you get from A900.
After so many pros... i think i have to at least say something bad about A900 ? or shouldnt i ? hehe...
the only thing that i know is, maybe its not as revealing as higher end phones, so this may be good for some people, but may be bad for fussy audiophiles...
as i wrote earlier, it may be not one of the most detailed cans out there. but im speaking from a fussy person's point of view here.
the detail level of this cans is still much much better than normal headphones of course... but maybe not as good as Stax stuff i suppose... hehe...
All i can say that this headphone is really really good, and i really love this cans. im not saying this because i just got them or something, but im just reassuring this for some people who are considering to get this phones and been wondering whether to get this or not..
This might be out of topic, but i think i have to let you know my personal notion about this..
I actually went to a few shops last weekend to get some decent entry level audiophile system for my room... so its like a CD player, an amp, and a set of bookshelf speakers.
The one that i am interested (and tried) is this combo :
NAD C521BEE cd player
NAD C320BEE integrated amp
Tannoy M1 bookshelf speakers.
i was able to demo them, they sound nice, and i was able to plug my A900 to that amp too... but believe it or not, i much rather prefer the sound of A900 from the amp than the sound coming out from the speakers... i dont know whether its because of the noisy environment, or maybe its because of the room is too spacey... or whatever.... but for me, the A900 from that NAD amps is much better than that coming out from the speakers.
First, before you guys jumping into conclusion that i have cheap ears or no taste....
what happened was, after that shop, i went to another shop and talked to the nice shopkeeper there, who happened to actually "LOVE" audio, not trying to "SELL" audio only like typical salesmen...
he knew i wasnt gonna buy from him since the shop didnt have what i was looking for, and the good combo they had was out of my budget...
and i was just talking about audio stuff to him, and i didnt ask him anything, then he asked me to go to this private room with him...
(no no...., i DIDN'T DO THAT with him, you sicko.... hehe....)
in that demo room (well, more like a show-off room to me, hehe)
they had this one system only, a turn table, a cd, and a whatever they were... all i know is, they had this amp to drive the left side of speaker, and another amp to drive the right side of speakers exclusively, i think you guys know what they are..
anyway, that system costs like AUD$35,000 or something... i know its not a million dollar system, but when i sat on the couch and listened to it... it was like, my shock of listening to A900 for the first time, multiply it by 20.
That was simply the best sounding thing i have ever heard in my life. it felt like the musician/group was right there playing in front of me... everything was so clear, and the imaging was spot on... it felt like the singer was in front of me, the piano was on the left hand side, and the bass player was on my right hand side, etc... playing in front of me...
Now that was something... something i know it totally kicks A900's butt right off to the moon... but what im saying is, compared to entry level audiophile home system, i reckon a nice system with A900 can still outperform them...
ANyway....why the hell am i telling you guys this anyway... its suppose to be a review about A900...hehe... well...newbie's review, what do you expect...hehe.... that thing was just a story to prove that i dont have cheap ears...
One more thing, i went to other shop, i tried A900 with a headphone amp... i couldnt remember what amp it was..but it looked expensive... and honestly, i couldnt tell much difference with it... (compared to A900 with integrated amp)....
maybe im just a newbie ? or maybe the CD player (marantz 5400) was the bottleneck ? maybe the cables ? (they didnt use good cables) or maybe im a newbie ? (again)
the shopkeeper also plugged in HD580 to that amp, and i actually prefer the A900... for me, that HD580 sounds a bit dark.... (does that mean im a Grado person ? hehe..)
What else... i mentioned i got 2 cans, and the other one is ATH-AD5, this is like half the price of A900 and its an open can... although i somehow prefer A900 than this (cant explain the reason), but i notice the difference is minimal...
when i compared them, i liked A900 better, but i dont know why... and for me, they share the same sounds characteristics... maybe AD5 is more "in your face" or more "closer" or in other words, doesnt have as wide soundstage as A900 ?
and for me, AD5 sounds brighter than A900, but not annoyingly bright.
however, AD5 still sounds impressive and has very little difference from A900 for me though..
but note that ive just listened to both cans for less than 20 hours in total though... maybe only 10 hours in total... and if the theory of "burn-in" is true, i would expect some changes in sound that might make me think differently about the similarity of A900 and AD5.
or i might add some more good things about A900, hehe..
To conclude, generally speaking, i personally think that A900 is for a person that:
- need something that is easy to drive, even with portables
- need some good looking, expensive looking indoor phones that can impress your friend
- love listening to "involving, energetic" headphones, not purely neutral one. or can i say, cans with attitude ?
- havent got money to get an amp yet or an amp is not necessary, but you still want a nice sounding headphone
- love original japanese-made product
- need an all around performer headphone that can go well with every kind of music
- want a comfy headphone
- need a good isolating headphone
Don't get A900 if you :
- have state of the art, killer CD player and headphone amp (that can reveal a sound of a conductor scratching his butt whilst conducting a concert) and thinking to get a new headphone to match your killer rig.
- dont have enough money.. hehe...
seriously, if you are on limited budget, i wont hesitate to recommend you to get AD5 instead, its still a great pair of headphone, and i personally think it is more comfortable than A900, due to the cushion material on AD5... AD5 is much lighter, and when you put them on, it feels like a pillow.... very soft and comfortable.... and you can barely feel it that its on your head..
but doesnt mean that A900 is awfully heavy though...
Alright... thats all fellow members... im getting tired typing...
and for the more experienced members here ( thats 99% of the members here, hehe...), if i missed something about A900 or if there is a certain thing i should note about A900, or something i said was wrong, please feel free to let me know so that i can be more familiar with it...
Now, if you excuse me, i am going to decide which instant noodle (or rahmen noodle) i should eat for today, and maybe choose the flavour for tomorrow, and maybe for the next 3 weeks too since im broke because of this phones... hehe....
Thank you for reading this whole lot of newbie ramblings !
PS: if you need pics to see the A900 in different pose (apart from the one on the web), let me know, i will try to post them here....
I just got my headphone last weekend, ATH-A900 and ATH-AD5...
but since people here are generally more interested with A900, so i think i will let you guys know what i think of them...
We've had so many reviews or comments from audiophile members here, but im not an audiophile i admit, so what im trying to do is just to let you guys know how A900 is from beginner's point of view...
Basically, ive been listening to music mainly from my discman connected to MX500, and ive been enjoying it... it's good, well, i THOUGHT it was good, hehe..
Then when i got my A900, and i plugged it straight to my discman, my first impression was like:
"WHOA... ! Holly momma...!"
This thing is frreakin amazing ! I was impressed the moment the music flowed through the headphones...
everything sounds so different from MX500, with A900, everything sounds... well, very MUSICAL.
Im not good at all the audio technicalities and jargons, but the way i judge the music is just mainly based from what my ears tell me..
Listening to A900 is like...well... can i say "rich" ? the music seems very rich, i can hear all different parts and all well combined together and being presented as a... MUSIC IN A WHOLE...which is not the case if you listen to some lower end phones, you would just feel like its coming right from a source, lifeless, not enveloping your ears with music.... and you basically wont be influenced or moved by the music presentation...
when you are listening to A900, you will feel like you are "musically-hugged"... gee....what a term...musically hugged, hehe...
and you will feel that the music is very alive, and not boring at all..
anyway...
One thing i really notice is, this A900 sounds like a no-nonsense, solid performer... i know that its not the most detailed headphone in the world, but what A900 can pick up and deliver, it will deliver it nicely and solidly....
the instruments in the music are pronounced clearly, and there is much more instruments separation within the music itself (soundstage?)
the bass... wow... can i say that A900 is packed with solid bass punch ? might not appeal to some, but for me, A900 has a one-two solid bass punch... like a boxer delivering blow after blow...not blurry, but very fast and solid...
Other parts of the sounds, on highs or mids, i think they are crystal-clear. Really clear... Maybe im a newbie, but i really havent picked up anything that i dont like from what this A900 offers me..
Since it also has good midrange and highs, listening to stuffs like latin music or salsa is really a fun using A900...
A lot of people say that A900 really goes well with everything...
I totally agree with that, ive used them for pretty much all types of music since i listen to most types of music... and A900 really goes well with everything....
I also used them for watching "Saving Private Ryan" and "Monster Inc" DVDs from my PC. although i dont have a killer PC sound system (only an Audigy), but i was still amazed by the sound it delivers....
Watching the Omaha Beach Landing part in Saving Private Ryan using this A900 is really something.... bullets flying everywhere, and the sounds of empty shells from a machine gun hitting the floor sounds so real..... and i could hear the sound of a stray bullet as if it is flying pass through my head from top right flying to top left...
About build quality, word of warning, dont let the picture from Audio Technica's website fools you... they actually look much better on real life than the stupid picture... i actually was a bit worried about the looks, since on the web, the headphone looks more like a light blue, but its actually very dark blue. looks much more elegant.
the aluminium cups are very smooth and shiny, you can tell that is a well designed headphone.
they look like expensive stuff (well, they are not cheap anyway..)
and you can tell right away by looking at the build quality...especially when you run through the cold, smooth aluminium part of the cans.... it will make cans within its class look like cheap stuffs if you compared them side by side...
also, unlike some phones, the headphone jack of A900 is made from metal as well.
Although they have solid built, but they are so many connected parts within the phone (eg. the cups, the 3d wing, etc), its actually more damage-prone. it might survive normal falls, but im sure if you lightly step on it or sit on it (especially on the wrong part, eg. the 3d wing), it will snap and break straight away...
i know some headphones are more "sat-proof", but A900 is unfortunatelly not one of them due to the so many connected parts..
Size... size... are you worrying about the hugeness of this phone ? as the words have been spread, A900 indeed is a big headphone. Its not thick like CD3000, but the cups are big and round....
but trust me, they make it big not to embarass you or something, but when you put this thing on, you know why and you will be glad that it is big... your ears will sit nicely inside the cans, if your ears can talk to you, they would tell you :" gee, thanks for giving us a nice, comfortable, and a big spaced room here..."
Phone isolation, since its a closed headphone, it really performs like closed cans, people will pretty much hear nothing (or very little) when you are listening to them, unless you are listening in a crazily loud volume....
if you wear them when the music is not playing, the feeling is like when you slightly stuck your index fingers into both earholes. thats pretty much isolation you get from A900.
After so many pros... i think i have to at least say something bad about A900 ? or shouldnt i ? hehe...
the only thing that i know is, maybe its not as revealing as higher end phones, so this may be good for some people, but may be bad for fussy audiophiles...
as i wrote earlier, it may be not one of the most detailed cans out there. but im speaking from a fussy person's point of view here.
the detail level of this cans is still much much better than normal headphones of course... but maybe not as good as Stax stuff i suppose... hehe...
All i can say that this headphone is really really good, and i really love this cans. im not saying this because i just got them or something, but im just reassuring this for some people who are considering to get this phones and been wondering whether to get this or not..
This might be out of topic, but i think i have to let you know my personal notion about this..
I actually went to a few shops last weekend to get some decent entry level audiophile system for my room... so its like a CD player, an amp, and a set of bookshelf speakers.
The one that i am interested (and tried) is this combo :
NAD C521BEE cd player
NAD C320BEE integrated amp
Tannoy M1 bookshelf speakers.
i was able to demo them, they sound nice, and i was able to plug my A900 to that amp too... but believe it or not, i much rather prefer the sound of A900 from the amp than the sound coming out from the speakers... i dont know whether its because of the noisy environment, or maybe its because of the room is too spacey... or whatever.... but for me, the A900 from that NAD amps is much better than that coming out from the speakers.
First, before you guys jumping into conclusion that i have cheap ears or no taste....
what happened was, after that shop, i went to another shop and talked to the nice shopkeeper there, who happened to actually "LOVE" audio, not trying to "SELL" audio only like typical salesmen...
he knew i wasnt gonna buy from him since the shop didnt have what i was looking for, and the good combo they had was out of my budget...
and i was just talking about audio stuff to him, and i didnt ask him anything, then he asked me to go to this private room with him...
(no no...., i DIDN'T DO THAT with him, you sicko.... hehe....)
in that demo room (well, more like a show-off room to me, hehe)
they had this one system only, a turn table, a cd, and a whatever they were... all i know is, they had this amp to drive the left side of speaker, and another amp to drive the right side of speakers exclusively, i think you guys know what they are..
anyway, that system costs like AUD$35,000 or something... i know its not a million dollar system, but when i sat on the couch and listened to it... it was like, my shock of listening to A900 for the first time, multiply it by 20.
That was simply the best sounding thing i have ever heard in my life. it felt like the musician/group was right there playing in front of me... everything was so clear, and the imaging was spot on... it felt like the singer was in front of me, the piano was on the left hand side, and the bass player was on my right hand side, etc... playing in front of me...
Now that was something... something i know it totally kicks A900's butt right off to the moon... but what im saying is, compared to entry level audiophile home system, i reckon a nice system with A900 can still outperform them...
ANyway....why the hell am i telling you guys this anyway... its suppose to be a review about A900...hehe... well...newbie's review, what do you expect...hehe.... that thing was just a story to prove that i dont have cheap ears...
One more thing, i went to other shop, i tried A900 with a headphone amp... i couldnt remember what amp it was..but it looked expensive... and honestly, i couldnt tell much difference with it... (compared to A900 with integrated amp)....
maybe im just a newbie ? or maybe the CD player (marantz 5400) was the bottleneck ? maybe the cables ? (they didnt use good cables) or maybe im a newbie ? (again)
the shopkeeper also plugged in HD580 to that amp, and i actually prefer the A900... for me, that HD580 sounds a bit dark.... (does that mean im a Grado person ? hehe..)
What else... i mentioned i got 2 cans, and the other one is ATH-AD5, this is like half the price of A900 and its an open can... although i somehow prefer A900 than this (cant explain the reason), but i notice the difference is minimal...
when i compared them, i liked A900 better, but i dont know why... and for me, they share the same sounds characteristics... maybe AD5 is more "in your face" or more "closer" or in other words, doesnt have as wide soundstage as A900 ?
and for me, AD5 sounds brighter than A900, but not annoyingly bright.
however, AD5 still sounds impressive and has very little difference from A900 for me though..
but note that ive just listened to both cans for less than 20 hours in total though... maybe only 10 hours in total... and if the theory of "burn-in" is true, i would expect some changes in sound that might make me think differently about the similarity of A900 and AD5.
or i might add some more good things about A900, hehe..
To conclude, generally speaking, i personally think that A900 is for a person that:
- need something that is easy to drive, even with portables
- need some good looking, expensive looking indoor phones that can impress your friend
- love listening to "involving, energetic" headphones, not purely neutral one. or can i say, cans with attitude ?
- havent got money to get an amp yet or an amp is not necessary, but you still want a nice sounding headphone
- love original japanese-made product
- need an all around performer headphone that can go well with every kind of music
- want a comfy headphone
- need a good isolating headphone
Don't get A900 if you :
- have state of the art, killer CD player and headphone amp (that can reveal a sound of a conductor scratching his butt whilst conducting a concert) and thinking to get a new headphone to match your killer rig.
- dont have enough money.. hehe...
seriously, if you are on limited budget, i wont hesitate to recommend you to get AD5 instead, its still a great pair of headphone, and i personally think it is more comfortable than A900, due to the cushion material on AD5... AD5 is much lighter, and when you put them on, it feels like a pillow.... very soft and comfortable.... and you can barely feel it that its on your head..
but doesnt mean that A900 is awfully heavy though...
Alright... thats all fellow members... im getting tired typing...
and for the more experienced members here ( thats 99% of the members here, hehe...), if i missed something about A900 or if there is a certain thing i should note about A900, or something i said was wrong, please feel free to let me know so that i can be more familiar with it...
Now, if you excuse me, i am going to decide which instant noodle (or rahmen noodle) i should eat for today, and maybe choose the flavour for tomorrow, and maybe for the next 3 weeks too since im broke because of this phones... hehe....
Thank you for reading this whole lot of newbie ramblings !
PS: if you need pics to see the A900 in different pose (apart from the one on the web), let me know, i will try to post them here....