keanex
Keeper of The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide
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- Feb 17, 2010
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I’d like to preface this by thanking Reddit user ojneg for allowing me to borrow his A900 to compare to my A900x. The A900 were a mid-tier priced closed back headphone from Audio Technica that were discontinued a few years ago in favor a more up to date design. Due to the A900 never really being popular in America used pairs are a bit hard to come across so I’m very grateful to get to listen to a pair, especially one that’s in great condition, so thanks ojneg!
Build Quality & Fit: A900x, barely
It’s difficult to compare the build quality of the A900 to the A900x since the A900 have been handled and used a lot more in their age so I’m going to tread lightly here. From what I can see, the two carry a near identical design throughout, with the A900x receiving slight aesthetic changes throughout, including a color change, but nothing that seems to be structurally different. The A900 feel a bit looser, but I attribute that to their old age rather than the A900x being tighter. Both headphones feel structurally sound and the A900 have certainly shown they can stand up to time.
The fit is very similar on both headphones and I’m going to chalk up differences to age, which is my suspicion is the biggest difference here. Both headphones sit light on the head thanks to the winged design while providing modest comfort, dampened mostly by the cheap pads. Clamp is on the light side, but they sit secure enough to not fuss over fit constantly. The pads are circumaural (barely) and pleather on both headphones, neither having great texture to them, instead feeling a bit cheap. I feel these would benefit from different pads and I have seen alternatives, though they tend to be more than half of the cost of the headphones themselves. Audio Technica has always skimped on their pads though, even in their higher-end models like the Ad2000 and W1000x.
Sound Quality: Draw
A900The A900 are euphoric and punchy headphones that I find immediately exciting to listen to, especially shining with upbeat electronic music. The sound signature is mildly v-shaped with midbass being prominent and the highs sounding a touch forward; the bass and treble frequencies don’t sound overly exaggerated as much as the midrange sounds relaxed. The sound comes off somewhat balanced despite the v-shape in so much that I am not struggling to hear various parts in any song that I’ve listened to. The best way I can think to describe them is relaxed, yet lively, and yes I realize the contradiction.
The midbass is punchy when it needs to be (kick drum) but soft and euphoric in texture when carrying a bass melody. I find the midbass excels when paired with lively electronic music while sometimes coming off a bit sluggish when listening to complex drum parts in rock music. The midbass thrives when thickness and punch are welcome, not so much quickness. The sub-bass sounds a bit more sluggish than the midbass does and lacks the je ne so quois that the midbass has. The sub lacks presence and slam, making the A900 less than ideal for heavy bass music, rather excelling at quick and energetic dance music.
The midrange exhibits a recession that is slightly exaggerated by the prominent frequencies north and south of it, sounding a step back in the soundstage. Despite the recession I do not find the midrange to have any veil, nor do I feel that it sounds congested. The midrange is warm and smooth with a natural tone to it, I rather like the midrange a lot actually for its tonal characteristics. The midrange is soft and pleasant with a good amount of detail showing, not exactly detail monsters but I don’t feel that I’m missing out on anything otherwise.
The highs lean mildly bright starting with the electric guitar and hi-hat frequencies for a short burst before softly rolling off. Sibilance is mild, only offering a slight tzz. I notice the highs lack quickness to fully recover before proceeding notes, which causes a bit of smearing in the upper frequencies, and again this is most apparent with the drum frequencies here. I like the highs though, bright leaning without being piercing, could use some quickness, but for less than $200 these do it very nicely.
The soundstage is intimate, exacerbated by the prominent midbass. with little sense of depth or or height. The width is near 180 degrees in width, but overall comes off as coming from infront, rather than from around. Despite the smallish soundstage I find that instrument separation is done well enough to keep things from becoming cluttered.
A900x
The A900x are immediately engaging headphones taking on a mild v-shape that is clean and lively. I find these to be immensely enjoyable with upbeat electronic music like Disclosure where the punchy midbass shines and the brightness is welcome. I find that the midbass is prominent with somewhat sharp highs that create a ravine for the midrange to poke out of. The sound is a bit forward and deserving of attention, carrying huge energy through it and being immediately impressive.
The midbass is exciting, punchy when necessary (kick drums) and thick and rounded with a pleasant texture during bass melodies. The midbass is absolutely capable of carrying a songs energy and it’s hugely apparent when listening to Kendrick Lamar’s King Kunta. I find it slightly intrusive into the midrange exacerbating the midrange recession a bit. The midbass has some sense of quickness to it, sounding focused during complex drum parts with a sense of space in between quick hits. The subbass has a mild downslope, but decent presence far down low, not enough to excite for highly bass heavy music, but enough to serve for those not hugely into bass heavy music. The bass does lack some texture down low though, becoming a tad one-note.
The midrange is recessed and it’s exacerbated by somewhat sharp and forward highs and prominent midbass. Vocals have a sense of forwardness to them though which brings them a bit more in focus, but they’re a step behind the bass and treble. I think that the mids sound clean and rather quick though, and when left alone they carry a good tone about them.
The highs lean bright and lack quickness at times, and sibilance is mild but noticed. There’s nothing harsh about the highs, in-fact they’re textured quite nicely, but they could do for more speed.
Soundstage sounds front facing rather than surround and lacks height and depth. The soundstage has a sense of intimacy, but lacks positional qualities for realistic audio cues and overall sounds closed without the congestion.
For this portion a drink was definitely necessary!
Comparison
A900
Advantages: Bass is better textured, bass sounds quicker and better separated, mids sound slightly more in focus.
A900x
Advantages: Highs are better controlled, very little sibilance, cleaner sounding driver.
Bright Eyes - Landlocked Blues
A900
The vocals have some warmth to them, sibilance is mellow but somewhat sharp, a tad hot. Sound may actually be a tad grainy in the vocals. The overall balance and tone of the guitar solo portion is incredibly well done at this price, clean with each instrument on it’s own layer, it sounds like I’m in the studio surrounded by the musicians. The horn in the horn solo sound a bit off in the distance like a ships horn off shore, I can almost completely discern the right guitar part. The left guitar seems slightly most prominent with the bass and piano more as accenting background.
A900x
Sibilance in comparison is just as present, but sounds a tad less sharp. The soloing guitar might actually sound a bit lower than the A900, maybe due to the slightly more prominent bass? Sibilance is certainly a slight notch below the A900 though. I’m sure of that. I find it hard to really discern the differences during the horn solo though, boy this is tough!
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - I’m New Here
A900
I use this song solely for bass linearity and bass response. Big midbass response that falls off in a rounded, somewhat quick fashion. Bass hits pretty big up top, but flounders by the end, noticed but lacking any enjoyment for those who want the big bass.
A900x
Bass sounds a bit thicker up top, coming off a bit more prominent, definitely sounding a bit more bassy, with subbass still rolling off rather quickly, but coming off a tad more robust in the end. Sounds bassier than the A900 overall. With the sibilance showing through a tad on the A900 which gives the A900 a slight brighter sound to it here.
Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta
Excellent energy in the bassline and kick drum. Some sibilance heard in the vocals and the vocals sound a tad raspier than normal. Really energetic and fun song to listen to hear on the A900.
A900x
A bit warmer, sibilance is less vocals a bit cleaner. Overall sound is a bit more refined and warm. A little less punchy.
Steely Dan - Aja (closing drum fills)
A900
Drum fills are a tad slow, a little bit bunched up, but lively. Overall sound puts the keys higher in the mix than they should be. No huge speed issues, but certainly some slow decay. Drums also sound a tad recessed, especially since it’s mostly tom fills.
A900x
Drums sound a tad muffled in comparison, keys not as high in the mix, but the drums feel a bit more sluggish and lacking in texture.
Conclusion: A900x
After a long and hard week of demoing these two back and forth and nitpicking over minor sonic differences I came to the conclusion that, all things equal, I think that the A900x would be the better buy, but barely. There’s no clear-cut winner, but when it came down to me nitpicking away I found that the A900x has a cleaner sounding driver when all is said and done. While both have a euphoric v-shape sound, I found the grain through the midrange and sibilance in the upper-mids of the A900 were issues that kept popping up that weren’t as present in the A900x. Due to that I think the A900x is the better headphone, though it’s a very close call.
For what it’s worth, I greatly enjoy both of these headphones and consider them highly musical and euphoric. I find that the sound is a great value for the money when looking for a closed headphone for desktop use.
