Audio-Technica A990Z High-Fidelity Closed-Back Headphones Forest Green

Having looked at many headphones to find a high quality well made & comfortable product for the home that does not rely on electronic gimmickry of noise cancelling. I also wanted to use it to listen to Hi resolution streaming ( Qobuz). I discovered this by searching across many reviews but most mass-market headphones these days are designed with Bluetooth & noise cancelling and has apps etc to determine the sound signature. This does none of that but produces a rich, well-integrated sound best listened with a DAC ( not essential as impedance is not so high it requires a DAC or Headphone Amp) Also, I did not want to spend hundreds of pounds as audiophile headsets with this sound capability often cost a lot more. (At least double) Let me begin by saying what this headphone is not. Unless you are used to wearing 53 mm domes, outside this is not the outdoor headphone. It also avoids high tech electronic noise suppression ( for that Sony WH - 1000XM3 or 2 range is fabulous). What this does well, is deal well with a wide range of music from rock, jazz, classical for home listening. Use with a DAC and it will be even better. I have used this with different range of DACS (Chord, Arcam, Marantz) and these have performed as well as my rather old but very expensive T5p These are closed headphones so you won't scare the cat or the neighbours. To keep the weight down the metal covering uses aluminium so you get some leakage but unless you are playing at very high volumes ( not recommended) you won't get any sound leakage. I found listening for a long period was not a challenge as the "headband" gave great support The overall feel of this headphone is that it is very well engineered with a good thick cable with two jacks. The size of the drivers at 53 mm gives this a spacious feel so the constricted sound that you get from closed-back headphones are not as evident in these headphones. In terms of value, this is a fabulous buy at £179 as the other headphones with this sort of capability are at least double the price. The sound signature is very similar to the now discontinued Bowers & Wilkins P7 but this one can play high res files. I would not say this matches the Beyerdynamic which is nearly eight times more expensive than this. Finally, the sound needs to settle down, so use this headphone for about 2-3 days and the quality of the headset becomes obvious. For the price/value/ quality equation home listening phones, I have yet to find one that matches these headphones. For that, it deserves 5 stars

I purchased a pair of audio technics headphones, the ATH 900Z, about a month ago, after my last audio techno a pairs cables became split after 11 years regular use; these new ATH 900Z are fantastic, super comfortable to wear & with an audio range that sounds amazing, it’s the audio range that’s most important, but seldom overlooked; for sound quality, comfort and price, these are some of the best headphones on the market in my opinion, and I tried many before this purchase!

To start with the design they look good and built sturdy other than the wing head rest. I don't think the wing head rest would break from normal use but maybe if you dropped them and the first impact was on them they might snap. I find them really comfortable nice amount of squeeze and head band wings you don't feel. Loads of room for your ears. They are on the heavier side as large cups, but makes them feel good quality. The audio quality, although I haven't tried many hifi headphones I have more experience with speakers. I am not using a fancy DAC my pc has a decent built in sound card though. How I would describe the sound it almost zooms into the music then separates the L and the right sounds to make this layers affect to how you hear the audio pan. This really makes the small details pop like the sliding of fingers over guitar strings. The sound stage it makes it sound like instruments have more positioning then just being left or right or centered. The audio frequency range is really good some people say alot of bass some people say no bass let me clear this up. They do take a week or 2 of use like 10hr or so to wear in that helps the sound. The bass is really good very accurate doesn't muffle the rest of the sound. They are not bass monsters as they are designed for good audio quality, that so many big brand headphones like bose and skull candy go for the V shape as it sounds best to people who don't care for mids. The upper bass is also positioned in the sound that will make it appear to some people that theirs is no bass. I have put a tiny eq on below 150hz and above 2khz a 3db boost that makes these headphones make you cry when you play the right song (in a good way). These are really good for any music though you may feel that it makes some music sound bad as it reveals bad recordings / tiny artifacts left in from not mixing properly. Imo they work best for slower music so you can be immersed into how the sound pans. I have used them for gaming as well and they give you a really good seperation of audio when you are in the middle of a lot of action. Though the front and back audio depth isn't as apparent as the left and right for say tracking foot steps. Overall really good headphone worth the money just don't drop them!

Compared to my Sennheiser Hd800s headphones these can easily hold their own...They are an easier drive, and sound far more balanced in the midrange. Overall balance is extremely uncoloured and transparent. The high frequencies are etched naturally even when the going gets hard. Massed orchestral strings are a real challenge for headphones and speakers alike.... these headphone retain natural timbre without getting wiry or thin and gritty. Just so natural and dynamic. At a sixth of the price of the HD800s headphones it shows what can be done with excellent engineering. These will be my go to headphones from now on.

Sono cuffie ottime, la prima cosa da dire è che non vanno giudicate subito. Necessitano un po' di ore di "rodaggio", non propriamente burn in perché basta ascoltare semplice musica, magari diversi generi, per rodare i driver, che dall'iniziale impastamento acquisteranno sempre maggiore pulizia, dettaglio, e separazione degli strumenti. Hanno un soundstage e una gamma invidiabili per della cuffie chiuse. Il sistema di appoggio può lasciare interdetti, ma di fatto permette l'ascolto per ore senza affaticamento. Al prezzo al quale vengono offerte credo abbiano un rapporto qualità prezzo invidiabile.

Je possédais un casque Beyerdynamic qui a rendu l'âme au bout de 2 ans , un dt 770 pro en 250Ohms , déçu alors que toutes les reviews vont en sa faveur Ayant un micro Audio Technica , j'en étais très content au niveau qualité donc j'ai décidé de faire confiance à la marque et de me lancer dans l'achat du ATH-A990Z Surpris lorsque je l'ai reçu en 2 jours , de la qualité des matériaux proposés , les coques en aluminiums sont vraiment superbes , elles donnent une sensations de qualité vraiment appréciable. J'ai beau le mettre dans plusieurs position , le tordre rien ne craque pas de bruit , ne se déforme pas Le câble ne se décroche pas c'est le seul point négatif que je lui donne ; cependant le câble est vraiment de bonne manufacture, il est gainé en tissu tressé , il ne s'emmêle pas pour l'instant aucun souci à ce niveau la Coté confort , rien à redire je peux le porter plusieurs heures que ce soit 1h ou bien 6-7h je ne le sens même pas sur la tête , aucun désagrément au niveau du système 3D, il tient bien en place pour ce qui est de ma part, attention aux petits têtes il a tendance a un peu trop bouger contrairement au dt770 pro ou j'avais besoin de faire une pause au bout d'un moment car j'avais une douleur sur le haut de la tête ! Les coussinets sont plutôt confortable Coté son , après l'avoir écouter a peu près 50 heures , absolument pas déçu , il est couplé a un ampli casque pour vraiment avoir le maximum de qualité, je l'ai utilisé pour un peu tout , que ce soit du jeu vidéos , des films , de la musique évidemment la ou il est excelle , le son est propre , ne sature pas Les basses sont profondes , pas de grésillement même lorsque l'on met le son plutôt fort , les bas mediums sont bien présent ca donne pas mal de chaleur Petit plus sur les médiums supérieurs que je trouve vraiment bien présente Les aiguës sont clair , même en cas de forte basse on arrive toujours a les distinguer correctement sans distorsion ce qui peut arriver sur certains casques et rien de plus horrible que des basses qui empiètent sur le reste du spectre En conclusion c'est un très bon casque malgré le peu de test que j'ai vu sur les modèles de chez Audio Technica , la qualité est présente que ce soit sur les matériaux , la qualité sonore C'est un casque que je recommande fortement !

First off: I have limited experience with high end headphones. I had been primarily using the AKG 240 Studio (55 ohm) for the last few years. It was certainly a huge upgrade to the A990z. I would say that the A990z has a massive sound stage and more high end (without sibilance except on the worst recordings!) Bass is present and extended, but will certainly be underwhelming for many styles of music. I did need to do the "rubber band mod" opting for a hair tie that I stretched out to be the right length... this helped reduce fatigue and the annoyance of the headphones sliding down on my head. I believe that these are fantastic for monitoring in a studio environment and for high-end listening, but the noise-isolation is mediocre at best. If someone else is in the room watching TV at normal levels or having a conversation you will hear it (you won't notice it if you turn the volume up, but that doesn't mean it isn't impacting the sound in some marginal way). Coming from the AKG 240 ("semi-open") to the A990z ("closed") I was expecting less noise to leak out, but that is not the case... My wife says she can still hear every line to the songs I'm listening to, and I'm not playing music very loud at all. This is likely due to the huge drivers and the very thin aluminum? outer shell which reflects sound both ways. I don't mind at all, again I'm used to semi-open headphones. I absolutely recommend these for live sound monitoring in a closed studio environment, and perhaps they are usable for mastering and engineering, but I lack the experience to for certain. They have a slightly colder sound, but they make up for it with the extreme instrument clarity and separation, which is what I bought them for. Also, these are fantastic for FPS gaming since they differentiate sounds so clearly. Major Con: for me this is huge, the cable is not replaceable... for such a high end pair, this is hard to justify... I will absolutely be modding them to replace the cable, in the future when I'm forced to... otherwise very durable and well made cable... just very, very, very long! Oh and I purchased fuzzy velour earpads off the internet since I listen for so many hours each day (the stock pads are great but do eventually make you sweat), make sure you get 105-110mm x 105-110mm sized ones for the ATH-1000 (couldn't find these on amazon, btw), etc series and they will fit correctly... sound was not impacted dramatically.

I knew they're not audiophile headphones beforehand but I thought I'd still get a decent seperation/sound stage/loudness. Instead I got kitchen sink megaphones.

Mi nueva adquisición en el mundillo audiófilo han sido estos auriculares, aprovechando una oferta irresistible de producto usado pero en muy buen estado. No tenía aún ningunos auriculares de la marca Audio-Technica y, después de unas cuantas búsquedas y estudio de características, me decidí por estos, de estética elegante en verde oscuro y negro y buenas reseñas. ¿Qué puedo decir? Son, sin duda, los mejores de mi pequeña colección: los comparo con los Sivga Robin, los Philips Fidelio X2HR y los Sennheiser HD 598 se, y salen victoriosos. El sonido es más bien cálido, todas las frecuencias están equilibradas, los instrumentos y las voces se escuchan perfectamente posicionados y con un timbre natural, y además son muy cómodos; tienen una sujeción especial para la cabeza que sustituye a la tradicional diadema y, la verdad, funciona muy bien. Las almohadillas son cómodas y espaciosas y, quizá, el único pero que se les podría sacar es que vienen con un único cable de 3 m no desmontable (son unos auriculares que ya llevan unos cuantos años en el mercado); aun así, y viendo cómo se escuchan, el pero se desvanece en la nada. La impedancia es pequeña y, por ello, pueden ser movidos por cualquier fuente; por supuesto, se benefician de un amplificador de auriculares o de un equipo de sonido. Al ser de diseño cerrado, los graves tienen presencia, y aguantan muy bien cualquier ecualización que requiera nuestro gusto particular. Resumiendo: sonido neutro, cálido y muy detallado; es una gozada escuchar música (de buenas fuentes, por supuesto) con ellos. Si el presupuesto para unos auriculares ronda unos 200 euros, los recomiendo encarecidamente.