Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X Open-Back Audiophile Headphones, Black

I purchased the Audio Technica ATH-AD900X here from Amazon. I became interested in the AD900X after trying on a pair at a retailer and getting a opportunity to demo them with different genres of music. What immediately grabbed me was the quality of the sound but also the comfort for a full-size over-the-ear headphone. Pro's Sound - The AD900X are an open design headphone. The sound is very forward and clear, with clean and bright mid-range and treble sounds. Others have criticized the AD900X as being too bright. Personally, I didn't find that to be the case. The sound present is very lively and enjoyable. Bass sounds are clear, but not boom-y or thump-y like many newer bass-heavy headphones. If anything, I would describe the sound of the AD900X as being neutral across the spectrum. Vocals, in particular, are very enjoyable on the AD900X - coming across very forward and center stage. If I had to compare the AD900X to other headphones I either own or have heard, I would say the sound is very much in the "reference class" of headphones like the AKG K550 or K70X series or the Beyerdynamic DT880. The sound is very uncolored and realistic, which personally I like a lot. Comfort - To start, the AD900X is a large set of headphones. The speakers and ear pads are slightly over 4 inches in diameter and circular in shape, covered in black velour. As a result, the ear pads and speakers will cover even the largest of ears. For its size, the AD900X have to be one of the lightest full size over ear headphones. The only lighter headphones I can compare them to are the Bose AE2, another very light headphone. The AD900X has a very unique design for the headband. Instead of a full over-the-head headband, the AD900X has 2 padded "wings" above the actual cans that rest upon the side and slightly over the top of your head. You feel virtually no pressure on the head from this design. Out of the box, the clamping pressure from the upper support bands is a bit tight, resulting in the ear pad cushions getting mashed against the sides of my head and the grills of the speakers to push in and rest on the ear. A quick stretch of the support loosened it up nicely. These headphones appear to have been designed specifically for users with extended wear times like sound engineers, DJ's, recording engineers and others. The AD900X can easily be worn for hours at a time with no discomfort. While not a comfort issue, the AD900X comes with a very long 10 foot cable terminating in a mini-plug. A 1/4 inch gold plated adapter is also included. For pro users like an engineer at a sound board, DJ's, musicians and others who require mobility while wearing the headphones, this ideal. For a home user, the longer cord is nice feature - allowing you to connect to a home entertainment unit or amplifier directly and not have to sit on top of the unit or require a headphone extension cable. Other reviews mentioned this, but I'll second what they indicated - the AD900X really needs a headphone amplifier or stereo receiver to properly drive the speakers to provide the best sound quality. While you can plug them into a smartphone, tablet or music player directly, those units really don't have the output to drive the AD900X properly. Plus, based on the design, these really are not portable headphones. Despite the light weight and comfort, the AD900X is just too big and the cord too long to use as portable headphones. Con's Fit - As other reviewers have mentioned, due to the unique head "support wing" design, there is nothing running over the top of your head holding the headphones in place. After an extended period of listening, the ear pads will slightly droop, with the top edge of pad sliding down to rest on the top of the ear. While it's a minor annoyance, these are headphones you will periodically need to reposition to maintain an optimal fit and comfort level. Again, it's not that big of a deal - however if you are coming from a Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic headphone that have both great comfort and can be left in place without repositioning for hours at time, just be forewarned that you will fidget a bit with the AD900X to keep the cans in the "sweet spot". Summary These are a great pair of headphones I've added to my collection. The sound is outstanding along with the comfort and light weight for a full sized headphone. I now understand why Audio Technica has such devoted fans of their headphones. Despite my minor criticisms, these are a super pair of headphones. You can't go wrong picking up a pair.

My main purpose was to find an alternative to buying expensive gaming headsets. That's when I was introduced to the term 'audiophile'. I was intrigued by the open headphones. I was warned about the sound leakage, and I will tell you that you can definitely hear what is playing without fail. When putting these things on the head I thought that there is an opening from the rear, but there isn't. It feels that light. The cups are huge. I can see them from my peripheral vision. The velour fabric felt prickly at first but I got use to them any they feel softer now. Everything feels light, however, with the wing-clamp things, I feel a slight pressure along my temple. It disappears after a while. Yes, with a bald head, a slight jerk will cause the headphones to shift off my head. Sneeze and be warned. No I haven't tried the "rubber-band hack" to keep it still. The cord is long. I do not recommend taking them to the streets because you have a lot of slack and wire to carry (let alone those poles at the top screams weird in public). Being open headphones, you will hear everything around you (dog barks, pots clanging, kids screaming, etc.) You can still feel the wind through them. Heck, you can literally SEE through them. But the open airiness really changes the quality of the music compare to my bass heavy headsets. I will not go into detail about quality too much. Websites like www.headfi.org can explain this like they are sipping on fine wine. Based on a short and simple description is that I can hear more instruments and subtle details to the music than my old headphones (Sony XB700 = DISCONTINUED = RARE). HOWEVER with an amplifier (I used a gaming brand amplifier), my XB700 sounds more full and fun. The AD900x sounds great, but less bass as to what many others say. To be honest, I like it that way. Spotify for Android has an equalizer under settings, so I set it up to where the bass is there, but not overbearing. Plug into my PC and I can set it up that way as well. You can't lose. For soundstage, I'd say it's great. It could be a little better. I heard about the 1000x fixes that. I mean, if I am suppose to hear sounds spread all over like I'm in an actual concert, I don't hear that unless I press the simulated surround sound on the amp. That mode is irritating with all that reverb. When it comes to gaming, my main purpose, I feel I made a great purchase. For being open headphones, I actually do feel like I am in the world. The best game I have so far that I can use an example is Far Cry 4. I played it on the XBox One. With an amp, since XB is proprietary with their controller, it's great. I never use the surround sound feature on my amp, it'll just make the sounds sound farther away that it actually is. The spatial sense is there without the simulated surround sound: front, side to side, behind, I can hear it all. In the end, if you want an entry level audiophile headset then look no further. With the price as it is, don't hesitate. Get an amplifier, I also purchased this recently: Ear Force DSS 7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound Processor via Amazon (discontinued = CHEAP). It has a bass booster that makes everything sound perfect for me. A perfect alternative to the expensive MixAmp, plus it's more portable. I guess I should add that after a year or two with these I may upgrade to a Hifiman 560, or if I plan to be broke, the Audeze LCD2. I am intrigued as a novice audiophile. Enjoy them.

I will be brief, as I don't own these anymore. These HPs are amazing. They provide quite the detail and clarity for my acoustic and live listening tracks. Wonderfully made, yes they are. The mids and highs were great for my taste, letting me enjoy clear vocals and crisp guitar pickings. However, the majority of my current playlist and taste requires a more existent lower end. I had to pair this with my Fiio E12 to get there. It was even better with the Fiio E17, where I could add a bit of control on the treble and bass. Now don't get me wrong--the bass is there without the added equipment. It's tight, it comes and it goes. It is great if you don't really care for it. But I personally just wanted a bit more oomph, which is why I added an amp (and then a DAC/amp) to it. Once I did this, it was (almost) heaven. I am unfortunately not a fan of that 3d wing support system they have (those pads that sit on the top of your head). They just feel fragile for me, and I am no fan of loose-moving parts on $200+ headphones (although this was probably intentional on design). The ear-cups were not deep enough for my ears, which would often graze against the inside grill, causing major discomfort. I also, like many others, had to use a shoelace or similar to pull the headphones closer for a more secure fit. At first, I was okay with this, but over time I found myself readjusting it a little too much. It would be comfy at first, but then after 20 minutes it began to feel constricting...so I would loosen it, but then I end up loosening it too much and it would slip down my head. In summary, these are a great pair of HPs for their sound quality at the price they're sold at. But I think what people may have to deal with commonly is the personal comfort (the feel of the wing support, the depth of the ear-cups, the feel of the pads, and the fitting). If you are a basshead or even close to one, I suggest you don't buy. But if you want something for some good detail and clarity in your mids and highs, you can give this a whirl. You may be satisfied, or you may find yourself wanting more (which I think would take your search towards the Sennheiser HD600...maybe even the HD800 if you can afford it, or the Beyerdynamic DT880 from what i'm finding in my research so far).

For the price they simply can not be beat. They are comfortable, even though the fit is a tad strange, due to the design. They do not clamp or have tension to any noticeable degree. But, because of that, they do not provide a very assured fit, they just sort of rest on your head relying on gravity alone. But, it works. However, the sound is really exceptional. It simply consumes you. The bass does hit, not very hard, but just hard enough to let you know its there. The highs cut right through you, like the sound you would imagine a siren to make as she lures in the forgotten sailors towards their final rest. The mids take you in like an old familiar friend trying to confort you on a bad day. It makes for a very well composed and inviting listening experience. They let in almost all noise, and leak out a significant amount as well, but that is expected given the open design. They are meant to be worn at home or in private, or anywhere if you could care less what the onlookers might think. They are truly a remarkable pair of headphones, especially considering the price. Compared to my momentum 1.0 on-ear, momentum 2.0 over ear, ath m40x, they are by far the best sounding. They also have the most open sound stage. They realistically create the illusion of space in terms of distance between the sound of the instruments and singer compared to eachother while being relative to you. The momentum 2.0 however edge them out significantly in comfort. Also the momentum 2.0 have a well developed sound stage as well, but it does not come close to the ath ad900x. But they are meant for a different kind of experience, so that is neither here nor there. Also note that the cable is not replacable or removable. So while that may not be a inherent problem, it might create trouble depending on their application. If you are very rough or require different cables, you may need to look elsewhere.

I had previously purchased the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 due to recommendations over on head-fi and was ok with them. A bit stuffy they never really fit over my rather large ears and got rather stuffy. They were also ok for being baby bass monsters but lacked the mid to lower upper range quality I like (am a huge fan of the very forward vocals on Shure's iems). Upon unboxing; much as the previous reviewer, I was not overly impressed with the sound. However, like him, it has gotten better. Whether belief in 'burn-in' or it's simply the ears adjusting these headphones really do need a bit of listening time to sound really good. Personally I think since headphones are electro-mechanical devices they really do 'bed' themselves. Size wise they fit my extremely large noggin very well. The 3-d wings are a brilliant idea who simply grip, with just the right amount of force, and stay wherever you put them. The velour earpads are a huge increase in comfort over the pleather on the M50. They're also very large and I'm not tucking my earlobes up inside of them because they simply fit around. Being an open back design they also don't require the 'move to one side to let sweat evaporate' that the M50 requires. The upper bands do stick way up in the air and make you look like you're trying to pull in OTA signals...but these really aren't designed to for portable use so it's a minor issue. I do take the overly stiff cable, with a non-threaded 1/8-1/4 adapter as a step down from the M50 though. Sound-wise the headphones are great. Super good with piano tracks and female vocals. Katie Melua, Allison Krauss, Sarah Brightman, etc. all sound brilliant. The range on these headphones seems to go on and on and on. Putting on my standard 'test track', Alanis Morrisette's "Uninvited" did reveal a bit of loss of details in the low end that the M50 easily resolves. A run through some rock tracks (Queen of the Damned soundtrack has a nice variety) also left me wanting to go back to the M50 for some headbanging fun. However, for the majority of the music I listen to, these are much better. Lent them to a co-worker, who I believe has every single Beats model, and I couldn't get them back for a couple of hours. He stated that he really liked the sound, which considering what he usually buys is a vast improvement, but he also said that they weren't portable enough.

It is my first Audio Technica can that I've ever bought. I consider myself an headphile as I've own a few high end universal IEM. I've only recently spending money on headphones. I recently bought a set of Amperior and I think it is a great can for pop, but I was looking for an open headphone for better soundstage and comfy to use at home. After some extensive research and testing, ATH-AD900X seems to do well for what I was looking for. It is super light in weight and with very minimal clamping force for maximum comfort. The only drawback is that the cable is non removable. So it is a bit too long for the kind of equipment that I use (IPOD + HP-P1). It's ok, I just have to roll of up. It is not a can for bass head. It has good bass quality and relatively well in quantity, especially for open types. The mid and highs are what this can is all about. It has slight forward mid, less so than my Shure 535SE. The highs are bright, but doesn't wear me out even after a long session. Compare to Amperior, this is much easier to wear for longer time, mainly because off the minimal clamping force. For some reason I tend to turn up the volume with my Amperior, and it only allows me to listen to it for an hour or so... mainly listening to pop. But with the 900x, I tend to listen to Carly Rae Jepsen, Taylor Swift and some classical music at a lower volume. So I think it really depends on the genes of music that you listen to. For the price, I don't think I can find a better can. It has to be one of my best audio equipment purchase in the past 12 months.

I'll start saying that I love the sound of these headphones, great audio quality. As I work from home, I don't have to worry about other people listening in, and I prefer this soundstage versus closed-back headphones. Now, the headband needs a lot of work, I find myself adjusting the headphone position every hour or so as they tend to slip down/back. And adding a hair tie to try and keep the supports together creates too much pressure. Other than that, they are comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and the cable does not produce any noise when rubbing against surfaces.

Wanted to step up my FPS (CSGO) gaming to the next level and after much research it appeared open-back headphones were the next logical step in my ever upgrading/evolving gaming setup. I'll let you know I don't know jack about being a audiophile or any of that nonsense but I know what my ears like and they like these, but like I said I bought these for gaming and not for music. So after much research it appeared these had a great sound stage and made it easy to pinpoint sounds while playing. I have to admit all the reviews I read were true and the ingame precision with these far exceeded my expectations. I can easily follow footsteps through walls and distinguish all ingame sounds with ease. They are also quite comfortable to wear and I have no issues when I'm wearing them for 6, 8 or even 12 hour gaming sessions. I am a little disappointed there isn't anyway to adjust them tighter/looser or have rotating ear cups. I'm also tossing around the idea of replacing the foam ear pads because they aren't as plush as my other headsets. I have been using a Corsair Vengeance Gaming 1500 USB headset for a couple years now and absolutely loved it but after a night of screaming little kids ingame I'm fairly confident one of the speakers got blown out :( There is no comparison between the Corsairs and the Audio Technica though. These AT's are in a class of their own. I had been researching gaming headphones for over a year and since none of the pairs I wanted were cheap I studied them long and hard. I finally narrowed it down to the Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1X and the Sennheiser Game Zero's. Once I came to the conclusion I wanted open-back I had to decide between a few different levels of the AT headsets. Upon further inspection I discovered the ATH-ADG1X was nothing more then a glorified ATH-AD900X headphones minus the mic and mic cable. As much as I like aesthetics I don't like them for a extra $60 ($260 for ADG1X). So I decided to go the route of getting the AD900X's + ModMic = $200 vs the $260 for the full headset with a lesser quality mic...seemed like a no brainer. In the end I am quite satisfied and if I had the extra cash I probably would have went with the 1 piece gaming headset variation but there is no harm in saving money and having a slightly higher quality setup vs the simplicity/aesthetics of molded in mic and single cord. To each their own. 10/10 would suggest these to any gamer with a quiet atmosphere to use them. **Update** I recently added a sound card to my setup (Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D THX SB1350) which has only amplified the amount of sweet sweet love these cans make to my ears. Everything sounds even better than before and I absolutely love it. I also forgot to mention this and it should go without saying but if you are in any kind of a noisy atmosphere (even a fan in your room or something) you will probably be able to hear that while using these unless you have them cranked.

Seguramente haya mejores, a mi estos cascos me encantan, los utilizo para música y pelis. Se escucha todo en su sitio y con una nitidez alucinante. Son los mejores que tengo. Tengo los Audio-Technica M50X (-Bluetooth) y los M60X con los que estoy muy contento también, con estos son con los que lo comparo.

This is the third pair i have now purchased. Old ones worn out due to wear and tear plus the dog eating one pair. These are the most comfy headphones i have used and wear daily. Tried some others and they just done cut it after these. Although i do use a elastic band between the wings to keep them tighter. I look at this as simple maintenance to achieve this level of comfort. Also the ear pads are fine although aftermarket one are more plush.

発売したのが10年近く前と聞いて驚きましたが、普通に今でも通用する音質かと思います。 女性ボーカルは綺麗に聴こえますし、不足している帯域も個人的には感じません。 低域が控えめと感じる方もいるようなので個人差あるかと思いますが、十分に出ているのかなと思います。 音の広さもこの値段なら満足です。 また、頭のサイズが大きい私でも圧迫感なく付けられますし、サイズ調整不要なのもとても楽です。

very nice 5/5

Voilà des années que je l'utilise. C'est de loin mon casque préféré. Le son est d'une clarté ahurissante. Les aigus sont sublimés par un rendu cristallin. Le casque étant ouvert, il n'y a pas de réverbération offrant un son très naturel. Les basses sont minimales, ce qui est un plus, laissant les moyennes et hautes fréquences s'exprimer au meilleur de leur potentiel. Il est très léger, exerce très peu de pression ce qui le rend très agréable pour de longue sessions d'écoute. C'est un casque fait pour l'intérieur à utiliser de préférence avec un bon DAC et des sources non compressées tel que le format FLAC 96/24. Quelque soit le style musical, il surperforme et fait redécouvrir certains morceaux. Un vrai coup de cœur. Merci Audio Technica!