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.