ATH-A900 Vs ATH-A700

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Neutrino

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Nov 10, 2005
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Well I need some new headphones for my computer (X-FI Platinum), old headphones got crushed in a moment of distraction:(. Originally I was leaning towards an open air headphone since they are generally considered to have a better sound stage, however I'm worried that they leak too much sound therefore kind of defeating the purpose of headphones to not disturb others close by.


I started by considering the Sennheiser HD280s but it seems most people have mixed feelings towards them plus it seems the headband is prone to cracking. So after some research it seems some of the closed audio-technica headphones might offer the best build quality (in my price range) plus a fairly open soundstage despite the fact they are closed.

Now the only problem is that I cannot find any really good reviews (not even on headphonereviews.org) for the ATH-A700s. The 900s seem to have generally superb reviews (even being considered equivalent to the senns HD595s) but I wonder if they are worth the 54 dollars premium over the 700s.

As a last question, it seems audiocubes is the only place to get those headphones. How reputable are they as a retailer in your experiences? And how fast do they ship to the US?

Thanks in advance for all your advice, and btw I'm also open to further suggestions for headphones and places to buy.:)

PS. My audio priorities are movies, music and games in that order. I also look mostly for clarity, positioning and range also in the same order of priorities.
 
guitarcentre are supposed to have them and do price matching...
I got the A900... They are not that robustly built compared to DT 770 PRO. I wouldn´t want to take the big A900s to lan partys for example.
They are good headphones. they seriously lack bass though. They have no bass extention to speak from but if you aren´t a bass head that won´t stop you from loving them :).
I got them while having the Dt 770 PRO 80 ohm before and I would say overall impression in games they are fairly equal.
Games that rely a lot on explosions and such I preferred the DT 770. Sam in games where you want to be totally isolated. A900 do leak a lot of sound in so the fans is really noticable with the A900.. I never check how much it prevents leaking out sound...
A900 did have a bit wider soundstage but it was either to spot sound in 3D with the Dt 770 I found. But A900 definiatly felt more "open".
Another option is to see if you can find some Ultrasone HFI-700 if you can´t afford their proline.

My Proline 750 totally demolishes both the DT 770 and A900 for gaming. Kind of hearts because I got very fond of my Dt 770 which I have had for a year now and thought it was the stuff lol. But the 750 goes lower, the bass has more impact, it´s tight. It has clearer sound then both A900 and DT 770 and good midrange. And the soundstage is to die for totally crushes the A900 and DT 770.
 
I love my a900s-definitely prefer them to hd595s. They are warm, articulate, smooth, and the soundstage is WIIIDE. Through a decent source, they sound AWESOME. The sound is almost dreamy.

They do lack a little in bass impact, but then again, Audio Technica's aren't made for that kind of music anyway. The bass is decently punchy, but coming from SF5pros, I found the impact to be pretty lackluster. The bass extension is NICE though-they'll go really, really deep. It's a matter of quantity vs. quality here-the AT bass is smooth and refined, so if you're into that, you'll love them. I don't mind them for metal, but I am looking into other headphones that give a little more impact and punch.

DT770s don't even compare to the sound quality of the A900s IMHO. They've got bass-that's for sure, but they just don't feel very lively compared to the A900s.

If you end up going with the A900s, you won't be disappointed. They're great cans.

edit: oh yeah...there's a neat trick you can do with almost every AT can to improve the bass impact. It's very simple and very, very effective. All you have to do is put an elastic band around the wings-this brings the tops of the drivers in closer to you ears. It might sound really insignificant, but it gives a 20-30% improvement in bass impact. Check this picture from a user on headfi:
15757285ducr5.jpg


I used a black elastic band (it looks a lot better)-same effect.
 
Not to flame or anything but I want to know how the elastic band would work to improve the bass?
 
alg7_munif said:
Not to flame or anything but I want to know how the elastic band would work to improve the bass?
Click to expand...

It brings the tops of the drivers closer to your ears, and also improves the seal significantly, which in turn increases the bass slam/impact.

ATs are very loose fitting headphones by default, so this simple modification improves that department significantly. Unfortunately, you also sacrifice a little bit of comfort. ATs are already so comfortable to begin with though, and you hardly notice a difference after 5 minutes with the elastic band modification :p
 
Called quitarcenter but they did not have any in stock, guess I'll try a few other local guys before I go for audiocubes.


So far it seems that the ath-a900 might the ones for me. The ultrasones posted are unfortunately way out of my budget ( I can barely fit the 900 in the budget as it is).

I'm glad that they have an open soundstage because that is quite what i was looking for. As far as bass hopefully that will not be too much of an issue because I'm not a big fan of big punchy overpowering base, I prefer a base that has good presence but its not distinctive. I hope that the 900 have at least that. If not i guess i can only try that rubber band trick (thx for the pic btw).


Two things oqvist mentioned: the 900 are not quite as robustly built a the beyerdynamics. Is that just in comparison or or they weakly built period? Also he mentioned that they leak a bit of sound, how bad is that? Not disturbing other peoples in the same room is quite important to me.
 
Neutrino said:
Two things oqvist mentioned: the 900 are not quite as robustly built a the beyerdynamics. Is that just in comparison or or they weakly built period? Also he mentioned that they leak a bit of sound, how bad is that? Not disturbing other peoples in the same room is quite important to me.
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to disagree on the build quality. A900s are simply the best built headphones you're going to find for under $200. The cups are solid aluminum, and the rest of the headphone is made from tough plastic. The dt770s feel pretty cheap in comparison.

As for leakage/isolation, here's what I've noticed-they don't isolate particularly well, but if you have music on at a moderate level, they WILL shut out all outside noise. Leakage isn't an issue at ALL-I always have my music blasting with people around me and no one can really hear it.

The elastic band trick improves the isolation considerably, so consider that as well.
 
m3ta1head said:
It brings the tops of the drivers closer to your ears, and also improves the seal significantly, which in turn increases the bass slam/impact.

ATs are very loose fitting headphones by default, so this simple modification improves that department significantly. Unfortunately, you also sacrifice a little bit of comfort. ATs are already so comfortable to begin with though, and you hardly notice a difference after 5 minutes with the elastic band modification :p
Click to expand...

Thanks, now I get it. Actually how it works is the reason why I prefer to use speaker than headphones eventhough my headphones sound better than my speaker. I can't lie down on a bed with a pillow behind my head when I wear my headphones :p Btw you qouted the wrong person there lol.
 
alg7_munif said:
Thanks, now I get it. Actually how it works is the reason why I prefer to use speaker than headphones eventhough my headphones sound better than my speaker. I can't lie down on a bed with a pillow behind my head when I wear my headphones :p Btw you qouted the wrong person there lol.
Click to expand...

Haha, how did that happen?

Forum fart? :p
 
You can run a car over the DT770 you can´t do that with the A900 lol.

Built quality is okay but it´s not the same as the DT 770 for sure...

As for bass extension? what have you heard before?
Comparing the A900 to DT 770 and 750 and you are totally missing bass notes you can hear with the Dt 770 and 750 with the A900...

They simply don´t go low at all. Which has better bass quality is personal preference of course but it´s a fact they don´t have much of a bass extension.
 
oqvist said:
You can run a car over the DT770 you can´t do that with the A900 lol.

Built quality is okay but it´s not the same as the DT 770 for sure...

As for bass extension? what have you heard before?
Comparing the A900 to DT 770 and 750 and you are totally missing bass notes you can hear with the Dt 770 and 750 with the A900...

They simply don´t go low at all. Which has better bass quality is personal preference of course but it´s a fact they don´t have much of a bass extension.
Click to expand...

I was comparing to the previous headphones I've owned-mainly DT880s and SF5pros. Maybe I'm majorly missing out, but these have super deep extension from what I can tell. Hey, you know what they say....ignorance is bliss.

All I know is that I have never heard a headphone reproduce the mid and high frequencies as well as these things can. Listening to "The Answer Lies Within" by Dream Theater now....acoustic guitars sound crisp and lifelike, piano is deep and beautiful, the distorted guitar tones are warm sounding. The drums sound amazing-proper impact from the bass drums, but also perfect crispness and resonance from the cymbals and hi-hats-NO sibilance whatsoever either. Vocals sound slightly recessed, but I prefer my music like that anyway :) Wow, the acoustic parts sound SO awesome! I can't emphasize enough :D Instrument separation is right on the mark-I can precisely tell where the guitars, bass, and drums are coming from.

I really love these things.
 
I too was deciding between the dt770's and a900's, and decided to get the a900's. One thing to consider is that almost everyone strongly recommends getting an amp to drive the dt770's where as the a900's don't need an amp to sound good. Here is a nice review of several closed headphones that might help you, http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=221069.
Good luck, I'll post again with my impressions of the a900's when they arrive.
 
Yes they are nice cans overall just don´t agree on the bass extension part much :)

the amped thing on dt 770 pro is exaggerated. I think it´s mainly people running from ipods or weaker sources that came up with that requirement...
 
yeah, i've had a900's for about a year now, and still love them.

not sure what that rubber band trick accomplishes, as mine seal well already.

as to bass, they have PLENTY, imo, but i came from sennheiser's, so i might just be use to it.

But yeah, i've actually a-b tested a900 vs a700 and there is not a whole lot of difference, the 900's merely have more detail.
 
m3ta1head said:
I love my a900s-definitely prefer them to hd595s. They are warm, articulate, smooth, and the soundstage is WIIIDE. Through a decent source, they sound AWESOME. The sound is almost dreamy.

They do lack a little in bass impact, but then again, Audio Technica's aren't made for that kind of music anyway. The bass is decently punchy, but coming from SF5pros, I found the impact to be pretty lackluster. The bass extension is NICE though-they'll go really, really deep. It's a matter of quantity vs. quality here-the AT bass is smooth and refined, so if you're into that, you'll love them. I don't mind them for metal, but I am looking into other headphones that give a little more impact and punch.

DT770s don't even compare to the sound quality of the A900s IMHO. They've got bass-that's for sure, but they just don't feel very lively compared to the A900s.

If you end up going with the A900s, you won't be disappointed. They're great cans.

edit: oh yeah...there's a neat trick you can do with almost every AT can to improve the bass impact. It's very simple and very, very effective. All you have to do is put an elastic band around the wings-this brings the tops of the drivers in closer to you ears. It might sound really insignificant, but it gives a 20-30% improvement in bass impact. Check this picture from a user on headfi:

...

I used a black elastic band (it looks a lot better)-same effect.
Click to expand...

A900 soundstage is wide? :confused:

I have the A900 LTD and I don't think so, not at all. They are very forward / close to your head kind of cans.
 
Well so far I'm leaning towards the a900s it seems they have a very wide soundstage which is quite important to me. Are quite forgiving of most sources which is again good because I plan to use my creative x-fi platinum to drive them which is certainly not a super fancy audiophile lvl source. Plus according to the review posted by DrkRipper they are a very good jack of all trades and work equally good with music/movies/games.

As far as bass goes as long as it has a good presence its enough for me, I'm not a big bass aficionado, as long as its there and it properly complements the rest of the range it will be good enough for me. I hope that the a900s can deliver that.

The DT770-80 also seem like a very very good choice but they are marginally more expensive (bad thing for my already stretched budget) and seem to be just a bit less suited to be "my first audiophile cans" ;) since they are a bit less forgiving of source.

Guess no one has really any experience either with the ATH-A700 because no one answered my original question about the differences between then them and the A900. Not that i really mind because I'm still getting plenty of very good information our of this thread. :)

Cyrilix said:
A900 soundstage is wide? :confused:

I have the A900 LTD and I don't think so, not at all. They are very forward / close to your head kind of cans.
Click to expand...


It would seem a few people would disagree with you. To quote from the DrkRipper's linked review:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=221069.

Headstage / Soundstage
This is a very strong aspect of the A900 because it clearly had the most superior soundstage from the headphones reviewed. Both soundstage depth and width are excellent it listening to the A900 feels like sink into a big, comfy couch. Literally seen, this is also the case considering the excellent comfort.
Click to expand...

Mind you I'm not arguing with you since I do not have any experience with those headphones just posting what I heard of them. Actually one of the biggest reasons I'm leaning towards them its because of their supposed wide soundstage so if that is not true would certainly be a negative thing. Especially in movies, I'm looking for cans that will surround me with wide "3D" action not resonate the action in my head or right by my ears (I really want to avoid this last effect I mentioned so if those headphones exhibit that its very bad)

Could the "LTD" model be that different from the normal one perhaps?
 
I doubt it. I bet these people have just not heard the DT880, which has a significantly larger soundstage. The AKG K701s and Sony CD3000 are also known to have a large soundstage. I'm almost 100% sure WIDTH of soundstage is not a forte with ANY of Audio-Technica's phones, but I hear good things about the soundstage details (being able to pinpoint things specifically).

If you're looking for a wide soundstage, do yourself a favor and get open headphones. There aren't any closed headphones in production right now, to my knowledge, that are well-known for soundstage width (Sony CD3000 and Sony R10 being the ones I've seen opinions on).
 
DT 880 is semiopen headphones of course they have a wider soundstage...

A900 is closed (even if they don´t have the best isolation from outside noise anyway).

As for bass you won´t get low end rumble with them but their mid bass is good with a bit of a punch.
 
Cyrilix said:
A900 soundstage is wide? :confused:

I have the A900 LTD and I don't think so, not at all. They are very forward / close to your head kind of cans.
Click to expand...

Almost as wide as the DT880, yes, from my comparisons.

I had the 880 '03 though.
 
DT 880 is semiopen headphones of course they have a wider soundstage...

A900 is closed (even if they don´t have the best isolation from outside noise anyway).

As for bass you won´t get low end rumble with them but their mid bass is good with a bit of a punch.
Click to expand...

What's your point? We're not talking about whether or not the DT880s SHOULD have a wider soundstage. We're talking about whether or not they do. I'm assuming you've heard them, yes? Well, guess what? I've also heard open headphones that are right next to you, ie - in your head, so that rule doesn't always apply (specifics include a set of low-end Sennheiser cans HD 4x7 model, of which I forgot the x -- although they were not the 497).

Almost as wide as the DT880, yes, from my comparisons.

I had the 880 '03 though.
Click to expand...

So do I, and I'd say the DT880s are about 60% wider.
 
You're running through much better equipment then when I was when I owned the DT880, so I'd imagine that I haven't heard them to their full potential.
 
Cyrilix said:
What's your point? We're not talking about whether or not the DT880s SHOULD have a wider soundstage. We're talking about whether or not they do. I'm assuming you've heard them, yes? Well, guess what? I've also heard open headphones that are right next to you, ie - in your head, so that rule doesn't always apply (specifics include a set of low-end Sennheiser cans HD 4x7 model, of which I forgot the x -- although they were not the 497).



So do I, and I'd say the DT880s are about 60% wider.
Click to expand...


Cyrilix as I have mentioned in my original post I was originally considering open headphones because they do have as a general rule a wider soundstage which is very important to me. But I'm afraid that open headphones leak too much sound so for example I would not be able to stay up late and blast some music or a movie with my GF sleeping close by.

I know I will have to compromise my soundstage with a closed headphone but I'm trying to make that compromise as small as possible by getting some cans with the widest possible soundstage for a closed headphone.

From my research it would seem that the A900s would offer that. Furthermore it seems some people compare the A900s to the Senns HD595 (open cans i was interested in originally) which is good praise indeed.

Of course if you have other suggestions knowing what I'm looking for feel free to share them with us, its why i started this tread to learn more:)


m3ta1head said:
You're running through much better equipment then when I was when I owned the DT880, so I'd imagine that I haven't heard them to their full potential.
Click to expand...


Yes that is a problem too. The headphones I will purchase will mostly be used with my computer so I do not have the luxury of a fancy source; therefore, that is a very important consideration for me too. Headphones that require uber nice sources to even start sounding good are a bit of a no no right now. Those are after all some of my first steps in the proper audiophile world.


krameriffic said:
A little off topic but, does Guitar Center do price matching with prices from online retailers?
Click to expand...

When I called them 2 days ago they said yes they do price matching with online stores too as long as they are authorized retailers.
 
we wouldn´t be discussing the a900 if it wasn´t for the need of closed headphones to not disturb others or get disturbed by back ground noise.
Open variants of the same headphone always sounds better. Or more real anyway :).
Why people recommend DT 770, A900 is because they feel they have to isolte themself from outside noise or not disturb your neighbours...
DT 990 is better then the DT 770 otherwise just like the open variant of the A900 sounds better...
Same with the Ultrasone proline 2500 versus my 750.
That was all I was saying ;)
 
Well my a900's arrived today, at first I thought I was going to be very disappointed in their bass, because I listened to music on my computer first. They are very weak in the bass department using my mobo's headphone out, the other ranges still sound good just not much bass. Straight out of my Ipod they have noticeably more bass, and out of my HT receiver they have great bass. I guess this just proves that mobo audio sucks :) If your source will be straight out of a laptop or motherboard don't expect a lot of bass, but I don't think that should rule them out.
 
DrkRipper said:
Well my a900's arrived today, at first I thought I was going to be very disappointed in their bass, because I listened to music on my computer first. They are very weak in the bass department using my mobo's headphone out, the other ranges still sound good just not much bass. Straight out of my Ipod they have noticeably more bass, and out of my HT receiver they have great bass. I guess this just proves that mobo audio sucks :) If your source will be straight out of a laptop or motherboard don't expect a lot of bass, but I don't think that should rule them out.
Click to expand...



hopefully my xfi plat will do better than that onboard
 
Even though the A900 have fairly low impedance, I've noticed that they benefit greatly from a high quality source. Plugged into my HT receiver, they sound extremely balanced and under control, and the bass is nice and thumpy.

I'd imagine that these would therefore benefit quite a bit from a good DAC.
 
yeah I run onboard 850 now and oh man does it stink. Get an X-fi and you will be much happier :). Then your ipod will stink lol
 
By the way, I enjoy my A900 LTD more than my DT880s. They have a more pleasing sound signature and a certain sweetness/euphony that the more cold/down-to-earth DT880s don't have. Also, the A900 LTDs do not have a hole in the midrange. In fact, I'd say their midrange is very well presented and balanced. As for detail, the A900 LTD presents better "perceived detail" IMO, and part of that is due to the more upfront presentation. Hearing the A900 LTD after the DT880 is like lifting a slight midrange-and-under veil, so all in all, a soundstage that's not as wide may not be so much of a bad thing. I can't comment on the A900 standard though.
 
I've had a chance to hear the ATH A900's they were decent sounding, but I liked my AKG701's better. I think even the Senn HD600's were better sounding. They just lacked something.
 
skeeder said:
I've had a chance to hear the ATH A900's they were decent sounding, but I liked my AKG701's better. I think even the Senn HD600's were better sounding. They just lacked something.
Click to expand...



well that may well be, but unfortunately even the a900s strain my budged so cans significantly more expensive ones are a big no no. Still open to suggestions for anything better in that price range however it will be another day or so till i make the purchase.



Oh as another side question, how fast is audiocubes in shipping stuff to the US? I'm leaving in about a week and a half for a trip and I would hope to get the headphones before I leave.
 
You can´t compare the A900 to cans like Proline 750, sennheiser 650, AKG701.. Totally different leagues.

Hard to put a word on it but the A900 sounds a bit clumsy in comparison, not as clean somehow to my 750... Same with the DT 770.
 
Neutrino said:
well that may well be, but unfortunately even the a900s strain my budged so cans significantly more expensive ones are a big no no. Still open to suggestions for anything better in that price range however it will be another day or so till i make the purchase.



Oh as another side question, how fast is audiocubes in shipping stuff to the US? I'm leaving in about a week and a half for a trip and I would hope to get the headphones before I leave.
Click to expand...

Audiocubes is blazing fast. You'll get it in 4-5 days.
 
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