Audio-technica ATH WP900: High performance sound

These closed-back moveable headphones have not one of the options we search for nowadays in audio merchandise. No Bluetooth. No noise cancellation. No good presets. Not even buttons on the ear-cups. What they do have is unimaginable sound performance — nothing else issues.

As I take heed to a few of my favorite Western Classical items on Audio-technica’s AH-WP900, it’s like popping out of some fog, it’s that clear and clear. If you’re accustomed to Chopin’s Nocturnes, particularly No 20 in C-Sharp Minor, you’ll understand how tender, delicate and exquisite that may sound. On these headphones, it’s as if the piano have been proper inside my head, with each be aware enjoying in my mind. It’s a tough expertise to explain, nevertheless it’s sufficient to carry tears to my eyes, as I uncover this piece of music as if for the primary time.

This music was not the one instance. For a very long time I’ve been searching for a transparent ‘open’ sounding recording of Mozart’s Requiem, however none of them have given me the satisfaction of with the ability to hear the whole lot there may be to listen to; by some means, the orchestra at all times appears to overwhelm the voices. Now, I simply picked up the primary recording on the listing and am shocked to search out all of the voices on this mass sound clear and discernible with the WP900.

Close to the sound : I’m additionally very keen on Hindustani Classical and listened to a few of my favorite items. It was an fascinating intimate expertise, unusually ‘shut’ to the sound. On these headphones, you received’t hear an undue emphasis on the deeper sounds of the tabla, as an illustration, as a result of it doesn’t sound that method in actual life. Jazz sounded notably good as there are quite a few devices and none is missed, once more seeming to come back from inside my very own head. As for pop, rock and digital, one misses the emphasis on bass that different headphones normally include.

The ATH-WP900 headphones are literally precision engineered for audiophiles. Each element has been thought out and chosen to counterpoint the sound. Not being a correct audiophile, I don’t search for or encounter excessive performance audio merchandise, however these specialised headphones are however an absolute delight to take heed to and I’ve begged to maintain them on for per week, although they could spoil me for different headphones.

Audio-technica has supposed the WP900 for some quantity of portability. There are two varieties of cables (just a little over a metre lengthy) within the field and you have to to attach them to the three.5mm jack on a playback supply that helps hi-res music, comparable to a music participant the place you’ve hi-res information. I used Apple Music, listening to lossless and hi-res tracks utilizing the iPad Pro. I additionally listened utilizing a DAC, which took the expertise up considerably.

The WP900’s look may be very uncommon, with the ear-cups being made from inflexible wooden in maple flame. The wooden is what many musical devices such because the guitar are made from, and it enriches the sound and vibrations. It seems to be the half as nicely. The foam on the within is excellent and the headphones sit on the pinnacle very comfortably certainly. You can put on them for hours, and though I typically have mentioned that India is simply too sizzling to be a headphone nation, these simply don’t really feel sizzling or itchy, even throughout a protracted session. The cups do articulate to be laid flat. They come out of a giant field, which additionally has a comfortable material case so as to retailer them with out getting them scratched up. There’s nothing else apart from the headphones, case, cables and paperwork.

With basic customers probably not accustomed to paying Rs 1,13,390, the worth of the ATH WP900 would little question come as a shock. But these will not be headphones for bass-heads, who need informal listening. Rather, these are meant for many who make a ritual out of listening to music, searching for purity, separation and realism. They’re not for everyone, however for many who search for a specialised product and a one-of-a-kind expertise.