ATH-A990Z Art Monitor Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones Black

Appearance - A little bit ridiculous looking with the big Audio Technica wing support and otherwise very simple in looking, all black plastic, rubber and pleather with understated branding on the cups. Build Quality - They do feel cheap when holding them, definitely a lot plastic involved. Bu seem solidly enough put together, I wouldn't worry much about durability, there's just nothing premium about the build. The cable is fixed (which is disappointing, not sure why Audio Technica is still so intent on making fixed cable headphones) and as mentioned very long. Comfort - The A550Zs are very comfortable fit (I do have a large head so lack of clamp force may be an issue for people with smaller heads). They are quite light, I find the clamp force absolutely perfect (secure but I don't feel any squeezing) and the stock ear pads are quite comfortable for several hours continuous. I'd prefer a cloth earpad to leather or pleather but these are quite comfortable regardless. They seem a bit smaller than the older models using the wing support, which will be good for most people. Sound quality - They generally sound wonderful, especially if you are looking for detailed, vivid sound without over the top bass. Very detailed, excellent for gaming or complex music. Even the little flaws in recordings pop out from time to time. Decent soundstage, though not huge (My old AD900s have a substantially larger soundstage, but those are higher end an d open back) but better than expected fro a closed back headphone in this price range. The big thing with the A550Zs is exquisite upper mid range and treble. Vocals are beautifully lifelike and strings are an absolute pleasure. The bass is very typical of AT headphones, crisp, tight, precise if a little reserved. The bass is definitely more prominent when using a decent DAC than just plugging into a computer or phone, but they are easy enough to drive. Sound isolation good, but not great. All around a great sounding pair of headphones. Value - Excellent. The A550z are probably the best sounding closed back headphones under $250 that I have put on (sound quality/signature is very similar to the A990Z, although the A990Z feels much better put together and has maybe a smidge more bass) and nothing else at its price point seems particularly close. If you need a ton of bass or really want a premium feel then you'll want to look elsewhere, otherwise if you're looking for something closed back its hard to find much not to like.

These are excellent for the price. I purchased these to listen to music and play some games. Music sounds excellent. Bass is present, but not overpowering, mids are good and treble is pushed back just enough to not be harsh. These are great for acoustic music, but i had no problem listening to heavier music with them. I downloaded an equalizer and added a touch of bass for when I'm playing games. Games sound really good, but I also have a pair of Monolith M1060 open backs and those are absolutely amazing for positional audio in FPS games as well as providing enough bass for explosions in games. These do positional audio decently. They are also closed back so the sound stage is narrow compared to an open back variant. Overall I have no complaints for the price I paid. I had no issues with comfort aside from the pads being a tad bit too small for my ears. I ordered a pair of replacement Brainwavz pads and also plan on modifying the attached wire. Just too long for my use and gets annoying. The 3d wing system works well with my head, but be aware that it may not work for everyone.

I have owned the Audio Technica ATH-A990z for just under two months and have been using it daily. It really surprises me that this doesn't have any reviews considering the success of the previous iteration of this headphone, the ATH-A900x. I really don't often do reviews but I really think this headphone does deserve praise. Here is a bit of background and context of where I'm coming from. If you don't care just scroll down to the (SOUND) portion. I mostly listened to open backed headphones. My first real headphone where my Audio-Technica AD900 (the original open back, non Xs). They had an amazing midrange, soundstage, and imaging. But they had absolutely no bass and highs that were very accurate but on the edge of being sibilant. I ran them off a Yamaha AV receiver that had a decent headphone output and it really brought down the highs to acceptable levels. I used tone controls included in the receiver to bring up the bass up to enjoyable levels. I also added extra padding in the ear cups to stop the drivers from toughing my ears That was my daily driver for nearly 3 years before I broke them from constantly sitting on them accidentally when ever I left them on my computer chair. I absolutely loved they sound of theses headphones (after modifications) and is partly the reason why I decided to get the A990z. I had gotten the raved Phillips SHP9500 to replace my old workhorse, but those sounded extreme boring and dull compared the AD900. Very comfortable and nothing sounded wrong on them, but they made my entire music collection sound the same and nothing stood out. I wanted to experience that Audio Technica magic again, and I also need a closed backed headphone this time (my noisy little nephew lives with us now!). I look into the newly refreshed Art Monitor Z series, the A990z being right in my price point. I also have the TEAC AI-301DA headphone out as my new source audio output. I mostly listen to electronic (Aphex Twin, BOC, Chris Clark, etc..) music with some occasional instrumental orchestra or jazz. (SOUND [with stock pads]) Simply put, these headphones are fun and exciting sounding while still being very accurate and concise. The imaging/sound separation and soundstage is pretty good for this closed back headphone (These work very well with gaming!). Despite what the title and name say these are not that good for sound monitoring and engineering (although they are much better than ATH-M50x in that regard). The sound is V shaped, emphases on bass and highs but not overdone. The bass goes deep and has quite a bit of impact. These are not bass cannons but was I pleasantly surprised at much low end it pumps out (though maybe that's just my open back preference showing). Mids are still very present and wonderful, but not on front stage and like my old AD900. High are emphasized but nowhere sibilant like Audio Technicas of past and is very accurate. It also remained me of my AD900, but without the harshness. As with most closed headphones, these do indeed sound closed. There is soundstage, but not a whole lot and not enough to WOW most people like really good open backs. Imaging is very good, like AD900, but I clearly remember the AD900 being better (COMFORT [with stock pads]) If you know anything about AT's 3D wing system then you know that comfort might be a hit more miss (fortunately it's usually works with most people, myself included). There are some problems to note. The headphone will feel like its sliding off your head at first, though once you break them in and start wearing them after a while that feeling will subside. One thing that didn't subside was a pinching feeling on the pads. The pads themselves are quite comfortable and soft, made of high quality faux [?] leather. I personally don't like like any type leather touching my ears, I've been more inclined to cloth or velour pads. But the real problem is that they are too shallow to offer any support on the head and the inner diameter of the ear hole is too small for most. My ears are not big and they fit uncomfortably tight in them. I would image anyone with larger ears would simply not fit in these. Fortunately, you can change the ear pads, thought most pads that are not made specifically for the Art Monitor series will be a REALLY tight fit. Some wont fit at all, but will some will (Like HiFiMAN Pads and Brainwavz Pads). The stock pads are the only flaw that come with the A990z. (DESIGN) There not much to say if you familiar the AT design with their A series of Headphones. 3D wing design. Up, down, left, and right articulating earcups. Angled drivers. These also have a really nice fixed single 3 meter braided cable, which is curiously exclusive to the A990z within its own line up. The higher end models also don't have Up and Down articulating earcups for some reason. These are not the best in isolating sound, but it works well enough and keeps crying children noises at bay, more so that any open back. These are very efficient and not hard to drive. They can be driven off a most smartphones or a PC headphone jack to unsafe levels of loud. Be warned though, they are quite sensitive will pick up noise if your audio output is sub-par or dirty. These can actually pick up a constant low hissing in my TEAC AI-301DA, which I never realized was there with my Phillips SHP9500. I really have no idea if the A990z will scale well with high end equipment, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. The cool dark green and reflective chamber ring is very nice (the pictures don't do it justice). (SOUND and COMFORT [with Brainwavz Hybrid Memory Foam Earpad]) So I got tired of using the stock pads and constant pinching sensation it had. Brainwavz Hybrid Memory non-angled pads was one known pad that was able to (barely) fit on AT Cans. These are pain and will take like 20 mins as you struggle to get them on, but persevere though and you will get them on. Having smaller hands also helps. I only hoping for a comfort increase and not much else, but I got much more than that. The sound did change for the better in my opinion. The soundstage increased, really helps it sound less closed and congested, not to really big levels like my AD900 but it gets damn close, especially for a closed back design. The imaging/sound separation and mids is now FANTASTIC and really reminds me of AD900. Highs didn't really change that much but does sound a little more spacious and accurate. Bass is much more tight and accurate, particularity in the lower spectrum. There is less low end bass slam which makes it sound more neutral over all (the low bass was quite accentuated for my taste). Midbass still punchy and tight. Comfort is simply perfect now. My ear fit in the cups now, there is no sliding sensation with the headphones anymore. No more pinching feeling on my ears and the pads are much more breathable. For just a little extra, these pads are so worth it. (OVERALL) Again, the only thing that holding these back from a 5 star are the flawed earpads. The would be great if they gave it more depth and made more room for the ears. Other than that, these are fantastic closed back performer. The sound is really geared towards fun, but still that Audio Technica precision that most audio snobs will enjoy. AT struck a really good balance here, whether it was by accident or design.The lower end A550z are said to sound like a improved A700x, but are not made in Japan. The higher end A1000z is said to sound just same as the A990z, but with a littler more of everything (At double the cost no less!). And the flagship A2000z are said to be a VERY different headphone from all the rest. For the asking price, I say its well worth it. And personally, I will see no need to upgrade past this headphone in the coming years.

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.

Amazing for music production, the sound is crisp, the frequency range is amazing. Pros: pretty flat frequency response curve Good fit and flexibility. DURABLE I've done things to this headset that would have broken my others (sitting on it by accident, dropping it from my desk 20 odd times) Clear sound for the price Great surround for gaming if you're looking for headphones that can do both. Cons: a little harsh on the highs (this can be a con if you want to hear footsteps in games like call of duty with high sounding clacky footsteps) Some sounds peak awkwardly if you use a cheap DAC that wouldn't peak on my other headphones. Possibly a resistance issue. Definitely mostly the fault of cheap DAC No top head pad, leaves awkward dent on sides of your head if you have short hair Ever since I grew my hair out though, I've had no issues with that (Edited around a year later) overall 9/10

Starting a new job at a company with an open workspace floor plan. That's going to be tough, though I. Maybe some closed back headphones will provide me with a small sense of isolation.... So, I listened to a bunch, listed below in my order of preference, with my favorites at the top. These are all closed back, with prices ranging from $120 up to $300. Music source was a laptop connected to a DAC/Headphone Amp via USB. (I also tested various DAC/Amps but the headphones make the larger difference.) I've kept notes on my impressions brief and included comparisons amongst the headphones in this list. If you want flowery vocabulary I'm sure in depth reviews are available out there on the web. --- beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X Closed-Back Studio Headphones Very good. Get you involved with the music. Brighter than A990Z but not painfully so. I don't think these would be fatiguing. Bass solid but not overemphasized. Very comfortable. Feel secure. Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z Art Monitor Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones Good. Balanced. Not overly bright. Good space. Etherial. One could definitely listen to these all day without fatigue. Fit: Feel loose. Odd headband. Cans are LARGE. Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones Good. Bright. Maybe too bright. Yet not as clear as the 700 PRO X. Comfort is ok. There's a bit more pressure around the ears than some, and the cans are on the smaller side so positioning them is key. beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 32 ohm Limited Edition Professional Studio Headphones Good. Less efficient than the 700 PRO X, which doesn't make a ton of sense since these claim to have lower impedance. Significanty brighter than the 700 PRO X. They do lack bass - noticible even with male vocals. Very comfortable. Audio-Technica ATH-M70X Closed-Back Dynamic Professional Studio Monitor Headphones Bright, but lack bass. It's just not there. Scarcely more bass than the MSR7b8K's. I'd say these are "vocal forward" - lots of detail in the vocal range. I prefer the M50X. Slightly more base. Slightly warmer. Comfort is good. Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7bBK Over-Ear High-Resolution Headphones OK. Bright. Lack body (weak bass). Light. Short cord. Did not come with a 1/4" plug or an adapter. Clearly intended for a pocket source. Audio-Technica ATH-A550Z Art Monitor Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones Bad. Lack midrange. Too much trebble. If you like this style I strongly recommend that you save a bit and get the ATH-A990Z. Comfortable, but feel a bit loose. Huge cans. SENNHEISER HD 569 Closed Back Headphone Bad. Disappointing. Total lack of detail. Cymbals present in other headphones are scarcely noticed. Large-ish, tall cans.

if you absolutely baby your headphones these are great and sound pretty damn good, but there are other headphones in the price range that sound better. i got these to replace a pair of ath-a700 that were falling apart and they disappointed me: the headband is much stiffer although the pads feel relatively the same, and the ear pads are well padded and breathe well but they are tight! they feel cheap and light, and accordingly, when they fell maybe 2.5 feet from the hanger on my desk onto carpet the plastic hinge holding the ear cup broke. they still work but i had to remove the rattling bit of plastic and ear cup becomes dislodged sometimes now. I wouldn't recommend these if you aren't obsessive about your headphones.

Greetings all, I hope to keep this short! I come from a HyperX Orbit S ~ 330$ base (sale 230$) so my comparison will be of ATH 990Z vs. HyperX Orbit S. I want to explain my background a little; I game a lot, I used to game competitively but have recently fallen back to casual. I play OSU! which is a music rhythm game that relies on the timing of audio to be down to the low .3~.7ms range and being this headset has no software the range I get is .4~.8ms which is really good. Keep in mind, headset software causes a tad bit of audio latency from when a source is played to when you hear it because it needs time to add any after effects, it's the same thing of post production except in real time for audio. Build quality is vastly better. It is much more comfortable to wear it is much lighter however it is not really an over ear headset. Yes it does go over your ears/around them however the clearance from the driver to your ear is much closer than I would particularly like being I have decently sized ears it can make it uncomfortable in that regard. The top of the headset only uses those 2 rubbery outer shell w/ a metal wire running within as a backup support, what rests on your head is 2 memory foam padded supports on both sides making is vastly more comfortable to wear, doesn't even feel like anything is on the top of my head. However as I stated before around your ears is where it will get uncomfortable after a while if worn for more than 6~8 hours. When shaking my head/swiveling fast it sits tight to my head, there is almost no looseness to it, now that's not to say later down the line as I break the headset it that there could end up being some kind of looseness forming. The ear-cuffs that go around your ear are nicely padded, though it's made of the same cheap pleather like material most ear-cuffs use so after about a year of wearing/using this headset the pleather will start to fall off. There is not much else to say about the housing of the drivers other than it feels metallic but it probably isn't to cut on weight/cost making it a fairly light headset. Now onto Sound Quality! I am a little sad here. Before purchasing this headset I had the childish idea that all headsets have gotten into the 7.1 surround sound business and made software or built software into the headset using a codec or something on the driver to give it 7,1. I am wrong, this headset is completely stereo and it almost in some cases can sound mono given if it encounters a bad audio source. In some scenario's I feel without any software to tune the headset it has a lot more treble than it does bass making things sound a bit washed out with higher pitched sounds. This is due to the higher frequency range this headset offers, so if you're looking for a headset in that spectrum, this is it. the audio EQ is not balanced well enough, but it's not balanced terribly either, I'm just not a huge fan on the current EQ this headset offers out of box. playing OSU! for a while I started to get used to how things sounded, and I was able to hear more than I usually would with my HyperX Orbit S which is a tad surprising given the specs on the Orbit. Both headsets have vastly good audio clarity however since the ATH 990Z has no 7,1 surround sound software some sounds are much more THERE and not faded away into the bulk of the sound inside of 7,1 which can happen. Also a little reminder, the audio jack can be untwisted to a normal audio jack rather than thinking you need to buy an audio adapter for the larger jack, they just leave it on rather than giving you an extra little baggy with it inside as that could be easily lost. Yes I made the dumb mistake of thinking I needed to go buy one, luckily I had one at hand until as of writing this review I realized that it unscrews. There is no downgrade in audio quality just by using an adapter. I cannot speak for audio jack to USB/TypeC connectors. I hope this review helps those looking for headsets. I think I'll stick with my Orbit S rather than going stereo. 7.1 just sounds so much nicer and gives depth to everything!

Le casque est une véritable perle pour les audiophiles. La qualité sonore est exceptionnelle, offrant des basses profondes, des médiums clairs et des aigus cristallins. Sa conception circum-auriculaire garantit un confort optimal, même lors d'une écoute prolongée. La construction solide et durable est un gage de longévité. Que vous écoutiez de la musique, regardiez des films ou jouiez à des jeux, l'ATH-A550Z offre une expérience audio immersive et de qualité studio. C'est un choix exceptionnel pour les passionnés de son.

Der Sound ist super, du kannst die Kopfhörer ohne Amp benutzen und die Flügel zum aufsetzen sind absolut klasse und einzigartig. Nur das nicht abnehmbare Kabel und die Isolierung an der Klinke nerven bisschen. Wenn du Probleme mit zu viel klemmkraft oder Kopfschmerzen nach langem tragen hast, sind diese Kopfhörer ein Segen. Stylisch sind sie auch noch.

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.

TOP KLANG DER HAMMER

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