Audio-TechnicaATH-A550Z Art Monitor Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones

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.

I bought these headphones on the account that people say they are bass heavy... Upon opening the box I found my self gazing at the headphones, they are sexy, revealing, those ear cups are to die for. Those curves... Such attention to detail by Audio Technica. I had to come forward and tell her, I like you.I couldn't let go, she seduced me. Now both Audio Technica AD2000 and A990Z set beside me in my listening station.When I listen to music I listen thru a my old CD Player by [Redacted] which has a built in Mega Bass/Digital Dynamic Bass Boost, so in a way I like having fun.The Audio Technica A990Z is a nice addition to my collection of headphones but in my opinion the AD2000 produces more Bass in Quantity and Quality even though they are open back headphones and 20 years old. Guitars sound heavenly so as female vocals and IDM, Electronica, rock, even orchestra.The ATH-A990Z on the other hand in my opinion don't seem to have the same Bass as my AD2000. Its probably the way the A990Z is engineered but I can listen to other kinds of music with these that my AD2000 would be too peaky because of those mids that are know for.Someone stated in the reviews that the Audio Technica ATH-A990Z was trying to copy Beats by Dre. I disagree, these headphones(A990Z) have clear sound but the bass does not live up to the hype. Yes, they do have slight bass but as I've said my Audio Technica ATH-AD2000 has more in my setup I've stated above.If anyone is looking for Fun Headphones (bass) my Ultrasone Pro 900 has it, the Ultrasone Signature DJ has it, the Ultrasone Signature X by Drop are also Fun. Also The JVC SZ2000 stock with bass boost was enough for me to like them right away.Aside from fashion statements(beats) the sound can be found if you look around and you might get more out of it too.

Let me start by saying I have been mixing and producing music since 2008, so I am no amateur. I have used both monitors and headphones during that time. I was honestly hoping after reading the "great" reviews all over the internet an watching countless videos, I could jump into these as they were very close to the specifications I wanted. I need low Ohms (35-40), 5-30K frequency response, and the drivers have to be 53mm.They sound great, IF you don't want clarity and to miss artifacts and frequencies in your mixes. These DO NOT give a "flat" or true response for music and instead have more of a stereo width (which is only great for music listening) and even then, you get hit with a somewhat heavy low end with mids and highs trying to catch up.Audiotechnica has still yet to make a decent headphone for Mixing, DJing, or even just listening

Mi nueva adquisición en el mundillo audiófilo han sido estos auriculares, aprovechando una oferta irresistible de producto usado pero en muy buen estado. No tenía aún ningunos auriculares de la marca Audio-Technica y, después de unas cuantas búsquedas y estudio de características, me decidí por estos, de estética elegante en verde oscuro y negro y buenas reseñas. ¿Qué puedo decir? Son, sin duda, los mejores de mi pequeña colección: los comparo con los Sivga Robin, los Philips Fidelio X2HR y los Sennheiser HD 598 se, y salen victoriosos. El sonido es más bien cálido, todas las frecuencias están equilibradas, los instrumentos y las voces se escuchan perfectamente posicionados y con un timbre natural, y además son muy cómodos; tienen una sujeción especial para la cabeza que sustituye a la tradicional diadema y, la verdad, funciona muy bien. Las almohadillas son cómodas y espaciosas y, quizá, el único pero que se les podría sacar es que vienen con un único cable de 3 m no desmontable (son unos auriculares que ya llevan unos cuantos años en el mercado); aun así, y viendo cómo se escuchan, el pero se desvanece en la nada. La impedancia es pequeña y, por ello, pueden ser movidos por cualquier fuente; por supuesto, se benefician de un amplificador de auriculares o de un equipo de sonido. Al ser de diseño cerrado, los graves tienen presencia, y aguantan muy bien cualquier ecualización que requiera nuestro gusto particular.Resumiendo: sonido neutro, cálido y muy detallado; es una gozada escuchar música (de buenas fuentes, por supuesto) con ellos. Si el presupuesto para unos auriculares ronda unos 200 euros, los recomiendo encarecidamente.

Der Kopfhörer ist super. Leider musste ich ihn zurücksenden, da er schon mal an jemanden verschickt wurde und ungereinigt an mich weitergeschickt wurde. Das geht gar nicht. Aber das Produkt ist sehr gut.

I will not indulge in techno babble regarding these fine headphones. I will preface to say that I currently own at least 8 pairs of fine quality headphones, and have owned no less than 30 pairs over the years. I am a musician and producer and consider myself a fairly good judge of sound recording reproduction.I had not had very good success with other AT headphones, always finding them lacking in sound quality or comfort or both. I heard these at a friend's studio and was very pleased with them. They are very well tuned for playback of various types of music. Having purchased my own pair, I have been using them and very happy with them. I would not use them for monitoring, mixing or mastering, but for leisurely playback they are very impressive. They are also very comfortable. They have a very impressive soundstage, one of the best I have experienced with headphones costing less than $250CAD. Even more impressive is the fact that they are closed back. You would not think so from the soundstage. I like the wing design. I can't even feel that I have them on. They also don't make my ears sweat, like other closed back phones that I use on a regular basis. I listened to McCartney's RAM half speed master vinyl album that was just released last month and I was treated to the best recording on that album that I have ever heard. I used these headphones to listen to it, along with a couple of other pairs I like to use, and these headphones sounded great. I am very pleased. YMMV.

Cuffia comoda da indossare, le adoro. Al momento dell'acquisto ero in dubbio anche con il modello ath 990, ma sono felice di aver scelto queste. Mi piacciono sotto tutti i punti di vista, il suono lo trovo molto realistico: mai eccessivo, ma nemmeno carente. Non si inventano nulla che non sia nella traccia originale, niente turbo basso rimbombante tipico di molte cuffie chiuse.