Best Audio Technica ATH-A990Z Black Friday – With the ATH-A990Z, Audio Technica has closed monitor headphones that promise exceptional transient reproduction. We have tested for you whether the headphones keep their word and how they deal with the typical difficulties of closed ear cans, such as housing resonance and rumbling basses.
We are pleased to present to you a list of Best Audio Technica ATH-A990Z Black Friday for you. I hope you will choose the best product.
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Best Audio Technica ATH-A990Z Black Friday And Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2021
1. Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z
Best Audio Technica ATH-A990Z Black Friday And Cyber Monday
Imposing appearance
The ATH-A990Z’s design is particularly striking because of its missing headband. The system installed by Audio Technica does not have continuous padding, but two feeler-like pads that provide support on the skull. Although the headphones made in Japan can convince in terms of workmanship, the headband solution seems to me to be quite fragile. The fixed cable makes a better impression. It is covered with high quality fabric. The aluminum housings of the ATH-A990Z are not only light, but are also intended to reduce the resonance of the hearing cups. Double damping is said to favor the airflow in the cabinets in such a way that the reproduction of deep bass components benefits. Otherwise, I like the somewhat martial appearance of the all black headphones,
The scope of delivery is quickly described, since only a plug adapter on 6.35 mm jack is included. That seems a bit poor for the price I called. But at least the dynamic drivers of the Audio Technica headphones measure an immense 53 millimeters. This size (in combination with its closed design and over-ear design) makes the ATH-A990Z appear comparatively bulky. Measured by its imposing size, it is the purest lightweight with hardly more than 400 g including cable. Who would have thought that?
Comfortable handling
At 3 m, the cable length of these headphones is easily sufficient for all possible uses in the studio … whether as recording headphones for drummers or as a tool for listening to mixes at the control room. With its super soft, changeable ear pads, the headphones are comfortable to wear. The hearing cups of the ATH-A990Z adapt to the shape of the head in all directions. The manufacturer calls this structure the “3D Wing Support System”.
It means that the average headphone contact pressure we measured appears very high on paper, but the headphones don’t let me feel them in practice. Although the wearing comfort is unusual and it feels like the headphones can slide down at any time, this assumption is not fulfilled in the test. Especially the low weight is probably responsible for that the ATH-A990Z actually sits securely. Because of the missing headband, it doesn’t feel that way. It takes getting used to.
Open highs & busy mids
The audio transmission range of the ATH-A990Z ranges from super deep 5 Hz up to dizzying heights of 42 kHz. And what can I say: You can also hear that in the headphones. Because the first thing that really strikes me when I listen is the transparent highs. They are present right into the super high range. The negative thing is that they tend to hiss. Here the 10 kHz boost that is obligatory for today’s headphones was probably exaggerated a little. In terms of speech intelligibility, the ATH-A990Z makes a good differentiation, so that voice signals are not (yet) lost even in very full mixes.
However, these headphones are not for fans of alternative rock and metal – at least not if they also value vocals in addition to guitars. In the bass range there can be no question of mucking. But sub-basses are only implemented well instead of very clearly perceptible. Overall, they remain out of focus. The bass area above also creates a rather unspecific pressure, unfortunately I miss a clear contouring.
With these headphones, Audio Technica speak of exceptional transient reproduction and particularly precise membrane vibration. I cannot sign that after my numerous listening tests, because these playback characteristics are not pronounced in any frequency range. The sound of the ATH-A990Z is therefore less characterized by its dynamic behavior. Rather, it is the “airy” open sound in the treble that defines the sound of these headphones. The ATH-A990Z also benefits from the stereo impression and the depth grading. When listening to classical music and jazz, the headphones cut a really good figure.
Scope of delivery and packaging
You can tell from the packaging that these headphones are not aimed at normal end-users.
Headphones in the € 200 + price range usually try to score points right away with elaborate packaging and a large scope of delivery.
This is not the case with the Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z. The packaging is OK but really nothing special. The scope of delivery is also quite manageable with various instructions and a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter.
The Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z in the test
The Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z are huge headphones, even compared to my DT90 they are a good deal bigger.
This applies on the one hand to the auricles as well as to the support structure. Audio-Technica relies on its “grand piano” system.
In contrast to most other headphones, the ATH-A990Z do not have a headband, but two rods that hold the ear cups together and two “wings” which rest on your head.
This construction has advantages and disadvantages. A disadvantage is the stability of the headphones. To put it mildly, these appear very flexible. It did not seem to me that they could break quickly, but I think it is possible that the bars that hold the earphones together could bend when used more roughly.
The wings are also made of plastic, which does not give them a particularly robust impression.
The ear cups themselves are made of aluminum, which in turn makes them appear very robust and solid.
The cable of the Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z is unfortunately not removable. In return, this is one of the most beautiful cables I’ve seen with a headphone. On the one hand it is quite thick, on the other hand it is covered with nylon, but the cable is surprisingly flexible and “soft”.
Comfort
Thanks to the wing system, the Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z are very unusual to wear. In addition, there are the very large ear cups with a rather thin but soft ear cushion.
This makes the ATH-A990Z very loose and light. The headphones also have little pressure on the ears.
However, this also has disadvantages, the headphones tend to slide down. This means that instead of applying pressure to the side of the head, you have some “pressure” from top to bottom.
Many people fix this somewhat with a rubber ring that is pulled over the two wings, which makes them a little more stable, the comfort did not bother me.
However, the ATH-A990Z are certainly not headbanging headphones either.
Sound
After all the normal end-user headphones, it is something completely different to have a model on your head that is actually primarily intended for the professional market.
Important, I am not a professional user, so I will approach it more like “normal users”. In my private life, I use Beyerdynamic T90 headphones and an ASUS Xonar Essence STX II sound card, which is also primarily used in this test.
The Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z have surprised me a lot, because they sound completely different than I imagined. With “Pro” headphones I generally expect a rather flat, neutral sound, which may tend to be a bit boring in normal music listening, but this is not the case with the ATH-A990Z.
Basically, the ATH-A990Z have an amazingly powerful bass range and relatively warm / soft highs.
The bass is clearly the highlight of the ATH-A990Z. This has an excellent draft and punch without appearing uncontrolled. The Audio-Technica are of course not “bass” headphones, but the bass is emphasized a bit more than I would expect with neutral headphones.
Audio-Technica has actually struck a very nice mix of quantity and precision here.
Note:
The mids are also not displaced by the bass, which is why the ATH-A990Z continues to cut a very good figure in vocals. Here I would rate the vote as fairly neutral.
As already mentioned, the heights are a bit warmer and rounder. How you feel about it is of course a matter of taste, but the ATH-A990Z hardly have any problems with sibilants as some Beyerdynamic models have.
It is also amazing how “open” the headphones feel. You can tell from the powerful punch of the bass that these are closed headphones, but the sound is pleasantly open and wide.
This naturally results in a quite large and wide sound stage. Thanks to a resistance of only 40 ohms, the headphones work quite well on normal computers or smartphones without a special DAC / headphone amplifier.
Beyerdynamic DT880 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z
One or the other could certainly be interested in the comparison between the Beyerdynamic DT880 and the Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z.
The DT880 are very popular models in this price range.
In terms of sound, however, the two are completely different. The DT880 are a lot lighter and appear finer and more detailed than the ATH-A990Z, especially in the mids and heights.
If you switch to the ATH-A990Z after the DT880 you are shocked. The Audio-Technica have a much stronger bass range. The DT880 are pretty neutral and you can tell that the ATH-A990Z are a lot more fun.
In the end, it depends on what is more important to you. Fine and detailed sound, but somewhat reserved bass = Beyerdynamic DT880
A powerful bass and a larger volume = Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z
Conclusion on the Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z
The Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z are interesting headphones. I would recommend this to almost more music lovers than really for studio use.
The ATH-A990Z scores with a high quality and quite lively / bass-strong sound.
There are also criticisms, such as comfort, which is certainly a matter of taste, but the bottom line is that the ATH-A990Z is also very positive in a price range of around € 250!
Especially those who have high demands and love a good and powerful bass, without this being exaggerated as with various fashion headphones, will find fun with the ATH-A990Z.
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