I continue testing wired headphones designed for enjoying music at home, which are offered by the well-known Japanese brand Audio-Technica. After the open ATH-AD700X headphones, it’s time for a closed-back model. I’m talking about headphones Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z Art Monitor.
Visually, it is difficult to confuse the ATH-A990Z with headphones from other brands. Audio-Technica’s over-ear headphones, especially those for home use, have a distinctive appearance, including due to the 3D headband consisting of two rods and special stabilizing wings. Large, round ear cups are also a hallmark of Audio-Technica’s wired over-ear headphones. In the case of the ATH-990Z model, they are made of aluminum. Thanks to this construction, the headphones are very comfortable and seem light, although they weigh 330 grams. All this means that you can successfully indulge in them for many hours of listening.
The headphones are equipped with a permanently attached three-meter cable with a pleasant braid, which is supposed to prevent it from twisting. It is terminated with a stylish mini jack plug (3.5 mm) with a screw-on jack cap (6.3 mm). Both parts together form one whole.
The size of the ear cups is dictated not only by comfort but also by the 53-millimeter transducers. As I mentioned, these are closed headphones. On the one hand, the headphones sound natural, which is a kind of hallmark of Audio-Technica headphones, but they are also endowed with a claw, especially when it comes to the lower and middle parts of the band. It is not about emphasizing them, but about a certain dynamics. The headphones offer great detail in the entire range of the band, plasticity (especially in the middle) and great control of the bass, which is dynamic and, importantly, not excessively deep (they do not tend to make it deeper than the musicians and producer wanted). I must admit that listening to music that is difficult to produce with many musical planes and a wealth of sounds in these headphones gave me a lot of pleasure. I listened to them, among others. The new remix of Rush’s “Vapor Trails”, Steve Lukather’s “Bridges”, Kerry King’s (Slayer guitarist) solo album “From Hell I Rise” and the fusion-jazz album “Beyond Turbines” by the supergroup consisting of Steve Hunt, Virgil Donati, Roberto Badoglio and Bjossi Klutsch.
The aforementioned name – Art Monitor – is not, in my opinion, an empty boast. Music sounds on them the way the producer wanted it to, and their form clearly brings to mind studio headphones, the kind that the producer uses.
The Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z headphones offer great sound and comfort of use at a really reasonable price of PLN 795. They are available in the top Hi-Fi & Video Design showrooms..
Source: myapple.pl
