The Japanese audio giant with the spoken name Audio-Technica was founded in the distant 1962, but to this day pleases us with interesting devices. Starting with the production of pickups for phonograph records, the company soon began developing portable turntable recorders and professional microphones. This is now Audio-Technica is more known for its headphones: the glory came in 2007, when the company released headphones for monitoring and mixing ATH-M50.
But today we will not talk about this model (or the successor to the ATH-M50X). Today's guest is no less worthy - these are full-size ATH-SR9 headphones , which will give odds to many competitors in their segment.
Characteristics
- Emitter: 45 mm, dynamic
- Sensitivity: 97 dB
- Impedance: 47Ω
- Frequency range: 5 Hz - 45 kHz
- Cable: interchangeable, with A2DC connectors and remote control, 1.2 m
- Microphone Type: Condenser
- Maximum power: 1500 mW
- Weight: 270 g
Contents of delivery
Behind the proprietary box Audio-Technica is hidden another (already black) box, in which the headphones are hidden, neatly packed in a hard case with the manufacturer's logo.
Actually, the last (and a 3.5 mm cable with instruction) is limited to the ATH-SR9 package. There is no need for replaceable ear pads, as well as in adapters, which even without this are in the arsenal of each audiophile. The presence of a replacement cable can not but rejoice, since it is a real springboard for experimenting with sound. The cable, by the way, is equipped with a microphone and a playback control panel - it provides the convenience of connecting headphones to a smartphone.
Appearance and ergonomics
With which the ATH-SR9 has no problems, it's with design. The headphones are assembled incredibly high quality - all the details are fitted with the precision of a perfectionist, and a large amount of metal in the design makes it even more reliable. On weight this, good, is not greatly affected.
The headband and ear cushions are made of leather. The bowls are large in size, so that even a large ear can fit into them without problems - this is the feature of monotonous type models. You put them on, and as if you isolate yourself from the rest of the world, remaining alone with the music. Because of the high quality of the materials used and the decent ergonomics, you can sit in these headphones for long hours (most importantly, even after that the head and ears will not sweat).
The ear-pads are moderately solid - so that there is control over the bass, and there was no sense that low frequencies "are chopped into the skull." Comfortable landing is largely provided by the ability to rotate bowls in two directions. Therefore, this model will suit listeners with any size of head and ears, which can not be said about the same in-channel headphones.
The Japanese in general have recently been pleased with design experiments, and it concerns not only sound equipment, but even cars. Design ATH-SR9 is admired at first sight - this balance between convenience and futurism is very difficult to find.
Technologies
If you look under the ear pads, you can immediately understand how technologically ATH-SR9 . The voice coil is wound with OFC-7N oxygen-free copper wire for better conductivity, and the Hi-Res speakers are equipped with a high-performance magnetic system with an iron core, which maximizes the sound output. The membranes, by the way, are covered with special material Diamond-like Carbon.
The secret of the success of the model is not only in the light design of the cups, but also in the absence of various rattles (again, we must give credit to the qualitative assembly). The heart of the headphones are the 45mm TrueMotion drivers - they are especially accurate and smooth over the entire frequency range.
But on this technological "filling" of the headphones does not end: not only that the sound at high frequencies is improved by using diamond-like carbon to cover the diaphragm, so also the speaker itself is acoustically balanced by the technology of Midpoint Mounting. All this in total allowed the engineers of Audio-Technica to balance the headphones as much as possible and make them universal.
How sound?
This is quite a natural question after such luggage used technology. To fully unlock the potential of the ATH-SR9 , we decided to take advantage of Astell & Kern's new portable audio player KANN. Its role is played by the fact that both devices are of the same age, which means that they fully correspond to each other in terms of level.
Of course, in addition to FLAC, with such a couple I do not want to listen to anything else. The tracks were pleasantly surprised by the detailing and simply incredible high frequencies - it is difficult to say which headphones in the segment work them better. The middle frequencies are balanced and clean. The bass is not overloaded: low frequencies sound without any accents, which can disappoint fans of hardcore hip-hop. The headphones are obviously aimed at universality, and it's unquestionably the engineers succeeded.
Despite the fact that Astell & Kern KANN has many possibilities to customize the sound at the expense of the equalizer, it did not have to resort to its "services". ATH-SR9 and without it sound at the level - this is just the case when you can connect the headphones to the source and do not bother with the settings.
For example, collected several songs.
Theory of a Deadman - Say Goodbye. If to the appearance of the first album of this group he put his hand Than Krueger from Nikelback, then with the fifth one Alice Cooper helped them. Yes, some of the band's compositions can be safely sent to the country festival, but obviously not this one - such a vivid combination of vocals, bass guitar and grunge makes the goose bumps go around.
Hozier - Take Me To Church. Keen on church chorals, blues, jazz and soul Andrew Hosier-Byrne recorded a sensual song that instantly won the hearts of millions of listeners. This composition allows you to clearly understand all the advantages of high frequencies in the ATH-SR9 , but we must pay tribute to the source.
Benjamin Clementine - Cornerstone. And why not test this couple with one of the best songs of the artist, which draws inspiration from the best pianists - Chopin, Ravel and Satie? Benjamin Clementine has not sung a cappella for a long time, but it is his vocals that makes listening tracks one by one. And we must admit that our today's hero surprised us: the piano worked for 5 out of 5, the vocals - even better. So their use with classical music takes place to be.
Conclusion
Audio-Technica ATH-SR9 - very interesting headphones, both in terms of design, and in terms of sound feed. Despite the fact that the model is more universal, it is not devoid of its character: each time listening to familiar tracks, as if you open them from the other side.
It is worth noting that these headphones are best to feel at home or at the recording studio, but sometimes they can also be "walked" paired with a smartphone - for good reason, engineers wanted to create a model for daily operation.
pros
- Crystal clear high frequencies
- Genre universality
- Comfort
- Quality of the product
Minuses
- Branded connectors instead of MMCX
- Perhaps too large to be portable
For music lovers who prefer music of different genres and styles, these headphones will certainly be an excellent option. Price they, of course, appropriate, but the Japanese quality, however, has never been cheap. All details are on the link below.
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