• Register  |  
• Login  |  
•   Advanced Search 

A900 vs A900LTD? The physical changes are major and each alone has the potential for major sonic changes.

Summary:

A cord that keeps the grounds separate. The ground cord was an issue last couple of years as being able to make "huge" differences in sound all by itself. One reason people recable headphones is to get the grounds separate. This is not required for the A900LTD.

How about driver differences between the A900 and the A900LTD which are reported to be significant. The words in the manufacturer's description suggest the same driver as in the D1000. The D1000 phone with this same description was described by one as being a suprise sonic near equal to the W2002 in a review.

How about the A900LTD pads, it uses the A1000 pads that people last year considered as a significant upgrade for the A900 which tighten its bass? This is a done deal for the A900LTD. These are very comfortable.

From attempting to read some of the translated blogs in Japan, it appears that some think that the A900LTD is more an Audio-Technica experiment in sound. Meaning that the A900LTD was different enough to be considered a change in direction to where their house sound may be headed. This suggests a major sonic difference from the original.

This is my case for stating that the differences between the A900 and the A900LTD are more than casual.

Here is a headphone, the ATH-A900LTD, that is closed which has the soundstage as good as the DT880 with cardas cables in my opinion. This phone has all the clarity of the ATH-W1000 with more and tighter bass with the extended highs of the DT880 without its brightness. The A900LTD are smooth and detailed as the ATH-W1000 or the DT880. This headphone is extremely balanced. I do enjoy this Audio-Technica headphone sound even though the A900LTD may have been an attempt by Audio-Technica to change its house sound with this headphone. If you are in need of an excellent closed headphone you can count on the ATH-A900LTD.

Latest update was a comparison between the various headphones that I have reviewed with an attempt to bring all my reviews into a reasonable level.

These are very comfortable headphones that are easy to wear for extended periods. Bass reproduction is strong and excellent, without the boominess sometimes associated with closed 'phones. Despite much talk of "recessed midrange" with this model, I have found the biggest problem to be a definite rolloff in the upper frequencies. This becomes apparent when listening to music incorporating high-hat cymbals or other high-frequency percussive instruments.

There is also a tendency toward upper frequency harshness or shrillness with these headphones. Although this has diminished a bit with break-in, for me it never entirely disappeared. I found this a bit disappointing.

Overall, these are good quality closed headphones. They are (or were) pricey, however, and I suspect that potential buyers can find superior performance at this price point with various open headphone models.

I've owned this headphone for about one month. It's sound is colored, but it gives the headphone warmth and is very pleasant to listen to. The sound is different from A1000 and more like other old ATH headphones.

Bass Extension - 3
Bass Impact - 3
Bass Quality - 4
Mids Quality - 6
High Quality - 7
Soundstage -4
Detail - 7
Portability - 2
Isolation - 6
Comfort - 6
Durability - 7
Improvement with Amplification - 5
Value - 3