Наушники — Audio-Technica ATH-WP900

The ATH-WP900 is a portable over-ear headphone with closed-back wooden earcups, made by Audio-Technica and handmade in Japan by the company's craftsmen. Its housings use a thin slice of flame-grain maple fused on top of solid, machined maple, and the flame-like texture is created and applied by the Japanese guitar maker FujiGen, with each piece painted individually. The US price was USD 650. The design folds flat for carrying, and Audio-Technica includes a protective carrying pouch.

Key specs that matter

Audio-Technica fits an exclusive 53 mm dynamic driver in each earcup, built with a diaphragm coated in DLC (diamond-like carbon), which Audio-Technica applies to improve high-frequency response. The quoted frequency range runs from 5 Hz to 50,000 Hz. Sensitivity is 100 dB per mW and impedance is 38 ohms, while maximum input power is rated at 1,000 mW. Weighed without a lead attached, the ATH-WP900 comes to 243 g, and Audio-Technica classes the headphone as a portable model.

Engineering and use context

Behind the driver sits a top-mount PCB system, which Audio-Technica uses to optimise airflow and control of the diaphragm, and the drivers are paired with a powerful magnetic circuit. An angled baffle tilts the ear pads so that they wrap evenly around the ears for an improved seal and fit. Both earcups accept detachable cables through A2DC (Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial) connector jacks, a removable connector design that the maker specifies with noise-elimination features. Two cables of 1.2 m each come in the box, both finished with L-type plugs. One ends in a gold-plated 3.5 mm stereo mini-plug, and the other ends in a gold-plated 4.4 mm Pentaconn balanced plug with 5 poles. Within the wooden range the WP900 is the portable closed-back design, while the ATH-AWKT and ATH-AWAS are full-size models.

Pairing

Since the load is light and efficient, phones, portable players and desktop headphone amplifiers can all drive the ATH-WP900 from their standard outputs. Owners of a source with a balanced socket can swap to the balanced lead without buying an extra cable, and the unbalanced lead covers every other device with a standard mini-jack socket. The power rating leaves generous headroom for desktop amplifiers with high output.

Alternatives

The Audio-Technica ATH-AWAS is a full-size over-ear headphone from the same wooden-housing family.