Product Description
Wooden housings made of African Padauk not only look great?they contribute to the superior acoustic reproduction that these beautiful headphones offer. Audio-Technica?s specially designed 42 mm neodymium drivers project powerfully. Luxurious earpads deliver long-wearing comfort. The headphones fold for compact storage. Wooden housings made of African Padauk for superior acoustic reproduction, Specially designed 42 mm drivers deliver outstanding audio, Soft earpads provide luxurious comfort, Headphones fold for compact portability.Includes protective pouch.

Product Details
    * Ultra-sleek, contemporary portable headphones with fold-flat design
    * 42mm drivers for clear reproduction
    * Luxurious ear cushions for maximum comfort and isolation
    * 4-foot cord; gold-plated 3.5mm stereo mini-plug
    * Includes protective pouch and cleaning cloth

Technical Details
Model: ATH-ESW9

Customer Review
    
By
Leah "amazonregular"(NY State)
I assume it is a 5 star item but beware!, July 27, 2009

I just got a pair at a "bargain" price-CHINESE KNOCKOFFS! even after asking where they came from and being lied to, after mentioning there have been some knock-offs from China and think9ing they were coming from California-I got taken! Be careful folks, be smarter than I was... Thank goodness for visa, as hopefully i will get my money back.

By
Persiyan Petrov(Arlington, TX)
Best sound quality and style at this price range!, May 17, 2010

First I'd like to tell what I do. I work at an electronic store located at an airport called Airport Wireless. We sell headphones among other things. We also have demos of pretty much all of our headphones, even in-ear headphones, as opposed to most electronic stores you go into. At my location we carry/have carried these brands: Sennheiser, Monster Cable, Sony, Audio-Technica, Able Planet, Ultimate Ears, Pure, V-Moda among other brands that aren't worth mentioning, sorry cheapies. I've also tried all Bose models. I hate Bose, not because all their products under $298 are pure T-Rex-sized-crap, but because I'm tired of hearing ignorant douches glorifying Bose all the while not seen or heard any other headphones. With that said, I'm no expert and I don't consider myself an audiophile, may be more towards a semi-audiophile, sound I've found to be somewhat subjective, so this means that if you go out to spend serious money on headphones don't solely depend on what I say, instead trial your options.

I already own the in-ear monitors of my dreams and those are the Ultimate Ears 700. May be I'll do a review for those if I'm not lazy. However, I've been on the search for some on-ear headphones for a while, it appears I must have sensitive ears because every on-ear headphones I've tried have left a painful feeling after some extended use. I wouldn't mind going with over the ear headphones except my head is not that big and big headphones make it look even smaller, like that Burger King comercial with the guy with the tiny hands. Well, I've finally found the perfect on-ear headphones... for me.

BEHOLD... the ATH-ESW9!

The Look: 5/5
Let's judge this book by it's cover. First words that come to mind when I look at these are retro/classical beauty. The cups are made out of real African Paduak tree, the ear pads are made out of lambskin leather which is unique since this leather is not as soft as the leather used in other high end headphones making it feel more authentic and look customish. The headband seems to be constructed in metal, because the headphones are stretchable, I should know because I stretched them out to about 4" apart so that it doesn't put as much pressure on my ears, it is covered in leather(different from the ear pads' leather) with black on the bottom/sides and brown over the top which also adds to its retro look. Over all, hands down the best looking headphones in it's price range.

Price: 5/5
Speaking of price, these retail for $[...], that is not what the rating above covers, I rate the price based ont eh $[...]I paid from here. There are no headphones this stylish with this built and sound quality for this kind of money, period.

Sound: 5/5
Like I siad this may be subjective, I've met people who prefer muffled highs and mids so I've come to a conclusion that what is defined by high end sound quality isn't for everyone. With that said, separation in lows, mids, and highs is something I look for, and it is definitely present here, certainly better balanced than most $500/below headphones(let's not forget these are only $[...]). Highs are quite nicely adjusted, crisp but not overly hissy, although not recommended listening at very high volumes because crisp highs will fatigue the ear in extended listening sessions. Mids are clear, so clear that it makes even 128kbps mp3s sound better than before. Lows are very well present, punchy bass and pretty deep where necessary, it is a bit laid back, not in the sense that it isn't there but that it doesn't hit you in the face like the Beats By Dr. Dre do for instance, I prefer that because lows push air into your ear which has nowhere to go but push onto your eardrum, the more air the more likely to damage your ears. It still is the best bass response I've seen from any other headphones in these price ranges, especially on-ear headphones, because they have smaller drivers, but then again these are a bit larger than most on-ear headphones and housing 42 mm neodymium drivers. Over all I couldn't be happier with the sound, it really does make a difference, hell it even makes songs I don't normally favor sound so good I like them better than before.

Fit: 4/5
When I said perfect a few paragraphs above I really meant as good as I've been able to find. Like I noted these are a bit larger than most on-ear headphones, they even cover all of my ears, the ear pads even decline inward so less is pushing on my ears. The first time I used them I did start to feel pain after about 2 hours, I've since been able to extend that time to 4-5 hours by stretching them out, even more I've played around with they way I fit them on to make them almost painless. So not perfect but a freaking great improvement over the wear-for-half-hour-feel-pain alternatives.

Portability: 3/5
Double sided undetachable cord, it brakes, you're screwed. Soft case + full bag don't go together too well, although I give the headphones credit for a durable design. Not big issues since I take care of my expensive toys, and I don't travel that much. However, these things could have been improved...

Conclusion: 4.4/5
I'm very happy with my choice, and you could officially consider me an Audio-Technica fan. Not perfect, but what is, after a long search I've managed to come as close to that word as I could for myself. So definitely worth the money it's going for right now, even more if the price goes down further. Enjoy the pics I uploaded to the 'customer images'.

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