Headphones

Ben Pitt puts four of the best headphones on the market to the test.

Audio Technica ATH-ES7

Manufacturer:	Price:
	£89.45 inc VAT
Reviewer:	Review Date:
Ben Pitt	Sep 2008

Sound	39/40	97%
Features	21/30	70%
Value	27/30	90%

Overall

87%

Verdict:

[+] Technica

Jaw-dropping sound quality

[-] Technical

£90 and no noise-cancelling

The quality of headphones varies much more than that of MP3 players, but Audio Technica’s ATH-ES7 is so impressive that it risks making your MP3 player sound a bit lame. It might even turn you off MP3 and other compressed formats altogether, as its incredibly crisp, focused output reveals every detail – and flaw – in music sources.

The ATH-ES7 comes from Audio Technica’s portable range of headphones, and is small enough to avoid looking ridiculous when you’re out and about. The rubber-clad metal headband and leather-effect ear pads are sturdy and comfortable. The cable is a little thin, though, and its non-replaceable design is a touch disappointing. The Philips SHN9500 does have a detachable cable, but then it does cost £50 more and sound appreciably mediocre by comparison.

We did notice a very faint clunking sound when walking, either from the cable or the earphones themselves, though we only noticed this during the most delicate of quiet movements in our test tracks.

AUDIO QUALITY

As we’ve already stated, these headphones sound pretty impressive. That’s an understatement – they’re startlingly good. Putting them on for the first time caused us to indulge in a barrage of joyful expletives, and after weeks of use we still haven’t got over the excitement of using them.

The clarity and smoothness from deep sub-bass to ultrasonic treble revealed new details in familiar recordings and made other headphones we previously admired sound weak and vague. Bass was incredibly deep and powerful, and unlike souped-up bass from lesser headphones, remained tightly focussed.

This may be a little overpowering for Radio 2 or Classic FM fans, but anyone who likes music with attitude will love it. The powerful bass will be particularly welcome for iPod owners, as the players’ distortion-prone bass boost feature won’t be needed.

All this in-your-face boisterousness meant the ATH-ES7 didn’t sound as spacious as other similarly priced headphones, but the sharp focus and clarity meant it was still easy to pick out fine details in a complex mix.

CONCLUSION

Noise-cancelling headphones might make more sense on public transport, but if all you really care about is sound quality, this is the set to get.

You can buy the Audio Technica ATH-ES7 from Play for £89.45 inc VAT (price correct at time of review)

For more information on the ATH-ES7, visit Audio Technica's website

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