Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9

Short-Term Use (4.00)

We’d like to start out this comfort section with no less than two words of warning:

• We have literally no idea what your head looks like and what your comfort thresholds are.
• On-ear headphones, in general, are far less comfortable if you’re wearing glasses or have piercings.

These things being said, We didn’t think the ATH-ESW9s were particularly comfortable. We put these things on a few people around the office, with head sizes ranging from large, to small, to oblong, to nearly trapezoidal. All but one thought these things fit a bit too tightly. This is likely a personal preference issue, because, when pressed, the people that thought these headphones were tight didn’t typically wear on-ears: they only owned in-ears themselves, but they’ve tried on myriad over-ears for this site’s purposes. The overall consensus was the ATH-ESW9s mush their wearer’s ears into his or her head. If the headband was just a bit more forgiving, it would’ve been a lot more comfortable.

Extended Use (3.00)

If you thought these were uncomfortable after the first hour, chances are they’re not going to wear well over time. All of the comfort issues described above only exacerbate the longer you wear them. Again, however, the one office voice that didn’t mind the headphones for a short-term wear also didn’t particularly mind them during long-term use. If you can stand them initially, chances are you won’t mind them much later on. Keep this in mind when you try these headphones: be sure to keep them on for longer than an hour, but if you make it to the 2-hour mark you probably can make it to the 6-hour mark without issue.

Cable Connectivity (4.27)

The ATH-ESW9s don’t have a particularly long cord. It’s just slightly over 4 feet long, which should be good enough to run from your head to your front pockets, but not much further. This means the ATH-ESW9s won’t be the best headphones for connecting to your system on the other side of the room, but will be find for use with your computer, portable media player, or a close-by stereo.

Customizability (2.00)

There isn’t much you can do to customize your ATH-ESW9s. The band extends, and that’s about the only option you’re given. There aren’t any fancy cases for the outside of the ear cup, any adapters, or anything, really. All you’re given is the headphones (with miraculous extending band) and a lamb-skin pouch.

Portability (2.25)

As small(ish) on-ears, the ATH-ESW9s are easier to lug around than, say, the average set of over-ears. Truth be told, however, the ATH-ESW9s don’t have a collapsible band, and will still displace a lot more space than a set of in-ears. Realistically, if you’re going to be be out and about with your headphones, you should get a set of in-ears. Not only are they a fraction the size and easy to shove in your pocket, but they have better isolation as well. If you hate in-ear headphones, however, then the ATH-ESW9s shoot way up the list, although will still fall behind clip-on on-ears, like their cousins, the ATH-EW9s.

Maintenance (2.00)

There’s also not much you can do to maintain the headphones, unless you risk breaking them to begin with. Other than taking off the ear cups — which is a bit hard since the ear cups fit on like slippers as opposed to snapping into place — there isn’t much you can do. Once you’ve removed the cups, this is what you’ll be looking at:

As you can see, there’s no screws, just a felt facade held on by bits of plastic. We think you can unsnap them, but we couldn’t without feeling like we were going to break the unit.

Other Features (5.00)

Battery

The ATH-ESW9s do not require batteries to work. Batteries are annoying and generally give your headphones an upkeep cost, so we award points to any headphones that don’t require them.