Audio-Technica ATH-W5000

Design

Within this comparison is an interesting aesthetic conundrum. From the sides, the ATH-W5000s look significantly classier, thanks in part to their wooden ear cups. From the front, however, they make your head look like Saturn (we think this is silly; should you be reading this in the future, where halos have come into fashion, feel free to assert your own assessments over our own).

Audio-Technica ATH-W5000	Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Frequency Response

The DT 990 PROs had a significantly more even frequency response than the ATH-W5000s, although they too had some issues towards the high-end. Both have a relatively even response, but the DT 990 PROs manage to snag this category.

Audio-Technica ATH-W5000	Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Distortion

There really isn’t much to say regarding distortion other than, ‘Hey, guys, where’d you put that distortion? I can’t seem to find it anywhere!’ We really wouldn’t recommend saying this, actually, because we tried saying this in the office once and no one really thought it was funny, not even the guy who is into headphones.

Audio-Technica ATH-W5000	Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Tracking

Look at these two tracking graphs. Knowing that tracking displays the relative volume levels of each channel, we feel it’s easy to discern which had the most even playback. This being said, the ATH-W5000s weren’t horrible-terrible, they just had that issue towards the high end.

Audio-Technica ATH-W5000	Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Isolation

Neither are good.

Audio-Technica ATH-W5000	Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Comfort

The DT 990 PROs are some of the most comfortable headphones we’ve tried on. The only issue we found with them is that, during very long listening sessions of over 6 hours, you might want to re-adjust the band slightly to avoid feeling pressure. They feel secure without feeling tight, and are just magically comfortable in general. The ATH-W5000s have a slight fit issue, which you can see in the pictures below: they don’t really contour to the head well.

Both sets of headphones are comfortable. Sometimes the DT 990 PROs can cause some top-of-the-head pressure, sometimes the ATH-W5000s feel big. We recommend trying both on.

Wear
Audio-Technica ATH-W5000	Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Verdict

In this match-up, we really do like the DT 990 PROs more. Sure, they don’t look nearly as expensive as the ATH-W5000s, but we’re not you, so we feel haven’t the foggiest how much such a thing will mean to you, personally.

In terms of audio quality, we side with the numbers, which side with the DT 990 PROs. The numbers continue to side with the DT 990 PROs across the board, including our value score. The DT 990 PROs are great and well-priced for what they offer. If you’re looking for fancy, however, the ATH-W5000s win.