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Herald Sun, Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Get an earful
Cosy: Audio-Technica’s ATH ES-7 headphones are comfortable and seal in the doof-doof.
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Dave Bullard tests new top-quality headphones aimed at the legions of iPod users ENTION Audio-Technica to an audiophile and his eyes will glaze over with the thought of the silky smooth phono cartridges he has been buying since the Sixties. Mention the Japanese brand to a pro audio technician, and he will tell you how good their microphones and headphones are, and how they are endorsed by singers such as Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins and have been used at four Olympic Games. Now mention Audio-Technica to iPod users and they’ll say the new ATH ES-7 headphones, aimed at iPod users, are among the best mid-priced units you can buy. The cool-looking, lightweight cans deliver a crisp, clear sound with good resolution of detail right through the frequency range (they have a frequency response of 5-30,000Hz), plus great bass reproduction for drivers of this size (42mm neodymium).
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They are also accurate, so you can hear the differences between the tracks. This is both a blessing and a curse because you’ll hear exactly what you’ve recorded, which in an iPod’s case is compressed audio with closed-in treble. In fact, the ES-7s will outrun any iPod. They’re better than that, and have a much wider application. Try them in a late-night listening session with a decent two-channel rig and you’ll be
amazed. But you’ll need to buy an adapter (3.5mm to 6.35mm) to plug them into an amplifier. Audio-Technica really needs to include one in the pack to do these headphones justice. It’s difficult to create a good soundstage with compressed music played though closed headphones, but the ES-7s do a fine job in seeming to expand the music beyond the confines of your head. If you put the headphones on the wrong
way, mixing up the left and the right, you’ll immediately be aware of a muddled sound — the sign of a good set of ’phones. These flat-folding Audio-Technicas come in white or black high-quality plastic with mirrorfinish stainless-steel cups and rubberised headband. They have a regular 3.5mm jack for use with iPods and other portable audio players. You’ll be forever polishing the fingerprints off the stainless-steel cups, but the ES-7s come with a soft carry bag that doubles as a polishing cloth. The soft ear muffs are mid-sized, so they envelop smaller ears but sit on top of larger ones. The seal is always good, so your fellow travellers will be spared having to listen to the beat of your Goth rock. One important thing to bear in mind when shopping for headphones is comfort (yep, it’s amazing how often people buy ’phones that they have to take off after 10 minutes), and some listeners have found the ES-7s to be a bit tight. I found them very comfortable, but you should try them out before you buy.
AT A GLANCE
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AUDIO-TECHNICA Model: ATH ES-7 headphones Price: $275 Technical Audio Group: 9416 1200 www.tag.com.au Very good quality for the price. These are stylish headphones with sound that will put a smile on an audiophile’s face.
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