The ATH-W5000 headphones are endowed with exceptional sound characteristics and stylish, cutting-edge design which earns them recognition as some of the best-sounding headphones available today.

Clear sound with low distortion; Sturdy build quality; Attractive striped-ebony hardwood earcups; Rugged; red velour-lined storage case

Difficult to fit on your head; Bass response is weak by some standards; No accessories

readers know, we are in the midst of a program to review top-tier models from all the well-respected headphone manufacturers, and thus far we haven't yet tested a top model from Audio-Technica (we've covered other A-T models, though: click here to download

The ATH-W5000s are a super high-end option from Audio-Technica. The ear cups are made from striped ebony wood and the ear cups are lambskin. Looking at these headphones, it's easy to tell they're for people that are serious about audio.

The ATH-W5000 is, in the company of other uber headphones, a rather unassuming design. It doesn't ooze luxury.

In a few words: if you like classical music (or any music where a big, boomy bass is not too important and where detail and clarity are essential), do yourself a favor and buy these.

Accuracy; Comfortable; Detail retrieval; Great Sound; Stylish

A little leaky

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comfortable; Good Bass; Good Value; Great Sound; Lightweight; Stylish

Too Much Ambient Noise

I bought these headphones and I cannot belive what i'm hearing so crisp and natural sound, my friend heared it and said wow! Audio Technica rules!!!! i use them with my xtreme music card of CREATIVE and my PRO-JECT Head Box amplifier on Windows Media Center on Windows Vista the best program of audio...

Audio Technica ATH-W5000 Review The Audio Technica ATH-W5000 "Raffinato" are the current top of the line pair of closed headphones within the company's headphone portfolio. The MSRP is $1669.95, but the street price is approximately $650 - $700 USD.

Seeing as we've had a pretty good run of some fabulous headphones lately and finding that Audio-Technica had a model at nearly twice the price, we were more than merely curious. On arrival, the W5000 turned out to be one of the most glamorously packaged bits of hi-fi around.

Audio Technica's ATH-W5000 closed-back headphones are extremely high-end, reference-grade headphones for the truly discerning audiophile. These well-built, comfortable cans could be excellent for the studio, providing potent detail and clarity for many genres of music

Accurate sound quality; Super-detailed high-end; Ideal as reference headphones for mixing; Excellent cabling

Bass isn't too powerful; No 6.5mm-3.5mm adaptor in the box