If you want a pair of headphones to sound good there’s a certain logic to building them from the same stuff that made the music in the first place, which is exactly what Audio-Technica has done with the wood-encased ATH-WBLTD.
The 45mm drivers used by these limited-edition wired headphones are encased in maple, walnut, and mahogany – three hardwoods that are often used to construct violins, guitars, and mandolins due to their acoustic properties and ability to limit pesky vibrations. The housings are also hand-polished by Fujigen, a Japanese guitar manufacturer, so they absolutely look the part, too.
Audio-Technica has designed the ATH-WBLTD with analogue listening in mind, so as well as having a DLC-coated diaphragm, the drivers have been tuned specifically for analogue connections, delivering what the Japanese company says is an “impressively responsive and expressive soundscape.”
In search of those clear highs and deep, textured lows, you also get two 1.2-metre cables in the box: one with a 4.4mm five-pole connector, and the other with a standard 3.5mm jack, plus there’s a 6.3mm adapter to maximise the number of sources you can plug them into.
Audio-Technica understands that while those layers of wood might make a pair of headphones sound good, it doesn’t make them comfortable to wear without some padding, so the ear cups and adjustable magnesium-alloy headband are covered with sheepskin.
Just 300 pairs of ATH-WBLTD headphones have been made, priced at £1599/€1799 each, which makes them pretty valuable in more ways than one, but if you’re brave enough to take them outside they will fold flat to take up less space in your bag. We'll get our first glimpse of them at the High End Munich show.
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High End Munich 2024: highlights, latest news, and what to expect
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