Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT Headphones Review
Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT Pros&Cons
Pros
- Premium build
- AptX and AAC
- Good battery life
Cons
- Price-to-performance ratio
- No noise cancellation
Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT Specs
- Impedance: 38Ω
- Driver size: 45mm
- Frequency response: 5 Hz ~ 45 kHz
- Sensitivity: 97dB / mW
- Battery life: Up to 15 hours (1000 hours standby)
- Support Codec: aptX HD, aptX, AAC, SBC
Packaging
Audio-Technica has been around for quite some time, and if you’ve ever purchased any of their other products, you’ll know that they’ve got some pretty decent packaging going. For the ATH-DSR9BT the packagng colour-scheme is mainly black and white, similar to what we’ve seen Fiio do recently.
The front has a large image of the ATH-DSR9BT, along with a few logos to highlight that the device operates via Bluetooth, as well as a Hi-Res Audio logo to boast about the ATH-DSR9BT’s certification.
The right side of the box lists a bunch of specs in a few different languages, whilst the left side features a few graphics to showcase the ATH-DSR9BT’s NFC and touch control functions.
The rear illustrates Audio-Technica’s Pure Digital Drive and True Motion technologies, as well as the various Bluetooth audio formats that the ATH-DSR9BT accepts.
Opening up the main outer packaging reveals yet another box. The secondary packaging is where we’ll find the ATH-DSR9BT neatly stored in a travel/storage case, as well as a MicroUSB charging/data cable, and a multi-lingual user guide. 
What’s in the box?
- ATH-DSR9BT
- Storage case
- Micro-USB charging cable
- User guide
Read: Sennheiser Momentum Over Ear Wireless Headphones Review
Accessories
So not a great deal of accessories are included with the ATH-DSR9BT, surprisingly not even an analogue cable. Although, this makes perfect sense once you realise that the ATH-DSR9BT doesn’t have the capability to be used in a wired manner…sort of (more on that later).
The included case is genuinely nice though, and really gives the ATH-DSR9BT a premium edge. It’s not the most compact case, but then again it can’t be die to the fact that the ATH-DSR9BT can only fold into a flatter profile, rather than a smaller profile like we’ve seen with the M50X, for example.
Read: Sony MDR1000x Noise cancelling headphones Review
Design
As far as the design is concerned, the ATH-DSR9BT is a pretty darn good looking set of cans. The gunmetal/grey colour and metal accents looks a little understated, but modern and sophisticated nonetheless. The earcups are made of a combination of metal and plastic, and feature a spun-aluminum design that gives off a similar sunburst effect that you’d see on some wristwatch dials.
One thing to note is that the ATH-DSR9BT does not have any left or right markings anywhere on the headphone itself. Instead, a simple L and R have been printed onto the inside of the earpads. this is actually a rather pleasing design choice (personally), one that is preferred to the LEFT and RIGHT marking on the MSR7, for example.
Thankfully the ATH-DSR9BT is a really comfy headphone. The earcups have what Audio-Technica refer to as heat-reactive soft foam earpads, which is definitely no marketing lie. The outer dimensions of the earpads measure in at around 105mm x 80mm (4.13″ x 3.15″), whilst the inner portion measures roughly 60mm x 35mm (2.36″ x 1.38″), making them spacious enough even for larger ears without looking obnoxiously over-sized.
The headband isn’t quite as soft as the earpads, but is still really comfy. Clamping force is about average, making the ATH-DSR9BT sit securely, yet comfortably enough not to cause excessive pressure even after prolonged sessions of wearing them.
Overall the ATH-DSR9BT feels really well-built and sturdy. Despite the use of various plastic parts, Audio-Technica have managed to create a design that has minimal creaking. This certainly helps to make the ATH-DSR9BT feel that much more refined and premium.
However, there is one rather major flaw. Ok, perhaps not so much a flaw as an outright omission of a certain feature – no analogue audio port. Nope, the ATH-DSR9BT cannot operate in a wired mode. Well, not a traditional wired mode anyways. The ATH-DSR9BT can be connected to a mobile device or DAP via USB (of your mobile device / DAP supports digital output over USB), but this creates another problem. Since the ATH-DSR9BT is designed as a Bluetooth headphone, it obviously must have an internal battery to power its Bluetooth bits and bobs along with all the other audio circuitry. Rechargeable batteries need to be…well…errmm..charged. What this means is that, irrespective of what device the ATH-DSR9BT is plugged into over USB, it’s going to start charging the battery. This will obviously drain the host device’s battery. That’s kinda ok when it’s a computer/laptop, but not so much when it’s a mobile phone / DAP. But, perhaps the biggest issue with this is that, if the battery is depleted, the ATH-DSR9BT essentially becomes a paperweight until it gets charged again. So, not particularly ideal.
There’s also no noise cancellation feature here, which seems a bit strange given the price-point.
Sound
Test Setup
Source: Shanling M2s, Samsung Galaxy S7
Audio-Technica have been around for quite some time now, and they’ve given us some truly exceptional sounding headphones and IEMs. No, we haven’t exactly seen a ton of wireless sets from them, so it’s always interesting to see what their take is on how a wireless set should perform.
In the case of the ATH-DSR9BT things are indeed interesting, albeit a little weird too.
Let’s start off with the bass region. Here Audio-Technica have actually done a really good job. There is a little bit of bass emphasis, but not enough to be considered obnoxiously intrusive. It digs deep and it hits with a punch, but it’s still well-controlled and coherent.
Let us then jump to the highs. Audio-Technica usually spends quite a bit of time on tuning the high frequencies, and they’ve become known for producing some headphones with incredible clarity. Thankfully, the ATH-DSR9BT is no different here. The highs extend well and are rather clearly defined. For a wireless set of headphones, the highs are actually quite impressive.
But…but, but, but….then we jump back to the mids. Oh dear.
It’s not quite apparent what Audio-Technica attempted to do here, but the mids are quite a sore-point. In order to understand what is meant by this, let us consider Audio-Technica’s other gem, the MSR7. Whilst the MSR7 is perfectly neutral, it leans more towards a brighter signature. But it’s not so far off as to not be considered to be well and truly damn good nonetheless. Comparing the ATH-DSR9BT to the MSR7, the ATH-DSR9BT’s presentation of the mids come across as being quite dull. It is as though the body and soul has been taken out. Ok, that’s perhaps a bit dramatic, but it paint’s a picture, doesn’t it? There’s just this sense that the mids are quite recessed in comparison to the rest of the frequency range, and this is most apparent with vocals. It makes vocals which are meant to sound intimate sound like they’re coming farther way, resulting in what can be perceived as a rather “hollow” sound. This is not even close to the worst I’ve heard, but perhaps this unexpected tuning just took me by surprise. It is actually so different to the sound of the MSR7 that it completely boggles my mind as to why/how Audio-Technica have both listed under the same Sound Reality category.
Where the ATH-DSR9BT actually does sound really good, though, is with rock tracks. But throw anything more intimate at it like Melissa Menago or Livingston Taylor, and that inherent lacking of the mids sticks out quite a bit.
Read: Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Headphones Review
Value
The ATH-DSR9BT started off with quite a bang. The build quality and comfort is truly worthy of praise. It’s unfortunate, then, that Audio-Technica couldn’t manage to carry that into the sound quality as well. Whilst one could argue that the ATH-DSR9BT sound good for a wireless set of headphones, the fact is that this is quite a competitive segment of the market. Truth be told, the Sony WH-1000XM2 arguably sounds better than the ATH-DSR9BT, despite not offering the same level of premium build quality. Where it makes up for this is in the fact that it also offers noise cancellation…and then there’s also the fact that the WH-1000XM2 can be found for up to $200 less than the ATH-DSR9BT.
Rating
The TECH MERIT rating system is designed to take as many aspects of the device into account as possible. As such, we have a basic rating, as well as a final rating. The basic rating rates the product purely as a high quality portable audio device, and is generally a good indicator of how it stacks up to its rivals in terms of standard features and specs. The final rating, however, grants bonus points for any extra features and specs that aren’t quite as common, and is a great way to judge the product as a complete package.
Packaging
Look and feel: 8 / 10
Included Accessories
Protective case: YES
Build
Quality control: 10 / 10
Seems durable: YES
Microphonics: 9 / 10
Comfort: 9 / 10
Sound
Relatively balanced signature: –
Soundstage: 7 / 10
Detail retrieval: 7 / 10
Sibilance: 9 / 10
Instrument separation: 8 / 10
Isolation: 8 / 10
Hiss: 9 / 10
Portability
Small size: 7 / 10
Relatively low power required: 5 / 10
Weight: 7 / 10
Value
Competitive price-point: –
Relative value: 7 / 10
Basic Rating: 7.8
Bonus points
Removable cables: YES
Number of cables included: 1
Premium cables: –
How premium the case looks and feels: 8 / 10
Battery life above 8 hours: YES
Bluetooth: YES
Apt-X: YES
Volume/remote controls: YES
Metal body: YES
Premium look and feel: YES
Use of exotic materials: –
Bluetooth connection quality: 9 / 10
1/4” adapter included: –
Cable management: –
Aircraft adapter: –
Extra earpads: –
Final Rating: 8.2
Competitor:
Sennheiser PXC550 Headphones
Sony WH-1000xM2 Headphones
Sony MDR1000x Headphones.
Parrot Zik 3 Headphones
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