Best Audio-Technica Headphones for Bass

Music equipment isn’t what it is without headphones. As we saw in our latest article, the ATH-M40x was the victor in determining which Audio-Technica headphones were the best overall. However, now it’s time to really get down to the specific music niches. We all have our personal preferences for audio enjoyment and Audio-Technica took that into consideration when laying out their catalog and creating headphones per specific uses. Today we’ll be determining which Audio Technica headphones are the best for bass, because, let’s face: bass is the center-point and most bad-ass part of music. Read our best studio headphones article for some more options too, although they are geared more towards accuracy.

The best Audio-Technica headphones for bass depends on…

A few aspects. Obvioulsy, pricing is something you should be concerned about. If you have enough money to buy the most expensive piece of hardware they offer for bass, go ahead and do so; however, you also need to know which kind of headphones you need (ear-buds, over-the-ear) as well as what you’ll be using the gear for. Lastly, most of their pairs offer some specific features that come along with the pair of bass headphones, such as a mic, volume control, playback options, etc…

• Your budget
• Type and features prefer
• The use of your headphones

Your budget

We’re graced by Audio-Technica with a wide variety of options when it comes to price. Their bass headphones increase in price as their technology increases, but we have options on all tiers starting at around 70$ retail going all the way up to 250$. You will find a chart of all Audio-Technica headphones that are tailored specifically for bass, sorted by lowest price so you can compare which pair is best for your budget at the end of our article. We recommend going somewhere in the middle, as most headphones they offer in that realm aren’t too different than the more expensive pairs.

The type of Audio-Technica bass headphones and features

I personally have both in-ear and over-ear Audio-Technica headphones. I like to use my ear buds for the gym and traveling if i’m ever going on a long flight. The over-ear headphones I use for my music production or household duties (sometimes even dog walks). I only go with the ‘i’ models since I use my iPhone to listen to my tunes. The navigation button they include for the ‘i’ models is way too convenient not to get it, not to mention the microphone that comes with them is stable. They’re also only typically $20 more, which is worth it in my opinion. Here’s a list of them all.

Over-Ear

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  ATH-WS55: Starts their over-the-ear bass headphone line. It is also offered in black/red. As opposed to the in-ear series having 12.5 mm drivers, these over-ear headphones are 400 mm drivers for a very rich and powerful sound. They include Audio-Technica’s coined ‘Solid Bass System’ with a double air chamber system for deep bass passing through two chambers as opposed to the typical one. The ear pads are very comfortable and the headband is a slider to ensure a custom fit. Lastly, you can fold these bad boys up for portability.

• ATH-WS55iBK: All of the same features as the WS55 but with a microphone. If you’re looking at the WS55 model, we recommend spending the extra 20$ or so on the ‘i’ version due to the convenient remote control put into the cable. What the ‘i’ versions of these headphones implies is their implementation of ‘apple device navigation’, or basically a navigation button system located at the center of your cable. You can play, pause, stop, volume control, track skip, and answer calls with the convenient remote control. Only $20 more for convenience: your call. This is the only ‘i’ model of the over-ear bass headphones Audio-Technica offers.

• ATH-WS77: Although discontinued as of late by Audio-Technica, these are still available online, especially from Amazon as we’ve linked since it’s around $25 cheaper there. This is just a step up from the WS55’s, they don’t offer an ‘i’ model for this or any other upgrade headphone. With 40 mm drivers, the chamber system now gets into the ‘double air’ as opposed to ‘dual chamber’. It is merely a higher upgrade in terms of bass clarity and quality (hence the higher price). The housing is also aluminium, which is stated to eliminate ‘undesired vibrations’ for a clearer sound. Lastly, the headband slides for a custom fit, something Audio-Technica loves to implement int their over-ear models.

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  ATH-WS99: The WS99’s are the best in terms of bass technology Audio-Technica has to offer. The only question is obvious here, and it is if you’d want to spend that much on a pair of headphones. It includes their ‘Double Air Chamber System’ for extend the bass response, aluminum housing for undesired vibration elimination, 53 mm (all the other over-ears are 40 mm) drivers. The box comes with two 2.6 ft. extension cables, an inline mic, and playback and volume controls for smartphones and other devices (just like the ‘i’ models). Lastly, the headband is a slider as expected for a custom fit.

In-Ear (ear buds)

• ATH-CKS55iBK: The ‘i’ for Audio-Technica’s second model’s to their sister counterpart means it is the same ear bud but features an in-line three button remote attached to the center of the cable while you wear them for control of Apple devices (hence the ‘i’). The remote provides these iPhone navigation capabilities: volume control, play, pause, fast forward or rewind, and call answering. All features of the CKS55BK but also includes the in-line remote as stated above and a microphone. Only $10 cheaper, too.

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  ATH-CKS77BK: A step up from the CKS55BK ear buds, these are more expensive because of the bass technology included. The ‘double air chamber mechanism’ is more advanced for bass clarity, and also features a two-position post for better fit and sound isolation. ‘Solid Bass System’ and ‘Double Air Chamber’ for deep, rich bass sounds. Titanium construction, 1.2m stealth cable with L-type plug for audio players.

• ATH-CKS99: Another step up if you can afford it, with even better bass technology added. ‘Double Air Chamber System’ bass technology, meaning the headphones have two chambers to focus air flow by the driver movement, which in result expands the output of the bass. Very surpreme bass quality here. If you can afford this step up from the prior ear buds listed, this is right in the middle of excellent bass.

• ATH-CKS99i: All features of the original CKS99 but with a microphone and control center. We recommend going with this if you need that ‘i’ remote control capability. The picture on the right shows the control center (3rd object on image). This is extremely useful for times at the gym or on the go — never having to fiddle with your phone to change songs, mess with the volume for answer a call.

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  ATH-CKS1000: These earbuds are just crazy. Audio-Technica’s best ear buds for bass, although $250 retail. If you want to go nuts, you should probably buy these. Here’s what Audio-Technica’s top ear buds include: their ‘Double Air Chamber System’ for the maxmimum amount of bass clarity they can offer, two-position post to adjust ear pieces for custom fit, and a 13 mm diaphgragm for better sound. The box comes with two 2.6 ft extenstion cables, one which includes an inline mic and navigation that typically is included in the ‘i’ models. The carrying pouch is also in there with replacement ear tips. If you have the money, you won’t be disappointed. A friend of mine had these and he was using them for gaming. I got a chance to try them out for a few songs and yes, they’re premium.

The use of your Audio-Technica bass headphones

As I stated above, I personally use both types of headphones, which is all relative to the activity i’m going to partake in. I like ear buds for the gym because they don’t slide off as easily. The over-ear are more comfortable if i’m sitting in my studio for a longer amount of time. The sliding headband is just an added convenience and helps them fit a lot better than other headphones out there. The ear pads are really soft: sometimes when I wear headphones my ears start to hurt, but I’ve used these for about 2-3 hours at a time before and I haven’t had that happen yet.

In conclusion, the best Audio-Techinca headphones for bass are…

You have a number of options available when it comes to choosing the best Audio-Technica headphones for bass. We’ve highlighted their ‘bass series’, specifically created with technology to put emphasis on the lower frequencies of the songs you listened to. This is executed by their specially designed ‘Solid Bass System’, with most headphones using two chambers to create airflow as opposed to what 99% of all competitors use with one. If we were to give you a definite answer, we’d go somewhere in the middle. With over-ear, the WS55iBK at a low price are the only headphones that offer their recommended navigation system and mic, unless you want to go the full nine and get their WS99 model. For ear buds, you have a pretty big selection, but again, the ‘i’ models are the way to go. We like the CKS99i because of their price being in the middle and still offering their ‘i’ features and microphone, unless you’re going all the way for the jam-packed CKS1000 ear buds. We love Audio-Technica and hope this article has helped you choose the best for you.