If there was a headphone in the group that could earn a place in the Museum of Modern Art – this is the one. With wooden housing made of Japan's finest Hokkaido cherry, the ATH-EW9 clip-on headphones are show-stoppers. The sound is great, too: 28 mm neodymium magnets project powerfully. These dynamic headphones offer a secure, comfortable ear-fitting design and an innovative sliding axis for easy adjustment and a truly custom fit. Soft rubber support loops and large, lightweight ear hangers are engineered for hours of listening without fatigue.

The official line from the company web site is as follows:

• Wooden housing made of Japan's finest Hokkaido cherry; superior build quality and finish
• Comfortable clip-on design with soft rubber support loops and large ear hangers enables long hours of listening without fatigue
• Earphones swivel open and click into ideal listening position on a sleek vertical hinge
• Each earphone slides into position on a vertical axis for easy adjustment and a truly custom fit
• Lightweight ear-fitting headphones offer both style and powerful sound
• Impressive 28 mm neodymium magnets project powerful sound
• Includes 0.6 m cable with 1.0 m extension cord and a protective carrying pouch

Design: The ATH-EW9 take a different approach from the other headphones in this roundup. These are “over-the-ear” headphones with a very flexible, adjustable ear clip. They feature a much larger driver and a very comfortable foam pad which sits over the ear. There are several things that distinguish these over-the-ear headphones from others. First, the backing is an unbelievably beautiful Hokkaido cherry wood from Japan.

They look like works of art. Secondly, the flexible clips are very unique and adjustable. These headphones just scream out “Quality” and really need to be seen to be appreciated. The over-the ear design with the very spongy pads makes for a very comfortable fit (more about that later.)

My only qualm is the same as with the ATH-EC7 – the cords are of unequal length from the earpieces. An Audio-Technica rep explained to me that this is to allow the headphones to be comfortable when the iPod is worn on the side – however, it was still too easy to get the extra length caught in something. I would much prefer two equal lengths.

Comfort: Next to the ATH-EC7’s – these were the most comfortable headphones in the group. The soft cushions just felt nice. The lightweight design coupled with the very adjustable clips, meant that once adjusted, they could be worn for hours on end.

Sound Quality: The ATH-EW9’s sounded beautiful. Vocals and instrumentals were open, clear and detailed. The one area where they were a bit lacking was in the bass. I had thought that with a relatively large driver, a tighter bass would be heard and felt. While drums and electric bass could be heard – it was not as pronounced as in the ATH-EC7’s, the Shure E4g’s and no where near the Ultimate Ears’ Super.fi. 5 Pro.

That being said, if you don’t usually listen to Hip-Hop, Rap or Hard Rock, you might not be missing anything in the bass department and you would be gaining a very balanced, beautifully detailed sound.

Conclusions: The Audio-Technica ATH-EW9’s are not only great sounding headphones – they are works of art to behold. The Cherry wood finish is simply beautiful. I don’t know if the use of real wood adds to the “realistic” rendering of acoustic guitar solos – but instrumentals and vocals were a joy to listen to with these headphones. They are comfortable and wearable for long periods of time. The bass was a little lacking and their high price keeps them from getting the highest grade. They are available at steep discounts, however, from various web vendors.

Final Grade : A

Pros: Great looks, great sound, very comfortable

Cons : Weak bass, different length cords, expensive

The MSRP is US$329.00 from www.audiotechnica.com.