About the Audio-Technica ATH-WB2022
The first wireless wooden headphones from Audio-Technica
Wireless Bluetooth headphones made from a beautiful blend of woods traditionally used to build instruments.
The first wireless wooden headphones from Audio-Technica
How does a storied audio brand celebrate their 60th anniversary? Audio-Technica does it by releasing something completely new. The gorgeous ATH-WB2022 over-ear headphones are the first of the company's famous "woodies" with Bluetooth built-in. Each earcup is crafted from a combination of flame maple, walnut, and mahogany woods for a naturally satisfying, fully controlled sound.
Beauty on the inside, too
And here's another first for wireless headphones: To ensure these headphones deliver the optimal level of accuracy, detail, and separation, Audio-Technica used what they call a "fully balanced output system." Inside each earcup, there's a premium DAC, amplifier system, and battery supply dedicated solely to the left channel and the right channel.
By keeping all this circuitry separate, A-T is able to minimize crosstalk and deliver a more precise stereo imaging. With that pure, clean power, the 45mm drivers can start and stop quickly, resulting in authoritative bass and warm, pronounced highs.
Headphones arrive neatly packed inside a heavy-duty case from Zero Haliburton.
Listen wired or wirelessly
These are primarily wireless headphones, and the newer, more reliable Bluetooth 5.0 is on board. Premium Bluetooth formats LDAC and AAC are also supported with compatible devices, helping retain more musical detail. The downside of the special balanced circuitry is that battery life is lower than most over-ear Bluetooth headphones — you get up to nine hours on a full charge.
Still, you can make a digital connection and listen with the either of the two included USB-C charging cables. And you can listen passively, meaning the headphones don't have to be charged. This wired USB connection can support high-res audio playback (PCM up to 24-bit/96kHz).
Product highlights:
- first-ever wireless wooden headphones from Audio-Technica
- over-the-ear, closed-back headphones with housings made from blend of flame maple, walnut, and mahogany woods
- combination of woods lends natural detail and damping
- Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless music listening and phone calls
- LDAC and AAC decoding provide high-quality music streaming from compatible device
- multi-point connection for pairing two devices at once
- special 60th anniversary headphones with limited run worldwide
Audio features:
- "fully balanced output system" with independent DAC, amp, and batteries dedicated to left and right channels
- premium ESS DAC (ES9038Q2M) and flagship Nisshinbo microchip to power amp in each earcup
- accurate imaging and distinct separation
- 45mm dynamic drivers made of high-grade materials
- diaphragms use a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating for detailed sound and wide frequency response
- drivers angled and positioned within the wood housing for optimal airflow and performance
- supports high-res audio playback with wired USB connection (PCM up to 24-bit/96kHz)
Controls and mobile app:
- earcup controls let you answer calls, play/pause music, and skip songs
- summon voice assistant on your smart phone
- built-in mic system for clear calls in noisy areas
- free A-T Connect app for Apple® and Android lets you adjust settings and customize the sound
- activate "low latency mode" to better sync up video and audio
General info and specs:
- built-in rechargeable battery offers up to 9 hours of wireless use on full charge
- includes two detachable cables for charging and listening to compatible digital source:
- 5-foot USB-C to USB-A cable
- 5-foot USB-C to USB-C cable
- allows for passive wired listening through USB
- plush alacantara earpads and headband padding
- Zero Haliburton storage case
- warranty: 2 years
- Our 60-day money-back guarantee
- MFR # ATH-WB2022
What's in the box:
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More details on the Audio-Technica ATH-WB2022
Features & specs
| General | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fit Style | Over-the-ear | |
| Earcup Type | Closed | |
| Earcup Width x Height | ||
| Noise-canceling | No | |
| Bluetooth | Yes | |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 | |
| Single-earbud Operation | No | |
| Mic For Taking Calls | Yes | |
| Voice Assistant Access | ||
| Amazon Alexa | No | |
| Google Assistant | Yes | |
| Siri | Yes | |
| Connectors | ||
| 3.5mm | No | |
| 1/4" | No | |
| Lightning | No | |
| 4.4mm balanced | No | |
| XLR4 balanced | No | |
| 2.5mm | No | |
| Other | None | |
| Specs | ||
| Frequency Response | 5-45k Hz | |
| Sensitivity | 106 dB | |
| Impedance | 47 Ohms | |
| Weight | 12 ounces ounces | |
| Cord Length | --- | |
| Parts Warranty | 2 Years | |
| Labor Warranty | 2 Years | |
Product Research
Features
Overview: The Audio-Technica ATH-WB2022 wireless over-ear headphones feature beautiful wooden earcups and dual integrated digital-to-analog converters (DACs). The headphones were built to commemorate Audio-Technica's 60th anniversary, and come with a pouch for the two audio-grade USB cables, and a premium hard-shell protective storage case.
Wooden Housings: The ATH-WB2022 over-ear headphones feature solid, machined wooden housings, made from a combination of solid flame maple, walnut, and mahogany woods. The wooden earcups have excellent acoustic properties, including the absorption of vibrations for a pure audio performance. The housings have separate acoustic and electronic chambers to optimize the natural acoustic properties of the wood.
Ear Pads: In addition to the wooden ear cups, the headphones are equipped with premium Alcantara ear pads and headband that are soft and comfortable for long listening sessions. This luxurious, carbon-neutral material is made in Italy using sustainable practices.
Drivers: The ATH-WB2022 features specially designed 45mm HD drivers with a high-performance magnetic circuit and a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating on the diaphragms. The drivers are capable of reproducing high-resolution audio from wireless and USB connections.
Microphone: The headphones have a 10mm electret condenser microphone on the right earcup for crystal clear phone calls. It has an omni-directional polar pattern, and a 60-20kHz frequency response.
Onboard Controls: Both ear cups have onboard controls for basic functions. The right ear cup features Volume Up/Volume Down buttons, while the left ear cup has a multi-function button for music playback and phone call functions. Pressing and holding the multi-function button activates the connected phone's native voice assistant (Siri or Google).
Digital-to-Audio Converters: The ATH-WB2022 is the world's first headphone with a fully-balanced audio output system with independent DACs, op-amps (operational amplifiers), and batteries for each channel. The benefits include excellent channel separation, zero crosstalk, and no noise interference between the left and right channels. Each channel is equipped with an ESS ES9038Q2M digital-to-analog converter for playing back high-res audio files up to 24-bit/96kHz. Supported sampling rates include 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2 kHz, and 96kHz. The op-amps utilize Nisshinbo Micro Devices MUSES05 chips for superb performance.
Wireless and Wired Connections: The headphones support both wireless (Bluetooth) and wired (USB) connections. They are equipped with Bluetooth version 5.1, and are compatible with high-quality LDAC and AAC codecs, as well as SBC, the standard Bluetooth codec. LDAC allows you to stream high-resolution audio at up to 990 kbps at a wide frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz. The codec allows approximately three times more data to be streamed over Bluetooth. The headphones support multipoint, which allows two Bluetooth devices to be connected at the same time. This allows you to answer a call on one device while you listen to music on the other. You cannot play audio from both devices at the same time. The headphones can play audio from your computer or other source via a wired USB connection. Two 59" (1.5m) 6N-OFC audio-grade USB cables are included for the wired audio connection and for charging the internal battery. The headphone has a USB-C port, and the included cables are USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C. A pouch is included for storing your cables when not in use.
Note: The headphones do not support a wired analog connection from a preamplifier, receiver, DAC, or headphone amp.
Battery: The ATH-WB2022 is equipped with 3.7-volt Lithium-ion batteries for powering Bluetooth and the DACs. The headphones fully charge from empty in about 2.5 hours, and provide approximately 9 hours of continuous music playback.
Voice Guidance: The headphones plays voice guidance phrases in certain situations to confirm actions and button presses:
- Bluetooth: "connected" or "disconnected"
- Low Latency Mode: "Low latency" or "Low latency off"
- Volume: "Max" or "Minimum"
- Battery Level: "Low" or "Please recharge" (when battery is exhausted)
Protective Case: The included hard-shell protective storage case is made in partnership with Zero Halliburton, and is designed to keep your headphones safe when travelling. Zero Halliburton is renowned for protecting precious cargo, including moon rocks from Apollo 11.
Audio-Technica Connect: Audio-Technica Connect is a dedicated app to make use of the ATH-WB2022 more convenient. The app lets you change the connection codec, and has a customizable equalizer with five preset EQ curves (including "flat") to shape the music to your personal preferences. The Low Latency mode can be enabled or disabled. Low Latency mode, when enabled, reduces the sound delay (lag) when playing games or watching videos. You can choose the number of steps of the volume control between minimum and maximum. You can choose 16 steps, 32 steps, 64 steps, or 100 steps. If a firmware becomes available, it can be uploaded to the headphones through the app. A-T Connect works with Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch running iOS 13.0 or later, and with Android devices running Android 8.0 and up.
Specifications:
- Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 45 kHz
- Sensitivity: 106dB/mW
- Impedance: 47 ohms
- Weight: 12 ounces
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