ATH-FW3 Button Headphones

 

 

These pink beauties, the ATH-FW3 button headphones, are the next step up in price from the ATH-ON3 headphones. As both these and the ON3's are entry-level headphones, I'll first look at the differences in specs. and build-quality to see if it justifies the extra 1,000 en / 10.00 usd for the FW3's.

 

The ATH-FW3 headphones were released in July 2008 and are marketed toward women; apparently women prefer button designs on their earcups. They are available in four colors; pink, white, black, and brown. Both the pink and white have a white cable and black and brown with a black cable.

Specs for the ATH-ON3 headphones are:

driver: 30mm impedance: 32 ohms
max. input: 100mW
freq. response: 12 to 23,000Hz
weight: 38 grams
cable: 1.2 meter
plug: 3.5mm gold-plated stereo

 

Specs. for the ATH-FW3 headphones are:

driver: 30mm impedance: 32 ohms
max. input: 100mW
freq. response: 15 to 22,000Hz
weight: 60 grams
cable: 1.0 meter
plug: 3.5mm gold-plated stereo

Same size drivers and resistance, same max. input, a difference in frequency response that none of us will ever notice on our portable rigs. The difference really comes in the body of the phones; here are the headbands next to each other.

 

The most noticeable difference is the headband; the fw3's have a wide headband while the on3's have a wire band. I find both comfortable to wear for 2-4 hour jaunts and both hold their position well when being worn while riding a bicycle. On that note, if you ever keep your headphones in a backpack, you will definitely benefit by the wider band.

Next, is how the cups ride on the headband.

 

On the FW3 headphones, the earcups are held by a plastic harness that slides along the headband while the ON3 headphones have the earcups riding directly on the headband.

 

Both have a rotation of about 120 degrees for making fit on all types of heads, trips in backpacks and purses, aiding in their laying flat when the phones are slung around your neck.

 

Of course the harness allows for the ATH-FW3 cups to have an extra range of motion that the ATH-ON3 headphones can't offer because of the cups riding directly on the band. The ON3 'phones have always set well against my ears and the extra motion added to the FW3 'phones are of no consequence to me. Perhaps that motion has more to do with storing than wearing.

Here are the earcups without their pads and a measurement of the grills and surrounding housing.

 

Notice the difference in size between the grills and surrounding housing while keeping in mind that both pairs have 30mm drivers. The measurement across for the FW3 headphones is about 46mm while the measurement across the ON3 headphones is about 42mm. This difference is from the inclusion of a 2mm space, bass duct, around the speakers of the FW3 cups; and here is a nice segway into the sound of the headphones.

Working between the two for the past few weeks, I've first noticed that the ATH-FW3 headphones sound louder than the ATH-ON3 headphones when plugged into the same device, listening to the same song, and at the same volume level. I think the increase in loudness is due to the bass ducts. Not only does it give the volume level a boost but it also increases the separation between the vocals and treble though I'd be at a loss to explain the inter-connectivity of the bass duct, vocals, and treble.

Like the ON3 headphones, the FW3 headphones are a great set of commuter headphones for using with your portable device. The increase in volume and greater clarity gives the listener a better experience and the comfortable padding paired with a headband that isn't tight nor does it dig into the scalp, makes these a great pair of phones for all-day use. For those who use public transportation, the earpad is thick and covers the canal quite well so leakage of sound into the external environment is at a minimum and won't disturb the person standing or seated next to you.

So are the ATH-FW3 headphones worth the extra 1,000 en / 10.00 usd over the ATH-ON3 headphones? Hardware wise, yes and no; sound wise, yes, and I'll explain all three.

Regarding hardware, I say "no" the extra money isn't worth it if you are looking for the least expensive way to listen to music with a decent set of headphones that are easily portable. If you use your headphones and then let them rest around your neck for the day, I'd say go for the ON3 headphones because they are great sounding and light as a feather.

Regarding hardware, I say "yes" if you need a set of headphones with a sturdier frame. As I mentioned earlier, the ON3's do not hold up well in daypacks loaded with books, electronic dictionaries, and other miscellaneous junk we manage to view as necessary for our day. If you plan to keep your headphones in a place such as this, then do spend the extra money for the FW3's as they have a much sturdier headband.

Regarding sound, I say "yes" the extra money is worth it. You get more volume and clarity with the FW3 headphones and the overall weight of the headphones is still light enough to make these a very nice set of portable 'phones for the price.

One more thing to consider, and this is for the guys, is the design on the cups, buttons. Sure, these headphones are marketed toward women but don't let that stop you from getting and using a nice set of portable cans at a very reasonable price. Perhaps you might feel that wearing headphones with button design cups goes against your self-image of masculinity. That is fine, we all have our little personality tweaks but if a girl ever tells you that she won't make love to you because of the color and/or design of your headphones, she is only being nice and avoiding telling you the real reason.

 

Discount Prices For Audio Technica ATH-FW3 headphones

 

 

Tagged with: ath-fw3 • ath-fw3 headphones • ath-on3 • ath-on3 headphones • audio technica • button headphones • fw3 • on3

Filed under: headphones

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