Buying headphones over a certain price can be difficult, because you have to ensure that you're paying for quality instead of a brand name or to keep up with a fashion trend. The Audio Technica ATH-W5000 headphones are entirely built for quality, which is what you would expect for a retail price of $1699.65.
The ATH-W5000 headphones aren't particularly stunning to look at, but the sleek 'ebony housing' has a wooden effect that would match perfectly with large traditional speakers. They're designed to be comfortable, by using extremely soft leather and an ergonomic design that fits your ear perfectly. It's rare that I find a pair of headphones that I could wear all day, but the ATH-W5000 headphones never become uncomfortable and the adjustable head band has made wearing them as comfortable as wearing a hat or ear warmers.
These headphones have been specifically designed to give the best possible acoustic sound. Obviously this means that if your favorite type of music is drum and bass or heavy metal, the ATH-W5000 headphones won't give you the sound quality that you need. Instead, they are one of the best pair of headphones that you can buy for music that focuses on real instruments rather than computer produced music. Personally I use it to listen to a lot of classical music, which is where the ATH-W5000 headphones really prove themselves worth the price tag, but I've also tried it with country music. Oxygen free copper voice coils and 53mm drivers custom made for the ATH-W5000 headphones add to the flawless sound quality.
The only downside to the headphones is the price, which is arguably too much to pay for any pair of headphones. I can't argue that the sound quality and comfort is better than any other pair of headphones I've tried, but it's hard to decide if it's worth the difference in price compared to a good pair of $500 headphones.