Audio-Technica ATH-R70x Professional Open-Back Reference Headphones, Black

In the over-ear department, I currently own the Oppo PM-2, PM-3, and Audio-Technica ATH-R70x. I previously owned the Sennheiser HD650, Phillips Fidelio X2, and Beats Pro. In this mixed bag of open and closed-back headphones, the Oppo PM-2's are the best in my opinion. But they should be the best, considering I paid $700 for them. The ATH-R70x comes in at number 2 and they give the PM-2's a serious run for their money! The R70x's is super neutral, very open, and very comfortable. The soundstage is not the widest but its wide and immersive. I personally don't have any complaints about the sound. They have a way of delivering great detail without ever sounding harsh or to in your face. That's not to say that they are laid back either. I think they just strike the perfect balance in terms of tonal balance, imagining, comfort, build, design, and cost. That being said, the build quality is very good in my opinion. I think the problem other users are having is that these these headphones don't feel luxurious. Its clear that Audio-Technica saved some money in the construction department but I would not say they are poorly constructed or cheap. These headphones punch well above their weight. For the price, these offer the best bang for your buck. They beat almost all other headphones I've ever heard and for under $500 I don't think and thing comes close - assuming you want an uncolored, and accurate detail retrieval. The only downside to these headphones is the impedance. At 470ohms, you will almost certainly want to invest in a DAC/Amp setup to get the most out of these. And for those who may not be familiar with open-back headphones, these are NOT portable. They are very open so people can hear what you are listening to and you can hear outside noise. This is not a negative mark against the headphones. They are intended for studio environments (i.e. a quiet atmosphere). This feature benefits you in a few ways. It creates a more immersive and "out of head" listening experience. Additionally, they are less fatiguing than closed headphones because you don't get the back pressure created by the drivers. All in all, this is an excellent headphone that deserves far more attention and credit that it currently receives. I highly recommend it. Just know their intended use before buying.

I'd really decided on the HiFiMan Sundara, but these were on my radar too and they had a great Amazon warehouse deal so I thought I'd try them. Well, I like them. A lot. They do have one nagging imperfection but they're great. I wanted a pair for my turntable/headphone setup specifically. I have the Sennheiser 6xx which have a pretty laid back/rolled off treble. I actually like that with digital as it can help smooth out any digital harshness. Plus I can easily EQ a bit more treble if needed. For vinyl, with no EQ, the 6xx does not provide quite enough sparkle. The ATH-R70x provide the sparkle. They sound great with my vinyl setup powered by a Topping L30 and paired with a Fluance Rt-85 deck with a Sumiko Moonstone (great cartridge btw) , and digital paired with a Raspberry Pi Roon endoint into a Schiit stack (modi 3, Magni 3+) But they're very balanced from bass to treble. They do not over exaggerate the bass, thankfully. However, they can bring serious low end when necessary. They handled Massive Attack's Mezzanine album's massive bass with aplomb, I felt it in my chest. There is a 3D dimensionality to the music with these that is enthralling. The music seems to swirl around, go up and down, etc. Vocals are centered nicely basically right on or just in front of your forehead (seemingly). It's not like a large, expansive soundstage, but I like it. A lot. On some tracks the midrange can be a tad recessed, including vocals. That's the one chink in the armor. I like the 6xx better for midrange and vocals. But these ATH-R70x are superior than the 6xx in soundstage and treble sparkle and airiness. I threw a variety of genres at these in both vinyl and digital formats and I didn't find anything it couldn't handle capably. Plenty of great little subtle details, digging deep into the recording. Nice separation of various instruments/multitracks including subtle little backing vocals and such, that I'd never noticed before on familiar recordings. Great rhythmic drive. Again the only real caveat are those slightly recessed vocals, but it's only with some recordings, not all. These headphones are very lightweight and very comfortable. I like the low key industrial-ish look. They look very serious and capable but also have some style. One thing to note is that my warehouse deal seems to have come with different earpads than pictured. They're blue colored soft leather and are perhaps a bit larger than what the stock ones look like in pictures. No idea how that would change the sound. I may still grab the Sundara at some point but these are definitely not going back. I like 'em a LOT.

Best headphones I've owned. I've owned/tried the DT 990s, DT 1990, HD 600, Hifiman Sundara. At this price point I really don't think there's anything better. They're a better version of the HD 600s. More comfortable, enhanced bass thump/extension that doesn't bleed into the mids, a natural tonality, and amazing soundstage/imaging performance. The treble does some weird things, but oratory1990's EQ preset easily alleviated the issue. The only real thing these headphones struggle with is vertical separation. When several instruments occupy the same stereo space, things can start to get unclear. In comparison, the Hifiman Sundara's do this aspect better. Still, its just one flaw in an otherwise amazing headphone. This is the one to get, and its the one to keep.

I'll get to the point -- these are easily the best headphones I have ever used. I guess you could call me an audio appreciator, if not a -phile. I don't know the response curves and I won't be able to explain anything other than in subjective terms. But subjectively? Holy cow. Beautiful natural sound separation, flat response that makes things sound *right* and true, comfortable, robust, well built and very flexible. Using windows sonic through my computer on an old Creative Audio DAC and a Magni 1 amp (which is PLENTY to drive it, btw -- its not a perfect setup, but it's enough), I get beautiful true to life sound whether it's on my sony mp3 player, from my ps5 split off from an HDMI passthrough, or playing games on my PC. This does it all without breaking a sweat. It's good enough that I sometimes forget that the sound is even coming through headphones, and they're comfy enough I forget that they're there. Other reviewers have complained about build quality. I've used and abused these and they're absolutely fine and show no signs of deterioration. The cable locking system is robust and prevents damage to the plugs, even when yanked. What some mistake for inferior construction I see as efficient material usage. Original cable it shipped with is still going strong, too. If you play games or do content creation? It has you covered there, too. Brilliant separation that makes you feel present, a far cry from the unnatural virtual 5.1 implementations of yesteryear built into headphones, but this will all depend on being able to drive it properly. They're only as good as its source. I use a modmic wireless stuck on to the logo on the side of the headphones for playing games and that works perfectly, if you want it to perform double duty. All in all though, top notch. I'd say I'd buy them again, but I don't think I'll ever have to buy another pair of headphones.

These probably do need an amp. Really like the configuration and tuning. Pretty neutral clean sound. Prefer an open back which these are. The main issue I found with these was the pads being somewhat uncomfortable and overall a bit bulky feeling. Each driver has its own plug which is pointed straight down. There termination is pretty long.I found these constantly hitting my collar and being a bit of a nuisance. These are very comfortable over all however I feel like moving my head required a constant readjust and they are sort of big and unwieldy feeling. The provided cables is very long too. Too long in my opinion. I have been searching for comfortable open back headphones. These are the closest I have found so far. Pros include very good sound, very light weight, and reasonably comfortable. Cons for me: Need a higher powered audio source, really long cable, sort of finicky comfort. Sort of a bummer to return these but comfort is a key factor and I found myself feeling the need to constantly adjust them and it's like they stick out in weird areas a bit too much. So close to perfect. You could obviously upgrade to a different cable and pads but for the price it's not the best value out of the box unless you happen to click with the ergonomics right away they could be great. I guess it's all relative in terms of comfort.

The Audio Technica ATH-R70X are exceptional headphones unlike any other in my collection. The design is very eye-catching and appealing with the honeycomb-patterned grills, exposed drivers, and patterned headband. The 3D-wing headband is more comfortable than any other headband I've tried to date, including the AKG K700 series, because it distributes the feather-light weight of the headphones on contact points on the upper sides of your head instead of on the top middle of your scalp. The sound profile is truly stellar, and may even surpass my Sennheiser HD650/HD6XX headphones. The ATH-R70X's are slightly more neutral and revealing than the HD650's with a touch of warmth and a wider soundstage, making it very pleasant for music enjoyment and analytical listening. Sub-bass is somewhat lacking, but I have grown accustomed to this in open-back headphones. Lack of lower bass can easily be fixed with EQ, but most of the time I don't even think EQ is that necessary, considering just how neutral the sound profile is already. Male and female vocals really shine on these cans. Because of their slight warmth and neutral frequency response, the ATH-R70X's excel at most every genre of music I have thrown at them (classical, jazz, pop, rock, electronic). I'd say these outclass many Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, and AKG headphones I have tried. Perhaps the only annoyance is the extra-long cable, but that can be easily fixed with a twist tie to hold the extra length of the cable together similar to how it is folded out of the box. The dual-sided detachable Y cable is pretty neat. The headphones themselves do feel a bit delicate partially due to their very light weight, so caution is advised when moving them in a bag. The pads are very comfortable, and are angled slightly to ensure the optimal placement on the ears. Why these headphones are not more popular, I'm not sure, but they deserve recognition among the Hifi greats. Do note that you need a properly powerful amplifier to get the best out of these cans. I use the JDS Labs Atom DAC & Amp stack, which powers the 470ohm ATH-R70X's wonderfully for only $200. These might just be the best-sounding and most comfortable headphones Audio Technica has ever made, at a fairly reasonable price point. I wholeheartedly recommend the ATH-R70X's for their exceptional comfort and sound quality.

Bought mine as Amazon open box. I have one Stevie Ray Vaughn SACD that has always sounded flat, dry, lifeless, like a perfect labratory sequencing of ones and zeros but not musical. It sits on the shelf a lot. My other headphones are; HD600, HIFIMAN Sundara, Phillips Fidelio X2HR and X3. Playing many CD, HDCD, and SACD discs through a Yamaha S1500 player and headphone amps (Gilmore Lite, Schitt Asgard 3 and Dark Voice) with these Audio Technica comfortable and light headphones has been a joy. The secure cable attachment is appreciated and the cable quality very good. I loaded the SRV disc playing through the Dark Voice and was the sound was transformed beautifully as musical, rounded, alive with no sensation of laboratory ones and zeros. That alone makes these a clear winner. Why "nearly" excellent? These Made in Japan headphones are nearly impossible to find the right or left sides, there's only a tiny molded L and R marking. Also the decorative Audio Technica branding sticker on the right ear cup has a wrinkle in it. Picky? Yes. Would I buy again? Absolutely.

I don't get the hype around this pair of headphones. They sound good, but they also sound wrong. They effectively sound like if Sennheiser headphones were higher quality and had a better frequency response. But that is such an incredibly low bar that it doesn't mean much. You can think of these as a higher quality take on the HD600 family's mid-forward and laid back presentation that's often defended as "neutral" and "non-fatiguing". To me, that comes across as grain and subdued treble, not neutrality, and the R70x doubles down on that philosophy rather than correcting it. One word I would describe them sounding like is "nostalgic". But it's not my nostalgia. They are very mid-centric. The high frequencies are significantly subdued, and they struggle to produce neutral bass even with EQ, distorting on powerful amplifiers before getting there. They're comfortable. They fit great. The cable is absurdly long and I have no worries about the durability. Their imaging is not that good. It is wide, but it doesn't resolve to anything in particular. If you're the kind of person that listens to your music exclusively on worn cassette tapes and want to experience a time through rose-tinted glasses that never truly existed. This is your perfect pair of headphones. You WILL be in bliss. But if you want to listen to your music and actually hear it in some capacity, these are not for you. You will miss out on so much of the actual song that you legitimately feel like you're missing out.

Frequency Response - 4.5/5: exceptionally flat in the midrange, with a slight mid bass bump. Highs are nicely rounded and non-fatiguing. The expected sub bass roll off is there, but not to the extent of most open backs. Extension is good at both ends of the spectrum. The overall tonality is neutral, with a tendency towards fullness and warmth, without becoming dark or muffled. No headphone is perfectly flat, but this is about as close as it gets without using an EQ. Soundstage - 4/5: wider than it is tall; it presents a nice middle ground between intimate and spacious. Imaging - 5/5: what really sets these headphones apart is the precise and enveloping imaging performance. Sounds appear to extend a full 270 degrees around the head, with a level of accuracy approaching that of nearfield monitors. Ideal for mixing, and almost uncontested in this price bracket. Comfort - 5/5: lightweight, with breathable pads and no contact with the top of the head. Almost perfect, requiring no adjustment on the part of the user, and can easily be worn for hours at a time. The ear cups are not the largest and do not swivel vertically, which might be an issue for some. Build - 4/5: mostly plastic, though the headband and grills are metal. The materials are of good quality and the 2-year warranty is reassuring, but the low weight and abundance of moving parts make it feel more fragile than it probably is. AT have a strong reputation for durability, and my own experience with the brand has been positive, but how this set holds up remains to be seen. Included Extras - 3/5: in the box is a 1/4" adapter and a cloth bag. A alternative cable and extra set of pads would have been appreciated, especially as the included cable is 3 metres and will be too long for some applications. Power Requirements: at 470 ohms, a headphone amp is generally recommended, however I have found that the R70X is significantly easier to drive than it initially appears, generating plenty of volume on all my devices (phone, laptop, desktop). I do not notice any difference in sound quality when plugged into my DAC/amp, so I would suggest trying the headphones by themselves before shelling out for an amp, as it may not be required. Value - 5/5: at the current price of around £250, the ATH-R70X is an easy recommendation; cheaper than most of its competition, while outperforming many of them. Few headphones are this comfortable and this accurate without major tradeoffs in other areas, even those at far higher prices.

These were an upgrade from my ATH-AD700X, the wing flap bands are the most comfortable headband design for my head that I have ever found. I wish other brands would steal this headband design, it really is that amazing. It was the main reason I kept to the R70x because it uses this specific head band, the best part is for my ball cap wearers it easily fits over your hat without interfering with the squatchee (button on the top of the cap). I am sure there are many people that will want to try the headphones just with that knowledge. The included pads are comfortable and don't make the surrounding skin hot, which for me who has very sweaty ears is a must have (open back headphones are great for that too). For audio, they are able to get you by as stock, but with any headset really, if you want the most out of these headphones there is a really great Github repository for EQs, made by jaakkopasanen called AutoEq. Highly suggest you use them, for any headset really, I used his work for the previously mentioned AD700X as well. It will make your purchase that much more worthwhile. Especially where these headphones are starting to get into the plateau of price/performance.

This is my fourth pair of headphone. This is the loghtest and the most comfortable. Dont feel anything wearing it for a long time. The sound is also great. The original cable is not that good. I changed to a silver mix with Copper cable. It makes lot of difference. Headphone needs time to burn it. It should sound even better after sometime of usage. Good buy from Amazon.

旧r70x、新r70xa両方持っています。 モニターのお手本、教科書的な存在で非常にナチュラルで平均点の高い機種です。 r70xaは旧式と比較して、解像度が高くなり特にボーカルがはっきり聴こえるようになっています。 小音量では、まるでスピーカーのように耳にストレスなく聴き流す事ができます。 また、大音量にしても破綻しません。 高域の伸びと広がりが素晴らしいです。 注意点としては、 ①据え置き型のアンプが必須。 私はfiioのk9AKMで聴いています。 最低でもこのくらいのクラスのアンプは必要かと思われます。 これより安価なアンプでは全然良くありませんでした。 アンプとセットにすると、13万程度の費用が発生します。 ②装着感（イヤーパッドが小さい） 私は平均的な体型の成人男性ですが、イヤーパッドに耳が収まらず、オンイヤーに近い形になってしまいます。SONYのCD900STとかもそうですが好み分かれるかと。 総評すると、 据え置き型のアンプがある人にとっては、高いコスパの製品だと思います。 この価格帯にありがちな変な癖がなくどの帯域もそれなりのクオリティで鳴らしてくれます。 アンプが無い人で出費を抑えたい人には、r50xやmdr-mv1がおすすめです。

Always liked Audio-Technica, so thought I’d give them a go. I was after a similar warm sound to HD650 but better (!!) and yes they are similar. However to my ears the HD6xx/HD650 has something in its profile that is magical and superior (or rather musical which is what I’m after) despite their narrow soundstage. I think you need to listen to the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x as it’s worthwhile to do so. They have a nice warmth, slightly more resolving and wider sound stage than the HD6xx, but which to buy is a personal choice.