ATH-R70x Professional Open-Back Reference Headphones, Black

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sono giunto a queste cuffie dopo essermi letto decine e decine di recensioni sui modelli più disparati di varie marche. Cercavo una cuffia dalla risposta sostanzialmente neutra, altrimenti detta "monitor" o "da studio", perché reputo che per poter parlare di vera HiFi - ovvero alta fedeltà nella riproduzione del suono - non bisogna introdurre nessun fattore che modifichi ciò che è stato prodotto dall'artista. Di queste cuffie poco conosciute ho letto meraviglie su varie recensioni trovate in rete, in particolare riguardo all'ottima resa acustica comparabile a quella di modelli di fascia superiore. LR70X sono cuffie aperte, dalla costruzione solida ma allo stesso tempo leggere ed estremamente confortevoli da indossare, anche grazie al geniale meccanismo di bloccaggio che si adatta alle dimensioni della testa senza dover far nulla se non indossarle. Sono made in Japan, nella confezione c'è il cavo (3m) con connettori placcati ed adattatore 2.5mm / 3.5 mm incluso (innesto a vite, non a baionetta), più una sacca morbida per riporli. Il cavo lato cuffia ha 2 jack da collegare ai singoli padiglioni, vanno inseriti e ruotati leggermente in senso orario fino al click, non riportano indicazioni destro/sinistro perché posso essere inseriti come viene, è il connettore interno che seleziona il canale corretto R/L. Ho letto che alcuni si lamentano del fatto che le scritte R/L sulla cuffia sono piccole e difficili da trovare e da leggere, in effetti è così, ma basta notare che l'imbottitura dei padiglioni è asimmetrica (più spessa posteriormente che anteriormente), quindi con un'occhiata si capisce al volo il verso giusto. La lunghezza del cavo è ottima se si usano le cuffie collegate all'impianto HiFi, meno se usate con un riproduttore portatile. A tal proposito va segnalato che le R70X hanno un'impedenza abbastanza alta (470 Ohm) che richiedono una discreta potenza per essere pilotate al meglio. Fortunatamente il mio smartphone ha un'uscita audio sufficientemente alta per poterle utilizzare anche senza doverci per forza collegare un amplificatore, sebbene con il volume a circa 80%-90%. Ma per alcuni modelli potrebbe essere un problema, tenetene conto. Concludendo: cuffie fantastiche con un ottimo rapporto prezzo/prestazioni, buon imballo, spedizione velocissima.

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.

Simplemente wow. Es el audífono que siempre estuve buscando, tras haber probado varios modelos de otras marcas (Hifiman Ananda, Hifiman Sundara, Hifiman 400SE, Sennheiser HD700, Sennheiser HD800, Sennheiser HD660S, HD600, Beyerdynamic DT990, DT880 Y DT1990, AKG 701 Y AKG612PRO) a primera escucha supe que me encantaría de él, permítanme ser más específico en cuánto a razones por las cuales lo amo. En construcción tenemos un audífono sólido de sensación muy premium a la mano, son algo pequeños y ligeros, pero muy bien hechos. Su cable es aceptable y sus pads son buenos, apenas entra mi oído en la copa así que si tienes oídos grandes evita este audífono. En cuanto a imagen y escenario sonoro, tenemos unas bellezas, simplemente vas a redescubrir tu música favorita, notarás nuevos instrumentos en nuevas locaciones, su escenario depende de la canción de escuches, cosa que me encanta, su imagen es simplemente quirúrgica, da miedo lo exactos que son. En cuanto a frecuencias graves tenemos bastante lineal, con una buena presencia, sin ningún tipo de realce en ningún momento. En frecuencias graves seguimos con el punto perfecto donde el audífono logra tener buena pegada sin ser tan invasivo, no es basshead pero si tiene excelente su presencia, un grave informativo y disfrutable al mismo tiempo. En frecuencias medias es una delicia, todos los instrumentos se oyen muy resolutivos y las voces ni se diga, no están ni adelantados ni atrasados, en su punto perfecto. En frecuencias agudas tenemos un agudo muy relajado, nada sibilante y no te va a dar esa sensación de ser "cristalino", sólo es un agudo que está ahí con cuerpo sin la parte del dolor por agudos tan altos. En general es un excelente audífono, a todos los audífonos que he tenido les encuentro fallas, pero a éstos simplemente no hay con que darle. Responde muy bien a la ecualizacion que le pongas, el driver resuelve muy bien y no va a saturar los graves o hacer agudos sibilantes. 10 de 10 audiothecnica se pasó con este equipazo.