ATH-R70XA Open-Back Headphones

These headphones could honestly be end game for most people. And, the stand out feature is their light weight and gentle clamp force; but, make no mistake about it, the audio is sublime.These are a neutral bright leaning headphone. What does that mean? You'll hear small details in tracks you've never noticed before on lesser headphones, but nothing harsh, the treble is nicely rounded. If tracks are not well mastered, this headphone will reveal the track's flaws, but it doesn't "shine the spotlight on it", it simply reveals it. Vocals are clear and forward, I especially enjoy acoustic tracks on these cans, but they're great for lots of music. They have a musical tuning. Their only real sonic shortcoming is a gentle rolloff in the bass and sub-bass. Despite the rolloff, the bass that is there is fast and articulate, and reveals bass texture when it's in the track. I honestly don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.Back to fit and comfort. That 199g is not just a line on the spec sheet. These headphones are feather light! I cannot stress that enough. It's what turns a 1 hour session into an all day listening session. They're so comfortable that they just disappear and you forget you're wearing them. The clamp force is also light. Your noggin size will affect this, but mine is on the larger end of the spectrum and the clamp force is light, comfortable, but does not feel insecure. This also makes a huge difference to the comfort. Headphones like the HD600 have a much tighter clamp and I find I need to take more frequent breaks from them, not the case with the R70xa. My only small gripe with the fit is the front to back swivel and the impact it can have on seal. Your mileage will vary, but some adjustment can be made by torquing on the steel headband a bit.These headphones have a relatively high impedance. That means the source you use will need to be able to supply a decent amount of voltage to drive these properly. They will make sound from any source, but the voltage is what unlocks the tight start/stop control of the driver and prevents notes from getting smeared together. Also, a 4.4mm balanced cable helps you more easily get enough voltage into the headphones. I would say no less than 3.5Vrms, with 6 Vrms or more being ideal. I use the Fosi DS2 and the iFi Hip DAC 3, and both with 4.4mm.Lastly, I'll mention the build quality. They have acceptable build quality. Mostly steel construction. The only downside are the yokes. They connect to the headband with this plastic mechanism that allows them to slide for adjusting them to your head. The plastic could be tighter or a different construction. Despite this, my pair has held up just fine for the last several months I've owned them.In summary, just buy this pair. They sound fantastic, and they may just be the most comfortable headphone out there.

Highly recommend if you wear headphones for many hours a day. This is the first over the ear headphone I've owned (many dozen) that I forget I'm wearing because of how light they are with minimal clamping force. It's like a feather but still has enough grip where I can move my head around without them coming off. Great soundstage with nice accurate feeling imaging. Good treble tambre and not fatiguing like the R50x are. It still maintains great bass extension and impact for an open back. Mids are fairly neutral and don't add much color to anything. Overall a great headphone to listen to music, produce and edit music on.

First and foremost, the sound quality is superb. I had a chance to audition these cans before purchase. They are excellent! I've been listening to planar headphones for a while (HifiMan Sundara) and didn't know if I wanted to go back to dynamic. Now I find myself switching back and forth between the two. If I had to choose just one pair, it would probably be these. Why? The sonic quality is full, rich, and robust. Bass is solid, but not boosted. Mids are clean and earthy. Highs are a bit weak compared to planars, but I expected that. So why only 4 stars. As others have mentioned, the headband is wimpy and delicate. I have to be extra careful how I handle them. Plus, I think a premium set of headphones should include a 4.4mm cable in the box along with the standard 3.5mm.

I’ve been spending time with the Audio‑Technica R70xA across both solid‑state (Schiit Jotunheim 3) and OTL tube amplification (Schiit Valhalla 3), and it may just well be one of the most musically satisfying headphones I own.For context, my regular references include the Beyerdynamic T1.1 (EQ'd to fix its well-known quirks), Sennheiser HD660S2, Audeze LCD‑X (also EQ'd), Dan Clark Aeon Core, and Denon D9200. My main system is a Lumin D3 feeding a Burson Soloist GT (2023). I mention these only so readers know what my ears are calibrated to because impressions make more sense when you understand the baseline.With that in mind, the R70xA stands out for its coherence, naturalness, and musical honesty.MIDRANGE & TIMBREThe midrange is exceptional: smooth, tonally accurate, and free of grain. It has that classic Japanese tuning philosophy: nothing exaggerated, nothing recessed, nothing drawing attention to itself. Instruments and vocals sound truthful and unforced, with timbre that feels “right” in a way that’s surprisingly rare.OVERALL BALANCEThe tonal balance is neutral in the best sense of the word. Not sterile, not clinical, not warm - simply.... balanced. It’s the kind of neutrality that lets you forget about the headphone and focus entirely on the music.STAGE & IMAGINGThe soundstage is more open than I expected, with a clean sense of space and well‑organized imaging. It doesn’t try to be artificially wide; instead, it presents a natural acoustic picture that feels coherent and believable.DYNAMICS & AMP PAIRINGOn the Jotunheim 3, the R70xA sounds tight, controlled, and effortlessly dynamic. On the Valhalla 3, it gains a touch of harmonic warmth and liquidity without losing its core neutrality. It’s a headphone that scales gracefully and never becomes picky or temperamental.THE INTANGIBLE QUALITYWhat surprised me most is the sense of musical rightness. The R70xA isn’t flashy. It doesn’t try to impress with huge bass or sparkling treble. Instead, it delivers music with confidence and a completeness that’s deeply satisfying. It’s the kind of headphone that makes you question why you’ve spent so much on more “statement” gear.FINAL THOUGHTSIf you value neutrality, timbre accuracy, coherence, and long‑term listenability, the R70xA is outstanding. It’s one of those rare headphones that doesn’t need EQ, doesn’t need special treatment, and doesn’t need justification. It simply plays music beautifully. And it scales beautifully with better amplification.I bought it expecting something “nice.” What I got was something truly excellent. Unreservedly recommended.

These are wonderful. They have a nice length of cable which isn't too stiff. Soundstage and imaging is just perfect. The r70xa is very light on the head and isn't fatiguing whatosever.

Comfortable, sound great, good for gaming or music.Cable is a bit long.

I have been blessed to own or hear pretty much every good set of headphones ever made in the under or around 1000 dollar category. As well as the best balanced dacs and balanced amps made over the last 15 years to now. from lcd-2 to hd650, 600, 660s2, ath-900, beyer 770s, 880s, meze 99's , audio quest nighthawks, focal, you name it i probably have it or have at least had listening sessions with them. That being said these are my favorite cans I own by far now. Only had them for a few weeks but its long enough to see how light, comfortable and absolutely killer sounding these are. best balance of everything in a set of cans I have ever seen. they sound big, super accurate, insane micro detail, bass extension is awesome, imaging is the best ever. If you get the best attributes from every brands top tier headphones and combined them this is what you would get. Best of all they are made in japan and built extremely well despite them being the lightest headphones ever. I have nothing bad to say about these, they scale wonderfully with better gear and with some good balanced analog EQ they can be bass canons for open headphones.

clamping force is quite weak, and the slider really doesnt suit bigger heads

These sound like real hifi....are very light and very comfortable.

I was surprised at how great these are. I tried the R70X's a few years ago and thought they were good, but not special.I was worried that the 470 Ohm resistance might be a problem, but they worked great on all my amps. Very nice pairing with the pretty cheap Fosi GR70!These are a keeper for me. Forgot to mention that they are very light and comfortable. Only surprise was that the headband strap was velcro vs the magnetic that I had read about. Works great though.

Sounds clean/clinical and detailed.

Existe uma nova experiência totalmente nova em ouvir músicas em alta definição.Sem muito mais a falar, recomendo procurar vídeos no youtube para ter melhores especificações técnicas, mas já fica um spoiler:Todo produtor e audiófilo deveria ter, ao menos, um par deste fone... É outro universo.Tenha em mente que este precisa de um DAC-AMP para usar.

For this quality of the sound (refinement, immersion, soundstage, etc.) you will be shopping in thousands of dollars for a closed-back option. It's also extremely light. Very happy with the purchase