Used Audio-Technica ATH-R70x Professional Open-Back Reference Headphones

2024-02-15T19:00:00

I've had these for nearly 2 years. I use them for hours every day, wearing glasses; no clamping problems, very lightweight. Instruments and voices sound natural, never exaggerated or artificial. Soundstage is wide and precise, including tricking me into turning around to hear something! Clarity is king but the music never sounds sterile or cold. Reproduces the deepest bass and crispest transients as if they're happening in the room around you. I would have expected the softer parts -- the "wings" and earpads -- to be wearing out after 2 years of constant use. They are, miraculously, unworn. 9-foot cord might be too long for some, and there are limited non-OEM replacement options. Right and left channels aren't marked on the outside so I had to put a sticker on one side. Hardly a problem.

Nick N.

Originally posted at

2023-02-02T19:00:00

Quality control is all over the place on this headphone. If you're lucky you will get a pair that has firm swiveling cups instead of loose swiveling. On the earcup near the grill the ring going around it always has these scratches on them it's as if they aren't fully painted or something. This is the outer ring that the grill sets into.

Cat

Originally posted at

2021-01-04T19:00:00

COVID restrictions have made client-less mixing a necessity, so I've had clients purchase these headphones. It's important that they hear the mixes on a high quality reference monitoring system, and they all loved the R70x.

BAG A.

Originally posted at

2018-10-06T20:00:00

Probably the best you're gonna get at this price point. These are stunningly clear. They have a high impedance so you will need a high quality headphone amp to get the best out of them. If anything I would say they are ever so slightly dipped in the mid range but not nearly enough to be noticeable by most users.

DIddy

Originally posted at

2018-04-26T20:00:00

Several months ago I bought a pair of the ATH-R70x headphones because I was going to spend 2 months traveling India and I wanted to be able to mix while I was traveling without dragging my Genelec 8020s all over the country. The clarity and frequency response of these headphones is incredible. They are so comfortable that I can spend 3-8 hours mixing music without getting any symptoms of ear fatigue. I initially thought when I opened them up and held them for the first time that they were going to break because the swivel joints looked so frail - but lo and behold they are constructed of such strong and light materials that after 2 months of deserts, dangerous bus rides, and other perils they are the same now as they were when I bought them - so the build quality is top notch. There are only 2 things buyers need to be aware of when purchasing a pair of ATH-R70x headphones: 1) The ohm impedance is such that these headphones are quiet if you are just plugging them into your laptop's headphone jack and if you are somewhere with some ambient noise (like a cafe) they may be too quiet to work with so you'll want have some kind of audio interface or DAC that will amplify them to a more appropriate level (and no, putting a utility on your master channel and cranking it isn't going to give you the clarity you need with the amplification you've achieved - use a sound card or a DAC). 2) These need to be used with Sonarworks Reference 4 to "truly" achieve a flat frequency response. Before I used Reference 4 I was finding that when I would mix on the R70x's and then check them on the Genelecs the high frequencies would be too harsh and the low end would be lacking - after mixing with Reference 4 I have no problems when I jump on the Genelecs - everything sounds as good on the Genelecs as they do on the R70x's! Long story short: These are great, I recommend them to everyone who needs to do critical mixing on the road. These will last a LONG time and oh my, they sound great

Brett M.

Originally posted at