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Audio-Technica ATH-R70x - In-Depth Review & Impressions

May 17, 2015 at 9:10 PM Post #123 of 2,737
pokemonn said:
  I went to local church today becouse its sunday. I carefully listen to gospel choir. I noticed that in real sound there were NO such analytical sound nor bright sound nor harsh treble nor fatigue sound at all. I think real sound are soft and warm. R70x sounds very similar to real sound.
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+1. Right!
I recorded live classical orchestra in a few concert halls and also churches, they were all sound a little warm like what I hear from R70x.
You're right, sometime those transparent headphones (treble emphasized) are rather off from natural tonality we hear everyday. What we feel daily is the spacious sound, because the sound sources are further away from our ears, not as close as headphones. Therefore transparent sounding headphones give us that spacious perception of natural sound. But tonality wise, natural sound don't emphasize the treble region like what we hear from those transparent headphones.
 
May 18, 2015 at 11:03 PM Post #127 of 2,737
I have put about 50 hours on my R70x so far and am very happy with my purchase.  Earfonia's excellent comprehensive review reflect my experience with them also.  I have heard a slight improvement in low bass definition, so it seems there is a break in period, though much less than I have experienced with other headphones. 
 
Regarding the ear pads, my ears are I would say average size and have zero issues with clearance.  The depth seems to be about the same as with my Beyerdynamic DT880, it's the circumference that may be a problem for those with large ear lobes. The stitching on the pad is uniform on my headphones. The reason it may look crooked is the face of the driver is slightly angled between the top and bottom, front and back.
 
A quick comparison between the AKG 702 anniversary edition and R70x.  The bass on the R70x is more pronounced (about 5db) and high frequencies seem to be around the same level and are more natural sounding. With the 702 the highs are a bit more etched and strident.  Overall the R70x is to my ears more tonally accurate than the 702 and much easier to listen to.
 
There are a couple of areas I would like to see improved on the R70x.  It is difficult to determine right/left orientation due to poor labeling on the headphone and the cable does not have any markings that I could see. Also, why Audio Technica chose to use fabric on the replaceable pads instead of velour I have no idea.  They feel a little cheap though are in no way are uncomfortable. 
 
Amazon has a great return policy, so order up a pair and listen for yourself if there are no dealers in your area.  This really is a great all around headphone.  Fantastically musical, very tonally accurate from top to bottom and extremely comfortable.  Slightly more difficult to drive than my Sennheiser HD650, but much easier than the DT880 600ohm.
 
May 19, 2015 at 12:01 AM Post #129 of 2,737
triodemode said:
  A quick comparison between the AKG 702 anniversary edition and R70x.  The bass on the R70x is more pronounced (about 5db) and high frequencies seem to be around the same level and are more natural sounding. With the 702 the highs are a bit more etched and strident.  Overall the R70x is to my ears more tonally accurate than the 702 and much easier to listen to.
 
There are a couple of areas I would like to see improved on the R70x.  It is difficult to determine right/left orientation due to poor labeling on the headphone and the cable does not have any markings that I could see. Also, why Audio Technica chose to use fabric on the replaceable pads instead of velour I have no idea.  They feel a little cheap though are in no way are uncomfortable. 
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Thanks for the comparison with AKG K702!
 
Right! I agree on the improvement area. Sometime I don't understand with some well know headphone manufacturers. They have designed and produced hundreds of headphones, but still seems to forget on those simple and basic features. Like left and right markings, or when they include a nice hard case with the headphone, sometime the case doesn't fit the headphone when the cable is attached. So every time we want to keep the headphone in the hard case, we have to remove the detachable cable, so troublesome.
 
Yes, I would like to have better quality and larger size earpads for R70x.
 
May 19, 2015 at 12:40 AM Post #130 of 2,737
triodemode said:
 
I have put about 50 hours on my R70x so far and am very happy with my purchase.  Earfonia's excellent comprehensive review reflect my experience with them also.  I have heard a slight improvement in low bass definition, so it seems there is a break in period, though much less than I have experienced with other headphones. 
 
Regarding the ear pads, my ears are I would say average size and have zero issues with clearance.  The depth seems to be about the same as with my Beyerdynamic DT880, it's the circumference that may be a problem for those with large ear lobes. The stitching on the pad is uniform on my headphones. The reason it may look crooked is the face of the driver is slightly angled between the top and bottom, front and back.
 
A quick comparison between the AKG 702 anniversary edition and R70x.  The bass on the R70x is more pronounced (about 5db) and high frequencies seem to be around the same level and are more natural sounding. With the 702 the highs are a bit more etched and strident.  Overall the R70x is to my ears more tonally accurate than the 702 and much easier to listen to.
 
There are a couple of areas I would like to see improved on the R70x.  It is difficult to determine right/left orientation due to poor labeling on the headphone and the cable does not have any markings that I could see. Also, why Audio Technica chose to use fabric on the replaceable pads instead of velour I have no idea.  They feel a little cheap though are in no way are uncomfortable. 
 
Amazon has a great return policy, so order up a pair and listen for yourself if there are no dealers in your area.  This really is a great all around headphone.  Fantastically musical, very tonally accurate from top to bottom and extremely comfortable.  Slightly more difficult to drive than my Sennheiser HD650, but much easier than the DT880 600ohm.
 
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Thanks for the mini review. Mine just arrived... too bad they arrived at my wife's mum's house in Japan, and I won't see them until she gets back from her visit in a week's time!
 

 
May 19, 2015 at 1:00 AM Post #131 of 2,737
hakushondaimao said:
   
Thanks for the mini review. Mine just arrived... too bad they arrived at my wife's mum's house in Japan, and I won't see them until she gets back from her visit in a week's time!
 
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Nice!
 
Looking forward to your impressions!
 
May 19, 2015 at 1:22 AM Post #132 of 2,737
May 19, 2015 at 1:25 AM Post #133 of 2,737
jimmyjohns99 said:
  triode are you using an amp/dac?
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Yes... I use the iFi micro iDSD almost exclusively, as the DAC section in it is just beautiful sounding.  Initially the main reason I even purchased the R70x was due to earfonia recommending them for use with the micro.  This the only headphone I have heard that makes the amplifier section in the micro listenable for longer periods without sonic discomfort.  I also find myself now using the R70x more than my Beyerdynamic DT880 600ohm for most types music. 
 
The only time I might insert the DT880 is when I want to differentiate the smallest inner detail in some parts of a song, or when listening to multiple remasters of a specific album to determine which one is least sibilant (closer to the original release).  This is NOT to say the R70x is lacking in detail. It is just a trade off between musicality and surgical dissection.  I have yet to hear a headphone that can do both without causing ear fatigue.
 
I mainly listen to headphones through a Marantz PM6005 integrated while at home.  This unit has a separate fully discrete headphone amplifier that actually sounds wonderful with any headphone I have connected to it.  I would characterize this headphone amplifier as having a full rich and easy, yet dynamic sound.  With the R70x using the Marantz I can leave the bass and treble controls flat, with the DT880 I needed to increase the bass by about 5db to sound tonally balanced.
 
The Marantz also has a very capable built in 24/192khz DAC that for PCM sounds very close to the micro.  I should also mention that the Marantz DAC only has SPDIF and optical connectivity, so a converter needs to be purchased if connecting it to your computer USB port.
 
May 19, 2015 at 2:14 AM Post #135 of 2,737
hakushondaimao said:
 
YOU'RE looking forward? Holy cr@p, I have to still wait a week!!!
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No rush... take your time 
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Need to use it for at least a week to get to know the sound character better. 
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