[iems0nly]

My only other source is the Dragonfly black, and they don't improve this issue by much. I'll try my different cables as well. Thanks!

 

[qsk78]

Guys, do you know if these are just wax filters? Do they affect the sound like on many other IEM with filters.

 

[thefitz]

I got a great deal on ATH-E70s - can't wait!

 

[thefitz]

Had a few hours of ear-time with the ATH-E70 - here are my impressions:

This is an interesting set, rather atypical of multi-driver BA sets I'm used to.

General notes: deep insertion is beneficial and mitigates sibilance somewhat. While efficient, they're not crazy-efficient like some BA IEMs are. Decent soundstage and separation. Spiral Dots fit funny, but did increase the bass and upper treble.

First I plugged into a Mojo playing FLACs from CD to 192kHz, which I thought would be the truest test for multi-driver IEMs since the Mojo's output impedance is as close to 0 as you're going to get. No screwy interplay with impedance here. With this setup, I noticed a well extended, deep bass, an appreciably hollow upper-midrange, and a startling amount of activity in the 12kHz-14kHz range. It's quite pleasant below the upper treble, but man, it sure is zingy up top. Hi-hat cymbals had an aggressive glare and snare hits have this glass-breaking resonance to them. Guitars weren't harsh, however. This signature sounded great in music not featuring much in the way of percussion, but boy are they aggressive with cymbals in a low-Z setup.

Plugging into my phone with a few ohms of output impedance, listening to Google Play Music, I was pleasantly surprised. The treble glare reduced somewhat, but the upper midrange filled out considerably. Snares and cymbals still have a "SHHHH" quality to them, and hard S sounds can cut paper, but the midrange did compensate for this and I felt it to be an overall nicer listen with a few ohms of output impedance.

This has to be the only BA IEM I've ever heard that sounds better with >0.5 ohms output impedance. Every single BA I've tried thins out considerably (except for the ER4-XR, whose impedance curve is high enough not to react that much), and every multi-driver BA setup either thins out too (Campfire Audio), has a blanket thrown over the treble (NuForce Primo 8, Shure SE535), or has a weird wah-wah suckout effect in the midrange (Shure SE846).

I will say, if sharp hi-hats or the letter S freaks you out at all - run.

It does respond well to EQ though. 3 or 4 DB in the upper treble (8kHz+) does the trick.

 

[Roger Gu]

Share the same opinion

 

[ljnew]

Nice review.
Regarding "The only downside with the E70s are that they get a bit sibilant – especially when the singers are throwing out the ssss or shshshshhhss."
Try to play with cables and sources. I do not currently experience any sibilant in 95% of the time unless I listen to some poor quality records.

e70 really revealing. Sibilance comes from bad tracks not iem.

 

[nostract]

Let me start by saying ATH-E 70 in my regard & by many others who are professionally into music is one of the best monitor headphones in its price range & above.

Let me explain why this is, I won't get into its form factor & explain as normally people do about sound i.e. highs, lows and mids. What i want to bring forth here is the nature of sound that this headphone is able to deliver & why that makes it one of the best in its category & above.

Sound, specifically what is music to our ears can be perceived in various ways. Live sounds, the ones that are delivered via speakers and other systems and then live music delivered naturally without any of these devices; plain sound emitting from instruments and vocals. Then there is studio recording, where music is recorded under special and specific conditions. Finally the way we normally hear music i.e. via a music player/DAP’s, digital music files & headphones.

Under all these circumstances a particular musical piece may sound different in different setups & we may also feel it differently. Which situation would you say is ideal when it comes to hearing a sound in its truest form? Or as many say, music/sound as intended by the musician? Most get caught up by the idea of 'I like my music in a particular way' & invariably end up buying a particular DAP - headphones with specific sound traits or finally EQ music to their taste.

Now here it’s not a question of what is right or wrong, like most things in life it’s relative to the individual. But say that you get a chance to experience sound as if you are sitting around musicians in an open space and hear them play & sing with no speakers or any other systems. This is the setup for hearing sound/music in its most natural form & ATH E-70 is manufactured to produce this sound.

But being such an effective and fine-tuned headphone, it naturally reciprocates to the quality of the music player and music files, as this headphone on its own doesn’t have any particular sound characteristics.

You may think this as a bad thing to have no particular sound trait of its own, but believe me, not only is it difficult to create such fine-tuned headphone that recreates sound in its most natural form but to also to have an equipment that gives you a chance to experience music in the most organic manner.
As if you are not just seeing the river flowing and thinking about how the water will feel, but you are able to touch water yourself and experience it at a very personal level.

Even if my grasp on language or my power of thinking is not allowing me to explain this in a much lucid manner, I will definitely say that buy it or not, at least hear it once. That too with the best player you can get your hands on and quality music files. Before you hear music know if your player has any musical traits like being bright/warm or any other musical presentation. Don’t EQ it, hear it as it is & then experience ATH-E 70.

Likes & dislikes is a different thing but you will at least know how music sounds in it's most basic and natural form

I have heard & owned various headphones and in-ear’s ranging from AKG ‘s reference headphones to campfire’s & Audeze planar’s, but this particular Audio Technica monitor is of a truly special quality. It allows you to sense music at it's core level and be content with it.

I feel sad that such a rare and special product is not that well recognized, possibly one of the main reason is people approach music and related equipment’s with a lot of preconceived notions and hence in return when they get life giving water to drink instead of the expected juice or alcohol, people naturally get disappointed.

So my request to all music & headphone lovers is to at least try it once.

 

[ljnew]

Let me start by saying ATH-E 70 in my regard & by many others who are professionally into music is one of the best monitor headphones in its price range & above.


Then there is studio recording, where music is recorded under special and specific conditions. Finally the way we normally hear music i.e. via a music player/DAP’s, digital music files & headphones.

This is the setup for hearing sound/music in its most natural form & ATH E-70 is manufactured to produce this sound.

But being such an effective and fine-tuned headphone, it naturally reciprocates to the quality of the music player and music files, as this headphone on its own doesn’t have any particular sound characteristics.

You may think this as a bad thing to have no particular sound trait of its own, but believe me, not only is it difficult to create such fine-tuned headphone that recreates sound in its most natural form but to also to have an equipment that gives you a chance to experience music in the most organic manner.

Don’t EQ it, hear it as it is & then experience ATH-E 70.

Likes & dislikes is a different thing but you will at least know how music sounds in it's most basic and natural form

I have heard & owned various headphones and in-ear’s ranging from AKG ‘s reference headphones to campfire’s & Audeze planar’s, but this particular Audio Technica monitor is of a truly special quality. It allows you to sense music at it's core level and be content with it.

I feel sad that such a rare and special product is not that well recognized, possibly one of the main reason is people approach music and related equipment’s with a lot of preconceived notions and hence in return when they get life giving water to drink instead of the expected juice or alcohol, people naturally get disappointed.

So my request to all music & headphone lovers is to at least try it once.

This is what i keep telling people.

 

[ljnew]

Let me start by saying ATH-E 70 in my regard & by many others who are professionally into music is one of the best monitor headphones in its price range & above.

Let me explain why this is, I won't get into its form factor & explain as normally people do about sound i.e. highs, lows and mids. What i want to bring forth here is the nature of sound that this headphone is able to deliver & why that makes it one of the best in its category & above.

Sound, specifically what is music to our ears can be perceived in various ways. Live sounds, the ones that are delivered via speakers and other systems and then live music delivered naturally without any of these devices; plain sound emitting from instruments and vocals. Then there is studio recording, where music is recorded under special and specific conditions. Finally the way we normally hear music i.e. via a music player/DAP’s, digital music files & headphones.

Under all these circumstances a particular musical piece may sound different in different setups & we may also feel it differently. Which situation would you say is ideal when it comes to hearing a sound in its truest form? Or as many say, music/sound as intended by the musician? Most get caught up by the idea of 'I like my music in a particular way' & invariably end up buying a particular DAP - headphones with specific sound traits or finally EQ music to their taste.

Now here it’s not a question of what is right or wrong, like most things in life it’s relative to the individual. But say that you get a chance to experience sound as if you are sitting around musicians in an open space and hear them play & sing with no speakers or any other systems. This is the setup for hearing sound/music in its most natural form & ATH E-70 is manufactured to produce this sound.

But being such an effective and fine-tuned headphone, it naturally reciprocates to the quality of the music player and music files, as this headphone on its own doesn’t have any particular sound characteristics.

You may think this as a bad thing to have no particular sound trait of its own, but believe me, not only is it difficult to create such fine-tuned headphone that recreates sound in its most natural form but to also to have an equipment that gives you a chance to experience music in the most organic manner.
As if you are not just seeing the river flowing and thinking about how the water will feel, but you are able to touch water yourself and experience it at a very personal level.

Even if my grasp on language or my power of thinking is not allowing me to explain this in a much lucid manner, I will definitely say that buy it or not, at least hear it once. That too with the best player you can get your hands on and quality music files. Before you hear music know if your player has any musical traits like being bright/warm or any other musical presentation. Don’t EQ it, hear it as it is & then experience ATH-E 70.

Likes & dislikes is a different thing but you will at least know how music sounds in it's most basic and natural form

I have heard & owned various headphones and in-ear’s ranging from AKG ‘s reference headphones to campfire’s & Audeze planar’s, but this particular Audio Technica monitor is of a truly special quality. It allows you to sense music at it's core level and be content with it.

I feel sad that such a rare and special product is not that well recognized, possibly one of the main reason is people approach music and related equipment’s with a lot of preconceived notions and hence in return when they get life giving water to drink instead of the expected juice or alcohol, people naturally get disappointed.

So my request to all music & headphone lovers is to at least try it once.

btw, what campfire audio, akg and audeze are you comparing it to?

 

[nostract]

btw, what campfire audio, akg and audeze are you comparing it to?

What I had in mind was specifically AKG K3003, Campfire Jupiter & Audeze iSine 20.

 

[ljnew]

What I had in mind was specifically AKG K3003, Campfire Jupiter & Audeze iSine 20.

Have you found any iem to be technically better than e70?

 

[nostract]

Have you found any iem to be technically better than e70?

It is easy as well as difficult to explain technical prowess of a headphone, because as per audio industry standards on paper as well as graphs something may come across as technically better (like multiple drivers, planar magnet's etc).
But hearing a headphone may give you an altogether different experience & feel.
Hence when I say that ATH E 70 has the quality to reproduce sound in a very natural manner, i don't think there is any other higher form of praise you can give for an audio equipment.

 

[ljnew]

It is easy as well as difficult to explain technical prowess of a headphone, because as per audio industry standards on paper as well as graphs something may come across as technically better (like multiple drivers, planar magnet's etc).
But hearing a headphone may give you an altogether different experience & feel.
Hence when I say that ATH E 70 has the quality to reproduce sound in a very natural manner, i don't think there is any other higher form of praise you can give for an audio equipment.

Yes that's my opinion as well. I notice the e70 will sound terrible if you're listening to bad production. However, e70 has the ability to sound leaps and bounds better with higher quality production and materials as it only reproduces sound with no coloring or fixing.

It's actually unfair because, unfortunately people used to quality will look at the price and think it's a waste of time.

 

[nostract]

Yes that's my opinion as well. I notice the e70 will sound terrible if you're listening to bad production. However, e70 has the ability to sound leaps and bounds better with higher quality production and materials as it only reproduces sound with no coloring or fixing.

It's actually unfair because, unfortunately people used to quality will look at the price and think it's a waste of time.

True, moreover the debate about what can be considered as a natural reproduction/presentation of sound will keep continuing.

But that said any one who has heard music in a live setup or in a recording studio knows how different a musical piece sounds on our various music players and headphones!

I will end by saying as I said in my review for ATH E70; that ATH E70 is like water, no taste on its own whatsoever. Some may not like that tastelessness & would go for something more (that may be costlier or cheaper).
But water being water, will always be pristine, necessary & the best natural drink.

 

[ljnew]

Everyone, my wire broke for the ath-e70 so i had to get a new one. It sounds really good, here's a link Ath-e70 replacement cable.