[214324]

   
I only heard M70x once in an exhibition. It has high emphasize on treble. Sounds bright to me, but not the kind of brightness that makes us frowning. Actually the transparency is quite nice. M70x emphasize a lot on transparency and clarity, but rather too much, and lacking of bass. It has good quality bass, but lacking in quantity. Their tonality is like a linear ramp, going up from bass to treble. So it has very different tonality than R70x. Not sure whether it is a compliment or not 

From the GoldenEars Korea measurements it seems pretty flat for FR and isn't lacking in bass at all. Hm...
 
It seems like they're intended to be used together based off of your review, with the R70x being the natural one for listening to end product and the M70x for more critical work.

 

[twister6]

 

   
I only heard M70x once in an exhibition. It has high emphasize on treble. Sounds bright to me, but not the kind of brightness that makes us frowning. Actually the transparency is quite nice. M70x emphasize a lot on transparency and clarity, but rather too much, and lacking of bass. It has good quality bass, but lacking in quantity. Their tonality is like a linear ramp, going up from bass to treble. So it has very different tonality than R70x. Not sure whether it is a compliment or not 

From the GoldenEars Korea measurements it seems pretty flat for FR and isn't lacking in bass at all. Hm...
 
It seems like they're intended to be used together based off of earfonia's review, with the R70x being the natural one for listening to end product and the M70x for more critical work.

 
M70x is NOT for listening pleasure, that's for sure.

 

[Johnlist]

Can someone compare AKG Q701 and ATH-R70x, I am mostly interested bass tightness and speed
 
Thanks

 

[Hal X]

I would like  a comparison between R70x and HD600 , since they both appear to be very neutral.

 

[214324]

  I would like  a comparison between R70x and HD600 , since they both appear to be very neutral.

As mentioned in my review, ATH-R70x is very smooth sounding, but not too warm. No harshness at all. HD 600 is too warm for my taste, R70x is more natural sounding.

K712 from memory is clearer and leaner sounding than R70x, while R70x has fuller mids and bass.

I borrowed HD 600 and had it for a few days, a few years ago. So not an accurate comparison, please take note of that. HD 600 is generally to warm for me, and i don't really like it. Just personal preference. R70x is smooth and full bodied, but not really in the category of warm sounding. Maybe only a little. Generally from memory recollection, I prefer R70x by quite a large margin.

 
My R70x arrives today!
My short first impression is ... No unnatural sound at all! No harshness at all! Very elegant sound!
But I want a little bit more treble..compare to HD600.

 

[Hal X]

 

Thanks! Could somebody who owns both compare bass/subbass and midrange/vocals oh HD600 and r70x? And maybe soundstage?

 

[Pokemonn]

  Thanks! Could somebody who owns both compare bass/subbass and midrange/vocals oh HD600 and r70x? And maybe soundstage?

I did A/B testing. HD600s soundstage is wider than R70x. but R70x sound stage is natural for me.
R70x's bass is almost same as HD600. but my test may not reliable. lol

 

[earfonia]

 
I did A/B testing. HD600s soundstage is wider than R70x. but R70x sound stage is natural for me.
R70x's bass is almost same as HD600. but my test may not reliable. lol

 
Thanks! 
Which one sounds warmer to you?
To my memory HD600 sounds warmer, but my memory might not be accurate.

 

[Pokemonn]

   
Thanks! 
Which one sounds warmer to you?
To my memory HD600 sounds warmer, but my memory might not be accurate.

You are welcome!
For me, R70x are little bit warmer than HD600. HD600 sounds crispy and sharp. but I guess that real sound doesn't sound crispy and sharp...
I feel HD600 is not natural for me.

 

[earfonia]

 
You are welcome!
For me, R70x are little bit warmer than HD600. HD600 sounds crispy and sharp. but I guess that real sound doesn't sound crispy and sharp...
I feel HD600 is not natural for me.

 
Noted thanks!
Rather different than what I remember, anyway our ears do interpret headphone sound differently.

 

[travis-bickle]

ok here is my short update. beyerdynamic pads dont fit. phat-pad-mod helps, but needs further testing with longer listening sessions to be sure it eliminates the comfort-problem

 

[earfonia]

  ok here is my short update. beyerdynamic pads dont fit. phat-pad-mod helps, but needs further testing with longer listening sessions to be sure it eliminates the comfort-problem

 
Noted! Any picture for the phat-pad-mod? Tx!

 

[Beagle]

 
You are welcome!
For me, R70x are little bit warmer than HD600. HD600 sounds crispy and sharp. but I guess that real sound doesn't sound crispy and sharp...
I feel HD600 is not natural for me.

 
It IS natural, but if you like everything warm and fuzzy, go for it

 

[Rocko1]

 

Features & Specifications

 
ATH-R70x with its utilitarian design weighs only 210 grams. It is very light, but it feels tough. It seems to be able to handle frequent use in professional applications. Durability is not something easy to test, I cannot do drop test on this demo set, or to test how strong is the cable until it breaks. So durability is only through visual and some hands-on observation. I've brought it with me in my back pack, using semi-hard case, several times, so not only using it at home. I have no issue with the build quality so far.
 
The following is weight comparisons without cables, with other headphones in this review. ATH-R70x is simply the lightest.
 
Audio-Technica R70x : 210 grams
Sennheiser HD 800 : 330 grams
Beyerdynamic T 1 : 350 grams
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro : 295 grams
Philips Fidelio X1 : 300 grams
 
 

 
 
ATH-R70x is light, fits well, and also stays well in position. The metal headband can be bent to some degree, for better comfort and fit. I think bendable headband is a good feature to adjust the headband pressure. My concern is probably more on the headband size. My head size is probably around medium to large. T1 has 9 clicks of headband adjustment, 9 clicks left and 9 clicks right. I set it to 4 clicks both left and right for my head. The rest of 5 clicks is approximately another 2 cm on each left and right side of the headband, total of 4 cm allowance left for larger size head. With ATH-R70x, when I pushed it to the max, I estimate like there is only around 1 cm left for each side. That means probably only around 2-2.5 cm allowance left for larger head. So for users that usually need to use T1 at their maximum headband reach, please take note of this.
 
 

 
 
I highly recommend professional headphone to have detachable cable, to easily replace the cable when it spoil. not only that, when working on very large mixing console, longer cable or long coiled cable will be required. But sometime on small desk, too long cable is annoying. Detachable cable makes it easier to use the right cable to suit the working environment. ATH-R70x cable is dual-sided, each using a locking 2.5 mm TRS jack. Quoted from Audio-Technica website:
"dual-sided detachable cable that automatically maintains proper stereo orientation (no matter how it’s attached)"
The stock cable, carries both left and right channels on each side. The 2.5 mm socket on each driver only wired to one of the channel, so it doesn't matter how the cable is connected, left driver only connected to the left channel, and right channel only connected to right channel.
 

 
 
Well, it looks like a clever approach, but so far I have never heard users have problem with connecting cable correctly to the left & right drivers. So, looks like a solution to a problem that never been really a problem in the first place. Well, YMMV. My concern is more to the Left and Right marking that kind of obscured. For me clear Left and Right marking is more important than the cable feature above. Since the Left and Right marking are not clear, I have to rely on the different thickness of the area of the earpads to identify the right orientation. The back side of the earpads is thicker than the front side. Later on my DIY cable, I simply use red colour shrink tube on the right cable for easy identification.
 

 
 
Back to the cable, unfortunately, not like the ATH-Mx series which come with various cables, long, short, & coiled, ATH-R70x only comes with one 3 meters long straight cable. The cable is too long for my home use; therefore I made my own cable for ATH-R70x. I use LyxPro LCP Quad Series microphone cable (4 wires) I bought from Amazon, with locking 2.5 mm TRS jack I bought from Lunashop. The 2.5 mm jack fits & locks nicely.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Most of the impressions in this review are using my DIY cable. I'm quite annoyed with the stock cable, it is too long. I suggest Audio-Technica to include shorter cable for ATH-R70x. The DIY cable sounds a tad better, a tad more transparent, just a tad. The stock cable is fine, just too long for me.
 
 
The earpads are smaller than the rest of the headphones in comparison. Still comfortable, but I do prefer a little larger and deeper earpads for better comfort. ATH-R70x earpads touch my pinna lightly, not up to uncomfortable level, but larger earpads would be more comfortable. In comparison with Beyerdynamic T1 earpad below, T1 earpad inner diameter is around 5.8 cm, and ATH-R70x earpad inner diameter is around 5 cm.
 

 
 
Without earpad, the driver frame is actually quite thin.
 

 

 
 
 

Loudness Comparisons

Loudness comparison showing the approximate requirement of output voltage for the headphones to produce equal loudness. I use 85 dB pink noise (0 dBFS) generated using Audacity, to compare loudness between the headphones. I use AudioTool app on my Samsung Galasy S4 with Dayton Audio iMM-6 calibrated measurement microphone (with the calibration file from Dayton Audio). Setup shown previously on White Noise measurement.
 
The reason why I use Pink Noise for loudness measurement, Pink Noise loudness translates better to my general music listening volume, better than White Noise and Sine tune. Meaning, when I set the volume to 85 dB Pink Noise, the volume is more or less the same as the listening volume I set to listen some of my reference albums (Linn Records, Channel Classics, David Manley Recordings, etc.). Beside that White Noise and Sine tune are quite irritating to my ears.
 
After the Pink Noise measurement, then I play 100 Hz Sine (0 dBFS) to measure the output voltage of the amplifier. All loudness measurement is done using Yulong DA8. Yulong DA8 digital volume is easier for volume level reading and accuracy. Output voltage measured using Owon VDS3102 digital oscilloscope, unloaded.
 
Audio-Technica R70x
Yulong DA8 volume reading : -18.5 dB
Digital oscilloscope reading : 0.79 Vrms / 2.28 Vpp
 
Sennheiser HD 800
Yulong DA8 volume reading : -18.0 dB
Digital oscilloscope reading : 0.84 Vrms / 2.40 Vpp
 
Beyerdynamic T 1
Yulong DA8 volume reading : -15.0 dB
Digital oscilloscope reading : 1.18 Vrms / 3.40 Vpp
 
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (600)
Yulong DA8 volume reading : -10.0 dB
Digital oscilloscope reading : 2.11 Vrms / 6.00 Vpp
 
Philips Fidelio X1
Yulong DA8 volume reading : -28.0 dB
Digital oscilloscope reading : 0.26 Vrms / 0.76 Vpp
 
As you can see, the output voltage requirement of ATH-R70x is pretty close to HD 800. So far, playing a soft sounding recording at pretty loud volume (not recommended), 6.6 Vrms / 18.8 Vpp is the maximum output voltage required. iBasso DX90 has maximum output voltage of 2.69 Vrms / 7.6 Vpp, so far, generally quite adequate for ATH-R70x. This output voltage measurement is useful when looking for a headphone amplifier for ATH-R70x. Get an amplifier with at least 5 Vrms maximum output for ATH-R70x. Or if you have a lot of soft sounding recording collections, 7 Vrms would be a safer choice.
 
 
 
I really had good times with ATH-R70x, and I really enjoyed it. One of the best headphone for long sessions. Hope this review would be useful for the readers. Once again congratulation to Audio-Technica for this nice sounding open-back reference headphone!
 
 
 

Specifications

Type	: Open-back reference
Driver Diameter	: 45 mm
Frequency Response	: 5 - 40,000 Hz
Maximum Input Power	: 1,000 mW at 1 kHz
Sensitivity	: 99 dB
Impedance	: 470 ohms
Weight	: 210 g (7.4 oz), without cable and connector
Accessories Included	: Protective carrying pouch
Cable	: 1 x 3m included; Detachable with 2.5 mm TRS connector

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Equipment used in this review:

 
Headphones:
Audio-Technica ATH-R70x (loan demo set)
Beyerdynamic T 1
Beyerdynamic DT 880
Philips Fidelio X1
Sennheiser HD 800
Sennheiser HD 650
 
DACs & Headphone Amplifiers:
Audio-Technica AT-HA22TUBE
iBasso DX90
ifi micro iDSD (firmware 4.06)
ifi micro iCan
Mytek Stereo192-DSD DAC (firmware 1.8.1)
Violectric HPA V200
Yulong DA8
Yulong A28
 
Cables:
Atlas Equator MKIII Integra RCA cable (0.5m)
Forza Claire Hybrid RCA (8 inch) (loan from @igndenny - Thanks a lot! Very nice sounding RCA cable!) 
Pangea Audio - USB cable - PCOCC & 4% silver - 2 Meters
QED Reference Audio Evolution XLR cable (DIY 40 cm cable)
Some DIY cables
 
Computer & Player:
DIY Desktop PC: Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H-MVP motherboard, Intel i7-3770, 16 GB RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1.
foobar2000 v1.3.3
 
Measurement Instrument & Application:
Dayton Audio iMM-6 calibrated measurement microphone
Samsung Galaxy S4 (SHV-E330K) - Android 4.4.2
AudioTool v6.3 for Android
Owon VDS3102 USB Digital Oscilloscope
 
 
 
 

Some recordings used in this review:

Very nice. I am curious about the cables you made. What did you use to prevent the wires from pulling away from the plug? Epoxy?

 

[Beagle]

Thanks Rocko1...beautiful job, great pics!