[MidFiMoney]

I owned the R70x many moons ago. At that time, I preferred them to the HD650 in almost every way. I recently repurchased the 650 only to discover it is a different monster than the one I bought circa 2011. I’m kinda tempted to buy the R70x again to see how it fairs today.

 

[dgozalie]

my friend did the review about R70x...

https://orronoco.blogspot.com/2020/06/audio-technica-ath-r70x-review-compares.html

 

[theaudiologist1]

I have a DAC with bass and treble controls. Should I increase/decrease the bass or treble? I want the r70x to sound perfectly neutral.

 

[theaudiologist1]

My R70x is a bit too quiet with classical DSD. Is that just how the recordings sound in general?

 

[thesheik137]

My R70x is a bit too quiet with classical DSD. Is that just how the recordings sound in general?

You may need an amp with more power, but classical recordings can also be quiet sometimes.

 

[theaudiologist1]

You may need an amp with more power, but classical recordings can also be quiet sometimes.

My amp outputs 28mW@300Ohms, but in high gain it gets very loud in every genre (Alternative, Classic Rock, Metal, Trance, Dnb, even symphonies get very loud), but the piano and violin solos as well as the quiet parts of symphonies, are quiet. Is it just how the recordings are supposed? I checked the headphone power calculator, and my DAC can output a max volume of 112-113dB, which is pretty loud, right? And that's probably just with low gain.

 

[Hooster]

My amp outputs 28mW@300Ohms, but in high gain it gets very loud in every genre (Alternative, Classic Rock, Metal, Trance, Dnb, even symphonies get very loud), but the piano and violin solos as well as the quiet parts of symphonies, are quiet. Is it just how the recordings are supposed? I checked the headphone power calculator, and my DAC can output a max volume of 112-113dB, which is pretty loud, right? And that's probably just with low gain.

Your amp is very weak. You probably want something with more power, especially for classical music. In a good recording quiet parts of a musical piece should sound quiet and loud parts should sound loud. The R70X rewards a good amp and this is something you may want to investigate.

I have a DAC with bass and treble controls. Should I increase/decrease the bass or treble? I want the r70x to sound perfectly neutral.

Don't increase the bass or treble if you want it to sound neutral. Few good DACs have bass and treble controls because they tend to lead to undesirable compromises.

My R70x is a bit too quiet with classical DSD. Is that just how the recordings sound in general?

It depends on the recording. Classical recordings can vary wildly. Quiet parts of a classical piece will always sound much much quieter than compressed pop music. A lot of pop music is compressed to make the music sound equally loud throughout a song or album. It is common practice to push this loudness as high as possible because many people think loud = good. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war) You can make your own mind up whether compressed music is desirable or not. To me music you want to listen to seriously should not be compressed but if you want background music that stays at a similar level no matter what, then compressed is good.

 

[prozonelayer]

Your amp is very weak. You probably want something with more power, especially for classical music. In a good recording quiet parts of a musical piece should sound quiet and loud parts should sound loud. The R70X rewards a good amp and this is something you may want to investigate.

I am a new R70X owner and agree. Using a Schiit Magni Heresy, which outputs 410mw at 300 ohms, and can comfortably use my headphones on low gain with all genres at between 10-12 o'clock volume.

I have a DAC with bass and treble controls. Should I increase/decrease the bass or treble? I want the r70x to sound perfectly neutral.

I personally like the un-EQ'd sound of the R70X, but was able to find a helpful EQ tool to try out. I ended up ditching it because I liked the extra emphasis I was hearing on the low end, but maybe it's what you're looking for.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/eq-settings-for-700-headphones.885196/

 

[llysender]

Hmmm...r70x sure takes on the sound of the dac/amp really well.

When i was using a fiio k5 pro the r70x was a tad bass heavy but now with a smsl su8/iha6 the r70x is ruller flat.

edit:
Can the defult cable be reterminated to 4 pin xlr?

 

[pauldoni]

My amp outputs 28mW@300Ohms, but in high gain it gets very loud in every genre (Alternative, Classic Rock, Metal, Trance, Dnb, even symphonies get very loud), but the piano and violin solos as well as the quiet parts of symphonies, are quiet. Is it just how the recordings are supposed? I checked the headphone power calculator, and my DAC can output a max volume of 112-113dB, which is pretty loud, right? And that's probably just with low gain.

You need at least 100mW @ 470ohm for r70x. If u don't get enough juice to drive this headphone, the bass , Treble and dynamic will be bad.

 

[theaudiologist1]

You need at least 100mW @ 470ohm for r70x. If u don't get enough juice to drive this headphone, the bass , Treble and dynamic will be bad.

Your amp is very weak. You probably want something with more power, especially for classical music. In a good recording quiet parts of a musical piece should sound quiet and loud parts should sound loud. The R70X rewards a good amp and this is something you may want to investigate.



Don't increase the bass or treble if you want it to sound neutral. Few good DACs have bass and treble controls because they tend to lead to undesirable compromises.



It depends on the recording. Classical recordings can vary wildly. Quiet parts of a classical piece will always sound much much quieter than compressed pop music. A lot of pop music is compressed to make the music sound equally loud throughout a song or album. It is common practice to push this loudness as high as possible because many people think loud = good. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war) You can make your own mind up whether compressed music is desirable or not. To me music you want to listen to seriously should not be compressed but if you want background music that stays at a similar level no matter what, then compressed is good.

Like I said, my AMP actually drives the R70x to insanely loud levels that it makes me lower the volume, even with very dynamic music like classical. The R70x isn't even that hard to drive: it has a 98 or 99db/mW sensitivity, which matters more than resistance btw.

So it's natural for the quiet parts of a symphony ro sound quiet, and the instruments to not be "in my face"?


UPDATE: I tried my 32Ohm MSR7's with the same DAC, and the quiet classical music still has the same volume as when playing with the R70x'es (maybe a tiny bit louder?), so I guess it's just the way the conductings were recorded?

 

[theaudiologist1]

You need at least 100mW @ 470ohm for r70x. If u don't get enough juice to drive this headphone, the bass , Treble and dynamic will be bad.

Through all the headphone power calculators I've tried, at 470Ohms and 99dB/mW, you need 12.6mW to reach 110dB, and anything more will just hurt your ears. Besides, most music doesn't even get that loud, specially not classical.

BTW can someone clarify if the sensityvity of the R70x is 98dB/mW or 99dB/mW? My headphone box says 98 but everywhere else says 99.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

^You’re on Head-Fi
Be careful with logic.

 

[pauldoni]

Through all the headphone power calculators I've tried, at 470Ohms and 99dB/mW, you need 12.6mW to reach 110dB, and anything more will just hurt your ears. Besides, most music doesn't even get that loud, specially not classical.

BTW can someone clarify if the sensityvity of the R70x is 98dB/mW or 99dB/mW? My headphone box says 98 but everywhere else says 99.

Yes many device even just a smartphone can drive r70x loud. But it's a high impedance cans. When the cans need to produce a deep bass , it will need more power. Loud enough sound doesn't mean it already on it's full potential. It needs more current... If you power it properly (in terms of power) , it will sound more dynamic, more bass rumble and impact also more treble extension.

Cmiiw.

I remember back then when I can't find a cheap amp that have enough power to drive this cans properly

Sorry my bad English

 

[theaudiologist1]

Yes many device even just a smartphone can drive r70x loud. But it's a high impedance cans. When the cans need to produce a deep bass , it will need more power. Loud enough sound doesn't mean it already on it's full potential. It needs more current... If you power it properly (in terms of power) , it will sound more dynamic, more bass rumble and impact also more treble extension.

Cmiiw.

I remember back then when I can't find a cheap amp that have enough power to drive this cans properly

Sorry my bad English

how much more power does it need? More than 110dB then RIP your ears. Pretty much all the instruments and frequencies will be exposed at 110dB.