[DivineCurrent]

I wonder if the R70x has been discontinued. I just bought a pair, and they were out of stock almost everywhere.

Huh, I bought a pair off Amazon the other week, they said more were on the way on some sellers. Maybe it's just temporarily out of stock due to the holiday season?

 

[Slim1970]

I wonder if the R70x has been discontinued. I just bought a pair, and they were out of stock almost everywhere.

If so, I'm glad I have my pair!

 

[dakanao]

Yeah, as a long time HD650/600/58X user, I absolutely agree. I like the 58X more than the others, because with EQ it has a more capable driver in terms of technical performance with bass impact and extension. But the R70x takes that to a new level. I was trying the R70x with new stock pads yesterday, and the tuning is just spot on. It is the first headphone I have ever tried that doesn’t really need EQ. That being said, I still like a 2 db bass shelf at 50hz, as I do with most open back headphones. I always found the 600/650 to be too shouty in that 2-5khz range, and the R70x brings down that entire region to a natural level plus better bass performance, with a similar treble level as well. Oh, and it is more comfortable and lighter.
I am also perplexed why this headphone does not get the recognition it deserves. The recent reviewers I have mentioned on YouTube directly compared them to the 650, but said there was some “grain” and not as detailed. So... first of all, the R70x is the least grainy headphone I have ever heard... it’s smoother than the Focal Clear and the Hifiman HE-500. Also, not everyone is looking for details, sometimes I just want the experience of nice warm speakers, which the R70x gets pretty close to. The 600 and 650 purposely raise the upper mids to give that extra sense of dare I say, artificial detail, while the R70x keeps it in line. And as a result, it just sounds more natural to me. So congrats to Audio Technica, for making this gem of a headphone 5 years ago that I personally think beats the classic Sennheisers.

Interesting how we all hear differently. I thought the R70x was more shouty in the upper-mids than the 650 from my Geek Out 450 I had at that time. It was the only reason I sold the R70x!

 

[DivineCurrent]

Interesting how we all hear differently. I thought the R70x was more shouty in the upper-mids than the 650 from my Geek Out 450 I had at that time. It was the only reason I sold the R70x!

Yup, everyone's got different ears, that's what makes the headphone/audio game so interesting.

It also could be pad differences, I've noticed using older worn out pads on the 650/600 brings down the upper mids quite a bit. With new pads, the 650s sound noticeably less in the lower mids and bass to me, which also affects the upper frequencies. I compared the 650s with older worn in pads to the R70x a few minutes ago, the difference is now less pronounced to me and they are very close in tonality. But I do still hear some roll off in those very high treble air frequencies like cymbals and hi hats with the 650. Also, the 650 sounds a little small and close/intimate in terms of imaging and soundstage, at least in direct comparison to the R70x. You can hear more of the driver cup shape with the 650, while the R70x is more out there, outside the driver cup area.

Honestly though, I think you could prefer either depending on your tastes. And I could easily prefer the 650 for vocal music with it's tight forward midrange I have yet to hear in another headphone.

 

[dakanao]

Yup, everyone's got different ears, that's what makes the headphone/audio game so interesting.

It also could be pad differences, I've noticed using older worn out pads on the 650/600 brings down the upper mids quite a bit. With new pads, the 650s sound noticeably less in the lower mids and bass to me, which also affects the upper frequencies. I compared the 650s with older worn in pads to the R70x a few minutes ago, the difference is now less pronounced to me and they are very close in tonality. But I do still hear some roll off in those very high treble air frequencies like cymbals and hi hats with the 650. Also, the 650 sounds a little small and close/intimate in terms of imaging and soundstage, at least in direct comparison to the R70x. You can hear more of the driver cup shape with the 650, while the R70x is more out there, outside the driver cup area.

Honestly though, I think you could prefer either depending on your tastes. And I could easily prefer the 650 for vocal music with it's tight forward midrange I have yet to hear in another headphone.

I do actually agree the HD650 has more forward upper-mids than the R70x (this was with worn-in pads), but, to me, the R70x had a certain shoutiness in the texture of some upper-mid sounds, that the HD650 didn’t have on those exact same recordings, despite being slightly more forward in quantity.

 

[JoeTho]

I've been a fan of these cans for quite some time. They are highly underrated in my opinion, but they sound great and are comfortable enough to disappear on your head. Open enough to not feel claustrophobic. I forget I'm wearing headphones at times. I recently acquired the THX AAA 789 and when running balanced out of them on high gain the grainy sound I used to hear appears to be gone. These are something special.

 

[Hooster]

The only time I ever heard these sounding grainy was when I used inferior amplification.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Just got done comparing the R70x again to my other headphones, the HD650, HD58X, HE500, and the Clear. I think now the main thing the R70x does better than all of those is treble response and naturalness. Even compared to the 650, the treble sounds smoother to me and more detailed and airy, while still being not fatiguing. This is especially noticeable with cymbals and hi-hats. When you listen to those metallic instruments, they just sound so much more natural on the R70x, even compared to the Focal Clear. So, I think that is their strong point. It honestly reminds me of what you would hear from a good pair of speakers. Their weak point is probably the bass, which doesn't sound as punchy or detailed to me as all the others. But in some instances, it does sound pretty dynamic with the right music. I think the bass capability is limited by the very open earpad design, which I also think contributes to the amazing treble I'm hearing. Like I mentioned in previous posts, I was trying different pads to try and get a better seal, with limited success. Different pads do improve the bass, but also mess a little with the mids and treble. Right now, I'm testing out the Dekoni Hybrid Hifiman pads, which actually brings the bass impact to a great level. However, it's not as clear or clean as the stock pads. So, it's a trade off that I think is fair, because I have yet to hear a headphone that does treble as natural and realistic as the R70x.

 

[KrombopulosCam]

I've been a fan of these cans for quite some time. They are highly underrated in my opinion, but they sound great and are comfortable enough to disappear on your head. Open enough to not feel claustrophobic. I forget I'm wearing headphones at times. I recently acquired the THX AAA 789 and when running balanced out of them on high gain the grainy sound I used to hear appears to be gone. These are something special.

What cable did you go with to use these balanced? I've been looking for a decent one.

 

[Slim1970]

What cable did you go with to use these balanced? I've been looking for a decent one.

I’m using a Lavricables Ultimate Silver and the pairing is fantastic! It’s not balanced, but boy does it elevate the sound of my R70x’s.

 

[JoeTho]

What cable did you go with to use these balanced? I've been looking for a decent one.

Ordered one from Ebay. Xiaosheng2012 made it for me. Did a pretty good job too.

 

[himaraya]

Huh, I bought a pair off Amazon the other week, they said more were on the way on some sellers. Maybe it's just temporarily out of stock due to the holiday season?

Crutchfield marked the R70x as discontinued, so hopefully Audio Technica updates them soon.

 

[Slim1970]

I decided to give my R70x's a listen this morning and to my surprise they scale very, very well. The clarity, dynamics, and punch is outstanding on this rig!

 

[jasswolf]

Crutchfield marked the R70x as discontinued, so hopefully Audio Technica updates them soon.

Does anyone have any further confirmation of this? I've seen stock issues in Australia, but they're claiming re-supply in 10 days.

 

[Hooster]

I am not surprised that there are supply issues. These are truly outstanding for the price.