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Audio-Technica ATH-R70x Review (Headphone)

Rate this headphone:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 19 9.3%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 91 44.6%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 60 29.4%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 34 16.7%

  • Total voters
    204

Yaiba

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Mar 18, 2021
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I like R70x very much as it very light and easy to use for long session without hotspot such as to see/listen very long concert recorded(more than 3 hours, normal for Japanese concert). Frequency response graph very alike HD650 and better in term of bass distortion(HD650 also lacked in bass and have high bass distortion).I think it the most flat Audio technica headphone.


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I understand that earcup may little for western but it fit for most of Asian ear size. And the price in US quite expensive. But it only 239USD in Thailand, cheaper than HD650 here(HD650 around 300USD).

I also have HD650,Arya V2,Sundara,HE400SE(Chinese ver). But I like R70x the most for concert session as it less fatigue(for short period session, I like Arya more but it heavy).I bought two of R70x to use in different place.
 
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Vict0r

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I like R70x very much as it very light and easy to use for long session without hotspot such as to see/listen very long concert recorded(more than 3 hours, normal for Japanese concert). Frequency response graph very alike HD650 and better in term of bass distortion(HD650 also lacked in bass and have high bass distortion).I think it the most flat Audio technica headphone.

I understand that earcup may little for western but it fit for most of Asian ear size. And the price in US quite expensive. But it only 239USD in Thailand, cheaper than HD650 here(HD650 around 300USD).

I also have HD650,Arya V2,Sundara,HE400SE(Chinese ver). But I like R70x the most for concert session as it less fatigue(for short period session, I like Arya more but it heavy).I bought two of R70x to use in different place.

Now I'm curious again! Thanks for the real-world impressions, and the comparison with your other headphones. I have huge viking ears, so I'm not sure it would be comfortable for me. I did have an ATH-AD700 in the past, and that one was very comfortable for long periods of use, so who knows!

iu
 

Jimbob54

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Now I'm curious again! Thanks for the real-world impressions, and the comparison with your other headphones. I have huge viking ears, so I'm not sure it would be comfortable for me. I did have an ATH-AD700 in the past, and that one was very comfortable for long periods of use, so who knows!

iu
I find the AT wing headphones with bigger cups than the r70 very comfy but only with brainwavs xl pads on. They increase the clamp and are like sofas for your ears.
 

anmpr1

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Look, all these headphones are probably OK. But if ASR really wants to determine comparative value, something a little more in-depth is required in the testing department. Find out whether they will take a bullet for you. I know that whenever I'm looking to buy a new set of 'phones, I draw the line at ride or die. I'm not buying unless the damned thing can save my life.

And these don't cost three hundred dollars, either!


kraken.jpg
 

JJB70

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The Audio Technica wing system is one of those things that either works for you or doesn't, you really have to try it to know. Some hate it but others love it.
I love the R70x, it's lightweight, comfortable and has a nice, pretty well balanced sound signature. It needs an amplifier to go loud but you don't need that much power if you avoid going loud. They're not cheap, but in today's headphone market they are not outlandishly expensive either.
 

Jimbob54

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Look, all these headphones are probably OK. But if ASR really wants to determine comparative value, something a little more in-depth is required in the testing department. Find out whether they will take a bullet for you. I know that whenever I'm looking to buy a new set of 'phones, I draw the line at ride or die. I'm not buying unless the damned thing can save my life.

And these don't cost three hundred dollars, either!


View attachment 197150
Yet another area the AT wing system fails.
 

chi2

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I was surprised to see such high distortion in the low frequencies. To me, the R70x sounds better than the HD600 and the HD650. Both sennies have a narrower presentation, the 600 lacks deep bass, the 650 has a bit more but does so at the expense of too much warmth (for me) in the upper bass/lower mids.

The tonality of the R70x out of the box is quite spot on and I don't miss anything the lowest frequencies even when listening to Jazz with acoustic bass. Maybe the high 2nd harmonic compensates for the relative lack of the deepest frequencies? Despite the THD levels the R70x doesn't sound imprecise or muddy in the bass to me, but my listening levels are 90dB or 95dB at the highest. It presents acoustic instruments very naturally.

BTW I have fitted mine with a balanced cable which allows me to use the E1DA 9038s and the Shanling UA2 in balanced mode. Both provide by far enough power. If you consider building a balanced cable on your own, please be aware that the cabling scheme is really weird.

As was said before, I too consider it to be one of the most comfortable headphones - even given my large head (63cm circumference). I just had to bend the headband a bit so that lower part of the cups fits tighter. My ears have no problem fitting into the cushions. There is not much space left but it is still very comfortable even in summer.
 
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Aperiodic

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Sorry, but, speaking from a frequent headphone listener perspective, a headphone one can't bear on the head = headless for me, regardless of any test results. :(
Agree completely... If it's uncomfortable, it's bye-bye for me, regardless of SQ, and this goes double for IEMs. I must have tried every tip on the market for my Etymotics before finding ones that ticked all the boxes...
That said, there are people who literally don't know how to fit a headphone properly. When friends would try on my HD650's, many would not pull the earpieces far enough out of the headband. This would cause the headband to flex and cause enormous clamping pressure. I have seen the same thing at audio shows. If you pull out the earcup assembly far enough so the headband cushions just lightly touch the top of the head, the HD6** series is quite comfortable.
 

PeteL

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I like R70x very much as it very light and easy to use for long session without hotspot such as to see/listen very long concert recorded(more than 3 hours, normal for Japanese concert). Frequency response graph very alike HD650 and better in term of bass distortion(HD650 also lacked in bass and have high bass distortion).I think it the most flat Audio technica headphone.


index.php

index.php


index.php

index.php



I understand that earcup may little for western but it fit for most of Asian ear size. And the price in US quite expensive. But it only 239USD in Thailand, cheaper than HD650 here(HD650 around 300USD).

I also have HD650,Arya V2,Sundara,HE400SE(Chinese ver). But I like R70x the most for concert session as it less fatigue(for short period session, I like Arya more but it heavy).I bought two of R70x to use in different place.
I am with you, Subjectively I really like these, yes even for the price, they do, to my ears appear a bit more neutral than the HD650. It may be just the drop in response at 5K That I may just prefer. Not sure. It rolls of a littlt bit lower in the bass too from what I see, still deficient but from fifty Hz you have more bass than the Senns, slightly but it's not insignificant.
 
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xema

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Owned one. This thing really sounds like a Senn's headphone but not a typical AT's headphone
 

_thelaughingman

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I recently was looking at purchasing these based on other reviews, but after Amir's review, I'll definitely look elsewhere for a pair of DD.
 

PeteL

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Owned one. This thing really sounds like a Senn's headphone but not a typical AT's headphone
What is typical AT? To me they have models all across the board. some quite bassy, and some vey sharp.
 

nyxnyxnyx

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hi Amir, thank you for the wonderful review!
may I ask what other headphones do you still have in your backlog?
 

nyxnyxnyx

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What is typical AT? To me they have models all across the board. some quite bassy, and some vey sharp.
I believe the most "typical" AT are AD series, along with some closed back wood headphones variations.
I had a few of them back then, they never sound outstanding (with or without EQ) but most of them are nice enough. The big plus is in style, durability and comfort, I can wear those headbands all day long.
 

Robbo99999

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Look, all these headphones are probably OK. But if ASR really wants to determine comparative value, something a little more in-depth is required in the testing department. Find out whether they will take a bullet for you. I know that whenever I'm looking to buy a new set of 'phones, I draw the line at ride or die. I'm not buying unless the damned thing can save my life.

And these don't cost three hundred dollars, either!


View attachment 197150
Ha, yeah, April Fools!
 

Miiksuli

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Oct 2, 2021
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What a bummer. That bass distortion was shocking and bad. But I did not vote poor because the frequency curve is okay. I haven't listened to this headphone so I don't have personal experience. It may be suited to some that have slightly lowered upper frequencies.
 

Jimbob54

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What is typical AT? To me they have models all across the board. some quite bassy, and some vey sharp.
They do seem to excel at wonky FR- I have quite a range of their 'phones and they are all over the place but with some EQ I do tend to enjoy. Not so much the 2000Z metal cups though- they are just boomy!
 

Hxx

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Apr 20, 2021
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these are fantastic gaming headphones. imaging sound stage separation its all there. they also felt comfortable to me anyway. I know this is not the focus of ASR but if you want a higher end pair of open back headphones for gaming , these will trump all others including the sennheiser gaming heapdhone lineup.
I owned these awhile ago and eventually sold them to upgrade to a DT 1990 pro. With that being said, i hope Amir reviews the DT 1990 pro. Definitely one of the favorite headphones out there.
 

Budgeter

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Jan 19, 2019
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This one is definitely pricy, kinda sad that it never goes on sale for about $200. Anyway, got this open-boxed at $280, so still acceptable in my opinion.

This has become my daily drive because its wing system + lightweight nature is a god gift to me. I literally can wear this 12+ hours a day when working on deadlines. The wide sound stage is also a great plus, many times this scares the heck out of me when listening to "knock-on-door" sound in movies during nighttime (not the case with other headphones).

I want something that is closed to Senn HD650 from AT, and this is the closest alternative, so I rate this 10/10. For reference, I use this with Topping DX3 pro plus, Bluetooth mode, in the range of -43dB to -33dB based on content.
 
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