Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 Review (Headphone)

[Aperiodic]

Another under-engineered, overpriced mess of a high-end headphone.

 

[phoenixsong]

Yup. Agreed. OK, let's say the AT signature sound (certainly for this range) is all about the treble. Not a right lot going on below that. Not the case for their studio line (m50 etc) so they clearly do it intentionally here.

I did think the M60x and M70x were rather thin and treble-inclined

 

[respice finem]

Possibly (just a thought) some manufacturers might not want too much bass also, due to a) rising distortion towards low frequencies (just look how many headphones behave if you want to boost the bass), and b) psychoacoustic effects. If you play bass heavy music with bass heavy headphones, it tends to dominate, masking the perception in the midrange. The question is, how little is enough and how much is too much. This may vary between listeners...

 

[markanini]

Because physics. You can't have deep bass if you let all pressure leak out.

Even "open" planars don't get deep bass unless the seal they driver to ear "chamber" fairly well, but then the sound is usually less open as well so it's a trade-off.

At the same time Philips Fidelio X2 shows a better bass performance for an open back.
This suggests that manufacturers playing into consumer expectations plays a role too.

 

[B4ICU]

Hi Amir
Just wondering...This test set you are using for HP testing, has a Mic. and a dummy that the Mic.'s are installed in, and the UUT (HP) that goes on.
As any test equipment, is this set is tested any time? Periodically, once every 6 month, B4 every new testing, or at any sequence at all?
Any lab, that keeps it's standards, shall send all its measuring instruments to check, every here and there, as it's manufacturer requires.
A customer that use such a lab, would send over a QA guy, that would figure out that this periodic checkout is overlooked, would disqualify the lab,
as well as all test reports provided since 6 mo. from last check! I've been there and seen that.

On a sequence of quite a bunch of expensive HP, the output data is kind or repeating itself and shows large anomalies at Frequency response.
Same applies to all measurements, as impedance and other. The only one I'm less concerned about, is the weight (scale).
If I would do the testing, I would test myself and the test equipment thoroughly before posting it's results, as you can see what kind of impact it has.

For accurate measurements, some use a triple test and averaging the data. The truth there is closer than in a single point test.
Do the test is conducted in a "Quiet" chamber? Is it never affected by some incoming noise, as a SMS or phone call, a horn of a car, the garbage
truck, or a door slam?
As a Mic is a noise / sound collecting device, any of those may interfere.

 

[PeteL]

I have a great old timer friend of mine in the Industry that have been involved in many ways in audio trade shows, he was jokingly telling me how all of the rooms when he was in Japan were systematically bass light, like damn, I haven't heard any subs trough all weekend. Audio-Technica being THE Japanese big gun in headphones (with Sony of course but Sony's playing a different ball game), wondering if this "house sound" could have to do with the audiophile culture, some different taste in the audiophile community. Never been there so I won't pretend I know, just an anecdote.

 

[B4ICU]

I have a great old timer friend of mine in the Industry that have been involved in many ways in audio trade shows, he was jokingly telling me how all of the rooms when he was in Japan were systematically bass light, like damn, I haven't heard any subs trough all weekend. Audio-Technica being THE Japanese big gun in headphones (with Sony of course but Sony's playing a different ball game), wondering if this "house sound" could have to do with the audiophile culture, some different taste in the audiophile community. Never been there so I won't pretend I know, just an anecdote.

It may...or may not.
Japanese TV sets were set (color temp.) other than the European models. The Japanese had strong colors, some even exaggerated (JVC, Toshiba...),
while the European models tend to be soft and mild (Philips, LOWE, B&o...).
For Audio, the flat curve (for HP not that flat) should leave no doubt about what is right and what is missing...Japan market is a part (relatively small)
and those firms as Audio Technica, SONY and more go world wide. Look at hre SONY NC series of WH-1000XM4, 3 etc'. Their bass is way too much.
Audio Technica is strong also on MM cartridges. Never seen a complaint or test that would suggest they do such a cut on bass there.

 

[amirm]

I have a great old timer friend of mine in the Industry that have been involved in many ways in audio trade shows, he was jokingly telling me how all of the rooms when he was in Japan were systematically bass light, like damn, I haven't heard any subs trough all weekend. Audio-Technica being THE Japanese big gun in headphones (with Sony of course but Sony's playing a different ball game), wondering if this "house sound" could have to do with the audiophile culture, some different taste in the audiophile community. Never been there so I won't pretend I know, just an anecdote.

Harman has tested regional preference but has not found much evidence of it:

But it is entirely possible that the AT designers think there is such a preference. I remember visiting Yamaha and they told me how they change tonality of their products for home market, Europe and US.

 

[phoenixsong]

I have a great old timer friend of mine in the Industry that have been involved in many ways in audio trade shows, he was jokingly telling me how all of the rooms when he was in Japan were systematically bass light, like damn, I haven't heard any subs trough all weekend. Audio-Technica being THE Japanese big gun in headphones (with Sony of course but Sony's playing a different ball game), wondering if this "house sound" could have to do with the audiophile culture, some different taste in the audiophile community. Never been there so I won't pretend I know, just an anecdote.

I've noticed the same and think you're right. Sony had a major influence in the headphone industry more than a decade ago since the introduction of their walkmans and prominent models like the R10, Qualia and SA5000 headphones, most of which are bass light
PS: Of course, now their sound has been modernised too, even for studio sets like the MDR-M1ST

 

[MayaTlab]

On a sequence of quite a bunch of expensive HP, the output data is kind or repeating itself and shows large anomalies at Frequency response.

I think that these measurements of the ADX5000 are for the most part painting a similar picture as Crinacle's, taking into account the different methodologies : https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/audio-technica-ath-adx5000/
I don't see any repetition of specific features in the FR across the latest measurements.

At the same time Philips Fidelio X2 shows a better bass performance for an open back.
This suggests that manufacturers playing into consumer expectations plays a role too.

It's probably because its front volume isn't that open : https://blog.shanock.com/fix-loose-wobbly-earcup-on-philips-fidelio-x2-x2hr/

 

[markanini]

It's probably because its front volume isn't that open : https://blog.shanock.com/fix-loose-wobbly-earcup-on-philips-fidelio-x2-x2hr/

Interesting. Looks like a closed front volume, like the Audeze.

 

[B4ICU]

Harman has tested regional preference but has not found much evidence of it:

View attachment 134845

But it is entirely possible that the AT designers think there is such a preference. I remember visiting Yamaha and they told me how they change tonality of their products for home market, Europe and US.

Why would an AT Japanese model with unique Fr. characteristics, would end up on your test bench in the US?
US is a big enough of a market to have it's products unique for the US.

 

[MayaTlab]

Interesting. Looks like a closed front volume, like the Audeze.

You can see at least a few vents / ports, unlike Audeze's unless I'm mistaken.

 

[Maiky76]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Audio Technica flagship headphone, the ATH-ADX5000. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $1,999.

After testing a lot of heavy headphones, the ATH-ADX5000 feels like it is light as feather:

View attachment 134635

The lightness is great as far as wear comfort but does not impart feeling of luxury. The unit only weighs 275 grams despite sporting large cups:

View attachment 134620

The inside cup dimensions are 60x60x20 mm (height x width x depth).

The owner supplied them with an aftermarket cable that was light and nice to use with it. The stock cable is super stiff from what I have seen online.

Note: The measurements you are about to see are made using a standardized Gras 45C. Headphone measurements by definition are approximate and variable so don't be surprised if other measurements even if performed with the same fixtures as mine differ in end results. Protocols vary such as headband pressure and averaging (which I don't do). As you will see, I have confirmed the approximate accuracy of the measurements using Equalization and listening tests. Ultimately headphone measurements are less exact than speakers mostly in bass and above a few kilohertz so keep that in mind as you read these tests. If you think you have an exact idea of a headphone performance, you are likely wrong!

Fitting the ATH-ADX5000 to the fixture was extremely easy. With the large cups and excellent seal, the first try worked and I ran with it.

Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 Measurements
As usual we start with our frequency response:
View attachment 134623

As you see the fit to our target is quite poor. It seems to have exaggerated upper bass combined with the same in treble region. And some recess in the middle:
View attachment 134624

For a premier headphone I expect lots of attention to keep distortion low. Apparently Audio Technica does not believe in that:

View attachment 134625

View attachment 134632

Notice how the high distortion around 2.2 kHz is so bad that it is impacting the frequency response. There is clear design flaw in this driver that was not caught and fixed.

Group delay shows a nice smooth low frequency drop off but then gets messy like many headphones:

View attachment 134633

Sensitivity is lower than average:
View attachment 134634

The supplied cable was terminated in 4.4 mm balanced and despite having 100 different adapters, I did not have one to match it to my impedance measurement fixture. Company reports the impedance at 420 ohm. Combined with above sensitive number, this will be a difficult headphone to drive and likely out of question with native output of a portable device.

Audio Technica ATH-ADx5000 Listening Tests and Equalization
The exaggerated high frequencies are not so bad at first listen due to upper boost in bass. Still, the sound was uninterested and so the usual EQ tools came out. Creating a filter by eye is challenging due to the variations of the response so this is approximate:

View attachment 134629

I tried to compensate for the upper frequency bass by pulling that down but did not like the lack of bass. Even with my bass boost, the headphone doesn't reproduce a lot of bass with impact. Maybe the fit was worse on my head but I felt the pad and seemed to seal.

Spatial effects combined with above EQ created a good listening situation. I listened to it that way and then turned off the EQ. Now you could hear the exaggerated highs and collapsed openness due to depression in frequency response around 2 kHz.

Conclusions
The focus on the design of the ATH-ADX5000 seems to have been weight reduction. On that, they have succeeded. Despite large cups that bring good spatial qualities, the headphone is very light and so comfortable for long term use. Alas, the rest of the design is a failure with large deviation from target response -- almost going after "showroom sound" of accentuated bass and treble. We could partially forgive this if distortion was low but it is not. Out sub-bas boost likely increased distortion more. Overall, this is a failure to impress. The only reason it doesn't get the worst scores is because it has good spatial qualities and out of the box, it seems to sound OK.

I can NOT recommend the Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000. They need to do a lot better.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Appreciate any donations using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.

Notes about the EQ design:

• The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
• The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
• A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
• The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve with a fixed complexity.
  This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score.
  It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be more neutral.
• The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF).
• The range above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
• I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
• With some HP/amp combo the boosts and preamp gain need to be carefully considered to avoid issues

Good L/R match.

I have generated one EQ, the APO config files are attached.

Score no EQ: 75.0 (surprisingly high)
Score Amirm: 61.4
Score with EQ: 88.4

Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 APO EQ Flat 96000Hz
June102021-162346

Preamp: -4.6 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 24.1 Hz Gain 4.78 dB Q 0.79
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 185 Hz Gain -5.11 dB Q 0.68
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 497.5 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 2
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1026 Hz Gain -3.42 dB Q 2.08
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2337 Hz Gain 4.46 dB Q 2.12
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3914 Hz Gain -3.47 dB Q 2.75
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5300 Hz Gain -5.32 dB Q 2.3
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 13567 Hz Gain -8.78 dB Q 3.11

With Amirm preferred balance:
Score no EQ: 72.0
Score Amirm: 74.3
Score with EQ: 84.9

 

[markanini]

You can see at least a few vents / ports, unlike Audeze's unless I'm mistaken.

I looked again, you are right. So it's more like the Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990's holes in plate that holds the driver. Makes the bass performance more impressive if anything, even though it's the likely cause of the drop toward the bottom octave.

 

[Robbo99999]

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.

Notes about the EQ design:

• The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
• The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
• A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
• The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve with a fixed complexity.
  This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score.
  It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be more neutral.
• The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF).
• The range above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
• I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
• With some HP/amp combo the boosts and preamp gain need to be carefully considered to avoid issues

Good L/R match.

I have generated one EQ, the APO config files are attached.

Score no EQ: 75.0 (surprisingly high)
Score Armirm: 61.4
Score with EQ: 88.4

Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 APO EQ Flat 96000Hz
June102021-162346

Preamp: -4.6 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 24.1 Hz Gain 4.78 dB Q 0.79
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 185 Hz Gain -5.11 dB Q 0.68
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 497.5 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 2
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1026 Hz Gain -3.42 dB Q 2.08
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2337 Hz Gain 4.46 dB Q 2.12
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3914 Hz Gain -3.47 dB Q 2.75
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5300 Hz Gain -5.32 dB Q 2.3
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 13567 Hz Gain -8.78 dB Q 3.11

View attachment 134867

With Amirm preferred balance:
Score no EQ: 72.0
Score Armirm: 74.3
Score with EQ: 84.9

View attachment 134866

Looks good, but what's the Amirm preferred balance? I wasn't aware that Amir had communicated his own preference curve, in fact my understanding is that he is trying to EQ to the 2018 Headphone Harman Curve in his headphone reviews.

 

[Maiky76]

Looks good, but what's the Amirm preferred balance? I wasn't aware that Amir had communicated his own preference curve, in fact my understanding is that he is trying to EQ to the 2018 Headphone Harman Curve in his headphone reviews.

I might be wrong be I don't think that @amirm tries to strictly adhere to the Harman target but rather use it as a guide.
What I mean is after looking at the EQs he comes up with, quite a few already, and more often that not, the results
tend to exhibit more LF and less HF than the default Harman curve. He confirmed it directly in one thread.

Consequently I made some adjustments to the Harman curve within the "taste" range several times mentioned by Olive.
Essentially, the regression error becomes flatter this way.
It is entirely debatable of course but to me it makes sense as no matter how golden his ears are he is a population of one...
Some people may have similar tastes and like his EQ some might not.
This way his EQ are consistent i.e. are in improvement in terms of score from "his point of hearing".

 

[Robbo99999]

I might be wrong be I don't think that @amirm tries to strictly adhere to the Harman target but rather use it as a guide.
What I mean is after looking at the EQs he comes up with, quite a few already, and more often that not, the results
tend to exhibit more LF and less HF than the default Harman curve. He confirmed it directly in one thread.

Consequently I made some adjustments to the Harman curve within the "taste" range several times mentioned by Olive.
Essentially, the regression error becomes flatter this way.
It is entirely debatable of course but to me it makes sense as no matter how golden his ears are he is a population of one...
Some people may have similar tastes and like his EQ some might not.
This way his EQ are consistent i.e. are in improvement in terms of score from "his point of hearing".

Ah, ok, so you took an average of his EQ results in terms of determining the general tilt he puts on his EQ's? How did you work it out? If there is a fairly consistent pattern to the tonal balance of his EQ's then I suppose that's worth knowing if people are gonna be using his EQ filters, as people will then know for themselves that they're using something slightly different to Harman.

 

[Jimbob54]

I might be wrong be I don't think that @amirm tries to strictly adhere to the Harman target but rather use it as a guide.
What I mean is after looking at the EQs he comes up with, quite a few already, and more often that not, the results
tend to exhibit more LF and less HF than the default Harman curve. He confirmed it directly in one thread.

Consequently I made some adjustments to the Harman curve within the "taste" range several times mentioned by Olive.
Essentially, the regression error becomes flatter this way.
It is entirely debatable of course but to me it makes sense as no matter how golden his ears are he is a population of one...
Some people may have similar tastes and like his EQ some might not.
This way his EQ are consistent i.e. are in improvement in terms of score from "his point of hearing".

Thats my understanding of his approach to EQ- and he talks about the iterative steps of measure-listen- EQ-listen- EQ etc. And he has said he sometimes goes Harman + certainly on the bass.

He's also said his target isnt (technically) Harman 2018 but it sure looks very similar.

 

[bustled_hedgerow]

Ouch, not what I expected. So much for the spiritual successor to the AD(X)2000...

The ATH-R70x is looking a lot better actually. Comparable to HD6-- performance.

As a matter of fact, I just purchased those. Unfortunately, I never owned a Sennheiser HD6XX/600/650 and so I set out to to find a good deal to acquire 1 of those variants. In my quest to find the lowest price for a new set of the senns, I came across the ATH-R70X and was surprised by its specs, 470Ω, open-back,etc. and became intrigued enough that I ended up buying those instead. They may sound entirely different then the Senns. that I initially planned on getting but the higher resistance, dynamic design suited my needs since the set of cans is meant for a tube amp I was given awhile ago. Also, they are easier to drive than I expected, that's for sure. The sensitivity is 99dB/mW which is fairly high so that could account for it potentially.