A trusted name amongst audio engineers and music fans alike for more than 60 years, Audio-Technica has stayed true to its mission of producing high-quality audio for everyone.
Whether you’re looking for the next piece of gear to add to your studio collection or simply levelling up your home hi-fi setup, Audio-Technica’s dedicated pursuit of an ever-evolving purity of sound is what makes it such a compelling choice.
With over 50 years of dedication to headphone excellence, Audio-Technica has recently expanded its offerings with the introduction of the R-Series line of professional open-back models. You may be familiar with their former flagship headphones – particularly the ATH-R70x, which featured specially designed drivers and acoustically transparent housings that provided an accurate and natural open-back sound, the first of their kind for Audio-Technica. The release of the R-Series has seen the ATH-R70x upgraded to the new ATH-R70xa, joined by the ATH-R50x and ATH-R30x, providing solutions for a range of needs and budgets.
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ATH-R70xa
The R-Series’ flagship pair of professional open-back reference headphones, the ATH-R70xa, are an enhanced version of their predecessor, the ATH-R70x. While they still deliver the natural and balanced sound we’ve come to expect, the improved accuracy and detail create a heightened listening experience, with precise soundstage and imaging.
The ATH-R70xa utilises Audio-Technica’s innovative transducer design for open-back headphones, previously featured in the ATH-R70x and further developed in the flagship ATH-ADX5000. Following additional refinements to the open-back design in the ATH-ADX3000 in 2024, Audio-Technica decided it was time to bring these updates to professional users with the ATH-R70xa.
What makes the open-back design so crucial to sound quality? It’s all about controlling airflow. Sound travels as a result of vibrations, causing air molecules to move back and forth as they collide. An open-back design allows air to flow through the rear of the driver, preventing pressure build-up that is common in closed-back headphones. This means sound reproduction relies purely on the quality of the drivers, rather than being coloured by acoustic cavities or resonance.
With the ATH-R70xa’s sound originating purely from its transducer and avoiding unwanted distortion, the headphones achieve impressive accuracy with highly realistic soundstaging. Like any good reference headphones, engineers can feel confident that the ATH-R70xa will provide a reliable reference across a range of studio environments and output formats – including stereo, surround and immersive. With wide and precise imaging, these headphones are an excellent tool for sound production, from mixing music, dialogue and foley to game design.
Designed for critical listening, the ATH-R70xa delivers highly detailed and accurate sound across the frequency spectrum, as well as excellent transient response, making it well suited to every stage of the production process – including mastering. Combined with the benefits of unrestricted airflow, the broad frequency range of 5 Hz to 40,000 Hz ensures transparent reproduction of every detail, providing the clarity and separation required for complex contemporary mixes.
A favourite – or not-so-favourite – topic among audio engineers and musicians is listening fatigue, and the small things we do to reduce strain on both our ears and minds. Managing this can be key to working longer and more productively. Audio-Technica has addressed this with an open earcup design, a new headband, and a user-replaceable suspension strap – all aimed at making the headphones feel light and almost non-existent during use. Weighing just 199 g (without the cable), the featherlight and breathable design offers a natural listening experience conducive to long studio sessions, allowing users to fully immerse themselves in sound production. Don’t be fooled by the lightweight, minimalistic build – the hand-crafted metal construction ensures these headphones are built to last.
ATH-R50x and ATH-R30x
Staying true to the R-Series’ goal of delivering professional headphones for all needs and budgets, the ATH-R50x and ATH-R30x each offer their own advantages.
Sharing many of the same open-back characteristics, the ATH-R50x features drivers modelled on those used in the ATH-R70xa. These have been re-engineered to deliver a more powerful bass response than typically found in open-back designs, without compromising upper-midrange clarity – resulting in excellent balance for mixing vocals and lead instruments.
The headphones are built using proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with rare-earth magnets and copper-clad aluminium wire voice coils. They utilise high-efficiency magnets and a pure alloy magnetic circuit design to reduce distortion and ensure accurate, extended high-frequency response. Weighing just 207 g, these lightweight headphones provide long-lasting comfort. The detachable 3.0 m cable features 2.5 mm twist-lock connectors at the earcups and a 3.5 mm (1/8”) gold-plated stereo mini-plug, with a 6.3 mm (1/4”) adapter and a carrying pouch is also included. The ATH-R50x effectively bridges the gap between the flagship ATH-R70xa and the entry-level ATH-R30x.
Described as the gateway to the R-Series experience, the ATH-R30x is ideal for home studios and emerging audio professionals. This entry-level model doesn’t compromise on performance, still utilising an open-back design to allow sound to flow naturally from the drivers. It’s well suited to home recording, multimedia content creation and detailed everyday listening. Audio-Technica’s meticulous approach to transducer design is evident here, delivering balanced, all-round clarity. The enhanced 40 mm drivers produce well-defined lows, transparent mids and smooth, extended highs. These durable yet lightweight headphones weigh just 210 g and feature replaceable velour earpads and cooling open-back earcups, along with a 6.3 mm (1/4”) adapter.
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