ATH-R50x | Audio-Technica Australia | RRP: $399
Audio-Technica has built its legacy on precision engineering, innovative design, and an unwavering commitment to delivering accessible, high-quality audio solutions. For over 60 years, their products have set the gold standard in studios, on stages, and in professional settings worldwide—trusted by everyone from bedroom producers to the largest live events on the planet, including the Grammys and the Olympic Games.
I’m a long time fan of Audio-Technica. The AT-LP60XBT turntable in my lounge is one of my favourite pieces of audio equipment. Having relied on the iconic ATH-M50x headphones for half a decade while producing my own music, I was super eager to experience their latest innovation in professional reference headphones, the ATH-R50x.
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When it comes to headphones, it’s important to understand the distinction between professional reference models and consumer-grade options. ‘Consumer’ or ‘coloured’ headphones feature a custom-tuned frequency response, usually with enhanced bass and treble. This creates a more immersive and engaging listening experience by exaggerating the most aurally pleasing parts of a track. These headphones are designed to add warmth and excitement to music, making them ideal for casual listening. Conversely, “reference” headphones—including the aforementioned ATH-M50x and the new ATH-R50x—are engineered with a flat EQ response, delivering an accurate and uncoloured representation of the audio they’re reproducing. This natural frequency response captures the nuance and dynamics of the original audio with unbiased clarity, making reference headphones essential for critical listening tasks like mixing and mastering. That uncoloured output helps to ensure that a mix sounds good across various different playback systems, even in untreated environments outside of the studio. There’s nothing worse than mixing a face-melting guitar solo and then finding out the mix sounds like garbage through the speakers of your Prius or your mate’s Temu earbuds.
ATH-R50x
The Audio-Technica ATH-R50x headphones offer a spacious and accurate sound, making them a reliable choice for the full range of critical listening applications. With drivers engineered to delve into and accurately project the low-end depths of your mix while preserving the clarity of the upper mids, they deliver a true-to-source, dynamic audio experience and maintain a well-balanced, professional sound profile.
The ATH-R50x headphones include a travel pouch, a 6.3mm (¼”) stereo adapter, and straight cable adapters for 3.0mm and 1.2mm connectors, making them superbly portable. They are equipped with chunky 45mm drivers, delivering a powerful and detailed sound reproduction that captures the full depth of your mix. With an impressive frequency response from 5 Hz to 40 kHz, they provide extended low-end depth and crisp high-frequency detail, ensuring no nuance is lost. The maximum input power of 1,600 mW allows them to handle high-output signals, making them suitable for professional studio environments where clarity at high volumes is crucial. Featuring a sensitivity of 93.3dB, the ATH-R50x will deliver a clean, distortion-free signal when properly powered through an audio interface. With an impedance of 50ohms, they will still sound great when plugged into your phone or laptop directly, striking a perfect balance between versatility and precision.
Out of the box, the most obvious change with the new ATH-R50x headphones is the open back, which makes them significantly more breathable than the ATH-M50x. They’re also lighter (210 grams versus the ATH-M50x’s 286 grams). This makes them an excellent choice for long mixing sessions where comfort is just as important as sound accuracy. Another benefit of the open back is the way you’re still aware of your environmental ambience, providing accurate sound, more akin to listening on studio monitors. While this took a little getting used to, hopping from the more isolated feel of the closed-backed ATH-M50x, in the end I found the experience of the ATH-R50x headphones more enjoyable overall due to their better ergonomic design and improved wearability. Listening through closed-backed/isolated headphones for too long can make me feel a little claustrophobic, but I could wear the ATH-R50x headphones for hours on end. There are two headpads, ensuring a good fit regardless of how far you’ve extended the headband. The velvet padded earcups are supremely comfortable and individually adjustable, independent of the headband, which is also light-weight and breathable; reminiscent of a modern athletic wrist-watch strap in its design.
The Audio-Technica ATH-R50x headphones build on a stellar offering and are a great option for mixing and mastering on the go. A controlled environment is paramount to consistent work, and the ATH-R50x provide that, with honest, balanced sound and supreme comfort above all. Their light weight, comfortable headband and world-class sound provide a reliable and consistent tool that you can trust, regardless of your level of experience or the musical environment you might be working in—whether it mixing, mastering, producing, songwriting or just enjoyment!
The ATH-R50x represent Audio-Technica’s continued dedication to providing audio professionals with high-quality reference solutions tailored to a variety of workflows. The ATH-R50x strikes a perfect balance between versatility and accuracy, making it a great choice for engineers and producers who need reliability both in and out of the studio. All the while, they cater to those in search of the ultimate in transparency, especially in controlled studio environments with proper amplification. If you’re in search of that true-to-source listening experience, and you’re serious about sound, look no further than these latest offerings from Audio-Technica. I know I’ll be upgrading the minute I can get my hands on my own pair!
For local enquiries, keep reading at Audio-Technica Australia.