NAMM 2025: Audio-Technica releases new ATH-R70xa and ATH-R50x Open-Back Professional Headphones

Premium open-back headphones feature unmatched clarity, natural soundstages, and comfort for every level of audio production.

Audio-Technica (booth 15313), a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 60 years, is expanding its headphone offerings with the new R-Series line of professional open-back models. The former flagship ATH-R70x has been upgraded to the new ATH-R70xa and is joined by the new ATH-R50x.

ATH-R70xa

The ATH-R70xa is Audio-Technica’s new flagship pair of professional open-back reference headphones. Whether mixing, mastering, or creating, the ATH-R70xa is the perfect production tool, delivering accurate and dependable reference across stereo, surround, and immersive formats. This enhanced version of the ATH-R70x delivers the natural and balanced sound of its predecessor but with refined accuracy and detail, providing a heightened listening experience with precise imaging and depth for realistic sound staging. While the ATH-R70x utilized damping and its acoustic design for added low-frequency emphasis, the fully open-back sound of the ATH-R70xa relies solely on the performance of the driver – each diaphragm movement translates directly into sound without reliance on acoustic cavities or resonance for frequency enhancement and minimizing distortion.

Made for critical listening, the ATH-R70xa headphones allow engineers to make the right decision at every step of the production process. With an extended frequency range (5 – 40,000 Hz), every detail of a mix is transparently reproduced. The unrestricted airflow and absence of internal resonance allows for an extremely quick transient response, ensuring the clarity and separation needed to handle complex contemporary mixes.

The featherlight ATH-R70xa headphones (199 g/7.0 ounces without the cable) feature streamlined construction, a new headband design and replaceable velour earpads, allowing the headphones to virtually disappear during use – perfect for long working sessions. A unique, dual-sided 3.0 m (9.8-inch) detachable locking cable is L/R signal independent to ensure proper stereo orientation. Handcrafted in A-T’s facility in Machida, Tokyo, each ATH-R70xa is meticulously assembled from components built in-house, then rigorously tested before leaving the factory.

ATH-R50x

The ATH-R50x professional open-back reference headphones are designed to provide a natural listening experience with an expansive soundstage that’s ideal for all manner of critical-listening tasks. The headphones’ drivers are modelled after those used in the original ATH-R70x, now re-engineered to deliver bass that’s surprisingly powerful for an open-back model, plus an accurate upper midrange to ensure the clarity of vocals and lead instruments without sacrificing overall balance.

Key to delivering this natural, full-spectrum sound is the headphones’ pure open-back design, which doesn’t embellish the sound coming from the drivers. The ATH-R50x headphones are engineered to deliver dynamic, detailed audio, with powerful sub-bass and a realistic soundstage, directly from the drivers without any additional acoustic tuning. The fully open earcups also provide greater comfort than closed-back models – comfort enhanced by the newly designed headband and durable, lightweight construction (207 g/7.3 ounces).

Perfect for mixing, mastering, or creating, the ATH-R50x provides precise, reliable reference across stereo, surround, and immersive formats, making it a versatile choice for any professional or home studio. ATH-R50x comes with two detachable cables (3.0 m [9.8-inch] and 1.2 m [3.9-inch]), each with a 2.5 mm twist-lock connector at the left earcup and a 3.5 (1/8-inch) gold-plated stereo mini-plug.

For more information, please visit https://www.audio-technica.com









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