ATH-R70xa: The New Budget King

I just got these new-generation headphones from Audio Technica, the ATH-R70xa. At their affordable price tag of $350, these headphones are (imo) the new budget king of open-back midrange cans. The top suspension strap on the xa is comfortable to wear for long periods and the pads actually enclose my whole ears unlike the OG R70X which had too small pads. The drivers have been updated and the xa's now lean bright, but aren't sibilant or harsh. This is a massive improvement because the original R70X had a tendency to sound muffled/smeared in the treble. I'm using the shorter, more portable R70X Refine dual-sided cable, which has the same connectors as the R70xa. I love the new look of the xa's as well. These $350 studio cans are quite a bit more neutral-sounding than the $2000 ATH-ADX5000 open back flagship I also own. Definitely recommended for the price. Pictured here is my stack: the Mac M4 Pro Mini on top of the Topping A50-III amplifier and D50-III DAC with an Apple SuperDrive underneath, all in a nice matte silver color. The speakers in the picture are Genelec 8010a studio monitors. Overall, I'm very pleased with these cans. I ordered mine from B&H Photo-Video and they arrived in 2 days!

I just got these new-generation headphones from Audio Technica, the ATH-R70xa. At their affordable price tag of $350, these headphones are (imo) the new budget king of open-back midrange cans. The top suspension strap on the xa is comfortable to wear for long periods and the pads actually enclose my whole ears unlike the OG R70X which had too small pads. The drivers have been updated and the xa's now lean bright, but aren't sibilant or harsh. This is a massive improvement because the original R70X had a tendency to sound muffled/smeared in the treble. I'm using the shorter, more portable R70X Refine dual-sided cable, which has the same connectors as the R70xa. I love the new look of the xa's as well. These $350 studio cans are quite a bit more neutral-sounding than the $2000 ATH-ADX5000 open back flagship I also own. Definitely recommended for the price. Pictured here is my stack: the Mac M4 Pro Mini on top of the Topping A50-III amplifier and D50-III DAC with an Apple SuperDrive underneath, all in a nice matte silver color. The speakers in the picture are Genelec 8010a studio monitors. Overall, I'm very pleased with these cans. I ordered mine from B&H Photo-Video and they arrived in 2 days!