Features:

  • M-Series flagship model, tuned for extremely accurate reproduction and carefully crafted using key m
  • Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice
  • Professional-grade ear pads and headband provide excellent durability and comfort, and detach for ea
  • Fold-flat design for space-saving portability
  • Detachable cables (includes 1.2 m - 3.0 m coiled cable, 3.0 m straight cable and 1.2 m straight cabl
Great, affordable monitoring/mixing headphones (ATH-M70x)

I'm sure other people have noted this in their reviews, but in the hopes of preventing more, "Beats by Dre are better than these!" types of reviews/comments, it needs to be made clear that these headphones are not made for casual listening. These are reference headphones, designed to have a flat, accurate sound. Beats by Dre and other consumer-level headphones are good at what they are intended for, but they are not good at what these headphones are intended for. If you are making music and need to mix and master your work, these headphones are great for that. Their dynamic range is ridiculous - you can hear extremely low lows and high highs that you're unlikely to hear on consumer headphones because consumer headphones intentionally flatten the range and boost certain frequencies to make music sound "better" to the masses. These and other reference headphones try to capture every nuance and defect so that you can catch them in your mixing and mastering process. All told, I'm very impressed with these headphones. The first time I put them on I almost sighed at how comfortable they are compared to the much cheaper headphones I'd been using. The sound is clear and the range is immediately noticeable once you start listening to kick drums and basslines and hear artifacts that you might not pick up with a narrower dynamic range. For me, these are just what I needed - well-made, comfortable, great sound, reasonable price (I got them on sale for $250). I would recommend these for others like me who are starting to take their music production from casual hobbyist to serious student. For those just starting to write/arrange/produce music, I would recommend focusing your budget on other areas, like a good DAW or some of the better VST synths, or hardware midi controllers, etc. Those types of things will be a much better investment early on and will expand your creative possibilities far more than good headphones will. With that said, if you have the money to burn or have a need for some high-quality, reasonably-priced reference headphones, these are a good place to start. These came with a form-fitted carrying case, a coiled cable, a straight cable, and an adapter for the cords. The cords are detachable and lock into place with a twist.

NOT for everyday use like the M50X! These are STUDIO Headphones!

Let me start off by saying that I am NOT an audiophile. I was trying to find a pair of quality headphones for my wife who is a talented musician. I read numerous headphone reviews and couldn’t understand any of the lingo used like “colorful, v-shaped, flat, rich, neutral,” etc. So for the purposes of this review I will be writing it for other non-audiophiles in plain English words that everyone can understand. First let me give you the conclusions up front: THE GOOD: 1. Reasonable price 2. Good (not great) construction 3. Light weight 4. Large earcups 5. Good noise isolation 6. Very neutral sound (more on this below) THE BAD: 1. More plastic than metal 2. Boring design 3. Don’t fold 4. Very neutral sound (read below) 5. Low volume (see below) In comparison to the famed M50X, these are the more “premium” headphones. The earcups are larger that fit AROUND your ears for a better seal rather than OVER your ears like the M50x. You’d be forgiven for buying these thinking these are the more expensive and better sounding siblings. Rather, they’re more like cousins. The two are completely different products for completely different needs. You SHOULD NOT UPGRADE from the M50x to the M70x expecting to get better sounding headphones (you will be disappointed), rather you should buy these if you NEED studio headphones. I made the mistake of buying the M50x and then buying the M70x thinking they were better. I did a lot of testing between the two and found the sound they are indeed very different with different characteristics geared to the user with different needs. If you want nice everyday headphones for music listening and enjoyment, DON’T BUY THESE. These are NOT for everyday use at home, in the subway, etc. You would be disappointed with the sound. The M50x is geared for this purpose, it’s tuned with good (but not overbearing) bass, discernible highs and mids for a beautiful listening experience for a number of music types. The M70X is extremely flat and neutral. Other reviews I read state as much also but I didn’t understand what this meant this until I started comparing them. Compared to the M50x, the M70x lack bass, the treble and mids are not as crisp or clear, and the volume of the headphones are extremely low for the same given source volume. While these qualities made them sound like they’re bad headphones for the price, it helps to understand that they were built this way for the discerning professional who makes music. You don’t want extra strong bass hits or shrieking highs when recording or mixing music. Rather you want flat sounds that’s unmodified so you can be closer to the source material. Other consumer headphones like Bose Quietcomfort, Sony MDX, and the M50x are all consumer headphones that have been tuned at the factory to deliver a bassy, punchy, and poppy sound for enjoyment. They may sound better, but it’s not the source material, rather it's a modified and tuned sound. The M70x was designed to be studio headphones, they don’t fold for travel, they’re lighter weight than the M50x for long work sessions, and they’re not designed to be flashy. They’re for the working professional. Even the low sound volume is designed for use with a professional DAC and strong amplifiers so that they blow out the headphones. However for studio headphones, these are superb fro the price. So if you are looking for good headphones, be wary of what you intend to use them for. If you want to be bopping to beats on the subway or your commute, skip these for the M50x. If you’re an at home musician looking to record and mix music for professional work, then these are for you!

When you are out in the field doing location recording you need full isolation so open back headphones are not useful. For many

So... I am very PICKY about headphones. I mainly use them for field recording and video production. When I do listen to music on them it's because I am NOT in an environment where I can get by with loudspeakers... So "closed back" or "in ear" are a must. When you are out in the field doing location recording you need full isolation so open back headphones are not useful. For many years I loved the flat extended response of the Sony V7 headphones. I also loved the Etymotic ER4 in ear monitors. They both had very flat response and told the "truth" as a recording engineer. After trying & rejecting several other options from AKG and Sure... I have a new friend with the Audio Technica ATH-M70x. The ATH-M70x is the first pair of closed back headphones I like better than my trusty old Sony V7's. The bottom end on the ATH-M70x is clean and un cluttered. The high end is slightly elevated and extends well beyond anything a human being can hear... But never "shrill" or smeared. They are what I would characterize as "detailed" and "honest". That seems to be the best description of what I like about them. They tell the "truth". And that's all I ask of a headphone. Audiophiles can talk all day about the "soundstage". That's all a joke to me because headphones never deliver realistic sense of "space". All I can ask is that I get to hear everything going on while recording. And these new ATH-M70x's do that for me. I feel like I can "trust" them. (And I don't say that easily.)

Upgraded from M50x to M70x

I previously owned the M50x which I really liked but ended giving them to my nephew as a present since he needed new headphones and I needed an excuse to upgrade to the M70x :-) The two major differences between the M50x and M70x I noticed were: 1) Weight: The M70x is noticeably lighter than the M50x which got me worried at first since that usually corresponds to being "cheaply made"; however, putting them on I noticed that I liked the M70x better on my head and the sound quality was awesome! Sound quality was pretty much the same between the M50x and M70x, the only difference I noticed was at low volume the M70x seemed to isolate me better from outside noise while not pressing so hard on the side of my head which was sometimes an issue with the M50x after extended use. 2) Travel case: The M50x came with a small carrying pouch (not a hard case) so you had to be somewhat careful when transporting it around but the M50x was a bit heavier so it seemed like it could take more abuse but I never wanted to test that theory out though. The M70x comes with a hard carrying case which shields it during transportation and is noticeably bigger. Additionally, the M70x does not fold inwardly so the ear cups go inside the headband like the M50x thus making it smaller during storage, instead the M70x ear cups just rotate to lay flat which explains the bigger travel case for the M70x. Conclusion: If you're going to wear headphones all day long or most of the day, I'd recommend spending the extra dollars and investing in the lighter M70x. If you're just going to use the headphones less than a couple of hours a day you'll be fine with the M50x and there's no need to spend the extra money here.

Great headphones for the price.

Very smooth, detailed, and balanced sound. Perfect for mixing. These headphones, when listening to a well engineered and recorded source sound amazing for the price. I have a pair of Grado SR325e's and these have slightly better bass definition, otherwise, they both sound slightly different, but equally good, however, the Grados do have a bit more of an open sound. Really hard to pick a favorite between the two for casual listening, however, I will be using the the AT's for studio recording because they're closed cans, and that's the reason why I bought them.

More comfortable than m50x as it squeezes less. No brainwavz earpads as option

This headset is squeezes less on your head than the m50x but offers less options for earpads which have less room for ears. After figuring out how best to position this headset so my ears don't get squeezed, I know think that these are more comfortable than the m50x. They are also supposed to offer better performance for mixing, which i think I can notice a little bit more clarity on highs and lows. Both are great headsets to me. I love the m50x durability and brainwavz earpads on m50x. Sucks there are no brainwavz earpads as options, that would be a star deduction if these didn't squeeze noticeably less than the m50x.

Nothing like the M50x, though its amazing in its role. These aren't for everyone.

Reading the negative reviews on the products prompted me to write this for these headphones. I will agree that the high price doesn't justify the lack of premium materials used. Most of the materials used on these headphones are a matte plastic similar to the others in the M series. This is my only gripe, though, as these headphones finally stick to what the M in the ATH-M series stands for: studio monitors. Unlike the other M series cans, which have a V shaped sound signature, with detailed bass and highs with a less accentuated mids, the M70x has a flat sound signature. A flat signature produces a neutral sound that is desired when the user is mixing and producing or just into a detailed listening. A flat sound signature isn't as enjoyable to listen to for the average consumer. These headphones therefore sound anemic compared to the others in the M series, but they are one of the best closed back monitors I have used, that flat sound signature is what I wanted when I purchased these and that's what I got. If you want a pair of headphones for everyday listening, these aren't for you. If you are into creating music, then these are what you want. Furthermore, these are extremely comfortable and light.

...

I bought these on sale at around $200 on a whim because I was in the market for a new pair of headphones. I am a casual listener to a pretty wide range of music, as well as a frequent user of VoIP programs. There's no doubt they are very good at playing sounds. It's difficult to describe exactly how they're better than any other headphones, besides to say they sound very clear and detailed. It's easy to tell one instrument from another even when there's a lot going on in the song. I'm not certain how much of this is a placebo effect, but I've noticed a few things in my favorite songs that I've overlooked for years. YMMV. On a less positive note, you're going to need an equalizer. You'll find most bass sounds nothing short of terrible without a bit of a boost. A simple 5-channel software solution has been sufficient for me. In retrospect, the ATH-M50x probably would have been more suitable for my purposes, but I don't regret choosing these considering the relatively small price difference at the time. Unsurprisingly, these also work well for voices and general sounds. There are some odd details in the Android system sounds that I never noticed before using them. Calls are as clear as you would expect with any good pair of headphones. My laptop, my desktop, and my Nexus devices are all able to power these easily without an amp. The frame is very comfortable and fits well. They do cause my glasses to dig in a bit, but that's to be expected and does not represent a fault in the design. I feel that a pair of replacement ear pads would have been a nice inclusion as the product is clearly designed to last, but the lack of them is not something worth complaining about. The three included cables are great. I use the curled one for my computers, and the short one for my phone. I could see the long one being useful, but I haven't personally found an application for it. I am somewhat annoyed that the cable locking mechanism is proprietary and will send me crawling back to the manufacturer when one inevitably wears out, but it's a far better situation than the non-detachable cables found on many cheaper products. The carrying case is nice but not overly exciting. The molded liner is removable, so it can be used for things other than just the headphones. Its usefulness is limited by its lack of a handle or clip, but it's rather stylish. The smaller pouch for the cables has some room for additional stuff and has found a home in my laptop bag. Overall I am happy with my purchase, as long as they don't break down prematurely.

A great headphone and a great value.

I have some nice headphones, including the BeoPlay H8 and the Senn Momentum 2 wireless. These headphones produce a clean, balanced sound that I just love. The bass is present, but not overblown - not for bass heads. The mids are wonderful, not understated, and the highs extension is very good without being shrill. Very comfortable, they also offer decent isolation from outside noises. The ear cups fold 90% for portability. Love them.

Full Reviews