Audio-Technica Debuts New Headphone Lineup: ATH-R70xa, R50x & R30x

Established in 1962, the renowned Japanese brand Audio-Technica specializes in the design and manufacture of phono cartridges, professional microphones (both wired and wireless), headphones, and other audio accessories. In a recent official press release, the company announced the upcoming launch of their open-back monitoring headphones, the flagship ATH-R70xa, along with its sibling models, the ATH-R50x and ATH-R30x. Pricing details are yet to be determined.

Audio-Technica officially unveiled these new open-back reference headphones – the ATH-R70xa, ATH-R50x, and ATH-R30x – at The 2025 NAMM Show held in Anaheim, California, USA. The company has stated that release dates and pricing for the Japanese market will be announced sequentially starting from late January.

ATH-R70xa: Flagship Headphones Achieving "True Open-Air Audio"

The ATH-R70xa stands as Audio-Technica's flagship open-back monitoring headphone, meticulously engineered to deliver "True Open-Air Audio," striving for a pure and authentic soundstage presentation. It features newly developed φ45mm large-diameter drivers, specifically designed for the "R70x" series, capable of reproducing full-range audio with exceptional fidelity.

Furthermore, leveraging Audio-Technica's fifty years of accumulated expertise in headphone development and their proprietary technologies, the acoustic circuitry has been optimized to achieve precise reproduction across the entire frequency spectrum. Coupled with ingenious engineering to create a lightweight construction, the newly designed headband and earpads offer a supremely comfortable fit, ensuring a pleasant experience even during extended listening sessions.

ATH-R50x and ATH-R30x: Catering to Professional and Home Music Production Needs

Positioned as the sibling models to the ATH-R70xa, the ATH-R50x also adopts the "True Open-Air Audio" design philosophy and is targeted towards professional applications. Meanwhile, the ATH-R30x serves as an entry-level model tailored for home music production and multimedia content creation.

Judging by their model numbers, these three newly announced open-back reference headphones are speculated to be the evolved versions and sibling models of the "ATH-R70x" released in 2015. Audio-Technica states that this product line expansion aims to cater to the diverse needs and usage scenarios of different users, resulting in the introduction of three models across varying tiers. (Product images of the ATH-R30x will be released at a later date.)