A New Flagship from Audio-Technica: ATH-ADX7000 Review

Audio-Technica has long been known to produce studio headphones in every price range. The M50x is a classic for monitoring and studio recording, while the R70x is a great companion for engineers who need a good open-back for mixing. Taking things into the audiophile sphere, there are a few different models that Audio-Technica has produced to give people the highest quality of sound. 

The ADX5000 has long reigned as the top open-back flagship from the company, but now they’ve introduced the ATH-ADX7000. This headphone retails for $3,499 and offers some technological upgrades to enhance the listening experience. Could this take the top spot in Audio-Technica’s headphone lineup? Or does the ADX5000 still offer the best value? We’ll dive into all the details in this review. 

Audio-Technica makes sure the ADX7000 is a step above the ADX5000 with elevated technology in the driver system. They implement HXDT molding to ensure rounding in the 58m diaphragm. While the ADX5000 and ADX3000 have the same Core Mounting Technology, the HXDT diaphragm allows you to line up the centers of the baffle plate and voice coil with more precision than the others. Sonically, you’ll see this translate to precise detail in the instrument reproduction. The ADX7000 has more natural sound reproduction that will be more accurately placed in the stereo field to give a more detailed and realistic picture of track elements. 

• ADX7000 Price: $3,499.00
• Weight: 275g
• Driver Type: Dynamic HXDT
• HXDT: Yes
• Driver Size: 58mm
• Magnet Circuit: Non-directional Electromagnetic Steel
• Core Mount Technology: Yes
• Sensitivity: 100dB/mW
• Headpad Material: Velvet + Alcantara
• Earpad Material: 2 sets; Velvet and Alcantara
• Arm Material: Magnesium alloy
• Frame: Magnesium alloy
• Housing Material: Aluminum
• Frequency Response: 5Hz to 50kHz
• Impedance: 490 Ω

SOUNDSTAGE & IMAGING

The first thing you notice with the ADX7000 is the impressively wide soundstage. You get excellent horizontal space that has distinct separation of instruments. Vertically, the headphones don’t give you too much height, but you do get a realistic sense of depth to make you immersed in your listening. The sound reproduction stays natural and realistic to be the reference headphone Audio-Technica advertises this to be. Dynamics are sharp and detailed, maintaining clarity across the sound signature. I liked the distinct placement for instruments across the stereo field, expanding in depth and height, so you can make an accurate picture out of all the elements.

The sound signature as a whole is fairly balanced. As mentioned previously, it lies flat and neutral, and instruments have natural timbres that make them good for reference sound. At times, some frequencies can jump out to attack more than others, but it isn’t overwhelming to make the sound signature overly intense. One thing to note about the ADX7000 is that it takes quite a bit of power to drive and get the full extent of the sound signature. I paired it with a few different amplifiers for my test listening; my favorites included the Chord HUGO 2 and the FiiO K13 R2R. Their smooth signatures paired well with the precision of the ADX7000 to balance everything to be a neutral field for any engineer to start working on. 

BASS FREQUENCIES

The bass frequencies in the ADX7000 were punchy and strong. This range had a stronger response than I would expect from an open-back like this, where I would expect the low end to lose power and fade into the background. Even with an intense amount of detail coming from the treble, I was excited to hear the bass come in with depth and body to take up space in that low end. It was a nice foundation for everything to build up from, all the while staying separate from other ranges. The attack and punch from the low end come through excellently in driving genres like EDM or rock. In more mellow genres, like jazz or R&B, the bass matches energy and becomes a smooth element to help with the flow of the track. I was impressed with the detail that came across in every track; no washiness or muddiness appeared in any of my listening. Even with some bass boosting filters turned on, I was able to get more detail and strength from the low end instead of overpowering sound. 

MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES

What I found really incredible in the ADX7000 is how transparent the midrange is. You get high amounts of detail that make the range feel almost invisible, but there is still impressive detail that comes forward in every track. Each individual instrument is heard with the utmost clarity, and they each have excellently reproduced natural sound. Vocals were the highlight of any track with the way they came up from and center. It was like they were dead center and were singing right in front of you, while everything else filtered behind. This placement made the depth of the soundstage come out more noticeably, and the separation of instruments was more present as well. 

I found that making sure you had the right amplifier with the ADX7000 made all the difference, and you can tell if the amplifier is a good pairing by the way the midrange sounds. In my testing, amplifiers that were built for easy portability did not drive the ADX7000 as well as it could, so the midrange sounded hollow and paper-thin. In more powerful, desktop amplifiers, you get a full sound with more rounded out detail that brings better balance to the signature. 

TREBLE FREQUENCIES

Rounding out the ADX7000’s signature are the treble frequencies. I was nervous that this range would be very sharp and overly detailed to a fault, trying to emphasize the clarity of a reference headphone too much. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was not the case. The treble has a lot of precise detail and sweeping clarity, but it also leaves space to make sure you hear those frequencies ring out. I was a fan of how open the top end sounded, which is a perfect quality to have in an ‘open-air’ headphone. The ADX7000 leaves plenty of space for reverbs and room tones to live, which further emphasizes the immersive quality of this headphone. I was definitely a fan of how this range was able to sweep through the signature as a whole, bringing an impressive amount of detail to the bass and midrange just as much as at the top. This space in the top end was an excellent balance to the bass response, where it was very present but not overpowering to be the entirety of the sound signature. 

The real question everyone is asking is this: how does the ADX7000 compare to previous models? It’s easy to think there isn’t much difference because of their aesthetic similarities, but actually, there are quite a few differences in these headphones. Looking at specifications on paper, you’ll see that the ADX7000 has the highest impedance at 490 Ω compared to the other two. They all have the same frequency responses and sensitivities. Additionally, the ADX7000 is equipped with an elevated version of the dynamic driver, the HXDT Dynamic, which we had discussed earlier. 

Sonically, I found there to be the most similarities between the ADX7000 and the ADX5000. Because they both took a greater amount of power to drive, it was easy to hear how their midranges benefited from more power. They had similar detail and accuracy in their soundstages, but the ADX7000 had slightly better placement to make it sound more realistic. The ADX5000, and the ADX3000 for that matter, did not have the same powerful bass as the ADX7000. It was more subtle and fell into the background of the sound signature, while the ADX7000 presented an equally powerful low end as the highs. 

Compared to other non-Audio-Technica headphones, I can see this headphone impressing in bass response more than others. If you’re a fan of the detail in the Sennheiser HD 800 S but wish there was more bass, the ADX7000 is a great way to find what you are missing. Other headphones like the Meze Elite or the Audeze LCD-4z have similar powerful low ends, but they don’t have the same frontal clarity coming from the midrange. They sit as more fun headphones for entertainment, more than the studio purpose that Audio-Technica had in mind for the ADX7000.