Наушники — Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X

The ATH-AD700X is a full open-air dynamic headphone that Audio-Technica presented at CES together with the ATH-AD900X, the ATH-AD500X and the closed-back ATH-A500X, with a suggested US retail price of USD 199.95 and availability from April 2013. It succeeded the earlier ATH-AD700 and is the mid-priced one of the three open AD designs documented in one shared user manual. Instead of a padded headband it uses Audio-Technica's self-adjusting 3D Wing Support, whose two wings adjust themselves to the size of the wearer's head, and the manual warns against using the headphone with the wings removed.

Key specs that matter

Drivers measure 53 mm across, were designed exclusively for this generation of AD models and are paired with high-power magnets. Frequency response spans 5 Hz to 30 kHz, sensitivity is 100 dB/mW and nominal impedance is 38 ohm. The maximum power input is 700 mW. Weight is 265 g without the cord. A straight 3.0 m cord leaves the left earcup and terminates in a gold-plated 3.5 mm stereo plug, and a 6.3 mm adapter is supplied for full-size sockets.

Engineering and use context

Each driver is fitted with bobbin-wound CCAW voice coils, a copper-clad aluminium winding that Audio-Technica specifies for power handling. The casing is a lightweight aluminium honeycomb structure selected for its acoustic properties, and the open-air layout vents the rear of each driver so that the wearer feels no pressure on the ears. Flexible raised-fabric earpads with a velvet-like surface form the contact with the head, and both the earpads and headpads are listed as wearing parts that can be replaced through Audio-Technica service. The cord is made of highly conductive OFC, with an elastic TPE sheath that keeps it from tangling. Being fully open, the AD700X lets outside noise in and lets its own output escape, so it is meant for home listening rather than commuting or shared workspaces.

Pairing

The rated load is easy for laptops, phones with a headphone jack, audio interfaces and the headphone output of a stereo amplifier. With a powerful desktop headphone amplifier, the gain should stay within the rated input limit. A longer run to the source needs a separate extension cord, which Audio-Technica offers separately.

Alternatives

The ATH-AD900X, launched at the same time with a suggested price of USD 299.95, is the open-air model above it in the AD series.