Audio-Technica ATH-M70x Closed-back Monitoring Headphones Reviews

I have reported the issue related to fragility of the headphones in a previous review. It is a common complaint which all can check in internet or at reviews here in SW.
I sent the headphones to Audio-Technica assistance according the process described in their website because I like the sound quality, for me the best for electronic drums.
I have not requested warranty and authorized the repair because my headphone has 5 years, however Audio-Technica repaired the device without any charge. I paid only the shipment and received the headphone complete restored(as new) in one week. This shown their responsibility with the customer and is fair I write this new review. This restored my confidence on brand for new products.

These are a major upgrade from the 50's I've been using for 2 years. Seems as though there is a major step up with quality when upgrading AT headphones... the 20's lasted 6 months of heavy use before the muffs began to disintegrate, the 50's still look good after a few years but the 70's just feel so good! Worth the extra jingle is you can swing it.

Lightweight, comfortable. I use it for band rehearsal as my "in-ears" when not wanting an actual in-ear piece. I also use it for comparing monitor sounds to headphones when designing digital sounds on the guitar modeler. Great soundstage, nice flat response. Lock and turn connections are a plus for the wires. Pretty good sound isolation, some ambient bleed but minimal. This is not a hyped bass/treble prosumer thing, more a professional headphone for mixing tracks from your DAW or for stage use. I saw John Mayer using them on stage while playing guitar. He had been using Neumann's previously, but changed to these. I can see why: great stereo imaging and accurate response curve and yet is also comfortable for long periods of time. I think AT hit a home run with these headphones.

I use these for recording vocals. They do a wonderful job. I often record with one ear open. These headphones are great for this purpose, because you can flip the earpiece. These are comfortable and well made.

Btw, Brandon Eden is my sales engineer and he does a fantastic job.

This is the best headphones I ever used.Perfect for mixing and mastering.Stereo image and clarity is great.

I got those for my husband, he's a professional musician and he loved!!!! I gave him the opportunity to exchange for whatever he wants and he said he would keep forever because the sound was amazing!

The clarity is amazing with these headphones.

I bought the 70x a couple of months ago for use for personal and church recording use. At first listen they were a little bland, but when I actually just took a moment to listen, the clarity is amazing. You hear EVERYTHING in a mix. I've read some reviews that the highs/mids are a little harsh, which can be true from time to time depending on the mix. I'm no professional, but being able to pick out specific things in a mix is much easier with these headphones. I just. bought a pair of 50x for the extra low end, and noticed that the clarity is not quite the same as the 70x. Granted, the 50x are not "burned in" yet, but from initial impressions, there is a distinct difference between the "de facto" standard 50x and the newer 70x. I'd say the 50x is great for everyday listening and the 70x is definitely a tier above for clarity. You can hear the full range, but not exaggerated. Awesome headphones for critical work. For me, they were well worth the money. A new legend is born in the ATH-M70x.

Best headphones I have ever owned. The total range of sounds come thru and they are very comfortable to wear over an extended period of time. I have nothing negative to say about them.

For the past few years, I've been using a pair of cans that my friend handed down to me. The JVC HA-RX700 headphones. I use reference tracks a lot when mixing and mastering, so I'd gotten quite used to the sound even though the frequency response wasn't as close to natural and flat like I'd been searching for. Those headphones broke a few weeks after I got my job this month, and I happily threw my WHOLE first check at these headphones. Coming from cans with hyped bass and what not, to these Monitoring Headphones, the difference in sound was staggering. Frequency response is as perfect as it can get, no hyped frequency ranges or tuning to mess with the natural sound. Sound reproduction gets an A+ from me. Comfort is through the roof (I have a LOT of hair that I keep in a ponytail, so I forget I'm wearing these headphones often). I have absolutely NO complaints about these headphones. They separate the casual listeners from the more critical/analytical listeners/creators.

Just starting out my 2nd year in recording and mixing, I upgraded to some new ATH M70x, I absolutely love these head phones. I got these closed backs because I am a little hard of hearing and personally like them better being closed. But these have great clarity on the high and mids and just like I like it. The bass response is tight and crisp and really gives me the sound I want in my bass, especially for my Kicks. The final mix of my songs have been great with great distinction of the high, mid and lows. These head phones are worth the money and of course no were else to buy except Sweetwater;)

These are some of the best closed-back cans I've heard. Excellent neutral frequency response across the board, good extension in both high and low range, nice tight bass, clear and detailed mids/treble. They lean slightly on the bright side, but are not strident or sibilant. Very good isolation, also light and comfortable.

I have been a big fan of Audio Technica for years, owning quite a few of their mics and at least one of their headsets in the past 25 years. I knew these would be good headphones but I was not even prepared for just how good they are. I was blown away completely after listening to them for just a few minutes. They come with three interchangeable cords in a nice leatherette case. I was very impressed with how comfortable they are. After listening to them for fifteen minutes I forgot I had them on. This is important for engineers who spend a lot of time with headphones, like I do, but the most important thing is the sound. All I can say is they sound fantastic. It is unbelievable how much better these sound than my Sennheisers. These are the best cans I have ever owned, bar none. They are not cheap, but at least for me, well worth the money. I think they will pay for themselves many times over in faster mix times and extended session hours.

I enjoyed a pair of M50s a few years ago that performed remarkably well, but the M70x blows them out of the water. Frequency range and comfort are incredible, and the included case provides ample protection for all three cables (as well as the headphones themselves). A fantastic investment that will prove beneficial for years to come.

I have had many studio headphones both open and closed back. In my professional opinion the m70x give a superior clear clean and consistent sound output throughout the frequency ranges. I have also had the M50x, which are good but the sound is not as clean and crisp throughout every range (muddy in the lows) and not as crisp in the high. I also have the open back version R70xwhich are one of the best headphones I've ever mixed with, better than any higher priced headphones I've used in studio. However the M70x, are great for location and studio work and I've yet to find a better headphone even at higher prices.

These are by far the very best headphones I have ever owned. I also have ATH M50X which are pretty good but don't capture the tone that these ones do. The fine detail of the ATH-M70X is amazing. I hear things in recordings that I never heard before like very fine subtleties, inflections and nuances that other headphones just can't reproduce. The semi hard shell carrying case is a big added bonus to help protect the headphones. My only complaint is that the plastic connector from the head band to the ear muff broke very easily rendering the headphones useless after I dropped them from only a low distance by accident onto a concrete floor.

First, I am aware that open-back cans would be better for mixing, but I bought these so that I could listen to mixes and work a bit while on the road without having to carry around an amp that would drive 300+ Ohm headphones. I also have frequent light background noise in my apartment. If you are in a similar situation, then closed-back cans really are a better option. So, I am assessing the ATH-M70x for what they are. If you work in a quiet environment and perhaps already have a headphone amp, the Sennheiser HD600 might be better for you, for example, and they cost about the same.

Second, I have read several reviews online that claim that these have a very flat response-rate, but that seems wrong, at least when you look at pro-level measurements. What is true, however, is that the low-end and mids sound rather even and that they accentuate the low end less much than the M50x and similar headphones, which is a good thing. When I first put these on, I switched between the M70x and M50x and was happy to see that well-produced songs sounded much clearer and nuanced. Mind you, this is not simply due to the high-end being more accentuated. I did boost the highs and reduced the lows a bit to compare their sound signature with the M50x more, but even then these were just much more revealing, not just brighter. While I also do have monitor speakers, I find that headphones can be useful when trying to find the right amount of reverb, for example, and these are doing a great job with that.

Third, some have complained in various places online that these sound can sound harsh. So far, I only have noticed that in poorly mixed songs. I checked some bands on Bandcamp that produce their songs at home and then went to some of the work of some of the mixing/mastering superstars out there. So far, I have not found a single song of the letter that actually sounded harsh. So, I think in part the people who complain complain about the mixing and mastering skills involved in the music they listen to rather than the cans themselves. In many ways, this is precisely why one buys mixing headphones. So, I don"t get the complaint, really. And even though these may overaccentuate the highs, that would not necessarily be a bad thing if you know how to use that in your favor.

Lastly, because these are bright and clear, and because the low-end extends further than the one of the M50x, which of course are not really designed to be used for mixing and mastering, I found these very useful when listening to older songs I recorded. After listening through some old mixes, I could already identify several songs where I used a high-pass filter to get rid of muddiness where I should not have. Since the M50x are rather boomy, they don"t really allow good mixing of the low-end. But with these, you can.

I am not saying that these are the best close-back cans you can buy for the money, since obviously I have not listened to all. But I have listened to a few competitors such as AKG, Beyerdynamic, and Sony in the same price range and I liked the sound of these best. I will need to wait and see whether these lead to mixes that translate best to other systems, but so far I am pleased that I already could improve some of my mixes. Of course, I will as I always have listen on speakers, in the car, on in-ear headphones etc. before finalizing anything, but one should do that regardless of how good your cans are.

This review I will keep short and sweet. If you've read my other ones, I tend to go into too much depth regarding the proprietary pragmatism that permeates the perpetually playful and pronounced protruding program that prevails I.P.-purpose.

Ya know ?


Eye Highly recommend these HP's. There is absolutely no need to crank them either .. you can if you can take it .. but its your high end's funeral. These are highly detailed and very clear without being overly-neutral or "Clear as a bell". After 17 years of listening/creating/producing Music, my ears have found "Clear as a bell" as not a thing to chase. There's nothing wrong with chasing that, but what is "Clarity" ? Is it "realism" or is it the characteristics of the Amp +Speaker ? Some cans/speakers are stupid clean, but is the signal that good ? Maybe ... maybe not. But I digress. The M70x's are clear and flat in a semi-real world kind of way. They're applicable: If you're looking for some retaining of character with a precise signal, these will do nicely. I will say these are definitely mixing/mastering cans. They're a little misleading in the tracking sense. Having said that, they'd go nicely as vocal cans. I look forward to using the M70x's a lot in the coming years.

One more thing:

If you keep these HP's at a moderate level (even not broken in), they won't fatigue you ears as much as other cans will. Just watch out for the protuberance of the diaphragm on the inside. Occasionally, you may notice it. That's all.

First off.... If you get these, be sure to break them in properly. :-) I set mine up with some good concert classical music due to the widened frequency range of the performance and let it go for about 24 hours.
When I first plugged them it, I was quite amazed at the sound quality over my older AKG K240's. After breaking them in and REALLY listening to them I was VERY happy with the sound quality of them!!! I've also used these for mixing live sound at our church and the clarity is much better than the M50's that we have at the church.
The ONLY reason I didn't give these a 5 was that the ear-cup can't be "flipped" out of the way like on the M50's. Not a deal breaker though, I just get used to sliding the one back behind my ear.

These are very pleasant to wear. They don't make your head sore. Tested these out at Christian Musician's Summit, great cans.

So I've had these headphones for a little over a year now, and for the most part, these sound great. They've done a great job helping my mixes sound absolutely amazing and clear. My biggest issue is with the quality of the build. Now admittedly, I have a wide head so there's some room for leeway here, but there's a pretty big discrepancy with the fact that both muffs have now broken off of the main band. They look to be connected only by a small plastic bit around the swivel area, and that plastic, for whatever reason, has now broken multiple times, even after having been repaired. As much as I love these headphones and their sound, I do have to draw a line and say I'm looking for another pair that will hold together better.

I purchased these head phones as an upgrade for my 50's. Sound quality was great. I was mixing one morning and they happened to take a 2ft fall. A fall my 50's have taken numerous times and survived. My headphones snapped where the earpiece connects to the band. When I contacted both Sweetwater and AT both told me that a break like that was not covered under warranty because it was not a quality issue but an accidental break. while i agree it was an accidental break I believe it was an accidental break caused by a quality defect. After doing research many people have had this exact same problem. Save your money buy the 50's instead they sound similar and they are 10x more durable

I love the sound of these but I'm on my second warranty claim! The left hinge broke twice on me now. They are NOT durable. You've been warned...

I bought these headphones in February 2019, primarily for their flat response and isolation from outside noise (along with the fact that the cables were replaceable). They did all of this quite well, both in my home studio and in my live sound work at church. However, around early May of 2022, the right earpiece broke off, at the swivel joint, when I set them down on my work surface.

Although I used these cans several hours daily, I always treat all of my gear carefully, so I was very surprised that the earpiece broke off so easily. Close examination of the section that broke showed that there was very little plastic material that was actually connecting the earpiece to the headband at the swivel -- in my opinion, a very poor design flaw -- that area should be all metal and built to take the stresses of regular use.

I contacted Sweetwater, to determine if the cans could be repaired, but after some back-and-forth emails, and more thinking about it, I decided not to bother having them repaired (not worth the aggravation, considering how they broke).

Finally, based on the price paid for these headphones, I expected to get, at a minimum, a decade's worth of use out of them. However, the build quality didn't live up to that, which is highly disappointing. So, based on my experience, I would not recommend these cans.

So, now I have to figure out what to replace them with. :(

Honestly this is my first bad review here on Sweetwater.

Very short clean cut and dry.. These headphones simply ain't it!
Tbh i was very disappointed, as Audio Technica is by far my favorite headphone company on the market today!
But with all that said, they failed on this attempt sadly!

The ATH-M50x are the best headphones i've ever owned or used and would definitely recommend getting those instead of these the ATH-M70x.

CONS -
They don't fit on my head properly like the ATH-M50x do which overall leads to sound bleed and loss of quality!
It's sad when you think about it, that they couldn't get the little things right and these are supposed to be their FLAGGED SHIP MODEL.

Pros -
Overall they have a flat sound, which is great for mixing/mastering..These headphones would probably sound great if they fit on my head correctly and Were comfortably snugged like normal cans.

Build quality -
Very lightweight and feel very cheap! The build doesn't scream quality or give the consumer confidence that they just purchased a Premium product at all.

Just do a search for "M70x breaking"... I had my pair for exactly a year and they broke, like many others. All of the tension of the headband is on a tiny piece of plastic above the swivel. Looks like many people have had this fail. These were only used for bass practice - no traveling, no kids, and never dropped. Look elsewhere for cans that will last.

Bought my pair in 03/18 and a year later they broke at the swivel hinge joint. Sweetwater did a fine and swift job of handling the repair! Yesterday within days of the original repair date a year ago they broke again in exactly the same way.

This would be a 5 star rating as the sound and comfort for this price is superb but the build quality is unacceptable from my experience.

I've had these for a little over a year. Sound is moderately flat and accurate. Highs can be fatiguing but it depends on how hard you drive them.These are definitely good for music enjoyment and pretty great for mixing/video post production. To the point of me relying on them heavily.

The build on these is good with the exception of the ear cups. Specifically where the swiveling mechanism takes place. During the time of ownership these never left my studio and were never abused. However recently, the right-hand mounting arm detached from the slider after simply taking the headphones off. This resulted in snapping the seemingly cheap plastic that attached both the slider and the arm, making these unwearable and obviously unusable.

I sent the headphones to sweetwater and they had sent them to AT for repair. Didn't cost anything other than shipping them out which was nice.

However, the overall repair process took weeks and when I finally got them back, the ear cups had been replaced. They're the same ear cups but they're not as supple and nice as when I first took them out of the box. The material looks worn and feels rough in comparison.

It is for this reason I have to give these headphones two stars. Sound is good but the build is poor for the price and the overall repair process left me feeling disappointed in the end.

Best headphones I've used for sound. Also the most structurally poorly made. Very disappointing to spend 1/3 of my monthly income on something that I really like and then have it so expensive to repair. AT only sells headband assembly,not small plastic part that you actually need so is not a good price for repair on this item. It is also not very green of AT. Like another reviewer I will not repeat a purchase of this item.

Great clarity on the cans. Unfortunately, the build is 3rd world slave labor poor. I'm on my 3rd or 4th pair. On the first few pair, the plastic (fake metal) housing unit that swivels and holds the can, broke. Clearly AT was aware because they updated that housing to be replaceable on newer models. Now the plastic frame that makes the headset adjustable just split open. I'm not sure what school of product engineering AT hires people out of, but my grandfather thought me when I was a child that anytime you build something, all pressure points on anything you build should be made with metal or have internal metal housing. This does not seem to be common sense with the people that develop products for AT.

I have the same issue reported by many others customers. Is there any doubt about it?? Build quality is unacceptable. Headphones used only by myself, a shame.

I loved these headphones but after one year of gentle, infrequent use, the swivels/hinges snapped right in half. Don't waste $... on poor construction.

The speakers on these headphones are excellent. Unfortunately the build is not durable. After about 8 months of use, they broke at the hinge/swivel that is above the left can. I bought a pair of Sony monitor headphones in 2003... They are still functional. This is my second pair of... headphones that I have purchased in a year period. My first pair were Shure. From my experience, any thing that looks metal in the pictures is 100% plated plastic composite. They are using plastic on critical pressure points. These headphones and the pair of Shure's I previously purchased are not built to last 15 like my cheap Sonys.