Audio-Technica (A-T) says its new ATH-ADX3000 open-back headphones use the same driver technology found in its flagship $1,999 ATH-ADX5000 model, but they have a far lower price. The ATH-ADX3000 are available for $999, starting October 24.
A-T says that the ATH-ADX3000 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones bring true high-end sound quality and natural, spacious audio thanks to the company’s most advanced driver technology.
The core of the ADX3000 are a set of massive, 58mm tungsten-coated diaphragms with a pure iron magnetic circuit, voice coil, and aluminum housing. All four elements are combined in a single integrated driver unit. The diaphragm is extremely lightweight and responsive, according to A-T, and the pure iron magnet enables exceptional dynamic range and high efficiency. The company promises that this driver — which was designed by in-house engineers and manufactured and hand-assembled in Audio-Technica’s Machida, Japan factory — creates an optimum structure that offers superb clarity and stereo imaging, with articulate bass, a smooth midrange, and detailed, extended high frequencies.
A-T’s Core Mount Technology is used to position the driver’s voice coil in the middle of its housing. This ensures that the acoustic space is balanced in both the front and the back of the driver. “Our engineers worked hard to achieve a frequency response that is not easy to obtain by using only natural air flow,” Audio-Technica lead engineer Hiromichi Ozawa said in a press release. “Our expertise in driver technology influenced our approach to open-back headphones, and enabled us to ensure that the driver diaphragm moves with the purest motion possible.”
The claimed frequency response in question is an impressive 5Hz-45kHz, which goes even beyond the requirements of the Japan Audio Society’s hi-res audio certification. With a 50-ohm impedance, the ADX3000 should be easy to drive, even without a dedicated headphone amp. Maximum input power is pegged at 700 milliwatts, and A-T says the sensitivity is 98 dB/mW.
With a frame made from magnesium alloy and weighing just 9.8 ounces, the ADX3000 are very light. They come with a detachable, 9.8-foot cable with A-T’s proprietary A2DC connectors at the headphones end and a 1/4-inch gold-plated stereo plug for source devices. Both the cans and cable arrive inside an aluminum storage and travel case, which should offer excellent protection for your investment.
