I guess its all in the perspective we see things. To my ears the m70x is a task orentated not interested in correct tonality and naturalness in colouration but bright tilted perceved flat. While that kind of works for female vocals even though it sound artifically boosted it really kills the male vocals. Interestingly Bass heavy edm sounds good on the m70x.
That being said unless i needed something to sound perceved flat i dont think ill ever reach to the m70x for enjoyment.
I bought the M70x for one reason actually, instrumental, acoustic music, I listen to quite a lot of them as I like listening to Movie/Anime their OST and BGM are mostly those types. I find them to be quite uniquely different, but on that merit cost them to be quite restricted in genres I like them in.
I do think the M70x is a poor choice for anyone’s only headphone. But if you start amassing quite a collection IMO the size and comfort (I think it’s one of the better choice on those two fronts compared to other AT) makes them to be a nice piece of kit to have around.
what instruments, specifically?
The AT signature tends to favor stringed instruments from my experience
sounds like they’re up my alley, being my love for the cello. any particular model that punches well above what its cost would make you think?
It really depends on what kind of sig you are looking for. Sure ath has that signature upper mids boost in almost every headphone but to what degree and what general sig is very different.
Very vocal forward/open back:ad500x/ad2000x
Flatish/open back:ad1000x
Warm/open back:r70x
Bright/closed back: SR9
Flattish/closed back m70x/a550z/a1000z
Warm/closed back:a990z
Fun(slight v or u shape)/closed back:msr7/wp900/es700(on ear)
Naturally this is based off my opinion but selecting from these should help.
Personally i would recomend the r70x and msr7 due to their warm and easy to listen to nature.
can you pad swap them nicely to something real nice without canning the audio?
Sadly no. Uni perf lether from zmf was the best replacement pad i tried but with all thicc pads you lose significant subbass
is it just impossible to have a headphone with that sound and be comfortable?
LOL
Well if you dont mind a darker spiker trebble and closed back a990z is decent.
Well there is the w5000 as well while stocks last that is kind of similar but with thicker mids.The only thing is that its closed back as well. Then again AT closed backs have some of the better soundstage around so i wouldnt worry too much about that. They just lack enough air for some people addicted on the adx5000
im not actually looking but its just a funny thing to me
I just saw this Audio Technica models thread and thought i would post…I recently bought a set of the 5000’s and like them alot. I have had many cans, and these are the latest. Been thru Hedds, Focals, Senns, some lower AT’s, Final Audio D8000 Pros, Susvaras, HiFi man, Aeon 2s etc…
I love the HD 600 and sold them for the HD 650’s just for more bass and warmth…wondeful cans for the price…I didnt like the 800’s as much…just too thin. Got them and returned in a few days. Went down the Focal and other can route…
I always wanted to find a hd800 type of can…open and airy with a nice wide soundstage…and eventually these 5000’s came on my audio radar…so I bought them last week.
So far they are great…I have posted some results in the Soekris 2541 dac thread on the site…
Been testing them with a bunch of stuff, amps and dacs and settings and tubes…
They are very revealing cans…you can listen at low levels and still very much hear all the stuff in a recording…
With live recordings, intimate recordings they are really sweet cans…but they do not like mediocre source material…nothing escapes these cans and their resolution and airiness…
Its rotation time for amps and this week its the ADX 5000’s with the Soekris 2541 dac with the tiny $199 DIY PassLabs ACP + Class A amp.
Its a “glorious” pairing…close to perfect with todays dynamic driver tech…wonderfully wide open, clean, crisp presentation.
This is a magical setup. The ACP+ has enough power to drive the 420 ohm ADX 5000’s very, very loud…for $199 it is a “Steal” of a bargin.
The “little” board in the back right corner is a simple SMPS power supply filter. A $10 DIY kit available from the Diyaudio store.
Its May of 2022. many months with the ADX 5000’s and Final Audio D8000 Pros…my only 2 major headphones here with a few exceptions (HD 650’s) etc…
These 2 cans are my grail cans…both are exceptional transducers…depending on my mood, and dac amp setup either on provides endless hours of musical enjoyment…
I have stopped looking for new cans…its about as good as it gets here for me…but I could be talked into auditioning other stuff…but taking away the ADX 5000’s is just not going to happen!! LOL.
My favorite pairing is the Soekris 2541 into the PassLabs HPA-1. Such a magnificant pairing, speakling highs, solid bass…and vocals to die for as well as piano…great acoustic music cans…just revealing and detailed.
Ah Life is good!
Alex
