What’s the story with these headphones?
Individually hand-assembled in Tokyo, Japan, the ATH-ADX5000 is Audio-Technica’s newest flagship open-back headphones. It takes aim at the likes of the Audeze LCD-3, Focal Clear, Sennheiser HD 800S, and ZMF Auteur. In other words, the ATH-ADX5000 is designed to go toe-to-toe with the very best in the business.
What new technology do they have?
The driver and baffle are one single unit. Note also the laser-etched serial number that is behind every driver.
Measuring 58mm, the ATH-ADX5000 has the largest drivers yet of any Audio-Technica headphones. In addition, it has a tungsten-coated diaphragm and uses a permendur magnetic circuit. The former improves transient response while the latter gives greater control over the drivers’ movements.
To reduce unwanted vibration and distortion, the ATH-ADX5000 features Core Mount Technology. Essentially, this means that the driver is built directly into the baffle so that they form a single unit. No screws are used to secure the driver in place. According to Audio-Technica, this prevents any unwanted air pressure loss, which is required to develop hard-hitting bass. The ear cups also feature a ‘honeycomb’ design to facilitate air flow.
To ensure hours of listening comfort, ultra-light magnesium is used to build the frame and arms, and Alcantara is used to line the headband and for the ear pads.
Hmm… they look very utilitarian?
Utilitarian is a good word to describe the design of these headphones. Unlike some other flagship-class headphones such as the Audeze LCD-3 or ZMF Auteur, the ATH-ADX5000 seems to have been built with a strict adherence to the mantra of form follows function. The ATH-ADX5000 is devoid of fancy wood finishes or elaborate hinges. The head band is two pieces of ultra-light magnesium lined with Alcantara. Likewise, the frame and arms that hold the ear cups are also magnesium. Compared to its rivals, the ATH-ADX5000 looks simple, and one might even call it sparse or dull.
How’s the build?
The headband of our review unit exhibited creaking noises.
Build is extremely important for a flagship pair of headphones and even though this pair has the cachet of being 'Made in Japan', I’m afraid that I have to report that my unit has a creaky headband. This is especially apparent whenever I move my jaw. I did some looking around and found that there were other reviewers who experienced the same issue.
Even so, I'm not sure that this is a widespread problem because I did not notice this when I tried the ATH-ADX5000 at the Audio-Technica booth at CES 2018. However, I was told that my unit was an early production piece and that whatever build issues would certainly be rectified in the later production pieces. My advice is to pay close attention to the headband and its components before committing to a purchase.
How’s the comfort?
Though the Alcantara earpads are soft, they are shallow.
Apart from the minor creaking, the ATH-ADX5000 is quite comfortable to wear. Much of this is down to its weight. Thanks to its magnesium frame, it weighs a mere 270g, which is incredible for a pair of full-size flagship-class headphones. To give you an idea of how light it is, look at how it stacks up against other headphones of its class.
Audio-Technica ATH-ADX5000 | 270g |
Audeze LCD-3 | 630g |
Focal Clear | 475g |
Sennheiser HD 800 S | 330g |
ZMF Auteur (teak) | 475g |
It also helps that the headband is lined with Alcantara and it distributes whatever little weight of the ATH-ADX5000 well. The clamping force is well judged too. It's tight enough to keep the headphones in place but not so hard to cause discomfort. One gripe I have is with the ear pads. Though they are made of Alcantara and are soft and pleasant on the skin, they are very shallow - especially for flagship-class headphones. My ears can touch the fabric covering the drivers, which I find to be a little distracting.
The ear pads are shallow?
Yup, which is odd because headphones of these class typically have fairly thick or even angled ear pads (just look at how thick the ZMF Auteur’s ear pads are). Thicker ear pads typically help create a more spacious sound as the drivers are positioned further away from your ears, while angled ear pads help align the sound to enter your ear canals with fewer breakups. The ATH-ADX5000’s ear pads are neither thick nor angled so it will be interesting to see how this will affect its sound. If it's any consolation, they are soft, and because they are Alcantara, they feel nice on the skin.
What accessories do I get?
The headphones come neatly packed in this fairly large carrying case.
You get a luxurious hard carrying case with a molded and satin-lined interior that perfectly fits the headphones and its cable. The provided cable is a 3 meters long and terminates in a 6.35mm gold-plated plug. The cable is soft and pliant, but quite heavy. The cable connects to the headphones via A2DC (Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial) connectors - a type of connector that is also used in many other Audio-Technica headphones.
The insides of the carrying case is lined with satin-like cloth.
Audio-Technica also offers a balanced cable that is sold separately. It is also 3 meters long and terminates in a standard 4-pin Neutrik XLR plug. It is well made, soft, and pliant, but like the provided 6.35mm cable, it is also heavy. This balanced cable is S$398. Ouch, I know.
Ok, since the balanced cable is so expensive, how much do these headphones cost?
The ATH-ADX5000 is not cheap. It is S$2,598. But, as you will see later, this headphone’s performance commensurates quite nicely with its price.
Can I use these in the office?
The ear cups and drivers are completely exposed and leaks a lot of sound, both in and out.
I won’t recommend it. The ATH-ADX5000 is possibly the most ‘open’ headphone that I have tried. They provide zero attenuation so you can hear everything around you even if you have them over your ears. Likewise, the headphones leak sound as if you were wearing mini-speakers on your head. The ATH-ADX5000 is best appreciated in a quiet environment.
What did you use to test the headphones with?
The ATH-ADX5000 has high impedance drivers and require amplification to sound their best. Amplification duties were performed by a Questyle CMA 600i amplifier and DAC combo.
How do they sound?
Each ATH-ADX5000 headphone is assembled by hand in Japan.
Pretty good. Open-back Audio Technica headphones have a reputation for sounding lean and bright but the ATH-ADX5000 has a very coherent and balanced sound.
Yes, the treble is slightly emphasized as compared to some other headphones in the same price range - Audezes immediately come to mind - but it's smooth, well tamed, and well extended. The treble also has an airy and sparkly quality to it. There’s only a slight suggestion of peakiness and harshness, and that’s only present on select electronica and trance tracks, like Haywyre’s Sculpted.
Since we are on the topic of electronica, let’s talk about bass. Contrary to popular belief, the ATH-ADX5000’s bass response is quite adequate, so the overall sound isn’t lean at all. The headphones aren’t bass shy and can deliver the goods when called for, but the quality of the bass could be better. Personally, I would like a little more extension, tightness, and oomph. The opening sequence of Massive Attack’s Angel didn’t rumble quite as ominously as some of the ATH-ADX5000’s rivals.
The mids, however, are easily one of the best attributes of this headset. The mid-range is intimate, clear, present, and again, very smooth. This makes the ATH-X5000 wonderful for vocals. Listening to Jacky Cheung’s live rendition of 遙遠的她, the ATH-X5000 was equal parts intimate, powerful, and delicate, brilliantly showcasing the vocal range and talents of ‘God of Songs.’
How does it compare to other headphones in its price range?
Like the Clear from Focal, the ATH-ADX5000 has a very balanced and coherent sound that doesn't overemphasize any spectrum of the frequency range.
The ATH-ADX5000’s primary rivals are as follows, in alphabetical order: Audeze LCD-3, Focal Clear, Sennheiser HD 800 S, and ZMF Auteur.
The ATH-ADX5000’s overall signature is most similar to the Focal Clear - both headphones have a wonderfully balanced sound, with no emphasis on any region of the audio spectrum. Of the two, the Clear has better bass but the ATH-ADX5000 has more intimate mids and alluring highs.
Compared to the HD 800 S, the ATH-ADX5000 has a stronger and cleaner bass response, and so it sounds more full-bodied. Its overall sound is also more balanced. On the other hand, the HD 800 S is considerably leaner in sound, more resolving, and has a greater tendency to sound cold. However, the HD 800 S is still king when it comes to soundstage.
The LCD-3 and Auteur are noticeably darker sounding headphones and have much more impressive bass response. They also sound more authoritative and full-bodied. The LCD-3 has lush mids that match the ATH-ADX5000, but is outdone by the ATH-ADX5000’s finesse and deftness in the treble. The LCD-3’s treble sounds significantly dull and rolled-off in comparison. Likewise, the Auteur’s treble response is not as refined as the ATH-ADX5000’s.
How’s the imaging and soundstage?
The ear pads are fairly shallow.
Imaging is excellent and one can easily pick out the location of instruments and sounds in tracks such as in Yosi Horikawa’s Letter. Horikawa is a Japanese composer who likes to overlay his music with binaural recordings of real-life sounds. The Horikawa’s music is fascinating, but more importantly, it’s a great test of a headphone’s staging abilities. That said, the ATH-ADX5000’s soundstage isn’t overly wide and that perhaps has to do with the fact that its ear pads are quite flat. Most flagship headphones have fairly thick ear pads and I can’t help but wonder if the soundstage of the ATH-ADX5000 would improve with thicker pads.
Are there any other things I should know?
One important thing to note is that the ATH-ADX5000 is unforgiving when it comes to poorly recorded tracks. On tracks that are badly recorded or mixed, the ATH-ADX5000 can reveal all of the track’s flaws and can sound tonally imbalanced or limp. This isn’t an issue for most folks, but if you happen to like some odd genre of music or some obscure band that may not have access to good recording studios or sound engineers, this might be something to take note of.
Oh, and because of the drivers’ high impedance of 420 ohms, the ATH-ADX5000 will also need an amplifier that can deliver high voltages to sound its best. Your smartphone or notebook headphone jack will not be able to deliver the voltage required to get these headphones to sing.
Any final thoughts?
The ATH-ADX5000 is a stellar and great-sounding headphone from Audio-Technica.
The ATH-ADX5000's greatest strength is its supremely balanced and coherent sound. And as far as flagship-class headphones go, its treble performance is unsurpassed. Insofar as audio performance is concerned, I think that its only chink in the armor is its bass, which doesn’t go quite as deep or hit quite as hard as some of its as-pricey peers.
Though the ATH-ADX5000 sounds great with almost everything I threw at it, I like it best with acoustic, instrumental, classical, jazz, live music, and anything that is heavy on vocals. With these material, the ATH-ADX5000 delivers an intimate listening experience that is matched by very few headphones.
Audio performance aside, the carrying case is a nice and welcomed touch. It looks and feels luxurious, but more importantly, makes it easy to transport the headphone. However, Audio-Technica could really have sweetened the deal by providing balanced cables as standard.
And since we are on the subject of things that could be better, I would have also preferred thicker and fuller ear pads. This will probably help with the soundstage and also make the headphone more comfortable to wear. As it is, I found the ear pads to be too shallow, which impinges slightly on comfort.
Nevertheless, because of its great sound, the ATH-ADX5000 should be seen as a commendable effort from Audio-Technica. It clearly shows that the company has what it takes to tango with the world's best.
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