April 7, 2025 • 22 mins
In this week’s video episode of The Pro Audio Suite, AP's got his ears on the new Audio-Technica R70xA headphones, and the team dives into a full-blown can convo.
He shares his first impressions after two weeks of use — lightweight, comfy, and eerily similar in tone to the Hi-X65s. But how do they really stack up against other studio staples like the KRKs, Austrian Audio Hi-X55s and 65s, Sennheiser HD280s, and even some vintage Audio-Technica ATH2s?
From comfort and design quirks (hello magnetic straps and mystery cables) to 470-ohm impedance madness, gear abuse stories, and which cans sound great but feel like a head clamp, this is one juicy headphone shootout.
Bonus: George nerds out on impedance math, Robert gets officially certified as “professional grade,” and an AKG suffers a tragic fate at VO Atlanta...R70xA Headphones – Worth the Hype?
🎙️ Sponsored by:
-
Tribooth — The portable vocal booth that's more than just a tent. https://www.tribooth.com
-
Austrian Audio — Makers of the OC818 and OC18 microphones we use on this very show. https://austrian.audio
A big shout out to our sponsors, Austrian Audio and Tri Booth. Both these companies are providers of QUALITY Audio Gear (we wouldn't partner with them unless they were), so please, if you're in the market for some new kit, do us a solid and check out their products, and be sure to tell em "Robbo, George, Robert, and AP sent you"... As a part of their generous support of our show, Tri Booth is offering $200 off a brand-new booth when you use the code TRIPAP200. So get onto their website now and secure your new booth...
And if you're in the market for a new Mic or killer pair of headphones, check out Austrian Audio. They've got a great range of top-shelf gear..
We have launched a Patreon page in the hopes of being able to pay someone to help us get the show to more people and in turn help them with the same info we're sharing with you. If you aren't familiar with Patreon, it’s an easy way for those interested in our show to get exclusive content and updates
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Five, four, three, two, one.
Let's go.
Welcome.
Hi.
Hi.
Hi.
Hello, everyone.
To the Pro Audio Suite.
These guys are professional.
They're motivated.
With Tech the VO Stars.
George Whitton, founder of Source Elements.
Robert Marshall, international audio engineer.
Darren Robbo-Robertson.
And Global Voice.
(00:21):
Andrew Peters.
Thanks to Triboo.
Austrian Audio.
Making passion heard.
Source Elements.
George the Tech Whitton.
And Robbo and AP's international demos.
To find out more about us, check the
ProAudioSuite.com.
Line up.
Here we go.
And welcome to another Pro Audio Suite.
Thanks to Triboo.
Don't forget the code.
(00:41):
T-R-I-P-A-P to get
$200 off your purchase.
And Austrian Audio.
Making passion heard.
Now, talking about hearing things, apart from the
normal things that I hear that don't actually
exist.
I also got sent to review a pair
of these.
It's the new Audio Technica R70XA headphones.
(01:04):
Oh, that's cool.
Jelly.
I'm jelly.
I've been using these for about two weeks,
I think.
There they are.
It's an open back headphone.
It's very, very light, isn't it?
Isn't it a very light weight?
Like it's, what they say, 199 grams.
Something that you could probably wear for long
(01:26):
periods of time comfortably.
A very long time.
Very comfortable.
And it's funny because they actually sound not
dissimilar to the Hi-X65s.
Very similar.
So they're both coming for a very clear,
open sound.
They're both open back, right?
Yeah.
But it's also the frequency is very similar.
(01:48):
Well, you say you can wear them for
a long time.
I've got a pair of KRKs.
They look round to me, is that right?
Yeah, they are.
They're round.
I've got a pair of KRKs that are
round and I find them really uncomfortable for
long periods of time because the Austrian audios
have like the oblong shape.
Yeah.
I find the round really uncomfortable.
(02:10):
Are they bigger though?
Like some of them are bigger and some
of them are smaller.
But I agree.
In fact, I saw some dude reviewing them
and made that comment.
I don't know why they're still persisting with
round cups as opposed to ones that sit
around your ear.
I guarantee they're more comfortable than these audio
-tech headphones.
That looks more like a head clamp.
Right?
It's just a very thin, thin pad that
(02:32):
presses on your ears.
Oh, I can see that.
It's like a torture chamber or something.
It really evolved over the last 40, 50
years.
These are from like 1975, these suckers.
Oh, really?
They sound amazing though.
They're called the ATH2s.
Great sound, like super flat and clean, but
we can't wear them.
So these I'm aware of these.
(02:53):
I tried on the RX, the R70Xs, and
I was really impressed with them, but they
changed the headband design.
I thought the headband on the old one
was really cool because it had two sort
of like hands or fingers and they would
rest on your head like a suspension.
Yeah.
I thought they were super comfortable, but there
must have been something about that design.
They removed it.
(03:14):
It must have been too complicated to build.
Maybe they broke.
Maybe they were fragile.
I don't know.
Yeah, I don't know either, but I saw
those online when I was looking around, looking
at what people had to say about these
just for my reference.
But I find them really comfortable and it's
really simple.
It's just a magnet on the strap so
you can adjust it.
(03:35):
Yeah, the strap itself is hard to show
this really, but it actually magnetizes there so
you can thread it through and then it's
kind of really cool.
It is.
I mean, I have made the comment before
that I probably wouldn't throw these in a
bag and take them with me.
(03:55):
It is interesting though, when you look back
to these being the grandfather of those, great
grandfather, they're keeping that same kind of design
ethos many, many, many years later.
Just a big metal spring band with this
part in the middle, right?
Yeah.
A strap over your head and a speaker
on each ear, that's pretty revolutionary for headphones,
(04:17):
isn't it?
I mean, exactly.
They're still doing it all these years later.
Anyway, I think these are really, really cool.
I mean, they're not cheap.
The sort of price point is pretty close
to the Hike 65s, maybe 20, 30 bucks
cheaper.
But there are just a few details about
(04:39):
them.
They say the frequency is 5 to 40
,000 hertz, 470 ohms.
That's really high.
That's pretty high.
Seems a lot.
Oh, have you plugged them into the Passport
VO yet?
No.
You really should.
I would love to hear how they sound
on the Passport.
(04:59):
Because the Passport has one hell of a
headphone amp.
It does.
I mean, it is legitimately a good headphone
amp.
It's got a great sounding converter and a
very good amount of output, like a very
hot output.
I bet it could drive those cans pretty
well.
Because that's really, the 470 ohms, you need
something really seriously, a serious amp to drive
(05:21):
those cans.
The Passport could probably actually drive a pair
of cans.
Soup cans.
But I've looked at the difference between the
Hike 65s and the Hike 65s, their impedance
is 25 ohms.
Is that right?
Yeah.
(05:41):
Yeah, low.
That's actually very low impedance.
It is very low, isn't it?
They make a good microphone.
Yeah.
Right.
It's so interesting that there are so many
philosophies on what should be the right impedance
for a pair of headphones.
I always remember headphones that were for pro
studio use being high impedance for a very
(06:02):
specific reason, that they could hook 20, 30,
40 pairs to one amp and it wouldn't
overload the amp.
It wouldn't parallel out, yeah.
It wouldn't divide a bunch of times, yeah.
Right.
Like if you put 600, if you have
a 600 ohm headphone and you have 40
of them, what's the math on that?
What load will it put on the amp?
(06:24):
600 divided by 40, I believe.
Is that what it works out to be?
I think so.
Because when you had two 8 ohm speakers
in parallel, you're making your amp drive 4
ohms.
Right.
Right, right.
So if you had 40 pairs at 600
ohms, you have a 15 ohm load on
your amp.
(06:44):
So you're still quite in the safety zone
for most professional grade power amps can go
down to 4 ohms.
4 ohms or so, yeah.
But if you had, what, 20 pairs of
Sonys that are like 20 something ohm, right?
Yeah, then you're down to 1 ohm.
And that's a dangerous load.
(07:04):
That's like infinity, right?
It's like divided by zero.
Which amps do not like.
They will not tolerate that for very long.
They will get very hot.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, another thing with a super low ohm
load impedance headphone with certain amps is what
they will do is they'll really expose the
(07:25):
flaws, the self noise of the amp a
lot sooner.
So, like I have a pair of in
-ear monitors that are extremely low impedance, right?
And you plug them into just about any
amp and you hear hiss.
You just hear ssss.
Oh, really?
Like all the time.
And it becomes annoying to use because you
hear all that noise.
And like if I plug them into an
iPhone with one of those headphone adapters, you
(07:50):
have to have it on like one click
or two clicks up from off for a
comfortable volume.
Right, because it's like driving nothing.
Yeah.
It's so low, it's just like any little
tiny voltage and you hear it.
It's the weirdest thing.
So, there's something in the philosophy of design
where higher impedance headphones provide, it's easier to,
(08:14):
I don't know, they're more accurate in some
way.
And I don't remember what the reason being
is.
But sorry for this rat hole about ohms.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, it's interesting though because I looked at
that and I don't understand all that stuff.
I think there's also something about the dampening
that they do.
And like the lower the ohms and like
the damping factor is less.
(08:38):
So, you get more distortions in the low
end, I think.
Oh, in the low end, yes.
I think I've heard something about that.
Or it ends up reflecting back into the
amplifier like pushing.
Do those have, I would imagine, but do
they have removable cable?
They do.
And this is the really weird thing.
(08:58):
It's got the two cables.
Yeah, that's another hi-fi audiophile thing.
Equal length.
Yeah, but the weird thing is they actually,
well, that's true.
But they don't mark on the cable which
one is left and which one is right.
And I thought that was really strange.
But from what I found out since is
(09:23):
that the cable actually works it up for
itself.
I don't know how that happens.
How the fuck does it do that?
I have no idea.
You lost me there.
That's like, you know, Ethernet cables that will
self-cross over on the input.
I don't know how it does that.
Really?
Yeah, it's really strange because I was looking
at it going, well, how would I know
which one is left and which one is
(09:43):
right?
I mean, I know the cups are marked
left and right.
Yeah.
But it's like, well, how come the cable
is not marked?
That's really odd to me.
And it does it for itself.
It does it inside the cable.
It recognizes, the cable recognizes left and right.
Would there be a little chip in there
or something, Robert?
(10:03):
Would that make sense?
I have no idea.
Or is that extravagant for a pair of
headphones to have a little chip in there
just to do that?
I mean, I'm reading it right here on
Sonar.
I don't know.
Sonar Works website says the Audio Technica ATH
-R70X headphones, the X's too, the prior version
of these, right?
Yeah.
Feature a unique cable design that automatically assigns
the correct audio channel regardless of how it
(10:25):
is connected.
Each earcup has a 2.5 millimeter jack
that accepts the cable's identical plugs, ensuring that
the left and right channels are properly oriented,
no matter which plug is inserted into which
earcup.
I don't even understand why they would have
spent the engineering dollars on this.
Put this another way, right?
Say you're a chief executive at Audio Technica
(10:48):
and you're looking at this and you're going,
how much money did we spend on R
&D to figure out how to do that
when all we had to do was put
a red and a black and go, yeah,
just line the colors up.
I'm sure someone at upper management at Audio
Technica must be going, whose idea was this,
please?
Well, also, is it very, very obvious as
to which is left and right on the
headband that cups themselves?
(11:09):
No, that's because if you look at the
Austrian audio headphones, which I have.
Does it have a big L and R
on the inside of the cup?
You've got the big L and R.
Yeah.
Which is really cool.
I mean, I really like that.
So there's no mistake.
But this one, because it's, and that's the
other thing normally left is where the cable
comes out.
But when you've got two cables and if
(11:29):
you're in a dark booth like mine, you
can barely see it.
I don't know whether you can actually see
that.
That is so odd to me.
It's tiny.
Again, that's what makes it seem like an
audiophile product than a professional product.
Because professional products, they don't care how it
looks so much.
It's really more about function.
(11:49):
That makes me a professional too.
Exactly.
You're definitely professional grade, Robert.
That's right.
Robert Marshall, professional grade.
Doesn't matter how it looks.
Oh, that's funny.
Well, that's pretty sweet, man.
(12:11):
So at the end of the day, they're
priced commensurately with a lot of the other
stuff that's of a similar.
So what are those?
Like 400 bucks?
It was a 350 to 400 range.
Yeah.
In there somewhere.
Yeah.
US dollars.
Yeah.
Look, I've, you know, I've used them for
two weeks.
I said, and I really, really liked them.
(12:31):
And because they're so light, you can wear
them all day.
It doesn't feel like you're wearing anything.
And they're not that, you know, they're not
that sort of like a head clamp, like
the ones you were showing before.
On the other end of the spectrum, I
was just at VO Atlanta.
We can talk about that later, but they
had some, there are a few pairs of
(12:52):
these Sennheiser HD 280 headphones, total head clamp
and super warm and bass heavy.
Like weirdly so.
Like it kept making me think that the
microphone had something wrong with it or it
was crazy.
And then I'd listen to it back on
my headphones after I recorded it.
(13:14):
And I was like, oh, okay.
That's what it sounds like.
Weirdest thing.
Cause those are like pro headphones.
They have the word pro in the name
HD 280 pro.
I really don't understand what those headphones are
for, who they're for.
You know, those cans, Robert, you worn those.
HD 280s.
Yeah.
The Sennheiser, like most of the Sennheiser's are
actually pretty high end.
(13:36):
I think I have a pair.
Well, high end.
Yeah.
But I don't get the tuning on them
at all.
Very, very.
Usually the Sennheiser open.
Are those the open back ones?
No, they're sealed.
They're sealed.
Oh yeah.
Maybe I don't.
They're very sealed.
I mean, they really, I think they're for
tracking.
I think that's what they were made for
is they're made to be a studio for
tracking, you know, like for the drummer and
(13:57):
for the musicians.
But I'll tell you, I've never seen any
in a pair.
I've never seen a pair of those ever
in a studio.
I don't know about you.
I've seen those.
Those, those aren't the good, the really good.
I don't think they're as good as like,
those are like beat them up studio headphones.
Not the, not the ones that have like
the, yeah.
(14:18):
They're still not cheap though.
There's still a hundred dollar headphones.
They're not like.
Yeah.
But I, I don't know them very well,
but I think I'd probably rather have a
pair of a Sony.
I can tell you I'm not a fan,
not a fan at all.
Somebody else had a pair of AKG.
Oh, somebody else.
Vincent.
Vincent.
Yeah.
A pair of AKG three 71s.
Yeah.
And those.
(14:38):
He likes those.
Yeah.
He likes a real nice headphones.
But, but you know, right there at the
show, the stupid, he's just like all day
long on and off, on and off.
And next thing, you know, right there, Sarah
line crack.
Yeah.
Hairline crack.
And next thing you know, it's like, it's
not quite on as well.
And then you're like, what's wrong.
And he looks at, he's like, there's a
fucking hairline crack here.
(14:58):
Oh, AKG snapped during the event.
During the event from just, yeah.
Cause he's like, I got in the airplane
with them and they were good.
And then somewhere during the day, cause just
like on and off and enough of that.
Yeah.
And you know, that should be, that's just
crap.
And then you look at the way those
AKGs were made and there's nothing, it's all
(15:20):
one fucking piece.
You can't service it.
And, and then he goes to the AKG
booth and they gave him a pair to
borrow.
And, um, well he like AKG did not
take care of him, but he took care
of himself and I won't tell you how
he did it.
Right.
Yeah.
I think I know how he did it.
I think I know too.
A little exchange.
Um, yeah.
(15:41):
Back to these though.
I, you know, once again, I like your
story, the AKGs, I wouldn't be traveling with
these, but they are very nice to have
in the booth.
Yeah.
They're what I would call affordable audiophile grade
headphones.
Yeah.
And when you compare them to the, the
build of, you know, like the Austrian audios,
I mean, these things are seriously well built.
(16:02):
Those are heavier.
Yeah.
You know, they're really good.
The Austrian audios look and feel more pro
grade simply due to the manufacturing of the
parts, how it's built, the, the weight of
them.
They feel like they're just, that they're going
to stand hanging being manhandled and sort of
abused in a studio for years and years.
And the good thing about the Austrian audios,
(16:22):
you can, you know, they all fold up
and everything.
So if you're traveling, you know, I mean,
you've got them all folded up.
Yeah.
The ATs do not fold whatsoever, huh?
No, they don't.
They move barely at all.
Yeah.
Again, audiophile.
They don't travel with them, you know, they're
sitting at home and then you're listening room.
Yeah.
(16:43):
I'll tell you how well the Austrian audios
are built.
They can withstand my Toby, my six-year
-old who's recently discovered dad's MIDI keyboard and
a, and a sampler in Pro Tools.
And he's been mucking around in here and
the way he treats my headphones because I
can't let him muck around with the speakers
on.
So I put the headphones on him in
the way he treats them.
It's a, it's pretty rough and they survive.
(17:03):
So yeah, pretty well built.
Which audio, which AT, uh, which ones do
you have Robbo?
I'm on the 50, the 50 or me.
No, no, no.
The Austrian.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Did I say audio technique?
I thought so.
Yeah.
Sorry if I did.
You're on the 55s right now.
Yeah.
I'm on the 55s.
That's what, that's what.
And the ones that you had, uh, Andrew
(17:24):
just now were the 65s?
65s.
He's on the 65s.
The 55s in the booth and 65s out
there.
But are the 65s open back?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They don't look, they don't look open back.
No, they've only got a little sort of
the grate on them.
The, the grill on them is really fine.
Yeah.
Oh, I see.
I see.
That's right.
They looked closed.
They look closed on video.
(17:45):
Yeah.
But it's really fine.
It's not much like a grill.
I see it.
I see the driver.
Yeah.
Wow.
That's cool.
I can tell you that, that my Sony
V700s did not survive Sage dropping them on
the floor.
Yeah.
Oh, really?
And I, I still have all the parts
to fix them and I've not gotten around
to soldering it up.
But at least you could, like, cause it's
like the, the pivot angle thing and like
(18:06):
little plastic shit broke.
That's the thing about all these headphones.
Like, quit making them out of plastic.
That'll just solve all.
I know, right?
I don't think anything's made better than these
buyers, man.
Well, maybe the Austrian.
But that's metal.
That's a metal, metal.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's a metal yolk.
Yep.
It's strong.
It's tough as nails, but not foldable.
(18:28):
Yeah.
If there's one thing that gets used and
abused in a studio.
They've got the metal yolk as well.
Hmm.
That's good.
I like that.
They have a metal yolk.
It's all steel metal.
Yeah.
Lots of metal and aluminum and very lightweight
materials.
Seems very well made.
Yeah.
For something that's light.
(18:49):
If there's one thing that gets used and
abused in a studio, it's headphones.
Seriously.
Oh, absolutely.
They just get smashed around.
You know what?
You know, my silly analogy is headphones are
the, of the studio.
Headphones are the shoes of the studio.
Right?
They fit everybody differently.
Everybody has an opinion on what they like
or what fits better.
You know, they're insanely wide range of prices
(19:11):
from $30 to thousands.
Right?
And they wear out.
So, they're shoes.
Well, they don't really wear out.
You can't have enough shoes.
You can always get more shoes.
You can always get more headphones.
The only thing that should wear out is
the earmuffs.
And that's really it.
Everything else, they break because of crap designs.
And designs that you can't.
(19:32):
Like, that's why those Fostex RP20s, like, you
could fix every piece of them.
Those are definitely used.
Look how gross the ear pads are.
They're brown and gray.
It's funny.
But you can replace that.
I was talking.
Talking about, you know, things getting abused in
studios.
I was talking to one of the Beatles
engineers, a guy called Richard Lush.
(19:55):
And he was talking about the way they
used to handle all the microphones.
Oh, man.
He's sitting there.
He's like, oh, can you pass me the
U47?
Yeah, yeah, catch.
They'd be throwing them across the studio and
stuff.
Yeah.
Oh, shit.
Jesus.
He was saying, he said, I can't believe
we used to do that.
But anyway.
You really can't.
I thought they treated a lot of stuff
(20:16):
super special.
Like, when they wanted to use the Fairchild,
they'd roll it in on a cart.
And it was like a big deal if
they wanted to use the Fairchild.
Well, you had all the technicians and the
dust coats.
They used to have the gray dust coats.
The guys used to come in and set
the gear up as soon as they were
out of the picture.
It was just the engineers and the talent.
Oh, I see.
There's the technicians and there's the engineers.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, my God.
(20:36):
Yeah.
Funny.
Well, I can't wait to get my pair.
Audio Technica, I'll send you my address.
I'll give you my opinion if you send
me a pair.
That's great.
We're in love.
I love you.
Well, that was fun.
Is it over?
The Pro Audio Suite.
With thanks to Tribus.
And Austrian Audio.
(20:56):
Recorded using Source Connect.
Edited by Andrew Peters.
And mixed by Voodoo Radio Imaging.
With tech support from George the Tech Whittam.
Don't forget to subscribe to the show and
join in the conversation on our Facebook group.
To leave a comment, suggest a topic, or
just say g'day, drop us a note at
our website.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Five, four, three, two, one.
Let's go.
Welcome.
Hi.
Hi.
Hi.
Hello, everyone.
To the Pro Audio Suite.
These guys are professional.
They're motivated.
With Tech the VO Stars.
George Whitton, founder of Source Elements.
Robert Marshall, international audio engineer.
Darren Robbo-Robertson.
And Global Voice.
(00:21):
Andrew Peters.
Thanks to Triboo.
Austrian Audio.
Making passion heard.
Source Elements.
George the Tech Whitton.
And Robbo and AP's international demos.
To find out more about us, check the
ProAudioSuite.com.
Line up.
Here we go.
And welcome to another Pro Audio Suite.
Thanks to Triboo.
Don't forget the code.
(00:41):
T-R-I-P-A-P to get
$200 off your purchase.
And Austrian Audio.
Making passion heard.
Now, talking about hearing things, apart from the
normal things that I hear that don't actually
exist.
I also got sent to review a pair
of these.
It's the new Audio Technica R70XA headphones.
(01:04):
Oh, that's cool.
Jelly.
I'm jelly.
I've been using these for about two weeks,
I think.
There they are.
It's an open back headphone.
It's very, very light, isn't it?
Isn't it a very light weight?
Like it's, what they say, 199 grams.
Something that you could probably wear for long
(01:26):
periods of time comfortably.
A very long time.
Very comfortable.
And it's funny because they actually sound not
dissimilar to the Hi-X65s.
Very similar.
So they're both coming for a very clear,
open sound.
They're both open back, right?
Yeah.
But it's also the frequency is very similar.
(01:48):
Well, you say you can wear them for
a long time.
I've got a pair of KRKs.
They look round to me, is that right?
Yeah, they are.
They're round.
I've got a pair of KRKs that are
round and I find them really uncomfortable for
long periods of time because the Austrian audios
have like the oblong shape.
Yeah.
I find the round really uncomfortable.
(02:10):
Are they bigger though?
Like some of them are bigger and some
of them are smaller.
But I agree.
In fact, I saw some dude reviewing them
and made that comment.
I don't know why they're still persisting with
round cups as opposed to ones that sit
around your ear.
I guarantee they're more comfortable than these audio
-tech headphones.
That looks more like a head clamp.
Right?
It's just a very thin, thin pad that
(02:32):
presses on your ears.
Oh, I can see that.
It's like a torture chamber or something.
It really evolved over the last 40, 50
years.
These are from like 1975, these suckers.
Oh, really?
They sound amazing though.
They're called the ATH2s.
Great sound, like super flat and clean, but
we can't wear them.
So these I'm aware of these.
(02:53):
I tried on the RX, the R70Xs, and
I was really impressed with them, but they
changed the headband design.
I thought the headband on the old one
was really cool because it had two sort
of like hands or fingers and they would
rest on your head like a suspension.
Yeah.
I thought they were super comfortable, but there
must have been something about that design.
They removed it.
(03:14):
It must have been too complicated to build.
Maybe they broke.
Maybe they were fragile.
I don't know.
Yeah, I don't know either, but I saw
those online when I was looking around, looking
at what people had to say about these
just for my reference.
But I find them really comfortable and it's
really simple.
It's just a magnet on the strap so
you can adjust it.
(03:35):
Yeah, the strap itself is hard to show
this really, but it actually magnetizes there so
you can thread it through and then it's
kind of really cool.
It is.
I mean, I have made the comment before
that I probably wouldn't throw these in a
bag and take them with me.
(03:55):
It is interesting though, when you look back
to these being the grandfather of those, great
grandfather, they're keeping that same kind of design
ethos many, many, many years later.
Just a big metal spring band with this
part in the middle, right?
Yeah.
A strap over your head and a speaker
on each ear, that's pretty revolutionary for headphones,
(04:17):
isn't it?
I mean, exactly.
They're still doing it all these years later.
Anyway, I think these are really, really cool.
I mean, they're not cheap.
The sort of price point is pretty close
to the Hike 65s, maybe 20, 30 bucks
cheaper.
But there are just a few details about
(04:39):
them.
They say the frequency is 5 to 40
,000 hertz, 470 ohms.
That's really high.
That's pretty high.
Seems a lot.
Oh, have you plugged them into the Passport
VO yet?
No.
You really should.
I would love to hear how they sound
on the Passport.
(04:59):
Because the Passport has one hell of a
headphone amp.
It does.
I mean, it is legitimately a good headphone
amp.
It's got a great sounding converter and a
very good amount of output, like a very
hot output.
I bet it could drive those cans pretty
well.
Because that's really, the 470 ohms, you need
something really seriously, a serious amp to drive
(05:21):
those cans.
The Passport could probably actually drive a pair
of cans.
Soup cans.
But I've looked at the difference between the
Hike 65s and the Hike 65s, their impedance
is 25 ohms.
Is that right?
Yeah.
(05:41):
Yeah, low.
That's actually very low impedance.
It is very low, isn't it?
They make a good microphone.
Yeah.
Right.
It's so interesting that there are so many
philosophies on what should be the right impedance
for a pair of headphones.
I always remember headphones that were for pro
studio use being high impedance for a very
(06:02):
specific reason, that they could hook 20, 30,
40 pairs to one amp and it wouldn't
overload the amp.
It wouldn't parallel out, yeah.
It wouldn't divide a bunch of times, yeah.
Right.
Like if you put 600, if you have
a 600 ohm headphone and you have 40
of them, what's the math on that?
What load will it put on the amp?
(06:24):
600 divided by 40, I believe.
Is that what it works out to be?
I think so.
Because when you had two 8 ohm speakers
in parallel, you're making your amp drive 4
ohms.
Right.
Right, right.
So if you had 40 pairs at 600
ohms, you have a 15 ohm load on
your amp.
(06:44):
So you're still quite in the safety zone
for most professional grade power amps can go
down to 4 ohms.
4 ohms or so, yeah.
But if you had, what, 20 pairs of
Sonys that are like 20 something ohm, right?
Yeah, then you're down to 1 ohm.
And that's a dangerous load.
(07:04):
That's like infinity, right?
It's like divided by zero.
Which amps do not like.
They will not tolerate that for very long.
They will get very hot.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, another thing with a super low ohm
load impedance headphone with certain amps is what
they will do is they'll really expose the
(07:25):
flaws, the self noise of the amp a
lot sooner.
So, like I have a pair of in
-ear monitors that are extremely low impedance, right?
And you plug them into just about any
amp and you hear hiss.
You just hear ssss.
Oh, really?
Like all the time.
And it becomes annoying to use because you
hear all that noise.
And like if I plug them into an
iPhone with one of those headphone adapters, you
(07:50):
have to have it on like one click
or two clicks up from off for a
comfortable volume.
Right, because it's like driving nothing.
Yeah.
It's so low, it's just like any little
tiny voltage and you hear it.
It's the weirdest thing.
So, there's something in the philosophy of design
where higher impedance headphones provide, it's easier to,
(08:14):
I don't know, they're more accurate in some
way.
And I don't remember what the reason being
is.
But sorry for this rat hole about ohms.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, it's interesting though because I looked at
that and I don't understand all that stuff.
I think there's also something about the dampening
that they do.
And like the lower the ohms and like
the damping factor is less.
(08:38):
So, you get more distortions in the low
end, I think.
Oh, in the low end, yes.
I think I've heard something about that.
Or it ends up reflecting back into the
amplifier like pushing.
Do those have, I would imagine, but do
they have removable cable?
They do.
And this is the really weird thing.
(08:58):
It's got the two cables.
Yeah, that's another hi-fi audiophile thing.
Equal length.
Yeah, but the weird thing is they actually,
well, that's true.
But they don't mark on the cable which
one is left and which one is right.
And I thought that was really strange.
But from what I found out since is
(09:23):
that the cable actually works it up for
itself.
I don't know how that happens.
How the fuck does it do that?
I have no idea.
You lost me there.
That's like, you know, Ethernet cables that will
self-cross over on the input.
I don't know how it does that.
Really?
Yeah, it's really strange because I was looking
at it going, well, how would I know
which one is left and which one is
(09:43):
right?
I mean, I know the cups are marked
left and right.
Yeah.
But it's like, well, how come the cable
is not marked?
That's really odd to me.
And it does it for itself.
It does it inside the cable.
It recognizes, the cable recognizes left and right.
Would there be a little chip in there
or something, Robert?
(10:03):
Would that make sense?
I have no idea.
Or is that extravagant for a pair of
headphones to have a little chip in there
just to do that?
I mean, I'm reading it right here on
Sonar.
I don't know.
Sonar Works website says the Audio Technica ATH
-R70X headphones, the X's too, the prior version
of these, right?
Yeah.
Feature a unique cable design that automatically assigns
the correct audio channel regardless of how it
(10:25):
is connected.
Each earcup has a 2.5 millimeter jack
that accepts the cable's identical plugs, ensuring that
the left and right channels are properly oriented,
no matter which plug is inserted into which
earcup.
I don't even understand why they would have
spent the engineering dollars on this.
Put this another way, right?
Say you're a chief executive at Audio Technica
(10:48):
and you're looking at this and you're going,
how much money did we spend on R
&D to figure out how to do that
when all we had to do was put
a red and a black and go, yeah,
just line the colors up.
I'm sure someone at upper management at Audio
Technica must be going, whose idea was this,
please?
Well, also, is it very, very obvious as
to which is left and right on the
headband that cups themselves?
(11:09):
No, that's because if you look at the
Austrian audio headphones, which I have.
Does it have a big L and R
on the inside of the cup?
You've got the big L and R.
Yeah.
Which is really cool.
I mean, I really like that.
So there's no mistake.
But this one, because it's, and that's the
other thing normally left is where the cable
comes out.
But when you've got two cables and if
(11:29):
you're in a dark booth like mine, you
can barely see it.
I don't know whether you can actually see
that.
That is so odd to me.
It's tiny.
Again, that's what makes it seem like an
audiophile product than a professional product.
Because professional products, they don't care how it
looks so much.
It's really more about function.
(11:49):
That makes me a professional too.
Exactly.
You're definitely professional grade, Robert.
That's right.
Robert Marshall, professional grade.
Doesn't matter how it looks.
Oh, that's funny.
Well, that's pretty sweet, man.
(12:11):
So at the end of the day, they're
priced commensurately with a lot of the other
stuff that's of a similar.
So what are those?
Like 400 bucks?
It was a 350 to 400 range.
Yeah.
In there somewhere.
Yeah.
US dollars.
Yeah.
Look, I've, you know, I've used them for
two weeks.
I said, and I really, really liked them.
(12:31):
And because they're so light, you can wear
them all day.
It doesn't feel like you're wearing anything.
And they're not that, you know, they're not
that sort of like a head clamp, like
the ones you were showing before.
On the other end of the spectrum, I
was just at VO Atlanta.
We can talk about that later, but they
had some, there are a few pairs of
(12:52):
these Sennheiser HD 280 headphones, total head clamp
and super warm and bass heavy.
Like weirdly so.
Like it kept making me think that the
microphone had something wrong with it or it
was crazy.
And then I'd listen to it back on
my headphones after I recorded it.
(13:14):
And I was like, oh, okay.
That's what it sounds like.
Weirdest thing.
Cause those are like pro headphones.
They have the word pro in the name
HD 280 pro.
I really don't understand what those headphones are
for, who they're for.
You know, those cans, Robert, you worn those.
HD 280s.
Yeah.
The Sennheiser, like most of the Sennheiser's are
actually pretty high end.
(13:36):
I think I have a pair.
Well, high end.
Yeah.
But I don't get the tuning on them
at all.
Very, very.
Usually the Sennheiser open.
Are those the open back ones?
No, they're sealed.
They're sealed.
Oh yeah.
Maybe I don't.
They're very sealed.
I mean, they really, I think they're for
tracking.
I think that's what they were made for
is they're made to be a studio for
tracking, you know, like for the drummer and
(13:57):
for the musicians.
But I'll tell you, I've never seen any
in a pair.
I've never seen a pair of those ever
in a studio.
I don't know about you.
I've seen those.
Those, those aren't the good, the really good.
I don't think they're as good as like,
those are like beat them up studio headphones.
Not the, not the ones that have like
the, yeah.
(14:18):
They're still not cheap though.
There's still a hundred dollar headphones.
They're not like.
Yeah.
But I, I don't know them very well,
but I think I'd probably rather have a
pair of a Sony.
I can tell you I'm not a fan,
not a fan at all.
Somebody else had a pair of AKG.
Oh, somebody else.
Vincent.
Vincent.
Yeah.
A pair of AKG three 71s.
Yeah.
And those.
(14:38):
He likes those.
Yeah.
He likes a real nice headphones.
But, but you know, right there at the
show, the stupid, he's just like all day
long on and off, on and off.
And next thing, you know, right there, Sarah
line crack.
Yeah.
Hairline crack.
And next thing you know, it's like, it's
not quite on as well.
And then you're like, what's wrong.
And he looks at, he's like, there's a
fucking hairline crack here.
(14:58):
Oh, AKG snapped during the event.
During the event from just, yeah.
Cause he's like, I got in the airplane
with them and they were good.
And then somewhere during the day, cause just
like on and off and enough of that.
Yeah.
And you know, that should be, that's just
crap.
And then you look at the way those
AKGs were made and there's nothing, it's all
(15:20):
one fucking piece.
You can't service it.
And, and then he goes to the AKG
booth and they gave him a pair to
borrow.
And, um, well he like AKG did not
take care of him, but he took care
of himself and I won't tell you how
he did it.
Right.
Yeah.
I think I know how he did it.
I think I know too.
A little exchange.
Um, yeah.
(15:41):
Back to these though.
I, you know, once again, I like your
story, the AKGs, I wouldn't be traveling with
these, but they are very nice to have
in the booth.
Yeah.
They're what I would call affordable audiophile grade
headphones.
Yeah.
And when you compare them to the, the
build of, you know, like the Austrian audios,
I mean, these things are seriously well built.
(16:02):
Those are heavier.
Yeah.
You know, they're really good.
The Austrian audios look and feel more pro
grade simply due to the manufacturing of the
parts, how it's built, the, the weight of
them.
They feel like they're just, that they're going
to stand hanging being manhandled and sort of
abused in a studio for years and years.
And the good thing about the Austrian audios,
(16:22):
you can, you know, they all fold up
and everything.
So if you're traveling, you know, I mean,
you've got them all folded up.
Yeah.
The ATs do not fold whatsoever, huh?
No, they don't.
They move barely at all.
Yeah.
Again, audiophile.
They don't travel with them, you know, they're
sitting at home and then you're listening room.
Yeah.
(16:43):
I'll tell you how well the Austrian audios
are built.
They can withstand my Toby, my six-year
-old who's recently discovered dad's MIDI keyboard and
a, and a sampler in Pro Tools.
And he's been mucking around in here and
the way he treats my headphones because I
can't let him muck around with the speakers
on.
So I put the headphones on him in
the way he treats them.
It's a, it's pretty rough and they survive.
(17:03):
So yeah, pretty well built.
Which audio, which AT, uh, which ones do
you have Robbo?
I'm on the 50, the 50 or me.
No, no, no.
The Austrian.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Did I say audio technique?
I thought so.
Yeah.
Sorry if I did.
You're on the 55s right now.
Yeah.
I'm on the 55s.
That's what, that's what.
And the ones that you had, uh, Andrew
(17:24):
just now were the 65s?
65s.
He's on the 65s.
The 55s in the booth and 65s out
there.
But are the 65s open back?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They don't look, they don't look open back.
No, they've only got a little sort of
the grate on them.
The, the grill on them is really fine.
Yeah.
Oh, I see.
I see.
That's right.
They looked closed.
They look closed on video.
(17:45):
Yeah.
But it's really fine.
It's not much like a grill.
I see it.
I see the driver.
Yeah.
Wow.
That's cool.
I can tell you that, that my Sony
V700s did not survive Sage dropping them on
the floor.
Yeah.
Oh, really?
And I, I still have all the parts
to fix them and I've not gotten around
to soldering it up.
But at least you could, like, cause it's
like the, the pivot angle thing and like
(18:06):
little plastic shit broke.
That's the thing about all these headphones.
Like, quit making them out of plastic.
That'll just solve all.
I know, right?
I don't think anything's made better than these
buyers, man.
Well, maybe the Austrian.
But that's metal.
That's a metal, metal.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's a metal yolk.
Yep.
It's strong.
It's tough as nails, but not foldable.
(18:28):
Yeah.
If there's one thing that gets used and
abused in a studio.
They've got the metal yolk as well.
Hmm.
That's good.
I like that.
They have a metal yolk.
It's all steel metal.
Yeah.
Lots of metal and aluminum and very lightweight
materials.
Seems very well made.
Yeah.
For something that's light.
(18:49):
If there's one thing that gets used and
abused in a studio, it's headphones.
Seriously.
Oh, absolutely.
They just get smashed around.
You know what?
You know, my silly analogy is headphones are
the, of the studio.
Headphones are the shoes of the studio.
Right?
They fit everybody differently.
Everybody has an opinion on what they like
or what fits better.
You know, they're insanely wide range of prices
(19:11):
from $30 to thousands.
Right?
And they wear out.
So, they're shoes.
Well, they don't really wear out.
You can't have enough shoes.
You can always get more shoes.
You can always get more headphones.
The only thing that should wear out is
the earmuffs.
And that's really it.
Everything else, they break because of crap designs.
And designs that you can't.
(19:32):
Like, that's why those Fostex RP20s, like, you
could fix every piece of them.
Those are definitely used.
Look how gross the ear pads are.
They're brown and gray.
It's funny.
But you can replace that.
I was talking.
Talking about, you know, things getting abused in
studios.
I was talking to one of the Beatles
engineers, a guy called Richard Lush.
(19:55):
And he was talking about the way they
used to handle all the microphones.
Oh, man.
He's sitting there.
He's like, oh, can you pass me the
U47?
Yeah, yeah, catch.
They'd be throwing them across the studio and
stuff.
Yeah.
Oh, shit.
Jesus.
He was saying, he said, I can't believe
we used to do that.
But anyway.
You really can't.
I thought they treated a lot of stuff
(20:16):
super special.
Like, when they wanted to use the Fairchild,
they'd roll it in on a cart.
And it was like a big deal if
they wanted to use the Fairchild.
Well, you had all the technicians and the
dust coats.
They used to have the gray dust coats.
The guys used to come in and set
the gear up as soon as they were
out of the picture.
It was just the engineers and the talent.
Oh, I see.
There's the technicians and there's the engineers.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, my God.
(20:36):
Yeah.
Funny.
Well, I can't wait to get my pair.
Audio Technica, I'll send you my address.
I'll give you my opinion if you send
me a pair.
That's great.
We're in love.
I love you.
Well, that was fun.
Is it over?
The Pro Audio Suite.
With thanks to Tribus.
And Austrian Audio.
(20:56):
Recorded using Source Connect.
Edited by Andrew Peters.
And mixed by Voodoo Radio Imaging.
With tech support from George the Tech Whittam.
Don't forget to subscribe to the show and
join in the conversation on our Facebook group.
To leave a comment, suggest a topic, or
just say g'day, drop us a note at
our website.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.