Review on Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X: 🎧 Top-Quality, Open-Air Black Audiophile Headphones by Alfredo Testerman

I've been looking for the RIGHT gaming headset for over a year. I had Turtle Beach Stealth PX24, Hyper X Cloud Stinger, Playstation Gold and Platinum Wireless. Then I switched to a wired Astro A40 TR with Mixamp. I found the A40 to be a bit overpriced in terms of performance. THEN I moved on to the Turtle Beach Stealth 520, which is wireless and has several surround sound presets, including the recommended SuperHuman Hearing. However, it seemed that every time I played with the Stealth 520 for a bit, my ears and eventually my head would start to sweat due to the closed leatherette design of the ear pads. I've often pulled out the headset and played without it. I then switched to the Arctis Pro which was superb in sound quality and finish. However, I returned them because they gave me headaches after gaming sessions. Then I looked for another headset. However, I decided to go the other route and get some stereo gaming headphones, which led me to the Superlux HD688B semi-open headphones, which are excellent, especially for their affordable price. However, I wanted to try open-back headphones, which I've never had before. This prompted me to purchase the Audio-Technica ATH-700X. So the question is, will I like open ones or go back to closed or semi-open ones? ATH AD700X VS. ATH AD500X: There has been a lot of confusion as to what the difference between the two is. Among the many similarities in design and specifications, the only difference is that the ATH AD700X has a frequency response of 5-30kHz while the ATH AD500X has a frequency response of 5-25kHz. Then the ATH AD700X has an impedance of 38 ohms and the ATH AD500X has an impedance of 48 ohms. In addition, the maximum power output of ATH AD700X is 700mW, while the maximum power output of ATH AD500X is 500mW. The price difference between them is $15. DESIGN: The overall design of the ATH AD700X is good. The double-wrap headband is made of thick, wire-wrapped plastic construction that looks cheap but is extremely durable. On the underside is what Audio-Technica calls 3D Wing Support, which is spring-loaded and self-adjusting for stability and comfort. There is mesh fabric underneath the 3D wings that cover the head. The ear pads are lightweight, aluminum honeycomb, and transparent enough to see the speakers inside. The ear pads are made of embossed ear pad fabric similar to velor. In general, the headphones are light. In fact, some say the headphones are uncomfortable. However, I have no problems wearing them for long periods of time. In addition, there are no external buttons on the earphone to work with the earphones, such as B. a volume button or an external microphone, since it is not a gaming headset by default. PS4 users will need to change the volume by selecting the "Volume Control (Headphones)" option in the PSN settings menu. No big trouble for me. A mod mic is required to use the mic for these headphones. SOUND: Instead of using the usual open-back name, Audio-Technica uses what they call open-air dynamic technology. The Open-Air Dynamic technology was developed to reduce the pressure on the ears when listening. I should mention that they cool the ears. However, with normal open headphones, sound leakage occurs by default. This means that the sound from the headphones can be heard by others. In addition, the user will be able to hear some outside noises. To be honest I can't hear much sound leaking out during playback. Advantageously, the open-air has a wider soundstage that creates immersive, natural surround sound. The tones are very clear and precise. Of course, sound performance can vary depending on where and how they're used. With that in mind, I'll only speak from a video game perspective. The size of the driver is 53mm, which is very, very large. As I said, the frequency response is excellent, 5-30kHz. The impedance of 38 ohms at maximum power consumption is full, 700 mW is impressive for protecting against overload from various audio equipment. The sound can be pumped with the DAC. I have a Neoteck 192hz DAC and converter. I used that on these headphones and it pumped up the sound. However, you can play sound without a DAC. I once connected my headphones to my PS4 Pro controller and also turned up the controller volume in the PSN settings menu. Unlike many gaming headsets, they can surprisingly get powerful with the help of a controller. Speaking of gaming, I tested the performance of the Open-Air Dynamic ATH AD700X by playing Rainbow Six Siege and Call Of Duty Black Ops 4 on my PS4 Pro. . The sound of the ATH AD700X produced perhaps the clearest and most authentic sound I've ever heard playing through open headphones. The outdoor performance of the ATH AD700X impressed me more than closed and semi-open gaming headphones or headsets. Every sound was heard clearly from all directions and with sufficient clarity without distortion. The highs and mids were very balanced. Low ones are good too. Excellent but surprisingly high frequencies. In fact, it can be a bit hard on the ears. When playing Black Ops 4, the "spongy" sound when killing makes me nervous because I've never been prepared for such harsh volume levels. There is bass in the ATH AD700X, but not much of it. I prefer to reduce the amount of bass because I find it drowns out some noise. Preferences are of course different. Testing the ATH AD700X in Rainbow Six Siege, a very detailed game when it comes to hearing different sounds while playing. The right headphones can be essential for survival. Anyway, my character, Ash, sent a drone around. She could hear the White Masks darting back and forth, ducking for cover, waiting for an attack. She could hear exactly where they were, behind a wall or other structure. She could clearly hear the footsteps of roving patrols. He also heard how close and how far he was from their position as he followed the patrol route. She could also hear the White Masks talking to each other as they waited in their hiding places. I could hear my character's footsteps getting louder or quieter depending on the speed of the movement. Knowing this will help you know when to move slowly as your footsteps can also be heard by the enemy. They WILL shoot through the wall when they hear you coming. While testing the ATH AD700X in Call of Duty Black Ops 4, I heard gunfire, explosions, dialogue, and other random noises rippling left and right across the map. to my right were heard with increasing precision and clarity. I knew EXACTLY what was going on and where the action was on the map, especially in Nuketown. I felt like I had been thrown into the heart of the war. The ATH AD700X picks up small noises like vacuum cleaners thanks to the low frequencies in the headphones. For example, on the map of Morocco, during gameplay, in addition to the usual sounds, I heard thin, sticking, and breaking pottery being thrown across the terrain. In addition, I heard the voices of other specialists on the maps that were some distance away. I could hardly get it done with other headsets, but in greater numbers, but not with the ATH AD700X. The crunching sound as my character stomped through the deep snow and broken ice on the Icebreaker map sounded incredible, real. One day my character Battery ran into an open bay on the Summit map. The battery communicated outside and ended the call by going into the compartment. As he spoke in that open compartment, Battery's voice echoed. The authenticity of the echo was unbelievable and almost frightening. Of course, I'm sure some are wondering about the steps. Well, the ATH AD700X does a great job in Call Of Duty Black Ops 4. I could attack enemies by ducking for cover and waiting for them to find me. It happened once on the summit map. The battery ran up the stairs and took cover behind the wall of the building, faced the open trailer and waited for the enemy to jump out of the compartment. Meanwhile, she heard footsteps to her left. She patiently waited for the enemy to pass. Of course, it was the Prophet who fled to the bay, from where the battery was waiting for the enemies to come out. She ran behind him and pulled him out. She was immediately shot at from behind. She immediately ran and hid in a corner among some with a tarp between the back of the trailer's open door. She heard footsteps to her left again. This time it was Crash. He approached her with a pistol at the ready. However, since she could hear his footsteps and see his shadow on the ground, she was ready and pulled him out. Then she saw another enemy approaching on the mini-map. She walked to the other side of the canvas crates with barrels and skids next to the yellow forklift. She heard footsteps from the left. It was crash again. This time he went to the bay to take on other Battery teammates. She brought him out. Hearing footsteps, he helped Battery deal with three enemies. Keep in mind! Players may not always be able to rely on footsteps as there are often gunfire, explosions, etc. in games. MIC (OPTIONAL): As mentioned, a mod mic must be purchased for online playtime. Different prices. Haven't tried this yet as I don't have a mod mic right now. I know it should work exceptionally well with a connected device. VERDICT: Overall, the ATH AD700X is currently a good value considering it once sold for $200. In addition, Audio-Technica is a well-known and trusted brand. When it comes to gaming in quiet environments, I'd say at this point that it's best to use the open back because of the aforementioned sound. At this point, I will most likely no longer use closed headphones or a headset when it comes to gaming.