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Audio-Technica's new cheap headphones look like the audio bargain of the century
Audio-Technica's ATH-R30x are pro-level open-back headphones at an unbelievable price
- Audio-Technica ATH-R30x are available now for $99 / £85 / AU$219
- Open-back headphones promising reference quality sound
- Made for content creators and home audio producers
Audio-Technica's latest open-back headphones come with a price so low I had to check it wasn’t a misprint: the ATH-R30x headphones are just $99 / £85 / AU$219. That's a very low price for a set of headphones with this kind of specification.
The ATH-R30x promise to deliver reference-quality audio, so they're targeted primarily at content creators and home-based music producers. That's me! And according to Audio-Technica, the new model delivers pro-level performance without the pro-level price tag of many of the best wired headphones.
Audio-Technica ATH-R30x: key features
The ATH-R30x are one of three pairs of reference headphones launched by the brand: they're launching alongside the ATH-R50x and the flagship ATH-R70xa, both of which attracted rave reviews.
Like those headphones the ATH-R30x offer a natural, neutral open-back listening experience – which can be just as attractive to audiophiles on a budget as creators. The driver here is 40mm, which is very slightly smaller than the one in the R30x's siblings, and unlike the other models the cable isn't removable.
Audio-Technica says that the "meticulous" transducer design "translates every diaphragm movement directly into sound" to deliver a spacious soundstage with natural clarity. Frequency response is 15Hz to 25kHz, impedance is 36 ohms and the sensitivity is 92dB.
I haven't heard these headphones yet but the hi-fi and music production blogs have, and they've said that these are very credible studio headphones: for example, Recording Magazine says they are "highly enjoyable" and "deliver outstanding sound at an incredible price."
The ATH-R30x are available from today, 8 April 2025.
