Original review published on 7 Dec 2025, with additional review content added on 7 Apr 2026
The ADX7000 headphones is not for the casual consumers. They are the new open-back headphones that dethroned the ADX5000 as Audio-Technica’s new flagship. They retail in Singapore for S$4799, even more expensive that Sennheiser flagship headphones, HD 800 S.
Knowing that this headphones cost so much, you would already have a preconceived notion that they should sound really good. They do, but the sound is not something that you will love at first listen. At least not for me. A premium pair of headphones like ADX7000 with high impedance (490 ohms to be exact) need good amplifiers to push the details. And depending on your listening preferences, you will either love it or dislike it.
I love open-back headphones. They are the next best thing to speakers, delivering the full musical experience without the problem of internal reflections and sound pressure. If you appreciate midrange like I do, then open-back is the only way to listen to the glorious warmth without getting all the awful boxy or ringing harmonics messing the overall sound.
The ADX7000 is quite a uniquely tuned headphones for Audio-Technica, who usually push the treble frequencies to emphasize the airiness and sparkle that Asians generally prefer. The ADX7000 is quite the opposite, putting much emphasis on the bass and midrange. Comparatively, the ADX3000 I recently reviewed offers much more treble details that although I find it excessive at times, it sounds refined and impressive. Listening Utada Hikaru “First Love” on the ADX3000 gave me goosebumps but the ADX7000 did not manage to elevate the emotions delivered by Utada.
Listening to all my reference tracks, I have come to the same conclusion: they deliver musical midrange and generous bass that warms the listening ears, never fatiguing nor harsh.
The treble is another story: they are not cutting through the mix. Hi-hat and cymbals take a back seat, vocals are warm and sibilance are rounded. There is a lack of airiness nor hints of room delay. All my “neutral” headphones like the Sennheiser HD550 sound comparatively bright. If your headphone amp is towards the bright side, then the ADX7000 will sound less veiled. So my Creative SoundBlaster X5 and the Chord Mojo will bring out the upper details a little more. I actually find the Burson Playmate works the best among my DACs, probably due to the vivid opamps that are more articulate at the highs. The ADX7000 really challenges the amps capability because of its demanding tonality, and for my review, I use the single-ended 6.3mm cable as my DACs do not support the balanced XLR connectors. Perhaps this is one reason for its lacklustre performance. Switching from the pre-installed Velvet earcups to the Alcantara ones did improve the treble with more energy but still does not transform the original character of the drivers.
Perhaps your multi-figure high-end headphone amplifiers can make the ADX7000 sound heavenly, which I have no doubt. This is why the ADX7000 is not for the general consumer. Casually-speaking, the ADX7000 will be a brilliant pair of headphones for listeners who really want their bass and midrange to be the star of their music. Harsh electric guitars will sound intimate and comfortable even at loud volumes. Bass passages will be heard with depth and fullness without the pressure and mess of a closed-back. The piercing nasal vocals of Ayumi Hamasaki will sound velvety and warm.
Between the ADX3000 and ADX7000, I still prefer the ADX7000 because it sounds less fatiguing, more warm, intrigues me with the layers of harmonics and texture. I think midrange frequency is always been neglected by audio makers, so it is not easy to enjoy the fullness of the midrange. When headphones sound airy and bright, sometimes it takes away our focus on the midrange which really holds everything together. The ADX7000 brings out the best of music in this range.
After a few hours immersing in ADX7000, switching to my “commoner” headphones bring respite as I get to re-hear the brilliance and airiness that I sorely missed.
ADX7000: The Vinyl Headphones
7 April, exactly 5 months after I published this article, I add this new section to further clarify my impression for this headphones. I also bought a 4.4mm convertor to make use of the 4-pin XLR cable to see if there is any audio difference. The balanced cable output certainly delivers more power to the drivers and improves the sonic sensitivity. It still does not elevate the treble to the level that exposes the airiness.
But when I use the ADX7000 to listen to vinyl records, I get an amazing listening experience. The headphones makes the treble sound smoother and the warmth sounds more analogue, yet the bass maintains its thick composure without overpowering, while the midrange brings out the clarity without the booms. On headphones where the treble is airier or more revealing, the highs can sound less natural, kind of like watching an 8K video where details are too clear, which can be in a good way if you want details.
While listening the vinyl, I keep asking myself whether I like the audio balance of the ADX7000, and everytime my answer is YES. I cannot say the same when listening digital files – some tracks are good, while others felt lacking in the top-end, as previously observed.
I have studied the vinyl technology in-depth enough to know that vinyl reproduction is not as perfect as digital, but the vinyl sound draws me to listen to the album more. It is not just about sounding warm, but how the audio is generated physically through the vibration of the stylus on the record grooves. Because every vibration is intentional and detectable, the audio is produced with certainty, pushes the sound to me and lets me hear what is physically generated. On the other hand, a digital sound can be reproducing at such a low level that it can be inaudible yet it is there. So to me, listening to digital audio is more tiring as I have to reach for the sound to listen to it.
Digital vs. analog is really all about science vs. art. Digital captures the most accurate sound, the “atoms” of audio that we know it’s there but can never touch. Analog produces the more realistic sound, the “sands” off audio that we can touch and feel.
