The Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X 2013 are budget open-back headphones that deliver an above-average sound for critical listening. They're comfortable and decently well built. However, they're not casual headphones. They won't be versatile enough to use outside or in noisy environments.
Our Verdict
These headphones are not designed for everyday, casual use.
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Above-average and open sound quality.
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Comfortable design.
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Very sensitive to ambient noise, by design.
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Open-back design, so they leak a lot.
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Big and bulky headphones.
The ATH-AD700X are built to deliver a comfortable listening experience. They slightly overemphasize the mids, and they're not as well-balanced as some of the higher-end open-back headphones, but they reproduce tracks with above-average fidelity. They also create a satisfactory soundstage for neutral listening.
Not made for commuting. They don't block any ambient noise.
Too bulky and unstable for sports. They will slip off your ears if used while running or doing physical activity.
Not intended for office use. Unless you work in an isolated environment, these headphones will leak and be distracting.
- 5.2 Mixed Usage
- 7.0 Neutral Sound
- 4.4 Commute/Travel
- 5.3 Sports/Fitness
- 4.9 Office
- 4.4 Wireless Gaming
- 6.2 Wired Gaming
- 1.6 Phone Call
- Updated Sep 21, 2023: We've updated the name of these headphones to reflect their model variant.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 12, 2016: Review published.
- Updated Sep 10, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Aug 09, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X 2013 come only in a 'Black' variant. However, there has been a user report of an updated stealth variant; this newer model has a different color scheme on the ear cups. There may also be changes to sound quality, but as we haven't tested them, we can't confirm this.
If you encounter another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Philips SHP9500 are better audiophile headphones than the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X 2013. The Philips reproduce audio much more accurately, with more bass and a more present and detailed treble. They're also better built and are more comfortable. Their passive soundstage is more immersive, too.
The Sennheiser HD 599 are better audiophile headphones for most people than the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X 2013. The Sennheiser have less low-bass roll-off, less intense presence across the mid-range, and a much better-balanced treble response. They should also be more comfortable for most, although the Audio-Technica are more lightweight and the unique headband design can help relieve pressure during long listening sessions.
The Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee are better headphones than the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X 2013 if you prefer a neutral sound profile. The Sennheiser have an impressively well-balanced sound signature that's not too sharp or piercing. The Audio-Technica, unfortunately, don't have a very accurate treble response, so sibilants sound sharp and piercing, but instruments and vocals lack detail and brightness. They also feel cheaply made, although they're more comfortable than the Sennheiser.
Test Results
The ATH-AD700X are average looking over-ear headphones with a unique headband mechanism. They're big and have large circular ear cups that have an almost entirely open-back design. The cups are covered with thin metal grill, and they're padded with a soft cushion that feels good on the skin but looks a bit cheap. The headband has self-adjusting paddles that replace the typical leather strap that you would find on these types of headphones. They're a bit dull and bulky to wear in public, and nothing except the unusual headband is really eye-catching.
The ATH-AD700X have a unique headband that's comfortable and exerts the right amount of pressure on your head. They're not heavy despite their size. The ear cups are large and well-padded with a soft cushion that feels good on the skin but also makes the ear cup opening a little small for larger ears.
The AD700X are bulky headphones that don't fold up into a more compact format. The ear cups don't lay flat to take less space and the headband design also makes them quite large and cumbersome to carry around. They will fit in a backpack but are too big for anything else. There's also no case or pouch, to carry them around.
These headphones are moderately well-built but have a lot of moving parts. The ear cups feel sufficiently dense, and they're lightweight enough, to not get damaged from a few falls. However, the unique headband design has a lot of joints and moving parts that will wear through regular use. Their build quality also feels a bit cheap.
The AD700X are not built to provide a stable fit during physical activity. They are not sports headphones and will quickly fall off if used while running, jogging or exercising. They will maintain a stable fit during casual listening sessions, but the cable is not detachable so if it gets hooked on something, it will pull the headphones off your head.
Poor isolation. These headphones don't isolate any sound below 2KHz, which is expected and typical of open-back headphones. Above 2KHz, they fail to achieve more than 12dB of overall attenuation in the Treble Range.
Poor leakage. These open headphones leak a lot of sound mostly in the Treble and upper Mid Range frequencies. The leakage starts to become noticeable around 800Hz and remains so up to 12KHz.
No compatible app.
