HeadphoneOverreview

Audio-Technica ATH-R50x

The $169 open-back the reviewers call neutral, the measurers call bright, and nearly everyone calls comfortable.

36 sourcesUpdated
$169Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

Check price on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Audio-Technica ATH-R50x

The short version

What to know.

An open-back studio reference headphone (2025) with 45 mm drivers derived from the ATH-R70x, at 207 g, 50 ohms and about $169. Sources agree on the practical points: it is very light with almost no clamp, the midrange is the most praised part of the tuning, it resolves a lot of detail for the price, it needs no amplifier, and — being fully open — it isolates nothing. Nine independent measurement rigs agree on what the driver does: a midrange that tracks the Sennheiser HD 560S and HD 600 closely, bass lifted about 2–5 dB over them that still reaches 30 Hz, and noticeably more treble from 6 kHz up. The disagreements follow from that. Sources split on whether the overall tuning is a flat reference or a mild V with a bright tilt — editorial reviews mostly say the former, measurers and enthusiast owners mostly the latter; on whether the treble is detailed and easy or sharp and tiring; on whether the bass is the surprise of the headphone or polite and lean in the sub-bass; on whether the stage is impressively wide or merely normal; and on whether the small, shallow, barely-swivelling cups are a footnote or a dealbreaker. Most sources rate it at or above its price; the standing counter-argument is that the HD 560S does the same job more neutrally.

About this product

The ATH-R50x (January 2025) — the middle model of Audio-Technica's three-strong R-series open-back reference line, between the $99 ATH-R30x and the flagship ATH-R70xa. Its 45 mm drivers are modelled on the original R70x's but re-engineered, and it drops the R70x family's '3D wing' headband for a plain metal band with two padded rests. It is a 50 Ω, easy-to-drive headphone — not the 470 Ω R70x/R70xa — and not the closed M-series (M40x/M50x) or the consumer Air Dynamic open-backs (AD700X/AD900X). The cable enters the left cup through a 2.5 mm twist-lock socket, single-ended only. Amazon also lists a 3-pack; the single unit is B0DSMG4K6K.

The ATH-R50x arrived in January 2025 as the affordable middle child of Audio-Technica's R-series studio line — a $169 open-back pitched at people who want the R70x's reference brief without its 470-ohm impedance or its polarising 'wing' headband. It weighs 207 grams, clamps barely at all, and runs happily off a laptop jack, an audio interface or a dongle.

It landed in the most crowded price bracket in headphones, straight opposite the Sennheiser HD 560S, and it has divided its audience along an unusual line. The magazine reviews, most of them written on loan units, describe a flat, uncoloured studio tool; the people who measure it, and many of the owners who compare it with Sennheisers, describe something brighter and bassier. Both groups agree it is a lot of headphone for the money.

A good fit for

  • Long-session listeners who want the lightest, lowest-clamp open-back they can find
  • Mixing, editing and vocal work, where the level midrange is the point
  • People with no amplifier and no plans to buy one — 50 ohms plays loud off anything
  • Listeners who want an open-back with real bass rather than the classic lean one
  • Gamers who want an open-back with sharp lateral placement and no headset weight
  • Anyone happy to EQ, or to try the documented mods, to tame the top end

Think twice if

  • You are treble-sensitive, or you want a smooth, relaxed, HD 600-style top end
  • You have larger ears or need cups that swivel to seat properly — the pads are small and shallow
  • You want a strictly neutral reference out of the box — the HD 560S measures closer
  • You need isolation, or you share a room, an office or a microphone
  • You want balanced output without buying a third-party cable

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

5 / 12topics divide opinion
detailisolationmidsimagingdynamicsbuildvaluetonalitytreblebasssoundstagecomfort
2 Strong agreement5 Mostly agree5 Divided opinions

Common ground8

  • Featherweight at about 207–211 g with a measured 1.5 N clamp and a two-pad headband — no top-of-head pressure, and comfortable with glasses.
  • The midrange is the strongest part of the tuning: within 1–2 dB of the Sennheiser HD 560S and HD 600 on every rig, with clean, natural vocals and no lower-mid mud.
  • It resolves a lot of detail for the money, whatever you make of how much of that comes from the lifted treble.

Points of contention5

  • Tonality: a flat, uncoloured reference vs a mild V with a bright tilt — editorial reviews mostly say the first, measurers and enthusiast owners the second, and the rigs back the second.
  • Treble: detailed, airy and easy vs bright, sharp and tiring — the same measured lift above 6 kHz, landing differently on different ears.
  • Bass: the surprise of the headphone, deeper than open-back rivals, vs polite and lean in the sub-bass — the rigs side with the first on quantity and extension.

A closer listen.

12 topics · 5 divided
Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Tonality

Leans positiveDivided opinions
Reviewer sentiment19 supporting sources
CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split, and the split runs along an identifiable line. Most magazine and press reviews — largely written on units Audio-Technica supplied — describe a balanced, uncoloured reference tuning. The measurers, the headphone-specialist reviewers and most enthusiast owners describe a mild V-shape or a bright tilt: lifted bass and lifted treble either side of a neutral midrange. The measurements back the second reading.

Measured

Seven rigs (GRAS, B&K 5128 and KEMAR-pinna clones) also hold the Sennheiser HD 560S or HD 600, and they agree: the 200 Hz–2 kHz midrange tracks the Sennheisers within about 1–2 dB, the 50–100 Hz bass sits 2–4.4 dB above the HD 560S, and the 6–10 kHz band sits roughly 3–6 dB above it (3–10 dB above the HD 600). The flatbed rig reaches the same picture, and one rig's two samples differ by about 4 dB in that treble band, so units vary.

vs. listeners — The rigs show a tuning that departs from flat at both ends, so 'dead neutral' is not what the driver is doing. The neutral camp is right about the midrange, which really is level and uncoloured; the split looks less like taste than like who was listening — loan-unit reviews written for studio buyers on one side, people comparing it directly with Sennheisers on the other.

Where it splits
Balanced and essentially uncoloured — a flat reference tuning straight out of the box.37%

“The open-backed design, coupled with a balanced sound, makes for a great listening experience.”

Oliver Haslam, AppleInsider
Not flat — a mild V or a bright tilt, with more bass and more treble than a neutral reference.63%

“So people with a preference for elevated treble and bass will prefer the stock ATH-R50x.”

Solderdude, DIY-Audio-Heaven
Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked

Design

Type
Open-back over-ear
Drivers
1 × 45 mm dynamic

Electrical

Impedance
50 Ω
Sensitivity
93.3 dB/mW≈ 106.3 dB/V
Frequency response
5 Hz – 40 kHz

Connection

Cable
Detachable, single-entry, 3 m
Connector
2.5 mm
Plugs supplied
3.5 mm

Physical

Weight
207 g

Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from audio-technica.com, thomannmusic.com.

Follow the evidence

Sources 36

1–6 of 36 sources

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of

What to keep in mind 8

  1. A read of where the reviews land as of October 2026 — the sub-$200 open-back class moves quickly, and the Sennheiser HD 560S comparison sits behind almost every verdict here.

  2. It lists at $169 but has been on sale for as little as $135; several of the kindest value verdicts were written at $140–$160.

Where to buy Product & retailer links

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.