Japanese audio company Audio-Technica introduced a new range of open-back headphones at a surprisingly affordable price. Let’s explore this piece of gear more below.
Audio Technica is renowned for its M series of monitor headphones. Every artist, from Martin Gariix to FINNEAS, uses the Audio Technica M50x. This time, Audio-Technica has launched the ATH-R30x, a new addition to its budget headphone lineup that provides high audio quality with a pocket-friendly price tag. These are designed for content creators, home studio producers, and audio critiques alike, These budget headphones feature a lot of high-quality features at a quite affordable price of just $99.
The ATH-R30x are the gateway to this open-back series, and it is quite impressive for what they are offering. Open-back headphones are unlike closed-back headphones, which isolate sound; open-back headphones allow air and sound to pass through the ear pads. This recreates the experience of listening to sound on speakers in a treated room, providing a unique experience. The design is also used to reduce distortion and improve the overall clarity of playback, making it ideal for mixing, mastering, and detailed listening.
These Budget headphones come with 40mm drivers that reproduce audio with clarity and balance, delivering well-defined lows, transparent mids and more such features. Other open-back headphones such as Beyerdynamic, AKG cost more, but if you are a beginner and want to maximize your mixing game. You can consider this series as the Open-back headphones create less ear fatigue, which helps in listening to music for a long time. On the other hand, these headphones are lightweight (210g) and feature soft earbuds, a breathable design, and an adjustable headband designed to distribute weight evenly.
Not only this, if you are a pro music producer or a mixing engineer, you can explore the ATH-R50x or ATH-R70xa. These upgrades contain a 45mm driver with maximum frequency response. As you can see in the table below.
In the end, Audio-Technica’s R-series has long delivered studio-quality headphones at accessible prices, and the ATH-R30x lowers the barrier even further with an impressive $99 entry point. Compared to other R-series models, the R30x hold up surprisingly well. Although it has slightly smaller 40mm drivers, which sacrifices little sound quality. But its 36-ohm impedance makes it easy to drive.
| ATH-R70x (2015) | ATH-R70xa (2025) | ATH-R50x (2025) | ATH-R30x (2025) | |
| Price | $349 | $349 | $159 | $99 |
| Type | Open-back reference | Open-back reference | Open-back reference | Open-back reference |
| Driver Diameter | 45 mm | 45 mm | 45 mm | 40 mm |
| Frequency Response | 5 – 40,000 Hz | 5 – 40,000 Hz | 5 – 40,000 Hz | 15 – 25,000 Hz |
| Maximum Input Power | 1,000 mW at 1 kHz | 1,000 mW | 1,600 mW | 1,000 mW |
| Sensitivity | 98 dB | 97 dB/mW | 93.3 dB/mW | 92 dB/mW |
| Impedance | 470 ohms | 470 ohms | 50 ohms | 36 ohms |
| Weight | 210 g (7.4 oz), without cable and connector | 199 g (7.0 oz), without cable | 207 g (7.3 oz), without cable | 210 g (7.4 oz), without cable |
| Connector | 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo headphone jack | 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo headphone jack | 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo headphone jack | 3.5 mm (1/8″) gold-plated stereo mini-plug |
Features:
- Includes a 6.3 mm (1/4″) adapter
- Versatile open-back reference headphones are ideally suited for home studio production, multimedia content creation, and detailed everyday listening
- Open-back design allows unrestricted driver movement for a clear, natural sound signature
- Enhanced 40 mm drivers reproduce audio with clarity and balance, delivering well-defined lows, transparent mids, and smooth, extended highs that bring out the detail in any mix
- A wide, realistic soundstage provides an immersive listening experience
- Durable, lightweight construction and a new headband design ensure long-lasting comfort