Audio-Technica’s hand-crafted 50th anniversary headphones are a a serious audio celebration
The new Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000 headphones promise heavenly high fidelity
Audio-Technica has been making headphones for 50 years, and to mark the anniversary, the firm has created a pair of headphones that'll make any audiophile drool. The new Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000 have been hand-crafted in Tokyo as "a testament to Audio-Technica's six decades of audio innovation", according to the company.
The open-back headphones are very light at just 257g, and they're based around the same Core Mount technology that first appeared in the ATH-ADX5000 open-air dynamic headphones. Core Mount integrates the driver directly into the baffle, which A-T says improves both airflow and full-range audio reproduction.
Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000: pricing and availability
The new Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000 headphones are available now with a price tag of £859 / €999 / $999.
That's significantly less than the ATH-ADX5000, and it means you can get the same kind of reference-quality audio experience for approximately half the cash; given the glowing reviews the 5000s have attracted, that means these headphones could be something quite special, and a serious contender for our list of the best wired headphones.
As for Audio-Technica, the firm says that while it's celebrating 50 years of headphones, it's excited about the future – especially with the resurgence of vinyl and high-quality home audio setups. According to Kazuo Matsushita, Audio-Technica's president, “Since 1974, we have developed various technologies to reflect the changes in the market – from the adoption of smartphones to the expansion of home studios – however, we have always remained true to our analogue core, as we still start every process in our HQ with a transducer. I look forward to the next 50 years of bringing quality audio to all.”
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.