I thought I’d create a thread for this headphone, which is getting some overall very favorable initial reviews. It could be a very viable alternative to the HD 6xx/650/600 or Hifiman Sundara, among other pretty high value, good sounding options. It starts at $299.00, and is a limited edition. Plus it looks sharp!
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The Ori measurements look promising to me. Also a steal for the $28 bundle price.
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I thought so as well, it’s an intriguing headphone in a number of ways.
I’m kind of tempted since it’s relatively low cost, good sounding by all indications, and supposedly super comfortable due to its light weight and top pad design. Seems like it’s great for gaming and extended listening time.
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So funny you post this today @robson but I actually heard the Apos x ATH R70x Refine over the weekend at a community meet where an ATH rep attended.
No question, it’s a good headphone. I really enjoyed it. I already thought the R70x was a very underrated alternative to the Sundara and HD6X0, and the R70x Refine is right up that alley. It’s hard to for me to say cause I didn’t have any chance to A/B test, but from memory it’s warmer with a punchier midbass bump, and the treble is less grain-y sounding than the R70x. Really really nice tonality overall with not a hint of fatigue anywhere. Soundstage wise, it’s more closed in than the R70x, it feels more focused sounding for music.
On a side note though, I heard (wink wink nudge nudge) that ATH has a number of things coming up in the pipeline so this R70x Refine might be just a hint of what’s to come. Take with a small molehill of salt though.
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The price point, comfort and gaming are what made it a sort of easy purchase for me. And it doesn’t hurt that I LOVE the design.
As much as I love headphones, I don’t currently own an open back that I love both the sound and comfort of (not for lack of trying, lol!), but the R70x seem like they might fit the bill.
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Great to get your impression, @Fc-Construct !
“warmer with a punchier midbass bump, and the treble is less grain-y sounding than the R70x” sounds pretty fantastic to me.
From graphs and impressions, I am hoping these are my HD600 series headphone (I own a 6XX), since between a large head and glasses the open HD600 series headphones are just too clampy to be very comfortable for me. The clamp has gotten better over time, and I love the timbre, but the soundstage and bass are also obvious weaknesses. Even with EQ, the 6XX bass just lacks definition to my ears, and obviously isn’t not ideally extended.
Impressions of the original R70x and measurements of the new Refine make it seem like a candidate for addressing all of my qualms with the HD6XX (to varying degrees, extension is of course not all the way there, but even that looks improved on the measurement with the ZMF Ori pads), comfort most of all.
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I don’t know if you watched any of the video reviews out there, but I would before ordering one just so you have some idea of its strengths and weaknesses.
Lachlan (@Passionforsound), @wavetheory, and @soundnews all have reviews up on Youtube. I would not expect this headphone to be a bass monster at all, or necessarily any better than the HD 6xx series from what they all were saying. Bass could be a slight improvement, but not dramatic. As usual, Ymmv and all that… 
Thanks for your feedback @Fc-Construct, it confirms what the video reviewers are saying. 
I have an HD 6XX and 58X, and while they’re both fine, I don’t really love either. I usually have one as my gaming / day-to-day headphone and the other (along with a Chord Mojo OG) gets loaned out to friends who are thinking about dipping their toe into the hobby.
The idea of something that’s even more comfortable than the HD XXX headphones and with a slightly different signature seemed worth trying, so I placed an order last week. I was still in the first shipping batch (Oct, 2024), so luckily no crazy long wait. I find my tastes largely align with @passionforsound, so his extremely positive review put me over the edge. I’ll report back when it comes in!
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Hey @andris, good to hear from you!
I also ordered one, but it won’t come until the December batch… 
I’ll be interested what you think for sure. I also like Lachlan over other YT reviewers, his views are also similar to mine, as are yours! 
Maybe post some pics too when you get yours.
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Yeah, I’ve watched all the reviews.
Subjective impressions have varied, but some have certainly indicated a more satisfying bass than the 600.
If you look at measurements, the 600 and original R70x are almost identical in their reponse, but the Refine has a not insignificant boost.
(Via CammyFi on SquigLink, and graphs Listener posted via another user on Head-Fi thread)
The sub bass boost is accentuated further with the Ori pads.
I’ll use EQ either way, so it’s really more about the subjective quality on my head, which a graph unfortunately is not gonna indicate.
What I’m most after is comfort and a better soundstage. If the bass quality is better or takes better to EQ it’ll be a plus.
I’m surprised when I listen to my 6XX dialed in with EQ, but can’t EQ comfort unfortunately!
I’d put the clamp slider way down!
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Very true! I wish you could…
It sounds like you ordered some? Did you inquire about which batch (prob December)?
Like you I got the Ori pads, and the purple cable upgrade for mine (XLR). Now I’ll have some Zeos branded crap! 
Let us know what you think when you get them.
I have one on the way. I would be interested to know what sources work best with it.
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Welcome to the forum @Vonbuddy! Me too! Do you know which shipment batch yours is in?
I’m not trying to be flip. What do you have now, or are you looking to build a system? Apos has some bundles for it , like the Nitsch Magni Piety which is a great option for starters. If you are looking for a DAC also I’d be more inclined to get a Schiit Modi or Modi Multibit than a Topping or SMSL but that’s me. I think Schiit stuff is more “musical”.
You could also consider a tube amp from xDuoo, or maybe a Schiit Valhalla 2 OTL tube amp on final sale (depending on budget). But relatively inexpensive tube amps are less versatile and are really for efficient, mid to high impedance dynamic driver headphones (like the Refine, or various Sennheisers, e.g. HD 600/650/6xx).
I have a Nitsch Pietus Maximus which I’m betting will be a good pairing for it.
If you have a budget in mind ask away, and do some reading here. This is a great source of info.
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First batch, luckily!
The anticipation and wait can be invigorating but i get frustrated after a while. (Different hobby but shoutout to waiting over a year for an Analogue Pocket, a device that plays original GameBoy, GBA, etc. carts).
I really like the look of the Zeos cable. If it’d been cheaper i would have been tempted.
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I have not (yet) purchased anything from Hart Audio Cables, but they’re generally well regarded, and priced below the Zeos cable. They have options for the correct connector for the ATH-R70x.
@passionforsound had a relevant criticism of the Zeos cable in that it apparently meaningfully weighs down the super light headphone, in particular, because of the chunky splitter.
If I end up liking the ATH-R70x refine, I’m almost certainly going to get a Hart cable for it. 
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That may be true, but it’s purple!
The purple is cool for sure! That said, Hart will make you almost anything you want. They have a bazillion customization options, and you can email them for something not obviously available.
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I have a pair coming in Thursday and many in the price point to compare it to. There’s a video review with all the measurements of the Refine version here.
I got 4.4mm balanced cables and some serious amplifiers to try it with (SMSL H400 and Topping A70Pro). Having the EQ measurements in the video review will be really helpful. It uses the same cables as the original, so finding aftermarket ones was a breeze.
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Mine arrived today! No listening impressions until I’ve had more than 2 minutes with them, but they definitely check the box on light and comfy!
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Cool! I’ll be interested in what you think, and what all you use them with.
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