Audio-Technica’s hand-crafted 50th anniversary headphones are a a serious audio celebration

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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