Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

Audio-Technica

8.5

Audio-Technica's best open-back yet — flaws and all

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose

8.4

Excellent

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

What Reviewers Agree On

A warm, bass-forward yet open and spacious sound — reviewers agree the ADX7000 abandons the bright, polarising ADX5000 house tuning for something far more broadly appealing
Exceptionally lightweight at ~270-275g, with a magnesium-alloy frame that makes it one of the lightest flagship open-backs available
Genuinely surprising bass impact and weight for an open-back — punchy and textured, with a gentle roll-off below ~50-70Hz
An immense, holographic soundstage with clean imaging and layering that holds up on busy mixes
Two earpad sets (velvet and Alcantara) meaningfully change the tuning — effectively two headphones in one box

Pros & Cons

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

Pros

A warm, bass-forward yet open and spacious sound — reviewers agree the ADX7000 abandons the bright, polarising ADX5000 house tuning for something far more broadly appealing
Exceptionally lightweight at ~270-275g, with a magnesium-alloy frame that makes it one of the lightest flagship open-backs available
Genuinely surprising bass impact and weight for an open-back — punchy and textured, with a gentle roll-off below ~50-70Hz
An immense, holographic soundstage with clean imaging and layering that holds up on busy mixes

Detailed Comparison

Sound Quality

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

Reviewers describe a deliberate break from Audio-Technica's bright W-shaped house sound: the ADX7000 is warm and bass-forward yet stays open and uncongested, with an immense soundstage and strong dynamics. The treble is the one polarising element, varying from listener to listener.

The ADX7000 abandons the bright, polarising W-shaped tuning of the ADX5000 and ADX3000 for a warm, neutral-leaning balance that reviewers call far more broadly appealing.
Bass is the biggest surprise — punchy, textured and weighty in a way that is 'typically unheard of in open-back headphones,' with a gentle roll-off below roughly 50-70Hz.
headphones.com calls the bass straight-up better than the open-back flagships from Audeze, HIFIMAN or Meze — mid-bass/upper-bass centric, full and never congested against the open background.
The midrange is vibrant, clean and natural, with a tasteful upper-bass lift that gives male vocals extra presence without sounding overcooked.

TechTalkTown may earn a commission from purchases made through links below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not influence our reviews. Learn more.

Buy Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

Buy Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

AmazonCheck price

Best Buy$379Check price

People Also Compare

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 vs Sennheiser HD 480 Pro Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sennheiser HD 480 Pro Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 vs Sennheiser HDB 630 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sennheiser HDB 630 Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 vs Sennheiser HD 550 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sennheiser HD 550 Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 vs Audio-Technica ATH-M50xEnso Audio-Technica ATH-M50xEnso vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000 vs Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

Browse all reviews

Strong dynamics and physical note impact that rivals or beats pricier planar and electrostatic flagships

A premium hard carry case and flagship-level unboxing presentation

Deal Breakers

A thinly-padded dual-rod headband creates a top-of-head hotspot, often within an hour of listening
The two stock cables are heavy, stiff and very microphonic — widely called underwhelming for a $3,499 product
Proprietary A2DC connectors sharply limit affordable aftermarket cable options
An uneven treble response with a notable ~8kHz dip and a ~10-11kHz peak that varies significantly between listeners
The 490-ohm impedance demands a capable desktop amplifier to perform at its best
Limited sub-bass extension — not for listeners who want deep, rumbling low-end

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

What Reviewers Agree On

Noise cancellation is best-in-class — marginally better than Sony XM5
Immersive Audio spatial sound is surprisingly convincing and enjoyable
Comfort is excellent for long listening sessions
Build quality and premium materials feel worth the price
Call quality is very good with clear voice isolation

Deal Breakers

Battery drops from 24 to 18 hours with Immersive Audio enabled
No multipoint connection out of the box (added later via update)
Heavier than QC45 — noticeable during long sessions

Two earpad sets (velvet and Alcantara) meaningfully change the tuning — effectively two headphones in one box

Strong dynamics and physical note impact that rivals or beats pricier planar and electrostatic flagships

A premium hard carry case and flagship-level unboxing presentation

Cons

A thinly-padded dual-rod headband creates a top-of-head hotspot, often within an hour of listening
The two stock cables are heavy, stiff and very microphonic — widely called underwhelming for a $3,499 product
Proprietary A2DC connectors sharply limit affordable aftermarket cable options
An uneven treble response with a notable ~8kHz dip and a ~10-11kHz peak that varies significantly between listeners
The 490-ohm impedance demands a capable desktop amplifier to perform at its best
Limited sub-bass extension — not for listeners who want deep, rumbling low-end

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Pros

Noise cancellation is best-in-class — marginally better than Sony XM5
Immersive Audio spatial sound is surprisingly convincing and enjoyable
Comfort is excellent for long listening sessions
Build quality and premium materials feel worth the price
Call quality is very good with clear voice isolation

Cons

Battery drops from 24 to 18 hours with Immersive Audio enabled
No multipoint connection out of the box (added later via update)
Heavier than QC45 — noticeable during long sessions

audio46 found the midrange transparency a highlight, with vocals sitting dead-center and 'singing right in front of you' while everything else filters behind.

The soundstage is unanimously praised as immense and holographic, with imaging that locks into place and layering that survives busy mixes — 'easily flagship-level.'

Dynamics and physical note impact are a standout — ecoustics describes a rare 'wow' moment where you not only hear the note but sense the air being moved.

den-fi found dynamics outstanding enough to make the Focal Utopia 'sound like it's been usurped,' and rated the ADX7000 among the most resolving headphones he has heard.

Treble is the polarising element: headphones.com hears narrow-band peaks and a noticeable 8kHz dip plus a 10kHz peak that makes hi-hats splashy and 'T' sounds sharp on bright recordings.

ecoustics heard the opposite — a smooth, clean, glare-free treble — and notes the ADX7000 seems to react to individual ear anatomy more than most.

The Headphone Show was the dissenting voice, finding the mid-range overshadowed by excessive upper bass and treble features, and said it would struggle to recommend the headphone over many cheaper rivals.

Den-fi rates the treble as legitimately his favorite on any headphone — clean and resolving without the upper-treble boost he finds fatiguing on most modern flagships.

Sub-bass is the clear limit — reviewers agree planars like the Audeze LCD-5 dig deeper, and the ADX7000 is not built for 20Hz rumble.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Rich, warm sound signature that most listeners will enjoy, though audiophiles may want more neutrality.

The sound is warm, rich, and engaging — Bose has clearly invested in tuning these for mainstream appeal.
Immersive Audio is genuinely impressive for movies and spatial music mixes, but it's a battery hog.

Comfort & Design

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

The ADX7000's headline is its remarkable ~270-275g weight, achieved with a magnesium-alloy frame and a fully open honeycomb chassis. Reviewers split on comfort: the light weight and plush velvet pads are praised, but the thinly-padded dual-rod headband draws consistent criticism for top-of-head hotspots.

At 275g with velvet pads (270g with Alcantara), reviewers call it exceptionally lightweight for a flagship — it 'practically disappears' on the head.
headphones.com praises Audio-Technica for resisting the industry habit of adding weight to feel 'premium' — the light chassis makes the ADX7000 less obtrusive and more immersive.
The frame is magnesium alloy with an aluminum housing, hand-assembled in Japan, with a stripped-back utilitarian aesthetic reviewers find handsome rather than gaudy.
The fully open honeycomb-punched grille exposes the 58mm driver, placing little between the diaphragm and the outside world for a true open-air presentation.
Two sets of earpads ship in the box — high-density velvet for a warmer, balanced sound and Alcantara for a brighter, more analytical tuning — effectively two headphones in one.
The thinly-padded dual-rod headband is the most consistent comfort complaint — ecoustics found a hotspot 'blooms' on the top of the head after about an hour.
headphones.com calls the headband's two narrow contact points a 'when, not if' for hotspots, but notes it can be physically bent by the user to redistribute weight and adjust clamp.
Moon Audio's reviewer disagreed on the headband, finding it 'surprisingly comfortable' despite the lack of cushion thanks to the minimal clamping force.
audio46's reviewer, a glasses-wearer, found the ADX7000 comfortable for hours without fatigue — notably better than the ADX5000 or ADX3000 with glasses.
den-fi calls the ADX7000 one of the most comfortable headphones he has worn since the 195g Sony MA900, noting the out-of-box clamp runs a bit tight on large heads but the headband bends easily.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Premium build and excellent comfort, though slightly heavier than the previous generation.

These are incredibly comfortable for multi-hour listening sessions — the protein leather earpads are plush.
They're noticeably heavier than the QC45 — I felt it after 3+ hours of continuous wear.