Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 vs Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

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.

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

Comfort is the HD 480 Pro's most universally praised quality — a 272g build, plush velour pads and very little clamping pressure let it disappear on your head for hours. A clever glasses comfort zone in the pads and a solid, replaceable build round it out; the only gripes are velour-only pads and the heat they trap in warm rooms.

• SoundGuys says the 272g build feels very light, with clamping force tight enough to stay put without excess pressure, and a thin metal headband that distributes the weight well.
• Recording Magazine calls them stunningly light and comfortable — easy to wear for hours with next to no clamping pressure, jaw pain or neck fatigue.
• SoundGuys, B&H Pro Audio and Headphones Pro Review all highlight the glasses comfort zone — softer, grooved pad sections let the arms of glasses sink in without breaking the acoustic seal.
• The Headphone Show calls the comfort exceptional — among the better closed-back studio headphones out there — with build quality it rates as excellent.
• Practical detail: braille markers on the ear-cup yokes and embossed L/R markings let you identify left and right without looking inside, and the headband padding and pads are removable, replaceable and washable.

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

The ADX7000 is a purely passive, wired open-back: no Bluetooth, ANC, battery or mic. Its 490-ohm impedance and 100dB/mW sensitivity make amplifier pairing the single biggest variable, and the proprietary A2DC cabling is its most criticised practical limitation.

• A new HXDT-molded 58mm dynamic diaphragm with Core Mount Technology is the core engineering story — Audio-Technica aligns the driver components with micrometre accuracy for cleaner detail retrieval.
• Impedance is a high 490 ohms — den-fi measured a peak of 1,348 ohms at the 81Hz free-air resonance — making amplifier choice the biggest variable in how the headphone performs.
• Major HiFi found the iFi Valkyrie could not drive the ADX7000 well and had to switch to a Chord Hugo 2 for proper headroom and a fuller performance.
• audio46 warns that portable amplifiers leave the midrange sounding 'hollow and paper-thin' — a powerful desktop amp is needed to round out the sound.
• Despite the high impedance, the 100dB/mW sensitivity keeps it from being a true power hog — den-fi reached normal 80-85dB listening levels from an Apple 3.5mm dongle with clicks to spare.
• ecoustics found it scales beautifully — moving from a dongle DAC to a desktop chain brought clear gains in dynamics, impact and bass texture.
• It ships with two 3m cables — a balanced 4-pin XLR and an unbalanced 6.3mm gold-plated plug — both terminating in Audio-Technica's A2DC connectors.
• The stock cables draw heavy criticism — headphones.com calls the microphonics 'genuinely the worst' it has experienced in an open-back over-ear, and recommends an aftermarket fix.
• The proprietary A2DC connectors limit affordable aftermarket cables — ecoustics advises budgeting for an upgrade, though headphones.com notes A2DC has a very low failure rate in practice.
• Reddit owners flagged the proprietary cabling and lack of a stock 4.4mm balanced option as a recurring frustration on an otherwise endgame headphone.

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

As a passive, closed-back studio can the HD 480 Pro is built around wired use: a detachable mini-XLR cable usable on either ear cup, a 130-ohm impedance easy to drive from a laptop or interface, and strong passive isolation that suits tracking and monitoring. There is no ANC, battery, Bluetooth or app — everything here is analog.

• The cable terminates in a 3.5mm TRS plug with a threaded screw-on 6.3mm adapter, connecting via a mini-XLR port on either ear cup so you can route it to whichever side your interface sits on.
• B&H Pro Audio highlights a short coiled section near the ear cup that decouples the headphones from structure-borne and handling noise — bumping the cable on a desk doesn't thump in your ears.
• SoundGuys and Recording Magazine confirm a 130-ohm impedance with ~98dB SPL/1mW sensitivity — high enough for a closed-back but still easy to drive straight from a modern laptop without a dedicated DAC or amp.
• Recording Magazine measured isolation by dropping cranked playback from 82dB off-ear to 47dB on-ear — essentially the office noise floor — and found only the faintest mic bleed in a tracking test with an SM7B.

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000

At $3,499 the ADX7000 sits squarely in flagship territory against the Sennheiser HD 800S, Focal Utopia, and HIFIMAN/Meze planars. Reviewers are unusually positive on its value-for-money — several call it one of the few flagships whose sound genuinely justifies its price.

• The ADX7000 launched at $3,499, replacing the $2,000 ADX5000 as Audio-Technica's open-back flagship — a complete rethink rather than a modest upgrade.
• headphones.com calls it one of the very few headphones it has heard at this price 'that has a sound that actually makes sense for that price.'
• Versus the Sennheiser HD 800S, den-fi found the HD 800S sounds too distant with a more dipped upper-midrange — and that the ADX7000 exposed the Sennheiser's treble as 'unimpressive.'
• audio46 frames it as the HD 800S detail experience with the bass the Sennheiser lacks — and more frontal midrange clarity than the bassy Meze Elite or Audeze LCD-4z.
• Versus the Focal Utopia, den-fi found the ADX7000 noticeably more dynamic and resolving than the 2022 Utopia, and 'a triumph' next to the Utopia's one-note bass and wall-of-sound presentation.
• headphones.com calls the $3,499 ADX7000 the better all-around headphone than the ~$2,000 HEDDphone TWO GT — lighter, more spacious and more listenable despite costing ~$1,500 more.
• Within Audio-Technica's own range, Major HiFi positions the ADX7000 as the choice for pure detail, neutrality and top-tier technical ability, with the easier-driven ADX5000 the more accessible pick.
• The Headphone Show is the value sceptic — it would take many cheaper headphones before the ADX7000, calling it hard to recommend at its flagship price.
• den-fi's verdict was his 'most effusive review ever' — he liked the ADX7000 enough to buy a pair, calling it worthy of the title 'flagship.'

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

At $399 ($439 for the Pro Plus with a hard case) the HD 480 Pro is the most polarising part of the story. Critics like AudioTechnology and The Headphone Show frame it as a near-perfect all-rounder worth the money; a vocal slice of Reddit owners argue it's awkwardly priced against cheaper closed-backs and the open-back HD 6XX.

• AudioTechnology argues that for many audio people the HD 480 Pro will be the only headphones they ever need — a studio workhorse, a reliable mix reference away from the control room, and an enjoyable hi-fi listen after hours.
• SoundGuys scores it 7.7, calling it an excellent choice for studio professionals and aspiring producers wanting closed-backs with a comfortable design, durable construction and great sound — but flags the price and limited accessories.
• SoundGuys notes Sennheiser later corrected the MSRP ($479/$519) down to a MAP of $399/$439 used by most dealers — a substantial cut that lifted its value score by a point and a half.
• Recording Magazine sums it up as a no-nonsense studio companion — not a hype machine but a work tool: balanced, natural and easy to trust, well-built and exceptionally comfortable.