Audio Technica has been one of the masters of transduction-based audio technology in both consumer and pro-audio markets for the past 50+ years, and this year is no exception. At NAMM this winter, AT barrels boldly into the in-ear-monitor (IEM) headphone market with three exciting new products that will blow you away and certainly give competitors a run for their money. Let’s take a look under the hood!
ATH-E70, ATH-E50 and ATH-E40
The ATH-E series are in-ear monitors designed for the touring musician, audio professionals, DJs, or anyone who loves listening to music with uncompromised fidelity. These headphones are compatible with AT’s M2 and M3 IEM wireless systems. Audio Techica’s famous ATH-M series of over-the-ear headphones have experienced worldwide acclaim among audio engineers for their accuracy across the frequency spectrum, and AT has attempted to bring the clarity and sonic signature of these headphones to an In-Ear monitor application.
What is the Same?
Common Specs:
- memory cable loops over ears for custom fit
- housing designed to provide isolation
- detachable co-axial tip cable
- carrying case and silicone eartips (XS/S/M/L)
All three of these headphones are sleek and pretty, though the E50 and E70 have a bit more contour with a slightly smaller footprint. They all have a flexible memory cable, which loops over ears to support long-term wearing comfort. The housings are designed to provide maximum isolation from outside noise, and each unit includes a detachable cable (so you don’t need to replace the whole thing when you inevitably wear out the cable). They all come with a carrying case and four sizes of silicone eartips (except the E70 has amazing Comply™ foam tips, more on that later).
Different Drivers Make a Big Difference
The difference is in the drivers, friends.
Driver Specs:
- E-40 – dual-phase push-pull driver
- E-50 – single balanced-armature driver
- E-70 – three balanced armature drivers
The E-40 ($99) employs a dual-phase push-pull driver, which is a dynamic driver that provides exceptional clarity by facing two diaphragms towards each other and inverting the phase of one of them. This lowers harmonic distortion, offers better output and low-frequency control, and provides more stable balance across the full frequency spectrum. This sets it apart from other in-ears at this price point with regular format dynamic drivers (for example, the Shure SE215’s).
The E-50 ($199) uses a single balanced-armature driver, which brings technology popular in hearing-aid drivers to in-ear monitors. The armature driver works in a peculiar way – for those of you familiar with dynamic drivers, typically a magnet moves relative to a voice coil to generate voltage fluctuations that are then transduced into sound. This doesn’t happen in an armature driver – the magnet is fixed within the voice coil, but a long arm (thus the armature) passes through the magnet without coming into contact, and pivots around its center in the middle of the coil. Vibrations move this armature, and its pivoting becomes the source of the drivers vibration.
Basically, this allows the headphones to be more compact, and increases the detail in the output dramatically, offering a dynamic full range response that makes it well worth another hundred for the producer on the road.
The E-70 ($399) is the flagship of the series, and has three balanced armature drivers, offering extended response and extreme accuracy for mixing engineers and professionals who demand the best. These come with one-size-fits-all Comply™ foam tips that you squish like foam earplugs to provide a perfect seal.
