We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-27 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
If you want mixing headphones built for critical listening — open, spacious, honest — choose Audio-Technica ATH-R70x; if you need a compact mixer-and-monitoring bundle to actually run a show or a stream, choose Mackie DLZ Creator XS.
• Audio-Technica ATH-R70x — biggest strength: a true open-back reference design (aluminum honeycomb-mesh housings, 45 mm dynamic drivers, 470 ohm impedance, 5 Hz–40 kHz) that stays comfortable for hours at roughly 210 g without the cable.
• Audio-Technica ATH-R70x — biggest trade-off: it is wired only, open-back (so it leaks sound both ways), and 470 ohms means it wants a proper headphone amp rather than a phone or laptop jack.
• Mackie DLZ Creator XS — biggest strength: it is a whole little studio in one box — a 6-channel digital mixer with 2 mic preamps, a 7" touchscreen, 6 assignable pads, 4 rotary knobs, Bluetooth and USB, plus closed-back 40 mm headphones and two 25 ft XLR cables.
• Mackie DLZ Creator XS — biggest trade-off: its headphones are a monitoring accessory inside a bundle, not a reference-grade open-back pair, and everything it does is tied to the mixer rather than to pure listening.
• Who each pick is for: the ATH-R70x is for the mixer, editor or listener who already has an interface and wants the most accurate window into their audio; the DLZ Creator XS is for the podcaster, streamer or small-room engineer who needs inputs, monitoring and routing in one compact unit.
The ATH-R70x is Audio-Technica's first professional open-back reference headphone, and it sits alongside the ATH-M70x as a flagship in the company's pro lineup. Everything in the spec sheet points at one goal: accuracy without fatigue. The enclosures are made from acoustically transparent aluminum honeycomb mesh, which is what gives an open-back design its naturally wide, spacious presentation instead of the closed-in feel you get from sealed cups. Inside, high-efficiency magnets and a pure alloy magnetic circuit are there to reduce distortion and keep the high frequencies extended and honest, while the carbon composite resin in the structure adds rigidity for a detailed transient response — the short, sharp leading edges of drums, plucks and clicks that tell you what a recording is really doing.
Two details separate it from most headphones in a home setup. The first is the 470 ohm impedance. That is a high number, and it means this headphone is happiest plugged into a proper headphone amplifier or an audio interface with real output power rather than a phone dongle. The second is the dual-sided detachable locking cable, which is L/R signal independent so the stereo orientation is always correct no matter how you attach it — a small thing that matters a lot in a studio where cables get swapped constantly. Add the breathable fabric earpads, the improved wing support system and the feather-light build (about 210 g without the cable), and you have a headphone explicitly designed for the long sessions professionals actually work.
Who should buy it: anyone doing critical mixing, mastering, editing or reference listening who wants an open, natural presentation and can feed it enough power — and who values comfort over hours of work. Who should skip it: if you need isolation for tracking vocals in the same room, if you record in a noisy space, or if you want to listen from a phone with no amp, this is the wrong tool. Open-back headphones leak, and 470 ohms is not a casual-listening number. If that fits you, check the current price on Amazon before deciding.
The DLZ Creator XS is not really a headphone at all — it is a compact 6-channel digital mixer that happens to arrive with a set of studio mixing headphones and two XLR cables. That framing matters. The center of this bundle is the mixer: two mic preamps, four assignable rotary knobs, six assignable pads, three operating modes and a 7" touchscreen. Those are the controls you'd use to run a podcast with multiple hosts, a livestream with guests, or a small recording session where you need to ride levels, trigger sound pads and route audio without a computer screen in front of you.
The connectivity is where it earns its place in a modern setup. It supports both Bluetooth and USB, so you can pull audio in wirelessly from a phone or tablet, or run a clean digital connection to a computer — and mix the two together. The included headphones are closed-back with 40 mm drivers, a padded headband and ear bands, designed for extended use. Closed-back is the right call here: when you're hosting, monitoring your own mic and cueing audio, you do not want your monitoring bleeding back into an open mic. The padded headband and ear bands address the same problem the R70x addresses — comfort over a long session — just from the other direction. The two 16AWG 25 ft XLR cables with shielded construction round out the bundle so you can get mics connected with minimal signal loss and reasonable reach across a desk or a small room.
Who should buy it: podcasters, streamers, solo creators and small-format engineers who want an all-in-one control surface with monitoring and cabling included, and who like tactile controls plus a touchscreen. Who should skip it: if you already own an interface and just want the most transparent pair of headphones for critical listening, the mixer's extra channels, pads and modes are capability you'd be paying for and never using. This is a system purchase, not a headphone purchase. Check the current price on Amazon if the bundle math matters to you.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for critical mixing and reference listening → Audio-Technica ATH-R70x. Open-back, 45 mm drivers, 5 Hz–40 kHz and a flat, spacious presentation are exactly what you want when the goal is hearing what's actually in the recording.
• Best for running a podcast, stream or multi-mic session → Mackie DLZ Creator XS. Two mic preamps, six channels, assignable pads and a touchscreen are the tools you need to actually operate a show.
• Best for isolation while recording → Mackie DLZ Creator XS. Its closed-back headphones keep your monitoring out of the mic; the R70x is open-back and will bleed.
• Best for plugging into a phone or laptop directly → Mackie DLZ Creator XS. Its mixer runs on USB and Bluetooth. The R70x's 470 ohm impedance wants a real amplifier.
• Best for a one-box, everything-included setup → Mackie DLZ Creator XS. Mixer, headphones and two 25 ft XLR cables arrive together.
• Best for a pure listening and editing chain you already own → Audio-Technica ATH-R70x. If you have an interface or amp, this is the higher-fidelity window into your audio.
• Best for a traveling or shared-room setup → Mackie DLZ Creator XS, mainly because closed-back monitoring and a compact mixer travel better than an open-back reference rig.
In my opinion, these two products barely compete — they solve different problems, and the right answer depends entirely on what you're missing. If you already have an interface and your bottleneck is hearing your mix accurately, I would buy the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x: open-back, low-distortion, genuinely comfortable, and built for the long critical sessions where a closed-back headphone starts lying to you. If your bottleneck is that you have mics, guests and audio sources but no way to control them, I would buy the Mackie DLZ Creator XS, because it hands you the mixer, the monitoring and the cabling in one move. For pure mixing-headphone duty, the R70x is my pick.
The ATH-R70x connects with its dual-sided detachable locking cable, which is L/R signal independent so stereo orientation stays correct however it's attached — but its 470 ohm impedance means it should feed from a headphone amp or interface rather than a basic phone jack. The DLZ Creator XS bundle's closed-back headphones are the monitoring pair for that mixer, which connects over USB or Bluetooth.
Use material you know intimately and listen for the things the specs promise: the R70x's open-back aluminum honeycomb-mesh housings and 5 Hz–40 kHz range should reveal width and high-frequency extension, while its low-distortion magnetic circuit keeps detail clean. With the DLZ bundle's closed-back 40 mm headphones, listen for isolation and how the padded headband and ear bands hold up over a long session — that's what they're designed around.
You generally don't — and notably, the ATH-R70x is a wired headphone, so there's no Bluetooth path to it. Bluetooth belongs to the Mackie DLZ Creator XS mixer, which supports wireless input alongside USB, letting you bring a phone or tablet into the mix while you monitor on the included wired headphones.
Yes, and the ATH-R70x is purpose-built for it: open-back reference drivers, a rigid carbon composite structure for detailed transients and a feather-light build for prolonged use. The caveat is that open-back headphones leak and offer no isolation, so if you're tracking in the same room, the closed-back monitoring pair in the DLZ Creator XS bundle is the more practical choice.
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