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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a neutral, open-back reference pair that gets out of the way and lets you trust what you're hearing, choose Audio-Technica ATH-R70x; if you need a closed-back headphone paired with room-modeling software to fake a treated studio, choose Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio.
• Audio-Technica ATH-R70x biggest strength: Open-back aluminum honeycomb-mesh housings and a 45 mm dynamic driver with a 5 Hz–40 kHz range give a spacious, natural reference sound with low distortion.
• Audio-Technica ATH-R70x biggest trade-off: At roughly 210 g (without cable), it's feather-light, but the open-back design leaks sound both ways, so it's a poor fit for noisy rooms or tracking vocals.
• Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio biggest strength: Closed-back design plus beryllium drivers, a patented APS low-end system, and included Mac/PC VST modeling software (AAX Native) that simulates reference rooms.
• Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio biggest trade-off: Its 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range is narrower than the R70x, and the real value depends on using the modeling software — the hardware alone is only part of the story.
• Who each pick is for: Choose the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x if you mix in a quiet, treated-ish space and want honest, open reference; choose the Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio if you mix in an untreated room and want software to compensate for it.
The ATH-R70x is built around one idea: get out of the way. Audio-Technica's first professional open-back reference model, it uses acoustically transparent aluminum honeycomb-mesh housings so air moves freely and the soundstage feels wide and natural rather than boxed in. A 45 mm dynamic driver with high-efficiency magnets and a pure alloy magnetic circuit keeps distortion low and the top end extended — the spec sheet lists a 5 Hz–40 kHz frequency range, which is unusually broad for a dynamic driver. Carbon composite resin in the structure adds rigidity, which Audio-Technica says sharpens transient response. In practice that means kicks and snare attacks stay crisp instead of smearing.
Buy the R70x if: you mix or reference in a reasonably quiet space, you value an open, spacious presentation, and you want a wired, no-fuss headphone with a 470-ohm impedance that pairs well with a proper headphone amp. Skip it if: you record in the same room as your monitors, work in a noisy environment, or need isolation — the open-back design lets sound in and out, and there's no active noise cancellation here.
Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio: Who It's For
The Steven Slate Audio VSX Essentials Edition attacks a different problem: bad rooms. Most home studios have untreated walls, and no headphone fixes that on its own — so VSX bundles closed-back modeling headphones with Mac/PC VST and AAX Native software that simulates reference spaces. The Essentials Edition uses the same modeling headphones as the full package but ships with a curated selection of virtual rooms rather than the entire library. If your mixes translate poorly because your room lies to you, that software layer is the whole point.
On the hardware side, it's a closed-back over-ear design with beryllium drivers for detail and a patented APS system that uses air pressure to tighten the low end — useful, since closed backs often get boomy. Impedance is 37 ohms, so it's easy to drive from a laptop or interface without a dedicated amp. The build is described as rugged enough for studio life: sweat, humidity, drops, temperature swings, and long high-volume sessions. A no-tangle cable comes included, and there's passive noise cancellation from the closed cups, plus a 3.5 mm jack and volume control. Frequency range is listed at 20 Hz–20,000 Hz.
Buy VSX if: you mix in an untreated room, you're comfortable running modeling software in your DAW, and you want a closed headphone that isolates. Skip it if: you want a purely passive, plugin-free reference headphone, or you object to your monitoring depending on software you have to install and maintain.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for untreated rooms → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. Its bundled VST/AAX modeling software exists specifically to compensate for poor acoustics.
• Best for isolation → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. Closed-back cups with passive noise cancellation versus the R70x's deliberately leaky open design.
• Best for long-session comfort → Audio-Technica ATH-R70x. Roughly 210 g without cable, breathable fabric earpads, and the wing support system are built for marathon use.
• Best for easy driving without an amp → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. At 37 ohms it runs off modest gear; the R70x's 470 ohms rewards a real headphone amp.
• Best for a plugin-free workflow → Audio-Technica ATH-R70x. It's a plain wired headphone — nothing to install.
• Best for low-end control on a closed back → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. The patented APS air-pressure system targets exactly that weakness.
• Best for tracking in the same room → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. Closed cups won't bleed into your mic the way open backs do.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to your room, not the headphones. If your space is quiet and you want to hear your mix honestly and passively, I'd buy the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x — the open-back design, the broad frequency range, and the near-weightless fit are exactly what long reference sessions demand. If your room is the problem and you'll actually use the modeling software, I'd buy the Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio VSX Essentials Edition instead, because no passive headphone can fix bad acoustics on its own. Before deciding, check the current price on Amazon for both, since the software bundle changes the value math.
Yes, and plenty of people do — but it depends on the headphone and your room. The ATH-R70x gives you an open, neutral reference you can trust for balance decisions, while the Slate VSX adds software-simulated rooms to compensate for an untreated space. Either way, it helps to cross-check on a second system.
Both are wired. The Audio-Technica ATH-R70x uses a dual-sided detachable locking cable and its 470-ohm impedance means it wants a headphone amp or a strong interface output. The Slate VSX uses a 3.5 mm jack at 37 ohms, so it plugs straight into a laptop or interface — and for the modeling software you'll also connect it as your DAW's output device.
Play a few reference tracks you know intimately and listen for balance, low-end tightness, and stereo imaging. On the R70x, check whether the open-back presentation feels honest and uncolored; on the Slate VSX, compare the raw headphone against the modeled rooms to see if the software is doing useful work for your mixes.
These two aren't the same here, so read carefully: the Slate VSX lists Bluetooth under wireless technology, while the ATH-R70x is a wired headphone. For critical mixing, wired is the safer path either way — Bluetooth adds latency and compression that you don't want when judging a mix.
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