Audio Technica goes hi-res audio crazy with barrage of new headphones

Audio Technica is no stranger to headphones and at CES 2017 the company has introduced what it considers to be some of its best pairs to date. Chief among Audio Technica’s announcements are the ATH-DSR9BT and ATH-DSR7BT, the first Bluetooth headphones from Audio Technica to use its Pure Digital Drive system.

• CES 2017: All the announcements, TVs, laptops and more from the show

The system claims to keep the audio signal completely digital from source to headphone speaker driver, to keep interference to a complete minimum and keep the sound faithful to the original recording.

Both pairs can support hi-res audio up to 24-bit/48kHz over Bluetooth connections and 24-bit/96kHz via USB. The DSR9BT and DSR7BT will be available from Spring 2017 for $549 and $299 respectively.

If you’d rather have wireless headphones for a more wall-friendly price, Audio Technica has you covered with new models in its SonicFuel series. The new models include the ATH-AR3BT on-ears and ATH-CKS990BT and ATH-CKS550BT in-ears. All benefit from the higher-quality aptX Bluetooth codec and NFC for instant pairing with compatible devices. The $119 AR3BT employ a new dynamic driver for “richly detailed sound” while the in-ears – $199 and $119 respectively – have new Dual Magnetic Field drivers which claim to deliver “improved sound and better wireless functionality”.

Elsewhere in Audio Technica’s 2017 repertoire are the ATH-SR9 Sound Reality over-ears with 45mm True Motion hi-res audio drivers, yours for $449, and five new pairs as part of a new Live Sound series. All five pairs have been designed to “bring the impact and excitement of the live concert experience to everyday listening”. They’ll be available from Spring with prices will range from $79 to $579.