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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Frank Doris
Tel: (631) 645-5668
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Audio-Technica Debuts Hi-Res Audio-Certified Headphones at CES 2015
STOW, OH, January 6, 2015 — At CES 2015 Audio-Technica is introducing three Hi-Res
Audio-certified headphones: the High-Fidelity series ATH-W1000Z over-ear, SonicPro®
ATH-CKR10 in-ear and SonicPro ATH-MSR7 over-ear headphones (available in black
ATH-MSR7BK and in gun metal ATH-MSR7GM). They are Audio-Technica’s first models to
carry the Hi-Res Audio designation and offer a host of ultimate-performance features, including
the world’s first-ever Push-Pull Driver System (model ATH-CKR10) and Audio-Technica’s new
True Motion Drivers (model ATH-MSR7).
“Our new Hi-Res Audio models are created to satisfy the most critical audiophiles and music
lovers,” said Crystal Griffith, Audio-Technica Consumer Marketing Manager. “They let listeners
hear all the musical nuances and improved fidelity from today’s finest high-resolution, betterthan-CD-quality audio source material such as DSD and other uncompressed and lossless
digital formats.”
The ATH-W1000Z (SRP: US$699.95, available March 2015) is the latest generation of
Audio-Technica’s acclaimed “W” Series over-ear headphones and incorporates several
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refinements, including high-frequency response to 42,000 Hz, natural teak wood housings that
impart an elegant appearance and minimize unwanted resonance, a large-diameter 53 mm
rare-earth magnet driver system and more.
The teak housings contribute significantly to the ATH-W1000Z’s richly detailed bass and
midrange and outstanding high-frequency definition. Low-frequency extension is further
improved by Audio-Technica’s exclusive D.A.D.S. Double Air Damping System, which employs
a main air chamber that houses the driver plus an additional chamber that operates in
conjunction with a specially shaped housing and port to control and focus the airflow produced
by the driver and expand its bass output.
Additional refinements include OFC-7N oxygen-free copper voice coils and lightweight, rigid
magnesium frames and baffles that are affixed to the teak housings via a floating mount
system that attenuates unwanted resonances. The sonic result: extraordinary headphones that
completely immerse listeners in a detailed, powerful and spacious sonic presentation. The
ATH-W1000Z offers a perfect fit and long-wearing comfort thanks to its 3D Wing Support
Housing, which adjusts itself perfectly to each wearer.
The in-ear ATH-CKR10 (SRP: US$389.95, available now) incorporates Audio-Technica’s
proprietary Push-Pull Driver System, which utilizes two 13 mm drivers that face each other but
are wired out of phase, so that harmonic distortion is reduced and response time is improved
while power is doubled and output sensitivity is increased. The Push-Pull Driver System
provides spacious, expansive and detailed sound across a wide frequency range, suiting all
styles of music.
The ATH-CKR10 provides frequency response to 40,000 Hz, allowing listeners to fully
appreciate the newly defined high-resolution digital formats with better-than-CD-quality audio
source material. In addition to its use of the Push-Pull Driver System, the ATH-CKR10 features
metal-coated titanium housings for a rigidity that greatly reduces unwanted resonance. An
exclusive stainless steel acoustic resistor improves high-frequency response, while a bass
acoustic resistor provides accurate low-frequency response.
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The smartphone-compatible ATH-MSR7 (SRP: US$249.95, available March 2015) features
the company’s True Motion Drivers, which employ an exclusive 45 mm driver with a
lightweight, highly responsive voice coil and diaphragm to deliver extraordinary detail, clarity
and imaging with a natural tonal balance and extended dynamic range. The headphones’
Multi-Layer Air Damping Technology utilizes three precisely placed air vents that control the
airflow to provide greater dynamics and sonic impact. Like the ATH-CKR10, the ATH-MSR7
employs two acoustic resistors that provide extended bass and improved high frequencies.
The headphones’ housing is specially shaped to “mirror” the physical structure of the ear to
enhance low-frequency sounds.
Complementing its superlative audio performance, the ATH-MSR7 is designed for total
comfort. Its cushioned, soft, memory foam earpads fit securely yet comfortably around the ears
and its flexible swivel design and padded headband facilitate a perfect fit for any wearer.
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In Brief: The Move to Hi-Res Audio
While many listeners may believe that high-resolution audio came along with the introduction of the
Compact Disc in 1982, constraints on the disc’s storage space always prevented CD audio
(standardized at 44.1 kHz/16-bit) from fully and completely reproducing the original recorded sound.
The advent and subsequent popularity of MP3s only made this problem more pronounced – the
necessary compression of these files causes audio information to be lost, thus greatly reducing the
audio quality. But with lossless audio file formats, faster Internet speeds, and storage space
increasingly easy to come by (and in ever-smaller packages), the push is on to create audio equipment
capable of capturing and reproducing true Hi-Res Audio, generally considered to be 96 kHz/24-bit or
better. The Hi-Res Audio logo certifies that a product meets the Hi-Res Audio standards. Per these
standards, headphones must have transducer frequency performance to at least 40 kHz. As a producer
of these types of audiophile headphones since 1972, Audio-Technica is well-positioned to provide
audio solutions that meet the demands of Hi-Res Audio media formats, allowing for the full reproduction
of their extended sonic characteristics.
Click here for ATH-W1000Z, ATH-CKR10, black ATH-MSR7BK and gun metal
ATH-MSR7GM profiles and downloadable high-res photos.
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Also see more here:
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Audio-Technica Promotional Video: “Always Listening to the Music That Moves Us”
Additional News Releases
Celebrating over 50 years of audio excellence, Audio-Technica is renowned worldwide for a
broad range of consumer and professional audio products, including high-performance
headphones, microphones, wireless systems, turntables and phono cartridges. Winner of
numerous industry awards, Audio-Technica designs and manufactures products that set
quality, durability and price/performance standards for major concert tours, broadcast and
recording studios, corporate and government facilities, theaters, house-of-worship venues,
and consumer applications. Learn more at www.audio-technica.com.
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— For more information on the complete range of Audio-Technica products, contact
Karen Emerson or Crystal Griffith, Audio-Technica U.S., Inc., 1221 Commerce Drive,
Stow, OH 44224. Tel: (330) 686-2600; Fax: (330) 688-3752.
— For further information regarding product availability and pricing in the United Kingdom and
Europe (excluding France and Germany), contact Tom Harrold ([email protected]) or visit our media centre at www.starscreamcommunications.com; in Germany,
contact Yu Kambe ([email protected]); in France, contact Catherine Dron
([email protected]).
Audio-Technica is exhibiting at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall Ground Level,
Booth #20756 during CES 2015 in Las Vegas, NV.
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