Audio-Technica ATH-5
The Audio-Technica ATH-5 is a moving-coil dynamic stereophone that appears in period equipment directories from the late 1970s and early 1980s, but almost nothing else about it has survived in the record. What the directories do tell us is consistent: the ATH-5 was a dynamic design with a frequency response of 20–20,000 Hz and a sensitivity of 96 dB SPL at 1 kHz, with impedance rated at 4–16 ohms.
Pricing in the period sources is where things get a little interesting. HiFI-Stereo listed the ATH-5 at $80 in its 1980 directory (p.36).
Beyond those directory listings, the documentation goes quiet. No design philosophy, no production context, no reviews, and no owner reports have surfaced. The ATH-5 appears to have been a straightforward mid-range dynamic headphone from Audio-Technica’s late-1970s lineup, sold alongside the cheaper ATH-1 and the more elaborate ATH-6 electret model. If you have a pair, a manual, or any period advertising for the ATH-5, the archive would welcome the details.
- Type: Moving-coil dynamic stereophone
- Frequency response: 20–20,000 Hz
- Sensitivity: 96 dB SPL at 1 kHz
- Impedance: 4–16 ohms
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