Audio Technica has launched the ATH AL5NC, marking its first official entry into the wireless open back headphone market. Priced at $279, the model packs 53mm drivers and delivers up to 75 hours of battery life while prioritizing natural acoustic staging over passive isolation. It is available now and ships with a 1.2m auxiliary cable and a protective carry pouch.
Most consumer wireless headphones rely on closed earcups to seal sound in and block ambient noise during daily commutes. Audio Technica took the opposite route here by letting air pass freely through the earcups and driver housing. The company explained that allowing external airflow directly through the housing delivers clear physical benefits during extended listening sessions.
This design creates a wide, airy soundstage that feels far less cramped than conventional closed cans. Clamping pressure on the skull is minimal, which helps prevent head fatigue over long listening sessions. The clear trade off is sound leakage. Because the earcups remain open, the headphones let in background noise and will leak audio into quiet office spaces or public transit.
Audio delivery relies on large 53mm dynamic drivers engineered for wide frequency response. Wireless playback supports 24 bit 96kHz high resolution sound via the Sony LDAC codec, alongside standard AAC and SBC streaming codecs for broad phone compatibility. Bluetooth multipoint support is built into the chip, letting you pair the headphones to 2 devices simultaneously so you can jump from laptop video calls to phone audio without reentering pairing menus.
Battery performance is rated at up to 75 hours on a full charge. If the battery runs low, a quick 15 minute top up over USB Type C gives you 8 hours of listening time. The Audio Technica CONNECT mobile app lets owners customize equalizer curves, choose specific audio codecs, and trigger a low latency gaming mode. The app also includes custom noise reduction toggles and a leakage reduction setting to help limit audio bleed when people are sitting nearby.
