Audio-Technica’s Affordable Bluetooth Studio Headphones Are Legit
I’ve been a fan of Audio-Technica’s headphone products for a long time. Their venerable M50X’s are still stalwarts of both the production and enthusiast worlds, even though their many years on the market have not been totally kind to their public perception.
The M50X’s much cheaper cousins, the M20X’s, have quietly racked up thousands of sales thanks to their low price and relatively easy-to-stomach sound signature. They’re good headphones to throw in a production kit, or quickly check some audio for flaws…and not the worst thing ever if you just want to listen to some music. I reviewed them five years ago, and weirdly enjoyed how they seemed like a coiled spring that just wanted to crunch themselves down into a ball in my hand.
Audio companies have chased after the ever-growing wireless market for many years now, and Audio-Technica successfully broke in with the more expensive M50XBT’s. I wasn’t as positive on the original release of those as some other critics, because I didn’t totally love that they tweaked down the strident upper midrange that helped make the original pair so popular and polarizing. They’ve since released a version two, which added a better amplifier and some EQ modes, alongside better mics — but…
