Pros
- Flexible and comfortable design approach
- Lightweight form factor allows daily use convenience
- Good battery backup on a full charge
- Clean audio profile
Cons
- Misses out on ANC
- Bit expensive despite no ANC feature
There has been a rapid trend with modernization in the tech industry and the audio brands aren’t left out. We have witnessed wireless tech being incorporated even with affordable products in the current market scenario which previously was limited to high-end flagship products. Equal contribution from the pioneers in this market have helped with this transition.
This brings us to one of the latest products from Audio Technica that we got to review at Giznext. An over-the-ear headphone with around Rs. 18,490, the Audio Technica ATH-M50XBT2 comes as a premium option for audiophiles in the country. But does this headphone pair has the price justified with its performance delivery? Here’s what we think after its thorough testing:
Audio Technica ATH-M50XBT2 Design: Wearing Comfort Prioritized
If you look at the overall design language, the Audio Technica ATH-M50XBT2 boasts a professional appeal that seems apt for studio use. What majorly impressed us with the design is not just the looks but also the build.
The plastic body construction is of good quality despite the pair being lightweight. You don’t find the build quality flimsy at any point rather it’s a robust over-the-ear headphones that snug-fits making it an ideal daily-use gadget.
And if you are someone, who have an eye for subtle yet trendy looking headphones, the ATH-M50XBT2 will surely get your attention. The grooved Audio Technica label on the earcups improves its aesthetics.
The large earcups with soft padding allows a comfortable wearing experience despite prolonged usage. You can simply put these pair on an forget while continuing with your chores. The comfortable wearing is aided by a good grip which limits the headphones from falling off the head.
The ATH-MX50XBT2 essentially borrows its design cues from its predecessor, i.e., the ATH-MX50BT. Practicality is enhanced with the rotatable earcups which accommodates physical control keys and ports.You’ll find all the controls on the left earcup which include the power key sandwiched in between the volume rockers.
The headphones also offer a 3.5 mm headphone jack for wired connectivity. Now, this is one useful feature that comes handy under different circumstances. This variant gets a USB Type-C charging port unlike the microUSB port as the previous-gen model. Lastly, there is a dedicated digital voice assistant key using which you can give voice commands for different controls.
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Sound Performance
Audio Technica ATH-MX50BT2’s default sound stage would come as a pleasant experience for the audiophiles with a taste of varied music flavors. It has a balanced audio output where none of the frequencies topple over each other which is the case with several stereophonic and studio-headsets.
The lows, mids, and highs are proportionate with which these headphones produce a neutral yet refined audio. It isn’t a flat sounding pair and you won’t fond shrilling audios at the higher frequencies. Coming to the biggest question, how’s the bass performance? Well, expect a smooth and soft bass flow instead of thumping bass.
It’s the large snug fit ear cups that you can give credit for blocking out the background noises during playback. The ATH-MX50BT2 comes void of ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) but does a good job with passive noise blockage. There is some audio leak at the highest volume levels but nothing super concerning.
Now, that is sound signature is adequate for not just music playback but also for TV shows and movies. We had a good experience while binging on movies and shows at OTT platforms. Audio output with video playback from local directory is also the same. These headphones turns out to be treat while gaming; specifically FPS and racing games. Some of the titles we played while using this audio kept us hooked to the screen.
If you are one of those solid bass heads, then you will have to tune the equalizer settings as per your audio preferences. We’ll like to highlight the fact that the audio muffling and distortion is least of concern while using the ATH-M50BT2 wireless headphones. That’s even when you tune up the volume to max levels.
Summing it up, we have had a great time listening to the ATH-MX50BT2 and this pair gets our recommendation for serious audiophiles. That’s specifically considering it misses out on ANC (Active Noise cancelation).
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Pairing, App Features, And Calling Experience
The Audio Technica ATH-MX50BT2 isn’t really a feature-loaded pair. However, it does pack necessary set of modern features that aids with its convenient usage. One of such options is the Google Fast Pair tech with which it takes just jiffies to pair up with compatible devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs, laptops, and PCs. We didn’t encounter any pairing issue rather the entire experience has been smooth each time.
The ATH-MX50BT2 headphones comes with Audio Technica Connect app compatibility. Besides general audio and equalizer tweaks, you can toggle between the different audio codecs and also enable or disable low latency mode. Calling experience is good with the sound quality being refined throughout the calls for both the caller and the receiver.
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Battery Backup
Audio Technica claims around 50 hours backup per charge with the ATH-MX50BT2. During our testing, these claims seems accurate when the audio levels are lower. If you boost up the volume levels over 80 percent, expect a significant drop. Still the backup doesn’t drop down below 40 hours. So, if your usage requirements are extensive, the ATH-MX50BT2 will live up to your expectations.
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Final Verdict
The Audio Technica with a price range under Rs. 20,000 tags itself in the premium category where it gets Sony and Sennheiser as its prime contenders. With it missing out on crucial feature like ANC, it does take a hit from the rivals. However, its rugged and comfortable build along with the rich and wide soundstage comes as its savior. At no given point, you feel the audio quality getting compromised. It keeps on delivering the same refined and consistent output which one expects from a flagship-grade headphone.
