Audio-Technica M-Series ATH-M50xBT2

The ATH-M50XBT2 brings the beloved M50x studio sound to a wireless format with a 50-hour battery and a dedicated DAC. Sound quality is the star here, landing well above average, but call quality is a serious weak point. At around $200, you're trading features like ANC and comfort for audio fidelity. Great for music lovers, bad for office workers.

The sound quality here sits in the 82nd percentile across our database, which translates to 'really good, but not quite top-tier.' The 45mm drivers deliver the clarity the M50x line is famous for. You get a wide soundstage for closed-back headphones, and the bass response is accurate rather than overwhelming. The dedicated AK4331 DAC helps preserve detail that cheaper Bluetooth chipsets tend to smear. In real-world listening, tracks with dense instrumentation stay separated and clean. You'll hear the texture of a bass string, not just the note.

Battery life is a genuine highlight at 50 hours, landing in the 86th percentile. That's enough to forget your charging cable on a week-long trip and still be fine. The low latency mode works as advertised for video and casual gaming, keeping lipsync issues to a minimum. But the mic performance is a weak spot, sitting in the 20th percentile. In quiet rooms it's passable, but in any kind of background noise, callers will know you're on a wireless headset. The beamforming mics try their best, but the results are mediocre at best.

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 is the most direct threat here. It offers better build quality, superior comfort, and active noise cancellation that actually works. But it also costs more, and some listeners prefer the more analytical A-T sound signature over Sennheiser's warmer tuning. If you want a premium all-rounder and can stretch your budget, the MOMENTUM 4 is hard to beat.

The Sony ULT WEAR WHULT900N/B comes in at a similar price and takes the opposite approach. It's all about bass, with a dedicated ULT button that cranks up the low end to ridiculous levels. It also has solid ANC and better mics. The Audio-Technica is for people who find that kind of bass boost offensive. And the Apple AirPods Max sit in a completely different price bracket, but they're worth mentioning because they dominate on build quality and ecosystem integration. If you're deep in the Apple world and have the cash, the A-Ts won't tempt you away.

Pricing on these is a bit of a moving target, but you'll typically find them between $185 and $225. For the sound quality you're getting, that's a fair deal. The dedicated DAC and amp circuitry isn't something you find in every wireless headphone at this price, and the 50-hour battery is genuinely impressive. You're paying for audio performance first, and everything else second.

The value proposition gets trickier when you look at what the competition offers. Several competitors in this range include active noise cancellation and better mics. But if your priority is pure sound quality in a wireless package, the ATH-M50XBT2 delivers where it counts. Just know that you're trading features like ANC and call clarity for that audio fidelity.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M50XBT2 is basically the wireless version of one of the most recommended studio headphones of the last decade. If you've ever asked a friend 'what headphones should I get for music production,' there's a good chance they pointed you toward the wired M50x. Now you get that same DNA with Bluetooth 5.0, a 50-hour battery, and a much-needed upgrade to the internal electronics. It's a clear play for people who want the M50x sound signature without being tethered to their desk.

Who's this for? Honestly, it's for the music-first listener. The scoring here tells a pretty clear story. Music and studio use cases land in the mid-to-high 40s out of 100, which is solid for this category, while calls score a rough 22.5. That's not a typo. If you spend half your day on Zoom, these are not the headphones you're looking for. But if you want to hear every little detail in a mix, or just enjoy your playlist with the kind of clarity that reveals bad mastering jobs, you're in the right place.

Audio-Technica didn't just slap Bluetooth onto the old model and call it a day. They added a dedicated AK4331 DAC and amp inside, which is a nice touch at this price. The 45mm drivers are the same large-aperture design the series is known for, and the frequency response aims for that flat, accurate studio sound with a bit of a bass kick. It's a purposeful tuning, not a bass-cannon party trick. And with multipoint connectivity, you can switch between your phone and laptop without the usual Bluetooth wrestling match.

If you take a lot of calls or meetings, skip these without a second thought. The mic quality is simply not competitive, and you'll frustrate everyone on the other end of the line. Look at the Sony ULT WEAR or even the JBL Tune 670NC if calls matter and you want to stay in this price range.

Commuters and travelers should also think twice. The lack of ANC means you'll be cranking the volume to overcome bus and plane noise, and the below-average comfort score suggests they'll get fatiguing on long journeys. The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 or Technics EAH-A800 are much better travel companions, though they cost more. And if you're rough on your gear, the build quality here won't inspire confidence. The plasticky construction and 37th percentile build score suggest these belong on a desk, not tossed in a backpack daily.

For the music purist on a budget, the ATH-M50XBT2 makes a lot of sense. You're getting the trusted M50x sound signature with the freedom of Bluetooth and a battery that just won't quit. The dedicated DAC is a real differentiator at this price, and the low latency mode makes these usable for casual video watching. If you mostly listen at home or in controlled environments, these will serve you well.

But if you need a headset for calls, or you commute on noisy trains, look elsewhere. The mic quality is a dealbreaker for office use, and the lack of ANC means you'll hear plenty of the world around you. The build and comfort scores also suggest these aren't the most luxurious things to wear for hours on end. For pure music enjoyment, they're a solid pick. For everything else, they're a compromise.