After much deliberation, Googling, reading of reviews, and a run to MicroCenter to try out the wired Audio-Technica M50x headphones, I bought these on the 14th when they initially went on sale.
They’re great. If you are in need of some decent headphones, I strongly recommend buying these. The following is a rundown of my experience.
The following codecs are supported: aptX, AAC, and SBC. The best performance and quality that can be had with these is aptX. LDAC and aptX HD are not available when using these headphones (and likely will not be given their price point).
These headphones ship running firmware version 1001. At the time of this comment, 1003 is available. It can only be installed via Bluetooth and by way of the “Connect” app from your Android or iOS device. Using an Android device, the total time to install the update took me about 10 minutes.
You can read more on the firmware update process here: https://blog.audio-technica.com/audio-solutions-question-of-the-week-how-do-i-update-the-firmware-on-my-headphones-with-the-audio-technica-connect-app/
The battery life on these appears to be great so far. I’ve used them for a few hours now in wireless mode and the battery has only fallen to 95%. As a note, so far, Android itself has not correctly reported the battery life percentage. It continues to report it as 100% in the System UI so I’ve instead monitored it using the Connect app. I don’t know if this is a bug in Android or elsewhere.
The headphones can only be paired with one device at a time, and have to be unpaired from one to pair with another. This is may or may not be bothersome to some users depending on your use case.
The headphones can be completely powered off and used as normal headphones with the included cable. It’s a standard 3.5mm cable with an in-line microphone affixed to it. The length appears to be just over 1 meter so don’t expect to travel to far from whatever you’re using if you choose to go the wired route. When wired, audio quality is exceptional and sounds fairly comparable to it’s namesake.
Range appears to be pretty good. I’ve tested them whilst walking from room to room in my home without any dropout.
For charging, likely due to costs and a target price point, Audio-Technica used a USB 2.0 micro-B connector. If you still have any such cables laying around, hold on to them because the cable Audio-Technica included is maybe all of 1 foot in length (without actually measuring it).
The touch controls are fairly competent and easy to use. It also can activate your assistant by touching the left headset for 2 seconds. I personally find this is a bit of a slow way to activate an assistant as I can more quickly do so from my phone itself.
Finally, these are not active noise cancelling headphones. This may or may not be of import to you depending on your use case.
A list of some other reviews:
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT review - SoundGuys
- https://www.cnet.com/reviews/audio-technica-ath-m50xbt-review/
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT review | What Hi-Fi?
- Audio-Technica M50xBT review: better beats - The Verge
Also, RTINGS has a strong technical breakdown - though it is strongly focused on the Bluetooth performance. Check their review of the M50x for a closer (though not 1:1) take on wired performance.
Nice breakdown, papa! I own these, bought them at full price with a $50 gift card. I think I may have still paid more than this. Was bummed out when I saw the price here. Did a ton of research within audio communities on the quality and everyone seems to hold this line of headphones in high regard (the audiophiles seem to like the older wired-only version a bit more, but all agree this wireless version is a very good option).
Bottom line, I absolutely love these headphones. Wireless capability is great. I use them for indulging in tunes and to connect to my sound system to watch tv when wife is asleep. I can get up and walk to the kitchen without losing connection. Most important part for me is the volume can be controlled from the headphones, as my sound system cannot adjust Bluetooth headphone volume. Sometimes the audio does not sync up perfectly, but that could be my sound system’s fault. It’s fine on my phone/laptop.
I really do love these. I just get lost in the music sometimes.
Strongly considering buying another pair for the lady, and surprised they aren’t sold out yet!