Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2

Broad agreement: balanced and close to neutral, with a gentle warm lift in the bass, and owners mostly agree. RTINGS measures it as less boomy than the gen-1 M50xBT. Comparisons with the wired M50x split: GearUP hears it gone almost neutral, while StereoNET, Mixdown and a 2026 Reddit owner hear almost no difference. StereoNET notes a 'cheeky' mid-bass hump, and Les Numériques measures a subtle W shape.

“Their sound profile is very neutral and not as boomy or bass-heavy as the original Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT.”

RTINGS

“The basic sound of the second generation is characterised by an excellent balance with a very clean, pure sound image, which merely has a subtle, warm finish.”

headphonecheck.com (Maike Paeßens)

“Sonically the faithful neutrality and cheeky mid/bass hump is still there.”

StereoNET (Matthew Jens)

Mostly liked, but reviewers disagree on how much there is. The largest group hears a controlled, tight low end with a small warm lift. MusicRadar, Guitar World, chuckolatte and a German owner hear a bump that's a bit too much or a little woolly, especially wired. Expert Reviews, Trusted Reviews and a returning Reddit owner want more sub-bass. RTINGS warns the bass changes with the seal, which helps explain the spread.

“Although the lower-frequency presentation has been slimmed down, the bass reproduction was still powerful, tight, crisp and as if from a unified source, with a fast, direct response.”

headphonecheck.com (Maike Paeßens)

“From a sonic perspective the over-ear design delivers solid bass which can at times feel a bit too much.”

MusicRadar (Jon Musgrave)

“While I thoroughly enjoyed how the M50xBT2 sounded, the default sound profile comes up a little short when dealing with big, bassy numbers.”

Expert Reviews (Andy White)

Mostly positive. Reviewers describe clear, natural, well-placed vocals in an even midrange. SoundGuys hears the mids as slightly underemphasized next to the bass, which matches the low-mid dip on RTINGS' graph.

“Their 45mm drivers don’t go overboard with boosted bass but instead favour a balanced presentation that gives the low-end, mids and treble an equal chance to shine.”

Expert Reviews (Andy White)

“The headset doesn’t quite have the oomph that you feel from a kick drum, but with the underemphasized mids, it’s easier to hear the bass than from a headset with a more platonic frequency response.”

SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)

Mostly clean, lively and fatigue-free. Guitar World hears chime and sparkle, headphonecheck energy without harshness, and Trusted Reviews more clarity than most rivals. SoundGuys reads it a few dB under its target. A minority hears sibilance: Les Numériques finds a hiss on voices, hi-hats and brass unpleasant, chuckolatte calls it 'a tad bit sibilant' on some tracks, and What Hi-Fi hears softened strings.

“But it never felt like a strain, and it was free of sharpness or harshness, meaning you can listen without fatigue.”

headphonecheck.com (Maike Paeßens)

“There was also heaps of clarity in the treble area, which gave our Fender blackface amp models the right amount of chime and sparkle.”

Guitar World (Chris Corfield)

“Le “chuintement” audible sur les voix, mais aussi sur d’autres instruments comme le charleston, le saxophone ou la trompette, n’est pas particulièrement agréable à l’écoute”

Les Numériques (Benoît Campion; FR: 'the audible hiss on voices, hi-hat, sax and trumpet isn't pleasant to listen to')

Sources split. RTINGS rates the passive soundstage poor, chuckolatte calls it 'definitely on the narrow side', and What Hi-Fi hears a 'closed' sound with little hall ambience on classical recordings. Les Numériques and headphonecheck find natural width and depth, wider than gen 1, and a 2025 Reddit owner calls it great for the price. What Hi-Fi itself hears both, depending on the recording. Trusted Reviews' middle view is that strong imaging makes up for a closed-back stage.

Near-unanimous praise. Panned instruments are distinct and well placed, and LaptopMag calls the imaging 'remarkable'. Several reviewers single it out as the BT2's best trait, and even chuckolatte, who finds the stage narrow, calls it exceptional at imaging.

“What I found most surprising was the ATH-M50xBT2’s stereo imaging. It’s remarkable.”

LaptopMag (Alex Bracetti)

“The ATH-M50xBT2 effectively relays the instrument’s separate panning for an immersive stereo experience.”

SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)

“This is down to their great imaging, which helps to make up for what you miss in a closed-back headphones — that true open soundstage of an open-back pair.”

Trusted Reviews (Andrew Williams)

Strong agreement that it resolves well for the price. Reviewers pick out small nuances such as cymbal taps, bass plucks and recording flaws, and Mixdown calls its reproduction surprisingly transparent.

“Overall, you hear everything on this headset, including some recording imperfections, which means lo-fi tracks retain all their charm.”

SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)

“Little sonic details resolve themselves well on the Audio-Technica ATH M50xBT2, the way you would expect on more pricey cans.”

Future Audiophile (Jerry Del Colliano)

Mostly positive. Reviewers find it energetic and well timed, with MusicRadar praising some of the best timing it has heard over Bluetooth, and GearUP notes very little distortion even at its limit. SoundGuys misses some kick-drum 'oomph', and MusicRadar notes Bluetooth gain is limited, so quiet sources need turning up.

“We found this last option delivered excellent results and some of the best timing we’ve had from Bluetooth headphones.”

MusicRadar (Jon Musgrave)

“On the subject of Bluetooth, there isn’t limitless onboard gain available, and we found it important to have a healthy source signal level.”

MusicRadar (Jon Musgrave)

Sources split along fit and session length. Most find it comfortable for hours, including RTINGS, headphonecheck (which hears less heat than gen 1), Trusted Reviews, GearUP and Stiftung Warentest. A persistent minority reports the old M50x problems: a tight clamp that pinches after an hour (worse with glasses), pleather pads that run hot, and shallow cups that let the ear touch the driver grille. One Reddit owner gave up after 15 minutes with two pairs. StereoNET notes the clamp loosens if the headband is stretched over books.

Sources split almost exactly in half, and the split is real. Studio and DJ reviewers (MusicRadar, StereoNET, Guitar World, headphonecheck, What Hi-Fi) find the firm seal blocks out a room well. RTINGS measured poor isolation against low-frequency engine and bus rumble, and Trusted Reviews, SoundGuys and Les Numériques found it weak outdoors. Two things widen the gap. There is no ANC to cover the bass, and the mic's sidetone (ambient pass-through) is on by default and can only be turned off in the app, which owners on Reddit found defeats the seal.

Sources split between reviewers and owners. The press calls it solid: What Hi-Fi rates the build top-notch, Trusted Reviews expects it to survive drops, Expert Reviews calls the hinges extremely solid, and Stiftung Warentest rates durability 'very good'. Owners and video reviewers who lived with it report another side: thin, hollow plastics (Future Audiophile, GearUP), creaking hinges, a loose 3.5 mm socket, pleather that flakes after two or three years, broken folding joints, freezing, Bluetooth hiss on some units, and reconnection glitches. Amazon's durability, reliability and Bluetooth-connectivity mentions all run net negative. The battery is the uncontested strength: RTINGS measures more than 60 hours and SoundGuys nearly 65. The app's EQ caps LDAC at 48 kHz, and opinion on the mic is split.

Broadly good, with the usual sale prices helping. Reviewers call it excellent for the money, and SoundGuys and Trusted Reviews put its music performance level with pricier ANC flagships. The caveat everyone raises is that, at full price, the lack of ANC is a real gap for a wireless headphone. Owners are cooler (Amazon value mentions run 49 positive to 31 negative), mostly because of durability.

“Anyone who wants an excellent-sounding headset for less than $200 USD should try the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2.”

SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)

“They have no active noise cancellation, which a significant hole in a wireless headphone's feature list these days.”

Trusted Reviews (Andrew Williams)

“the soft plastic material on the headphones themselves doesn't last more than 2/3 years and starts peeling and flaking all over the place, making them seem not worth the price.”

Amazon customer review (3★)