Audio-Technica ATH-M20XBT Wireless Headphones

Product Information

For example, you should be easily able to hear truck engines, bus engines, and other large vehicles around you, but higher pitched cafe noise or tire noise won’t really impact your music listening all that much. Everything feels hard-wearing and robust and like it will be capable of lasting a long time; indeed, I am not foreseeing the headband to be the first point of failure. drivers, equipped with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils, are optimised for improved low-frequency performance. In our original review of the M20x a few years ago, our biggest complaint was that the cable was not user replaceable.

There’s only so much you can expect from less expensive headphones, and sound quality is usually one of the first tradeoffs to make. The string section towards the conclusion of Jennifer Warnes’ “Ballad of the Runaway Horse” made for a serene listen. Meanwhile the sizable earcups host 40mm drivers with rare-earth magnets, and these deliver what we must declare to be wonderful sound for the money.

The bassline in Foghat’s “Slow Ride” thrums along nicely, making its presence known without getting in the way. However, the M-series headphones have been around for decades without too many changes because they have a very reliable and decent design. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as descr On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the headphones offer excellent low-frequency response—the powerful sub-bass sounds robust, but never overpowers the mix or the balance with the highs. The ATH-M20xBT headphones are available only in black, and the Audio-Technica logo appears prominently in reflective metallic paint on the top of the headband.

Audio-Technica has presumably enjoyed success bringing its ATH-M50x headphones out of the studio and onto the street by adding Bluetooth to their traditional cabled operation; those reached a Mk2 version a couple of years ago and have been receiving the colour variations which the company has regularly applied to special editions of the original studio versions.

Unlike some of the higher end options on the market, the Audio-Technica ATH-M20XBT does not have capacitive touch controls or gesture controls. With no noise-cancelling available we found it harder to enjoy the wireless MT20x over the uncancelled rumble of a bus engine drone, which masked their bass to leave us listening only to the midrange and upper frequencies, along with chattering from the back of the bus. Clad almost completely in matte black, the Audio-Technica ATH-M20XBT isn’t winning any beauty pageants.

However, comfort issues mean you’ll likely want to avoid extended listening sessions, while ineffective sound isolation makes them a poor choice for commuting. While these may not include noise cancelling, I did find that the secure fit meant the sound isolation was pretty good.Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear. Enjoy a sonic signature tuned to reflect our ATH-M20x wired studio monitor headphones wherever you go! My toddler’s screams for attention, along with family chatter and iPhone ringers were all discernible. Enjoy up to 60 hours of continuous usage on a full charge, with an additional 3 hours of use available after a quick 10-minute charge via USB-C connection.