Audio Technica ATH-M50xBT2 nomadic headset test: a hair’s breadth away from excellence – les Numériques

Freshly launched in this fall of 2021, the ATH-M50xBT2 carries with it the heritage of the M50 line and is positioned as the standard bearer of the audio know-how of the Japanese brand to the general public in the mobile Bluetooth headset market. . It therefore comes as no surprise that Audio Technica is highlighting the history of this range to stand out: “studio” sound combined with an “exhilarating wireless listening experience” are the first arguments put forward.

This “v2” does not bring real changes on the acoustic level, all the innovations focusing on improving the experience of using the headset: multipoint connection, USB-C port, better call quality, battery life even more generous, compatibility with the LDAC codec, smartphone application to extend the possibilities of customization… and all this without seeing the marketing price increase. On the contrary, the M50xBT2 is marketed at € 199, which is € 20 less than its predecessor when it was launched.

All the ingredients seem to come together to make this ATH-M50xBT2 a very good nomadic headset, and this is what we will try to verify during this test …

The ATH-M50xBT2 is strictly identical to its predecessors in terms of design. Capitalizing again and again on its “studio / monitoring” heritage, these headphones are therefore functional, at the risk of not being the most elegant and discreet there is. There is not much that can be criticized for the overall robustness and handling: the arch resists torsions without flinching and the hinges allow both an ultra generous pivot of the ear cups as well on the horizontal axis than vertical, while allowing the latter to fold towards the arch.

The “rough” and massive aspect of the ATH-M50xBT2 – as well as the small “bulldog” effect of the imitation leather coating of the arch when the helmet is worn – will not be to everyone’s liking, however. From a purely objective point of view, it would still have been good to rework the finishes a little more for this version, especially at the joints.

Without being abundant, the list of accessories is in line with what one would expect from a headset of this ilk: no hard case, but a flexible carrying pouch is provided to accommodate the headset and its two detachable cables. (a small USB-C to USB-A cable and a mini-jack cable of about 1.2 m).

Without fundamental change in design, the ATH-M50xBT2 thus provides the same comfort experience as its predecessor. The fairly impressive size of the Audio Technica headphones is never felt on the head: the weight of the headphones (310 g) is very well balanced, as are the pressure points and clamping effects which, moreover, remain discreet. The generous deployment of the notched arch of the helmet allows the latter to find its place without any problem on the head, large or small.

The atria do not leave a monster room to house his ears, but it remains sufficient in terms of width and height. The good thickness of the pads allows a pleasant contact, failing to let the ears breathe. The place in depth is a little tight and it is not uncommon for the pavilion of the ear, in particular at the level of the helix, is pressed a little against the grille protecting the loudspeaker. Fortunately, this element is protected by a soft fabric covering, and it is therefore rare that one experiences discomfort at this level.

As we mentioned in the presentation of this test, the second version of this ATH-M50xBT is largely justified by numerous ergonomic changes which make the helmet very pleasant to use on a daily basis.

The handling is childish. Many alerts are integrated to guide the user. Unless you are absolutely anglophobic – vocal aids are only offered in English – beginners will have no trouble finding their way around. The headset houses a line of 4 mechanical buttons that provide access to all the essential controls, and even a little more: the circular button is in fact dedicated to waking up the voice assistant of the smartphone, and can even serve as a shortcut to interact with Amazon Alexa, since the headset displays advanced compatibility with this assistant. As was the case on the previous model, we can still point out the few difficulties in sometimes differentiating certain buttons from each other, but the circular button that appeared on this model is still used as a guide to find the right button more instinctively.

For those who want to go further, Audio Technica has some nice surprises in store with its Audio Technica Connect application (iOS / Android). This gives us the pleasure of offering a whole range of relevant features and advanced settings while maintaining a simple and intuitive interface. There are the classic indications of battery level, volume, some user guides, the ability to locate your headphones more easily or to select the Bluetooth codec (SBC, AAC or LDAC when the playback device allows it). . But that’s not all…

The application allows you to fine-tune more or less the headphone volume adjustment (on 16, 32 or 64 levels): a delicate attention which avoids certain frustrations. The frequency response of the headphones is customizable with varying degrees of finesse: beginners have a few built-in presets at their disposal, those more comfortable can experiment with the 5-band graphic EQ, while nerds audio can play with the more precise parameters offered by the Parametric EQ. Obviously very detail-oriented, Audio Technica has also placed a left / right balance control, an option to activate microphone sound feedback for calls, and a Low Latency mode, the relevance of which we will analyze later in this test. .

Like any good modern nomadic headset which respects itself, the ATH-M50xBT2 can obviously be used wirelessly via Bluetooth, the connection having shown absolutely no weakness during our testing period. To our pleasure, the multipoint function is introduced on this model and allows the headphones to simultaneously connect to two source devices. The headphones can also be used wired via mini-jack. A small regret is however to be noted at this level: the remote control and the microphone which were integrated on the cable supplied with the ATH-M50xBT are no longer, which limits the possibilities in passive / wired use (headset off).

No surprise when it comes to the sound performance of the ATH-M50xBT2 since it is extremely close to that of theATH-M50xBT first of the name. We advise you to read the test of the latter in order to get the most precise idea possible. In general terms, the headphones offer a great listening experience with a slightly flattering, but controlled signature, a very good reproduction of the soundstage, all combined with a respect for dynamics and very satisfactory timbre. There are only a few minor flaws in the precision, sometimes causing some confusion problems, which prevent it from claiming the final note.

Indeed, without any user intervention on the EQ of the application – and de facto also in passive use -, the ATH-M50xBT2 opts for a relatively subtle W signature and which preserves the timbre of the instruments very conveniently. . It is in the extreme bass / bass that this sound coloring is felt above all: the bass has a warmer and rounder aspect. Fortunately, this enhancement never comes at the expense of higher frequencies. The extension in the lowest frequencies is always impeccable, the seat and the feeling of impact are very well transcribed.

Even if one would like more neutral bass (“drier” or more “flat”), which is now possible thanks to the EQ, the small lack of responsiveness of the speakers of the ATH-M50xBT series remains. Again. There is thus, after each attack, a more or less marked moment of floating before the membranes stabilize perfectly. This translates into slightly less chiseled impacts, small “resonances” (which also reinforce the roundness of the bass) and, on some very busy mixes, a little confusion in this area. The identification of certain instruments is not always as instinctive as expected, as is the case for example on the song. Pan by Plini: the hits of the bass tom, kick drum, bass notes, and even guitar at times, require a little more attention to be properly distinguished.

Although we touch here the domain of the very subtle, the intervention of the EQ allows to restore a little more balance in the mediums to perfect the reproduction of the timbres which, as we said, is already very good. As with the bass, this change in frequency order has no effect against the slight lack of precision that one still feels in the high-mids. The audible “hiss” on vocals, but also on other instruments such as the hi-hat, saxophone or trumpet, is not particularly pleasant to listen to and can even sometimes be slightly disturbing at a generous listening volume. , on pieces rich in harmonics (with electric guitars, very saturated vocals and very present cymbals, for example). Anyway, this does not fundamentally spoil the listening pleasure that the headphones provide and in particular the way in which they reproduce the soundstage: all the elements are positioned naturally, both in terms of width and width. depth, and it is easy to distinguish discrete sources and room effects (reverberation, echo).