New Audio-Technica M50xBT2 headphones add new features, retain iconic design

By Andy Boxall August 18, 2021

Audio-Technica has announced the ATH-M50xBT2 Bluetooth headphones. An update to the first-generation ATH-M50xBT launched in 2018, they continue to share the iconic design made popular by the original wired M50 headphones, which have long been a staple sight in recording studios since release in 2007. For this new pair Audio-Technica has updated, rather than drastically altered, the features and technology inside.

Audio Technica ATH M50xBT2 worn on head.

On the audio side support for the AAC and LDAC codecs has been added, increasing the headphones versatility, but there’s no mention of AptX in the press release, which was a feature on the M50xBT. A low latency mode for gaming and video has been added and is controlled through an accompanying app, which also has the option to select your voice assistant of choice. The headphones support Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. Also in the app is an adjustable equalizer and a find-my-headphone feature.

There’s great news on the battery side, which was a downside of the first M50xBT Bluetooth headphones. Gone is the Micro USB and in comes a USB Type-C connection, and total use time has been increased to about 50 hours on a single charge, which takes about three hours. There’s also a 10-minute fast charge feature for three hours of use. This is a considerable improvement over the seven hours charge time of the originals. A 4-foot-long (1.2-meter) 3.5mm headphone cable is included.

Audio Technica ATH M50xBT2 held in hand.

Dual beam-forming microphones have been added for clearer calls, plus a single button now mutes calls. It joins other hardware buttons for the volume, music, and voice assistant access. The ATH-M50xBT2 can connect to two different devices at the same time using Bluetooth, and there’s Google Fast Pair onboard to make connecting to an Android phone quick and easy. These new features join the standard, custom-designed 45mm drivers and AK4331 onboard audio DAC, which carry over from the first generation M50xBT.

Audio-Technica has not drastically altered the price of the ATH-M50xBT2 compared to the older models either. You’ll pay $199 or 180 British pounds for them, and they are available to purchase through Audio-Technica’s own online store from August 18.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Audio / Video

Apple AirPlay 2 supports 24-bit lossless audio, but you can’t use it

An Apple AirPlay icon hovering above an Apple HomePod speaker.

Apple's wireless platform for audio and video streaming -- AirPlay -- is one of the best ways to play music from an Apple device to a wireless speaker. When at home, on a Wi-Fi network, it outperforms Bluetooth thanks to its wider bandwidth. The conventional wisdom has always been that AirPlay sets a hard limit on audio quality: iPhones and other Apple devices can only transmit lossless CD-quality audio, at 16-bit/44.1kHz, to an AirPlay-enabled speaker, leaving the technology incapable of supporting the higher-res streams now being offered by Apple Music and others. But it seems that AirPlay can actually do 24-bit audio. Sort of.

The new second-gen HomePod, which Apple released in January, can stream lossless 24-bit/48kHz audio directly from Apple Music, using its own Wi-Fi connection to the internet. This isn't news: Apple added 24-bit lossless playback (via Apple's ALAC codec) to the first-gen HomePod and HomePod mini in 2021, along with Dolby Atmos support.

Audio / Video

Sony’s 2023 AV receivers are Sonos-ready and work with wireless speakers

Sony STR-AN1000 AV receiver.

Sony has seriously upped its AV receiver (AVR) game for 2023. With the introduction of its STR-AN1000 and four new ES-series models, Sony has added support for Sonos and compatibility with the same wireless speakers and subwoofers that are used to augment Sony's HT-A Series soundbars. These are also the first Sony AVRs to support 8K. The new models start at $900 for the STR-AN1000 and go as high as $3,300 for the flagship STR-AZ7000ES. They'll be available later this spring.

These AVRs are absolutely packed with features, which we'll get into in a moment, but they've also received several new hardware changes that aren't going to be immediately apparent just by reading the specs. The STR-AN1000 gets a new chassis and subchassis, a new large capacitor transformer, a new digital circuit board, new power supply capacitors, a new preamp integrated circuit that Sony says it developed exclusively for these AVRs, and finally, a new 32-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The ES Series go further, with all of those new elements, plus an updated heat sink, new high-power capacitors, and lead-free solder.

Audio / Video

Netflix expands its spatial audio, number of devices that can download content

Netflix app icon on Apple TV.

Netflix Premium subscribers are getting an enhancement to their service starting today. The streaming company has increased the number of devices that can download content for offline viewing from four to six. It's also expanding the spatial audio feature it launched in 2022, making spatial audio available on its top 700 titles. The new features are included in the current price of a Premium plan.

Spatial audio on Netflix is similar to Dolby Atmos -- it creates a much more immersive, 3D-like audio experience where sounds feel like they're moving independently of the rest of the soundtrack. However, unlike Dolby Atmos, Netflix's spatial audio can be experienced on any device that has stereo speakers whether they are Dolby Atmos-capable or not.