Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Notice: We're proud to introduce Test Bench 2.0, which overhauls our audio measurements, with new tests and usages. There's even a brand new multi-target graphing tool! You can read all about this in our changelog, featuring commentary from our Test Designer, Pierre.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x vs Audio-Technica ATH-M30x
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x
Audio-Technica ATH-M30x
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Mar 26, 2025 02:56 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.3.1
Updated Jan 15, 2024 02:50 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicNo
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicNo
Variants
- ATH-M40x (Black)
- ATH-M30x
Our Verdict
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x
Audio-Technica ATH-M30x
The Audio-Technica ATH-M40x are better headphones for a neutral sound than the Audio-Technica ATH-M30x from the same lineup. The biggest difference is that the M40x is definitely more neutral in the treble range, where the M30x lack a lot of detail and brightness. The M40x also come with a nice coiled cable, but other than that, they're very similar.
Check Price
Black
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comBlack
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comBlack
ATH-M40x
SEARCH
LG.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEARCH
Samsung.comMain Differences forMixed Usage
Mixed Usage
Threshold
Mixed Usage
5.7
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
No
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.55 lbs
0.47 lbs
Clamping Force
1.1 lbs
1.01 lbs
Controls
0.0
0.0
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
No Controls
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
No Controls
N/A
Feedback
No Controls
N/A
Call/Music Control
No
No
Volume Control
No
No
Microphone Control
No
N/A
Channel Mixing
No
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control
No
N/A
Talk-Through
No
N/A
Additional Controls
No
N/A
Breathability
6.2
6.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
6.5 °C
6.4 °C
Portability
5.9
6.0
Portability Picture
L
5.1" (13.0 cm)
4.72"
W
6.5" (16.5 cm)
6.5"
H
3.5" (9.0 cm)
3.35"
Volume
111.20 in³ (1,822.23 cm³)
102.76 in³
Transmitter Required
No
N/A
Case
6.5
6.5
Case Picture
Type
Pouch
Pouch
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
7.0
6.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
6.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
0.33 dB
-0.89 dB
Treble Amount
-0.15 dB
-1.46 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
7.0
7.9
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.62 dB
0.42 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Raw FR L
Raw FR L
Raw FR R
Raw FR R
Bass Accuracy
7.2
8.9
Std. Err.
4.35 dB
1.6 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
16.82 Hz
17.82 Hz
Low-Bass
1.61 dB
0.94 dB
Mid-Bass
4.54 dB
1.56 dB
High-Bass
6.09 dB
-0.09 dB
Mid Accuracy
8.4
8.5
Std. Err.
2.15 dB
1.99 dB
Low-Mid
0.4 dB
-1.15 dB
Mid-Mid
0.69 dB
0.68 dB
High-Mid
3.13 dB
2.04 dB
Treble Accuracy
8.0
4.9
Treble
Treble
Std. Err.
2.97 dB
6.04 dB
Low-Treble
1.42 dB
-1.24 dB
Mid-Treble
2.67 dB
-3.8 dB
High-Treble
0.32 dB
0.92 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.3
6.1
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.67 dB
2.37 dB
Dips
1.44 dB
3.03 dB
Imaging
7.9
8.9
Phase Response
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.33
0.29
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.27
4.09
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.76
0.29
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.17
1.46
Passive Soundstage
6.0
4.6
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
1.56 dB
2.93 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.72 dB
1.08 dB
PRTF Distance
7.21 dB
8.06 dB
Openness
5.6
5.0
Acoustic Space Excitation
4.2
3.5
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No App
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
6.9
7.5
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.300
0.251
WHD @ 100
0.542
0.175
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
Power
Passive
Connection
Wired
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
No Microphone
Isolation
Noise Isolation
4.2
4.8
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-11.21 dB
-11.97 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
-0.09 dB
0.39 dB
Mid
-9.09 dB
-8.66 dB
Treble
-25.22 dB
-28.35 dB
Leakage
6.4
7.2
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
43.12 dB
38.19 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
N/A
In-Line
No
N/A
Boom
No
N/A
Detachable Boom
No
N/A
Mic
No
No
Recording Quality
0.0
0.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
N/A
N/A
LFE
N/A
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
N/A
HFE
N/A
N/A
Weighted THD
N/A
N/A
Gain
N/A
N/A
Noise Handling
0.0
0.0
SpNR
SpNR
N/A
N/A
Noise Gate
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
N/A
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
N/A
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
N/A
N/A
Active Features
Battery
0.0
0.0
Battery Type
No Battery
N/A
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
No
N/A
Audio While Charging
No
N/A
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
N/A
Charging Port
None
N/A
App Support
0.0
0.0
App Picture
App Name
No App
N/A
iOS
No
N/A
Android
No
N/A
macOS
No
N/A
Windows
No
N/A
Equalizer
No
N/A
ANC Control
No
N/A
Mic Control
No
N/A
Room Effects
No
N/A
Playback Control
No
N/A
Button Mapping
No
N/A
Surround Sound
N/A
Surround Support
No
Connectivity
Bluetooth
0.0
0.0
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
No
N/A
NFC Pairing
No
N/A
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (SBC)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
N/A
Android Latency
N/A
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
9.5
9.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
No
Length
10.11 ft (3.08 m)
10 ft
Connection
1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
N/A
USB Input
No
N/A
Line In
No
N/A
Line Out
No
N/A
Optical Input
No
N/A
RCA Input
No
N/A
Dock Charging
No
N/A
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
N/A
Check Price
Black
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comBlack
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comBlack
ATH-M40x
SEARCH
LG.comStandard
ATH-M30x
SEARCH
Samsung.com
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x
Audio-Technica ATH-M30x
Comments
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x vs Audio-Technica ATH-M30x: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.