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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Stereo Mismatch
    9. Group Delay
    10. Cumulative Spectral Decay
    11. PRTF
    12. Harmonic Distortion
    13. Electrical Aspects
    14. Virtual Soundstage
    15. Test Settings
    16. Imaging
    17. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
  5. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 23, 2025 01:00 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Feb 13, 2024 06:35 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Picture
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Studio
  3. Brands
  4. Audio-Technica

Variants

  • ATH-M50x (Black)
  • ATH-M50x (Gray)
  • ATH-M50x (Metallic Orange)
  • ATH-M50x (White)
  • A40 TR + MixAmp (PS4, MixAmp)
  • A40 TR + MixAmp (Xbox One, MixAmp)

Our Verdict

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017

For gaming, the Astro A40 TR + MixAmp Pro 2017 will be a better option than the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x thanks to the boom microphone and its dock, which offers plenty of controls. The Astro are also more comfortable and have a good app that lets you EQ their sound profile, though some users have experienced issues using it. The Astro are open-backs, so they’ll feel more open-sounding, but won’t be great for everyday casual use. However, the Audio-Technica are very versatile. Also, if you have a stand-alone microphone, the Audio-Technica can be a good choice for gaming if you want a balanced tuning.

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A40 TR + MixAmp
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A40 TR + MixAmp
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Metallic Orange
ATH-M50x
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.6
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

550 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Balanced (0 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

2 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-4.29 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Balanced (0 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Balanced
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.9
5.8

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

1.36 dB
1.03 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.7
7.2

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.3 dB
4.43 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

22.45 Hz
10 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-3.66 dB
1.7 dB

Mid Bass 
 

0.45 dB
5.01 dB

High Bass 
 

1.95 dB
5.99 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.8
8.7

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.69 dB
1.74 dB

Low Mid 
 

-2.43 dB
2.05 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.01 dB
0.13 dB

High Mid 
 

1.06 dB
0.58 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.1
6.9

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.43 dB
4.63 dB

Low Treble 
 

1.16 dB
-4.52 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-1.33 dB
-0.17 dB

High Treble 
 

-1.19 dB
-11.58 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
6.9

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.33 dB
2.12 dB

Dips 
 

2.18 dB
1.35 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

4.9

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.4 dB
0.16

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

2.0 dB
2.25

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

5.4°
5.69
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

1.9

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

2.6 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x CSD

PRTF 
 

7.1
7.6

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

2.43 dB
1.39 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

2.73 dB
3.76 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

13.24 dB
9.37 dB

Openness 
 

9.2

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

7.4
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

9.5

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.04%
0.388

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.11%
0.296
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

See details on graph tool

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

115.4 dB SPL

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Virtual Soundstage
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App
No

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware
Unknown

Power 
 

Passive
On

Connection 
 

Wired
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

No EQ
Default

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
Boom
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.7

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.17

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

5.4°
5.69

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.4 dB
0.16

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.0 dB
2.25
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.1

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.04%
0.388

WHD @ 100 
 

0.11%
0.296
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Design Picture 2
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-Ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
8.0

Comfort Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Comfort Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.65 lbs
0.83 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1 lbs
0.9 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

0.0
6.2

Controls Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Controls Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
Good

Feedback  

No Controls
Good

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
Yes

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
Presets + Surround Sound
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.7

Breathability After Picture  

Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5.1 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.8
5.3

Portability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Portability Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Portability Picture

 

5.1" (13.0 cm)
7.2" (18.3 cm)

 

6.9" (17.5 cm)
7.5" (19.1 cm)

 

3.5" (9.0 cm)
4.0" (10.2 cm)

Volume  

124.93 in³ (2,047.23 cm³)
216.00 in³ (3,539.59 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

6.5
0.0

Case Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Case Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Build Quality Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
6.0

Stability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Stability Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Angled Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Side Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Front Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Rear Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Top Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x In The Box Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

4.3
1.8

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-10.18 dB
-5.36 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

2.24 dB
-0.2 dB

Mid 
 

-8.56 dB
-0.61 dB

Treble 
 

-27.01 dB
-15.08 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

4.1

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-9.11 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-9.54 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-8.80 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Leakage 
 

7.2
3.6

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

38.32 dB
55.68 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

No
Yes

Mic  

No
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
8.1

Microphone Frequency Response  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Microphone Frequency Response
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
20 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
2.46 dB

HFE 
 

N/A
4,627.75 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
0.29

Gain 
 

N/A
21.13 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
8.3

SpNR  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x SpNR
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

N/A
58.27 dB

Noise Gate 
 

N/A
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
8.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
8.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
No Battery

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
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

None
None
Show Text 

App Support 
 

0.0
6.0

App Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x App Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 App Picture

App Name  

No App
Astro Command Center

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
Yes

Windows  

No
Yes

Equalizer 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
Adjustable Level

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.9
9.5

Cable Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Cable Picture
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
USB Type A

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

10.00 ft (3.05 m)
6.80 ft (2.07 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
20 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
Audio Only

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
7.8

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
Wired USB dock

USB Input 
 

No
Yes

Line In 
 

No
Yes

Line Out 
 

No
Yes

Optical Input 
 

No
Yes

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
USB
Show Text 

Check Price

PS4, MixAmp
A40 TR + MixAmp
Searching
Finding store
Xbox One, MixAmp
A40 TR + MixAmp
Searching
Finding store
Metallic Orange
ATH-M50x
Searching
Finding store
 
 

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017

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Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017: Main Discussion

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