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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. 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
  5. 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. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  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 Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Jan 31, 2025 01:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Dec 09, 2024 04:54 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Picture

Variants

  • ATH-M50x (Black)
  • ATH-M50x (Gray)
  • ATH-M50x (Metallic Orange)
  • ATH-M50x (White)
  • ATH-M20x (Black)

Our Verdict

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

The Audio-Technica ATH-M20x are the more budget-minded variant of the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. As a result, they're not as comfortable or well-built. They also lack a detachable cable design. For a similar sound profile and a more robust build with extra cables, the ATH-M50x are better for most people.

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Metallic Orange
ATH-M50x
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Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.9
7.5

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.1
5.6

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.3
9.1

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.7
8.1

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
6.6

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Design Picture 2
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Comfort Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.65 lbs
0.46 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1 lbs
0.99 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

0.0
0.0

Controls Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Controls Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
No Controls

Feedback  

No Controls
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.1
6.3

Breathability After Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Breathability After Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6.7 °C
6.3 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

5.8
5.5

Portability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Portability Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Portability Picture

 

5.1" (13.0 cm)
7.9" (20.0 cm)

 

6.9" (17.5 cm)
6.5" (16.5 cm)

 

3.5" (9.0 cm)
3.3" (8.5 cm)

Volume  

124.93 in³ (2,047.23 cm³)
171.12 in³ (2,804.14 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

6.5
0.0

Case Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Case Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x 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
6.5

Build Quality Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Build Quality Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

6.5
6.0

Stability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Stability Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Angled Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Side Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Front Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Rear Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Top Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x In The Box Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

550 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

-0.9 dB
-2.02 dB

Treble Amount 
 

0.1 dB
-2.57 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.3
7.7

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 
 

0.54 dB
0.45 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
8.1

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.3 dB
2.53 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

22.45 Hz
38.86 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-3.66 dB
-4.14 dB

Mid Bass 
 

0.45 dB
1.51 dB

High Bass 
 

1.95 dB
0.05 dB

Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.3
9.1

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.69 dB
1.17 dB

Low Mid 
 

-2.43 dB
-0.96 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.01 dB
0.17 dB

High Mid 
 

1.06 dB
1.16 dB

Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.1
5.6

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.43 dB
6.31 dB

Low Treble 
 

1.16 dB
-2.17 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-1.33 dB
-4.28 dB

High Treble 
 

-1.19 dB
-8.17 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
6.6

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.33 dB
2.16 dB

Dips 
 

2.18 dB
2.25 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

8.7
8.7

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.3
0.34

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.93
2.29

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.55
0.65

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.54
1.63

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

5.5
5.3

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.43 dB
2.19 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

2.73 dB
2.98 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

13.24 dB
9.53 dB

Openness 
 

5.6
5.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.2
3.7

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Virtual Soundstage
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App
No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.7
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.113
0.176

WHD @ 100 
 

0.067
0.185

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware
No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive
Passive

Connection 
 

Wired
Wired

Codec 
 

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

Test Instrument  

THX AAA 789

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

4.3
4.5

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-10.18 dB
-11.74 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

2.24 dB
0.74 dB

Mid 
 

-8.56 dB
-9.9 dB

Treble 
 

-27.01 dB
-27.03 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 
 

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
6.8

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

38.32 dB
40.96 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

No
No

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Microphone Frequency Response
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x 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  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x SpNR
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x SpNR

SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

N/A
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A
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

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x App Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x App Picture

App Name  

No App
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.9
9.0

Cable Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Cable Picture
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
No

Length 
 

10.00 ft (3.05 m)
10.00 ft (3.05 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
0 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 Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

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
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Show text

Check Price

Metallic Orange
ATH-M50x
Searching
Finding store
 
 

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

Comments

  1. Comparison

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Audio-Technica ATH-M20x: Main Discussion

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