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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jan 31, 2025 01:39 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.6
Updated Mar 14, 2024 07:40 PM
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Walmart.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicNo
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- ATH-M50x (Black)
- ATH-M50x (Gray)
- ATH-M50x (Metallic Orange)
- ATH-M50x (White)
- WH-1000XM3 (Black)
- WH-1000XM3 (White)
Our Verdict
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50X and the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless are two different headphones that are targeting different uses. The M50x are great for mixing or simply enjoying music the way it was supposed to be heard via a wired connection. The Sony are noise cancelling headphones that have a more bass-heavy sound profile but are great to use in noisy environments like your daily commute.
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Black
ATH-M50x
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Amazon.comBlack
WH-1000XM3
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Amazon.comWhite
ATH-M50x
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Amazon.comWhite
WH-1000XM3
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Walmart.comGray
ATH-M50x
SEARCH
Amazon.comMetallic Orange
ATH-M50x
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Amazon.comNotice: 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
Neutral Sound
7.9
7.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
7.2
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.3
9.4
Passive Soundstage
5.5
3.7
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
No
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.65 lbs
0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
1 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
0.0
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
No Controls
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
No Controls
Good
Feedback
No Controls
Decent
Call/Music Control
No
Yes
Volume Control
No
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
On/Off
Talk-Through
No
On/Off
Additional Controls
No
Voice Assistant
Breathability
6.1
6.5
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
6.7 °C
5.8 °C
Portability
5.8
6.0
Portability Picture
L
5.1" (13.0 cm)
5.6" (14.2 cm)
W
6.9" (17.5 cm)
6.0" (15.2 cm)
H
3.5" (9.0 cm)
3.2" (8.1 cm)
Volume
124.93 in³ (2,047.23 cm³)
108.00 in³ (1,769.80 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
6.5
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Pouch
Hard case
L
N/A
7.1" (18.0 cm)
W
N/A
8.1" (20.6 cm)
H
N/A
2.4" (6.1 cm)
Volume
N/A
136.00 in³ (2,228.63 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
7.0
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
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
550 Hz
Bass Amount
-0.9 dB
3.25 dB
Treble Amount
0.1 dB
-3.05 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
7.3
8.3
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.54 dB
0.34 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
7.2
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.3 dB
4.28 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
22.45 Hz
10 Hz
Low Bass
-3.66 dB
3.82 dB
Mid Bass
0.45 dB
5.09 dB
High Bass
1.95 dB
4.87 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.3
9.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.69 dB
0.85 dB
Low Mid
-2.43 dB
0.4 dB
Mid-Mid
0.01 dB
-0.09 dB
High Mid
1.06 dB
-0.01 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.1
7.9
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.43 dB
3.25 dB
Low Treble
1.16 dB
-1.83 dB
Mid Treble
-1.33 dB
0.21 dB
High Treble
-1.19 dB
-12.11 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.5
7.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.33 dB
1.84 dB
Dips
2.18 dB
0.8 dB
Imaging
8.7
7.8
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.3
0.23
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.93
8.24
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.55
1.86
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.54
1.77
Passive Soundstage
5.5
3.7
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.43 dB
2.68 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
2.73 dB
9.23 dB
PRTF Distance
13.24 dB
5.13 dB
Openness
5.6
0.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.2
2.9
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
6.4
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
Presets
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No App
360 Reality Audio
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.7
7.3
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.113
0.380
WHD @ 100
0.067
0.198
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
Unknown
Power
Passive
On
Connection
Wired
Unknown
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
THX AAA 789
EQ
No EQ
Off
ANC
No ANC
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
No Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
4.3
9.8
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-10.18 dB
-29.9 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
2.24 dB
-23.03 dB
Mid
-8.56 dB
-27.24 dB
Treble
-27.01 dB
-39.7 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
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
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
7.2
7.4
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
38.32 dB
37.09 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
No
Yes
Recording Quality
0.0
6.3
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
N/A
226.27 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
3.65 dB
HFE
N/A
3,044.37 Hz
Weighted THD
N/A
27.163
Gain
N/A
29.6 dB
Noise Handling
0.0
6.5
SpNR
N/A
19.65 dB
Noise Gate
N/A
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
N/A
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
N/A
6.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Active Features
Battery
0.0
7.6
Battery Type
No Battery
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
27 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
0.0
Total Battery Life
N/A
27 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
2.2 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
No
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
Yes
Charging Port
None
USB-C
App Support
0.0
8.5
App Picture
App Name
No App
Sony| Headphones Connect
iOS
No
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
No
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.9
9.8
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
10.00 ft (3.05 m)
5.00 ft (1.52 m)
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.2 ms
0.4 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
7.1
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
4.2
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
185.00 ft (56.39 m)
Latency - SBC
N/A
225 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
201 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
232 ms
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
No Bluetooth Audio
SBC
AAC Support
No
Yes
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
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
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
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
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
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
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
Check Price
Black
ATH-M50x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
WH-1000XM3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
ATH-M50x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
WH-1000XM3
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comGray
ATH-M50x
SEARCH
Amazon.comMetallic Orange
ATH-M50x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless
Comments
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless: Main Discussion
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