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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare
  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-M50xBT2 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated May 29, 2025 09:14 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 22, 2025 03:59 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (6 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Under $200
  3. Audio-Technica

Variants

  • ATH-M50xBT2 (Black)
  • ATH-M50xBT2DS (Deep Sea Blue)
  • ATH-M50xBT2IB (Ice Blue)
  • ATH-M50xBT2MO (Lantern Glow Metallic Orange)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Black)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Midnight Blue)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Silver)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Smoky Pink)

Review

See Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Review
See Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Review
2 
16 

Our Verdict

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

Full comparison details regarding individual product score sets can be found in the section below

Check Price

Black
ATH-M50xBT2
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Black
WH-1000XM5
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Deep Sea Blue
ATH-M50xBT2DS
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Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
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Ice Blue
ATH-M50xBT2IB
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Silver
WH-1000XM5
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Lantern Glow Metallic Orange
ATH-M50xBT2MO
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Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
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Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.7
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 
 

1,350 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Very Emphasized (6 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

-0.73 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.31 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Warm
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.2
7.5

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 
 

0.56 dB
0.99 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
7.5

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.87 dB
5.4 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

24.48 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-1.49 dB
4.71 dB

Mid Bass 
 

1.68 dB
5.33 dB

High Bass 
 

1.58 dB
6.32 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.4
8.4

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.19 dB
2.1 dB

Low Mid 
 

-2.73 dB
2.79 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.78 dB
-0.71 dB

High Mid 
 

1.49 dB
-0.4 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.2
9.9

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

4.21 dB
1.43 dB

Low Treble 
 

-1.63 dB
0.49 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-0.25 dB
-0.11 dB

High Treble 
 

-0.56 dB
-5.56 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

6.9
8.1

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.82 dB
1 dB

Dips 
 

2.16 dB
1.66 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

7.5

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.78
0.3 dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

1.2
1.5 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

3.5
2.7°
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

8.6

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.6 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless CSD

PRTF 
 

5.1
4.8

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

1.78 dB
3.68 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

3.11 dB
7.72 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

6.23 dB
6.74 dB

Openness 
 

5.5

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.3
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

9.1

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.354
0.07%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.120
0.23%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

See details on graph tool

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

113.0 dB SPL

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

104.9 dB
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
4.1

Virtual Soundstage  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
On/Off

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
360 Reality Audio
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1004
2.3.1

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Off
Off

ANC 
 

No ANC
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
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 
 

0.37

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

3.5
2.7°

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.78
0.3 dB

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.2
1.5 dB
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.7

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.354
0.07%

WHD @ 100 
 

0.120
0.23%
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Design Picture 2
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-Ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Comfort Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.68 lbs
0.55 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.9 lbs
0.8 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.9
7.6

Controls Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Controls Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Okay
Good

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

No
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.4

Breathability After Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5.9 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.9
6.0

Portability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Portability Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Portability Picture

L  

4.9" (12.5 cm)
8.1" (20.5 cm)

W  

7.2" (18.2 cm)
6.9" (17.6 cm)

H  

3.3" (8.5 cm)
1.8" (4.5 cm)

Volume  

117.34 in³ (1,922.80 cm³)
99.08 in³ (1,623.60 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

6.5
8.0

Case Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Case Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
Hard case

L  

N/A
9.3" (23.6 cm)

W  

N/A
8.0" (20.2 cm)

H  

N/A
2.3" (5.9 cm)

Volume  

N/A
171.64 in³ (2,812.60 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
7.0

Stability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Stability Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Angled Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Side Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Front Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Rear Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Top Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless In The Box Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

4.4
9.4

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-11.93 dB
-25.81 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

0.29 dB
-17.63 dB

Mid 
 

-9.54 dB
-28.25 dB

Treble 
 

-27.39 dB
-33.04 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.1

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.43 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-19.38 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-24.28 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  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show Text 

Leakage 
 

7.1
7.7

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

38.94 dB
35.69 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

7.2
6.7

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

257.68 Hz
236.29 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.23 dB
3.43 dB

HFE 
 

7,034.64 Hz
7,240.77 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.942
N/A

Gain 
 

0.23 dB
-13.92 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

7.1
8.3

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

12.77 dB
7.61 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
8.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

6.5
8.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.4
8.5

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

61.6 hrs
27 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

61.6 hrs
27 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.3 hrs
3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
No

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.0
8.0

App Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless App Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Audio-Technica Connect
Sony Sound Connect

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
On/Off

Mic Control  

Adjustable Level
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
Yes

Button Mapping  

No
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.5
9.8

Cable Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless Cable Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

4.10 ft (1.25 m)
4.04 ft (1.23 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.4 ms

Latency - USB 
 

0 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

8.7
8.7

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.2

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Yes

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

334.65 ft (102.00 m)
330.71 ft (100.80 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

212 ms
241 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

233 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

3 ms

Android Latency 
 

33 ms
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

Check Price

Black
ATH-M50xBT2
Searching
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Black
WH-1000XM5
Searching
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Deep Sea Blue
ATH-M50xBT2DS
Searching
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Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
Searching
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Ice Blue
ATH-M50xBT2IB
Searching
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Silver
WH-1000XM5
Searching
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Lantern Glow Metallic Orange
ATH-M50xBT2MO
Searching
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Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
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Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless: Main Discussion

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