Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT vs ATH-M50xBT2

Audio-Technica put the first wireless M50x on sale on 30 October 2018 and announced its replacement on 18 August 2021, both at $199.00. The studio headphone underneath barely changed. The radio, the charging port and the app did.

aptX out, LDAC in

The first ATH-M50xBT supports aptX, AAC and SBC. The M50xBT2 swaps aptX for LDAC, alongside AAC and SBC, so the right pair depends on what your phone can send: LDAC needs a source that supports it, and a phone without LDAC connects to the M50xBT2 over AAC or SBC. With LDAC at 96 kHz and 990 kbps, the M50xBT2’s Bluetooth band stretches to 20 to 40,000 Hz; the 2018 pair’s manual lists 20 to 20,000 Hz.

Both run Bluetooth 5.0 with the A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP profiles plus SCMS-T content protection, and Audio-Technica rates both at about 10 meters in line of sight.

What the M50xBT2 adds besides the codec

Two-device pairing is the biggest everyday change. The A-T Connect app stores your equalizer settings on the headphones, sets left and right balance, turns on a low-latency mode for video and games, lets you pick the codec and the voice assistant, and helps you find the headphones. Google Fast Pair speeds up setup on Android, and inside, Audio-Technica names an AK4331 digital-to-analog converter and a dedicated headphone amplifier. The 2018 pair works with Audio-Technica’s app too, but Audio-Technica describes none of those tools for it.

Battery and charging

Audio-Technica rates the M50xBT2 for about 50 hours of continuous use and the 2018 pair for about 40, both on a 3.7 V lithium-polymer battery. Charging is the bigger change. The M50xBT2 fills over USB-C in about 3.5 hours, and 10 minutes gives about 3 hours of playback; the original takes about 7 hours over micro-USB. Each comes with a 30 cm cable, USB-A to USB-C for the M50xBT2 and USB-A to micro-USB for the original.

Calls and voice assistants

The microphones changed. The 2018 pair has an omnidirectional condenser microphone rated at minus 42 dB (1 volt per pascal at 1 kHz) with an 80 to 10,000 Hz band, and its left earcup calls up your phone’s voice assistant. The M50xBT2 moves to two beamforming MEMS microphones, also omnidirectional, at minus 38 dB and 85 to 15,000 Hz, with sidetone so you hear your own voice on calls. Amazon Alexa is built in, and the left-cup controls can also call Google Assistant or Siri. Neither has a named transparency mode; sidetone covers only your own voice.

What didn’t change

Underneath, it’s the same closed-back headphone. Audio-Technica lists the M50xBT2’s sensitivity at 99 dB/mW; the first pair’s table says 99 dB and its English manual 99 dB/mW. The 2018 announcement describes rare-earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum voice coils, and the 2021 one calls the driver proprietary. Both earcups fold flat and swivel 90 degrees, and both come with a pouch. Weight barely moved: about 310 grams (10.9 ounces) for the original without its cable, about 307 grams (10.8 ounces) for the M50xBT2.

Keep, buy used, or move to the M50xBT2

Audio-Technica’s US page for the 2018 pair now points to the M50xBT2, which it later listed at $219, with sale prices from $179. If your ATH-M50xBT still works, the upgrade buys LDAC, USB-C, two-device pairing and ten more hours, not new drivers. Used, the original makes sense only well below the M50xBT2’s sale price, or if aptX matters more to you than LDAC. Prices move, so check Audio-Technica before you buy.