Audio Technica M20xBT Review
Introduction
In this review, we take a look at the new Audio Technica ATH-M20xBT, a budget-friendly headphone that draws heavily on inspiration from its big brother, the ever-popular Audio Technica ATH-M50x. The M line of headphones has been famous for many years with the m40x. M20x and M50x recently received upgrades to make them wireless. The price is still tempting because the heart and styling of these headphones remain. Let’s find out if they live up to the hype.
Build Quality and Design
For the price, it is nearly impossible to complain about the build quality of these headphones. The fact is that they are solidly constructed studio monitor-inspired headphones designed to do the hard miles. They are designed as workhorse headphones used by professional musicians and broadcasters. The build is plastic, but its the good quality stuff, so we found they were relatively devoid of creaks and cracks like headphones made with cheaper materials.
Including a metal, headband slider is very welcome as that is one of the main points of failure on many headphones. We did our usual pull and stretch tests, and repeatedly, they were pulled almost flat, but the ATH-M20xBT just bounced back to their original position. Everything feels hard-wearing and robust and like it will be capable of lasting a long time; indeed, I am not foreseeing the headband to be the first point of failure.
What I didn’t like about the design was that the earcups swivel only to adjust to your head shape and not the full 90 degrees that would allow you to lay them flat on a table. They also do not have the ability to fold due to the lack of pivot points on the yolk. Ultimately, this will make them harder to travel with by taking up more space in your bag. Again they are at heart studio headphones, but one can’t help that the upgrade to Bluetooth would make them more suitable for using them on the go.
In our original review of the M20x a few years ago, our biggest complaint was that the cable was not user replaceable. It was fixed to the headphone, and a failure at this crucial junction would likely be the end of your headphones. With the new upgrade, the cable is obviously gone, and now on the bottom of the left-hand side, there is a 3.5mm port for connecting a cable. This doesn’t just allow you to use the M20xBT with aftermarket cables but also reduces the effects of high latency when we were gaming.
Style-wise it really comes down to user preference. I like the studio-inspired monitor look, and they are very similar looking to the popular ATH-M50x, which is a good thing. For others, though, I would get if you wanted to opt for a more fashion-forward-looking headphone. I think at this stage. However, many people into tech recognize the M line styling. It has become an icon in the way the Sony MDR-7506 or Sennheiser HD-25 has.
Personally, I like it; it’s pretty streamlined and clean looking. Pure style, it isn’t, but it fits in well in a discreet and tasteful manner.
Comfort and Isolation
The ATH-M20x is neither the most comfortable headphones in the world nor the best isolating. That said, they aren’t exactly wrong. They do offer a decent amount of ambient noise reduction, but it isn’t on par with other more expensive headphones of this style.
Comfort is aided by large wide earpads that offer good cushioning, but the clamping pressure does cause some discomfort after a long time of listening. Nothing major and about average at this price point, but it needs to be noted for the review.
The headband is nicely padded, and the articulation of the earcups combined with the incremental adjustments vertically means that almost everyone should get a good fit from them. Large or small heads should find a way to use them without too much hassle.
Bluetooth and Features
Of course, the big selling point of this update is the inclusion of Bluetooth to make the M20x wireless now. Bluetooth is great, but it can be a hindrance when poorly implemented. Thankfully Audio Technica has managed to turn the M20x into the best Bluetooth headphone at this price point. Here’s why.
They claim 60 hours of playback from a single charge; manufacturers’ claims always need to be taken with a grain of salt as those numbers are produced in optimal conditions. In our tests, we got 56 hours and 23 mins playback with a volume of just over 60%. That is incredibly impressive and despite the ATH-M20xBT not having ANC to drain the battery further, it gives you enough juice for about a week between charges.
Secondly, they nail the additional features. On this headphone, you have a quick charge that allows 3 hours of additional listening from a 10-minute charge from a flat. They have introduced low latency wireless standards to decrease the time between movement and sound reproduction for gaming. They even have two device pairings to enable to have you to connect to your laptop and phone at the same time. It’s a very polished and well-thought-out design that doesn’t get too ambitious but gets the basics very right.
To round things off, there are now controls with actual physical buttons on the earcup that allow you to control playback without having to dig in your pocket for your phone. I like that these are physical as opposed to capacitive. The buttons feel robust, and the tactile feedback felt great.
Sound Quality
I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear anything different from the wired version, but there are some changes, and in my opinion, all for the better. The core of the high and mid notes sounds identical, still that transparent and responsive, if not a little dry, presentation. However, the bass has been elevated just enough to make them hit harder through the sub-bass.
Audio Technica seems to realize that the popularity of these headphones now extends way beyond the studio. I see it on flights, at universities, and in libraries. So to cater more to the way people rather than the way music is produced creates a better product in my mind. The one thing that was lacking from the originals was a punchier low end, and now it’s here.
That bass isn’t overpowering, and it’s mainly present only in sub-bass which hits hard when paired with EDM, pop, and Rap/Hip hop. For example, when changing the genre to rock, I could still hear a lot of resolve and detail in the mid-bass. When required, the balance of impact and refinement is difficult to get right, but it’s here on the M20.
The sound quality can be considered very good value for this price range, especially if you are looking for an accurate representation of notes. The balanced tuning adds very little in the way of flavor to the sound. No natural warmth still exists here. It’s a level playing field without one frequency trying to dominate another. I think it’s as accurate a representation of source material as you are likely to get for this much money.
If you are into an aggressive/fun sound, these are going to sound really flat to you. Again they are a more professional style of headphones and less for the consumer market.
Soundstage is lacking, and they are decidedly in the head listening experience, although imaging and clarity were both pretty good. You can place instrumentation easily; they never feel like one frequency bleeds into another.
Pros
Same iconic style as the M20x and in a similar design language to the legendary M50x
No loss of sound quality through implementation of wireless design
Extremely durable
Physical buttons are better than capacitive controls in our tests.
Cons
Not the best isolating headphones
The clamping pressure on the head is a bit high
Conclusion
I think the Audio Technica ATH-M20xBT is a fantastic headphone for the price. The updates to moving an already very popular headphone to a wireless design have paid off big time. Audio Technica concentrated all their efforts on not only adding Bluetooth but on making clever refinements in areas that made a great headphone even better. A no-brainer recommendation from us.
Official Website of the Audio Technica M20xBT: www.audio-technica.com
