Audio Technica ATH-M20xBT Review

Audio Technica doesn’t require any introduction, recently they announced ATH-M20xBT headphones that deliver an incredible listening experience. With a promise of 60 hours of battery life, multi-point connectivity, and optional wired connectivity, the headphones would please a music enthusiast.

Build quality

The Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT headphones which I received are black. The Audio-Technica logo is placed on top so the headband in reflective metallic paint. Both earpads and the headband got a generous amount of cushioning, featuring faux leather linen.

It packs 40mm dynamic drivers delivering a frequency range of 5Hz to 32KHz (with an impedance of 36 ohms). Having the latest Bluetooth 5.0, the headphone supports multipoint pairing, and offers Google Fast Pair functionality. It works with the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs but doesn’t support advanced codecs like AptX or LDAC.

Audio Technica ATH M20xBT Review - Control Buttons

You get all the control buttons on the left earcup’s side panel. A central multifunction button handles power, pairing, media playback, calls, and voice assistant access depending on how many times (or for how long) you press it. For gamers, it offers a low-latency mode that can be enabled by pressing this button three times; a vocal prompt tells you the current active mode.

The company claims that the headphone can last for up to 60 hours on one single charge. But it can vary depending on your typical listening volume levels.

It isn’t a foldable headphone, which makes them a bit difficult to carry along for trips. Also, you can be disappointed as it doesn’t have any EQ options meaning you must stick with the default sound signature.

Performance

Packed with Bluetooth 5.0, pairing is a breeze with the headphone. Just power on your headphone and hold the same button for a few seconds to enable the scanning. Check your device’s Bluetooth and tap pair. Once done whenever both devices are on and Bluetooth enabled, it will pair up automatically.

Audio Technica ATH-M20xBT is lightweight, only 216 grams, and the wireless range of the headphone is 7 meters. In the real world, the connectivity was perfectly fine without any drops. It offers a neutral, studio-friendly listening experience in the sonic signature. The headphone is delivering frequencies across the range with plenty of room to shine.

Audio Technica ATH M20xBT Review

To test this headphone, we used test tracks: Angel of Mercy by Black Label Society, Stadium Arcadium, brutal bass drops, trance music, and Bollywood romantic and dance songs.

The ATH-M20xBT headphones deliver a balanced sound and their frequency distribution is almost perfect. On tracks with intense sub-bass content like Titanium by David Guetta which features dance club style beats, the headphone performed really well pushing the appreciable amount of bass. Sia’s vocals were clearly audible in between the bass of this electric pop song.

The mids sound clear and warm and provide enough detailing to keep enjoying your favorite music. A clear mid-range for the orchestral vocals, and sharp highs that occasionally felt a bit too sharp. At the highest volume, the headphone provides ample loudness, but there was no sound distorts.

Call quality was decent indoors and outdoors, however, the other person can hear the noise as well.

Battery life

Audio Technica claims to offer up to 60 hours of battery life. We tested the battery life in our real-world loop test. We fully charged the headphone and then played different genres of music at full volume. It was able to deliver more than 50 hours of playback on one full charge. With moderate usage combining calls and music, it delivered around d 60 hours.