Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Phiaton BT 100 NC

The ATH-M50x are great sounding headphones with a sound that may fall in the neutral category, but with very slight boosts to the bass and highs; a slightly V-shaped sound. The bass is full and has a lot of power. The sub bass has a hint of elevation though, which can make the bass sound a bit loose on hip-hop or EDM tracks. The mids are fairly neutral with no elevation. The highs are also slightly elevated, which does not add harshness but instead gives the sound a shimmery and detailed feel.

This sound signature of the M50x makes it versatile. It is neutral enough for monitoring use, yet also has just the right qualities to make it a great choice for enjoying music.

The bass of these headphones sound full with a slight boost. This makes the bass quite punchy without drowning the mids or highs.

You get a lot from what you pay for with these headphones. Aside from the great sound, they are also well built and come with a lot of accessories.

The ATH M50x is made from high quality matte plastics which are quite resistant to damage without being too heavy. The hinges move smoothly and do not have unnecessary creaks.

Audio-Technica finally updated the M50's built in cable to a detachable cable. The M50x even comes with three cables, a 1.2 m - 3.0 m coiled cable, a 3.0 m straight cable, and a 1.2 m straight cable. None of the cables have in-line controls though.

The ear cups and pads are able to keep the sound in and block outside noise. These are suitable for a noisy office as even low volume music is enough to drown out those noisy office mates.

The ear cups can be folded into the headband, reducing its footprint. Combined with the carrying pouch and detachable cables, you can easily chuck these headphones into your bag when going out.

You get a lot of useful features from the BT 100 NC which includes decent noise cancelling, Bluetooth as well splash resistance, which makes these earphones great for casual or active use. Sound reproduction has great clarity as well as full mids and okay bass, and should work well with many music genres.

Bass is not emphasized yet is full and has good punch so the sound does not sound lean. The mids are warm and full, so guitars, vocals and drums sound great. The highs are slightly emphasized, which brings out a lot of detail from the music, but can also make cymbal and “s” sounds quite harsh.

You’ll be able to control the various earphone functions using the buttons and switches on the BT 100 NC’s collar. It houses the earphones’ battery and noise cancelling circuitry along with the buttons for answering and ending calls, play/pause/skip/previous tracks, volume adjust and the noise cancelling switch. Aside from being easy to reach, the collar also takes as much weight off of the earpieces as possible, so they stay inside the ears well.

You’ll get a good amount of wireless listening time off of these earphones. Battery life with noise cancelling and wireless activated is around 8 hours, while you can get 12 hours of noise cancelling when these are used in wired mode.

While not the best, the noise-cancelling is decent and can reduce noise that may mix in with your music. You’ll still be able to hear some low pitched noise like the sound of engines though.

You can bring these earphones on the go without the earpieces flopping all over the place when they are not in use. There is a space in each end of the collar where you can dock the earpieces for easier transport.