Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS-USB StreamSet Streaming Headset

I've owned a pair of original ATH-M50x Studio Monitor Headphones to listen to music and play instruments at night for about 10 years and have loved the sound and feel. After suffering through a few years of relentless MS Teams calls at work I decided to look for a suitable headset that would give me a lot more comfort that had the sound quality in the headphones as well as the microphone to last all day. I had been wearing the cheap "work provided" kit that is standard to most offices now that we spend half our day on these conference calls. When I searched for a high-end set, to my delight, I realized the same headphones I've been wearing for my evening enjoyment came in the complete headset variety. So it was a no-brainer to purchase the ATH-M50xSTS-USB Streamset. I have not been disappointed. The sound quality is as excellent as their studio headphone cousins. There's a couple of other bonuses I wasn't expecting. The microphone is the same one from their renowned 20 series, which I have used in the studio and on stage. Having it in an office call, I know that I am now the best sounding caller in the meeting, hands down. Not only can I present my points with conviction, I never have to worry about pops or static because I'm briefing the boss on some cheap mic. There's even a little button on the side where I can turn my own voice down, or up if I want to indulge myself in the supreme resonance of my own voice. Also, when I'm done with the call and want to tune out to some of my favorite tunes and still make it look like I'm hard at work, I keep the headset on and groove away. No skibidi. Also, it's great that I can just swivel the mic up and automatically mute myself, without needing to find a mute button on screen that's a sea of undefined icons. When I feel a cough coming on, I just grab that little guy, slide up, and cough like no tomorrow. My coworkers have no idea I'm hacking out a lung while the budget guys are going over their numbers because I can mute myself quicker than a hankie of chloroform on Forensic Files. So, if you are looking for audio quality and superior performance that will make you feel better about your life as you succumb to hours of Teams and Zoom meetings, I highly recommend this headset. Also, if you play games and/or you need to talk or stream you'll probably be the coolest kid on the server with these. Go for it.

I use this for my home flight simulator and let me tell you, this is by far the best PC headset I have ever owned. I have owned several and although sound quality is good, the microphone is not usually very good, or doesn't always pick up. The microphone is slammin' on this headphone, quality is amazing!!! The cord does not bother me whatsoever. As a matter of fact it is sort of a good thing because I don't have to worry about charging the headphone. Now the air traffic controllers (I subscribe to a service where there are real human controllers connected with my sim) can clearly understand my voice transmissions and I sound like the professional pilot that I am.

Best headset I've ever used. The mic is in another league. The flexible boom arm actually keeps the mic where you want it, instead of bending halfway back from where you tried to put it. Solidly built throughout with no rattles to get picked up on the mic. No software to worry about on PC, it just works beautifully.

These are by far some of the best headphones I've purchased. After years of being around loud engines and pneumatic tools, by hearing is no longer what it used to be. The headsets are comfortable to wear for extended periods of either watching video or playing video games, while not causing fatigue due to weight or discomfort for your ears. Sound quality is excellent and the mic is both easy to adjust to where you wish it to be while also being stiff enough to ensure it doesn't move too easily when you turn your head. While not exactly completely noise cancelling like, the do reduce local noise levels such as loud air conditioner fans etc. enough to the point that whatever media you are listening to will likely not be disturbed too much from external distractions. Definitely will buy again if a newer model comes out and has comparable quality.

I bought these primarily to use for video calls for work. The mic sounded fantastic and the folding design was very compact and seemed like it would be easy to travel with. Ultimately though, I returned them because the earcups were very uncomfortable for me and I didn’t love the tuning for music. I ended up going with a different popular brand of studio headphones and a modmic. In using the ATH-M50xSTS-USB I just couldn’t get over the discomfort from the shallow earcups compared to other designs. I felt the pressure and hotspots after 5-10 minutes with these compared to 5-6 hours with other options. The tuning of these also sounded like a bassy muddy mess compared to my preference of a more neutral/balanced/clean tuning for music which is important to me because I frequently put on spotify in between my meetings. If you are using these only for voice in calls though this might not matter to you at all (or maybe you love the tuning). I’d just suggest comparing it to other options before deciding so you can make an informed decision of your preference if using them for music. Pros: – Fantastic mic for a headset – Folding design is very compact for transportation – Simple plug-and-play usb Cons: – Uncomfortable, shallow earcups – Bassy, muddy tuning not my preference for music

Tired of the muddy booming bass, smeared mids and dull highs of gamer headsets? Still prefer the reliability and low latency of wired USB over wireless? Want an awesome mic for Discord that takes up no space and makes you sound like you do pod casts? Need something for work that isn’t cheap junk that puts pressure on your ears? Not into E sports? If that’s you, buy this headset. That’s the short review. These don’t compete with the best high end headphones in terms of sound, but they do sound far better than any typical gamer headset. They roughly follow the Harmon target, so they sound good. Bass is deep and rich, but not overdone. Mids are present. Vocals don’t sound recessed or pushed forward. Highs are rolled off to prevent fatigue but not flat or dull. But the frequency response isn’t the smoothest by any means. Also, the sound stage isn’t large. It’s closed in and intimate. So not the best for audiophiles. Doesn’t have 3D positional audio, so it’s not the best choice for the pin point precision that E sports requires. But does it work great for a co op game like Ghost Watchers? Absolutely. I could always tell what direction everything came from. And it sounded really good. And the mic? It’s phenomenal. It sounds like a good studio condenser mic. Gaming headset mics sound like a child’s toy in comparison. My voice has never sounded so rich, deep and full! It’s awesome! It adds a sense of presence that makes me want to narrate, sing or do voice acting. Like a sound board with an FX setting turned on. Seriously, it’s that level of a mic setup. Not with any of the flexibility of a real studio setup of course, but without any of that complexity either. Plug in the USB. Your voice sounds great. That’s it. The comfort is good, they don’t feel hot after wearing them for hours. And they are light enough that you don’t notice them after hours of use either. Build quality is decent for being plastic. Not exceptional by any means, but they don’t feel like gamer junk either. A step up from typical headsets. Attached cable is a step down versus braided ones found on many gamer headsets however. Plug n play in Windows. No ridiculous gamer software to install, log into and update on a regular basis. No ads, data collection or drivers to worry about. Old school USB that just works. If you play on PC and use discord with a typical gaming headset, give your headset to your gaming buddy and get this headset. To get anything better would cost a lot more money. Like the XLR version of the same headset is cheaper but not if you don’t already have an audio interface and a powerful headphone amp for a louder max volume. That would sound better, but would take up a lot more space and be less convenient than wired USB. These are louder than many battery powered Bluetooth headphones with its built in DAC and headphone amp. But they aren’t as loud as the analog XLR version would be with a good headphone amp. At a higher price, Audeze Maxwell would sound better for music but the mic is a step down over this mic. So it may not even be an upgrade over this set depending on your priorities.

Buenos materiales. Excelente audio y micrófono ! Recomendable !

Muito bom, fenomenal para captura do áudio.

This is a really great headset. The quality is, of course, excellent. The microphone quality is quite good. It has a physical dial to adjust the microphone loopback, which is incredibly useful. The cord is fairly long, so you won't have trouble reaching your computer, even if it's way under your desk. I've had mine for two years, I've replaced the earpads, and will probably replace them again when they wear out. I'm constantly dropping and throwing it around, but the audio quality is still great. I would highly recommend this product.

When I was starting my audio production career, I did a mountain of research, spanning weeks. I finally settled on an Audio-Technica M50. This is before the M50x came out with the disconnecting audio cable. I used that headset for 11 years. I still have it, it still works great. But I switched to another career path (became a burned out professional statistic) and started working from home. My new career involved a lot of zoom meetings and I bought some crappy usb condenser mic. The mic started fuzzing out so I decided after 8 years of doing this I should invest in a good mic setup. The ATH 2020 condenser mic, which this head set uses in it's capsule is a really good condenser mic. The fact this headset came out just a couple months ago was definitely some kind of divine intervention lol. It sounds fantastic. Crystal clear audio for both listening and speaking. I plugged it in, and it just worked. There was 0 work. I am absolutely in love with this headset. I look forward to 11 years of use. I'm unsure if the mic will hold up for as long as the headset will but I trust Audio Technica. It's pricey but this is worth it. DO NOT get it if you work in a loud/busy call center. The mic's sensitivity is both it's great strength and it's weakness. It picks things up really well and does not isolate ambient noise that well. No true condenser mic will unless you're using a shotgun mic. But they're not building those into headsets.