The Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT: One Of 2022's Most Satisfying Listening Experiences - Stereo Embers Magazine Stereo Embers Magazine

“Without music,” Jane Austen once wrote, “life would be a blank to me.”

Hard to argue with that sentiment, but taking it one step further, without good headphones, music would be a blank as well.

Not to fear.

Audio Technica’s brand new ATH-M20xBT Wireless Headphones provides one of the most satisfying listening experiences of 2022. The Tokyo-founded company has been around since 1962 and since then, have been at the forefront of cutting edge sonic technology, designing everything from turntables to microphones to headphones, all in the service of the accessibility of high quality audio.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the ATH-M20xBT is lightweight and attractively designed with an appealing black exterior that’s augmented by the company’s name proudly emblazoned on the top of the headset. Constructed with plastic, comfortable leather padding for over-the-ear comfort and highly functional no-fuss metal extenders (which make adjustment a breeze), the beauty of these headphones is that there’s no perceptible physical fatigue: I was editing the latest episode of our podcast for several hours and quite literally forgot that I even had them on. Some headphones tend to get a bit stuffy around the ears, but these provide a breathable and cool experience for even the most sensitive of auricles.

In keeping with the brand’s lifelong mission, these Bluetooth-ready entry-level headphones are sleek, powerful and sonically very dynamic. Featuring a module that’s located on the left earcup at the rear, the three-button attack can control playback, volume, digital assistance, management of calls and listening modes.

Perhaps its the start of the summer, but our office has been on a dub bender lately, and we’ve been cranking Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Heptones and Horace Andy for the past few weeks.I thought I’d see how those folks would sound through the ATH-M20xBT and it kind of knocked me out. The bass lines rippled with a deliciously infectious prowl, the high end echo and reverb rang with crystal clear frequency and the drums were more plangent and rich than ever.

I conducted an interview with the musician Graham Parker for an episode of our podcast and during the almost two-hour call, the quality never dipped and there was no feedback or blank spots. Graham came in loud and distinct and when playing back the recording, my voice remained crisp and audible.

Happily, in wired or wireless mode, the sound quality is unchanged and without employing a claustrophobic, unreasonably tight seal around the ear, the headphones cancel out background noise seamlessly. I was told later that while testing the headphones, our office cat meowed for my attention, our doorbell chimed with a package delivery and two of our writers had a quick but notable argument that culminated in a rather unseemly outburst. I was oblivious to all three.

From a battery life standpoint, I found that after ten days of daily use I was getting close to 60 hours with each charge. Not too shabby! The last few headphones I tested were in the 35-40 range. And speaking of range, I found the range of these headphones averaged around 45 feet.

Reasonably priced at $79.00, and including a 2.5mm audio cable and USB-C charging cable, the ATH-M20xBT is one of the best deals out there.