Awesome upgrade for PC gaming. I have been using a Steel Series Artis 5 since 2020 and felt it was time to finally upgrade. The audio quality is night and day difference I cannot believe I didn't upgrade sooner. The mic quality is a huge improvement too. I couldn't be happier about this and hope they stand the test of time! The headset is plug and play, sounds great straight out of the box without an EQ. I enjoy that the headset itself has no volume control and only a mic playback controller. Keeps things simple and allows the headset to focus on 1 thing... great audio! Hearing sounds in songs and games that I didn't know were there!

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.

[IF YOU'RE EXPERIENCING CRACKLING AUDIO, PLEASE READ!]

The audio quality of these headphones is excellent, and I've enjoyed using them for over a year without any issues. That is, until recently, when the right head phone started crackling.

After seeing other customers report the same issue, I contacted support to troubleshoot. However, I discovered the cause before getting a response from them.

I had recently started using a PowerLine adapter to transfer network data between rooms without running an ethernet cable. This seemed to introduce either a grounding issue or electrical interference, likely due to the high data load on the circuit.

If you're experiencing similar issues, I recommend checking for any recent changes to your home's electrical setup.

Hope this helps!

got rid of my microphone setup because the microphone in this is so good. Amazing headphones. I have two pair and they are super durable and comfortable.

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

Its very convenient with a USB because it uses its own sound properties going up to 24 bits and 96khz.

The earcups are made for sitting on ears for a long time although slightly adjusting it makes the sound louder and more clearer depending on ear size and shape.

At first I thought it lacked bass but I got used to it and agree it sounds way better than any other headphones I've used in the past and rightfully so for the price!

These things are awesome!! I use them for gaming, mainly in the game Hunt. Allows you to hear EVERYTHING, and in surround sound. Best mic I’ve ever used on a headset. I enabled steelseries sonar to boost it, but right out of the box it already sounded great.

Update a year later 09-2024

The last few weeks the microphone has been sounding iffy according to my friends. In game my microphone is crackly, in discord it is low. Fast forward to today, the headphones have completely died. I have tried on two different computers. There has been 0 damage to the headphones.

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.

Before I begin, would like to say that till date I have been using Headphones made by companies that make gaming peripherals (read razer, steelseries,logitech,HyperX,corsair, etc). So yeah was stuck in the hype but this headphone put new things into perspective. I use headphone only on my PC for gaming and occasional music and nothing else.

Built: Plastic parts seems good quality and sturdy. Cushioning on the headband and the ear pads(extra 1 pair provided) are very comfortable to put on, longest session was about 4 hours, felt no discomfort. Cord is about 3 feet length non braided with and added USB C converter.

Audio: this headphone has crystal clear notes and a punchy bass as default setting, which I altered to my preferences. After years of going with the hype, of using gaming headphones..this unit changed my outlook..the audio is so much more clear and precise that I was able to pick up so many other audio cues which I never heard or barely heard with other headphones..just this alone boosted my gaming and music listening experience by miles. Reason I went for of the USB version is due to low latency audio and high quality sound compared to a 3.5mm jack.

Also no active noise cancelation..for this just go with IEMs they are the best.

Mic: the flexible metallic attachment of the mic is of good quality and the mic per se sounds great and also gives feedback to your ears so you can actually hear how you sound like when speaking on the mic, which none of the gaming headphone can do.

Only Con or nit-picking is, no bag or case provided but that can be easily settled with universal cases available on amazon itself.

Conclusion: The Best headphones for gaming with music in my (limited) experience.

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.

Los mejores audífonos para NINTENDO SWITCH 2. Los RECOMIENDO.

Muito bom, fenomenal para captura do áudio.

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.