About Audio-Technica
Audio-Technica was founded in 1962 in Tokyo by Hideo Matsushita, a curator at the Bridgestone Museum of Art who hosted LP listening concerts there. According to the company's own account, he started Audio-Technica to make high-quality audio available to more people, and its first product was an affordable phono cartridge, the AT-1. Today the company's range spans headphones, turntables, cartridges, microphones and commercial audio.
Its M-Series studio monitor headphones are the line that earned this page. The ATH-M50x uses 45 mm drivers and the ATH-M20x and ATH-M40x use 40 mm drivers, all in closed-back, over-ear designs with impedances between 35 and 47 ohms. Each model has its own voicing, from the all-round tuning of the ATH-M50x to the flatter, more neutral sound of the ATH-M40x.
Brand website: audio-technica.com
What Audio-Technica makes
Audio-Technica's catalog runs wider than the gear we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
M-Series Studio Monitor Headphones
Closed-back studio monitor headphones, including the ATH-M50x, ATH-M20x and ATH-M40x featured here — featured on House of Octave
Turntables
Record players
Cartridges
Phono cartridges, the product Audio-Technica was founded on
Microphones
Microphones listed on the brand's site alongside the headphone range
Commercial Audio
Commercial audio products listed on the brand's site
Why we recognized Audio-Technica
The House of Octave Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose gear consistently stands out in our player-tested category guides. Audio-Technica earned it on the strength of the products below, judged the same way every product on this site is: assessed on build, tone, and playability, weighed against what players actually report over years of use, and ranked on merit.
Audio-Technica gear we rated highly
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones
A closed-back design with 45 mm dynamic drivers and a 38 ohm impedance, low enough to run from a phone, a laptop or an audio interface. In our reviews its flat, forgiving tuning suits both tracking and casual mixing, so one pair covers the two jobs a home setup asks of a headphone. The earcups swivel for one-ear monitoring against a cue mix, and the detachable cable means a worn lead is a spare part.
Read the 10 Best Studio Headphones of 2026 for Music Production (Mixing, Recording, Open-Back & Budget) guide →
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones
A closed-back studio headphone with 40 mm dynamic drivers and a 47 ohm impedance that drives easily from a phone or a basic interface, with no amp needed to reach a usable level. Its tuning is accurate and unhyped, so nothing in a rough mix is hidden behind a bass lift the way it can be on consumer headphones, and the clamp stays comfortable through long sessions.
Read the 10 Best Studio Headphones of 2026 for Music Production (Mixing, Recording, Open-Back & Budget) guide →
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Studio Monitor Headphone
A closed-back design with 40 mm dynamic drivers and a 35 ohm impedance. Its voicing is flatter and more neutral than the ATH-M50x, which is what you want when monitoring speech for hours in podcasting, voice work or editing. The cups swivel, and the detachable cable ships as both a coiled and a straight lead, so the cable is a repairable part.
Read the 10 Best Studio Headphones of 2026 for Music Production (Mixing, Recording, Open-Back & Budget) guide →What earned Audio-Technica the recognition
- The ATH-M50x, ATH-M20x and ATH-M40x are each a top pick in our guide to studio headphones for music production
- All three are closed-back designs, which keeps a cue mix from leaking into a live microphone while tracking
- Impedances of 35 to 47 ohms let each pair run from a phone, a laptop or an audio interface without a dedicated headphone amp
- The line voices differently model to model: an all-round tuning on the ATH-M50x, a flatter and more neutral one on the ATH-M40x, and an accurate, unhyped one on the ATH-M20x
- The ATH-M50x and ATH-M40x have swiveling earcups for one-ear monitoring and detachable cables that can be swapped when worn
- Audio-Technica was founded in Tokyo in 1962 and its range spans headphones, turntables, cartridges, microphones and commercial audio