There are always too many announcements to keep track of at any CES, but make sure you keep this one on your radar: Audio-Technica has announced what the brand calls a ‘world first’ with the ATH-M50xSTS and ATH-M50xSTS -USB- streaming/gaming headsets.
Headsets aren’t really designed with streamers in mind, but that’s where Audio-Technica steps in and where that ‘world first’ claim comes from, meaning these new headsets aren’t just designed for gaming, but for actual streaming and creating of content. at. What makes these headsets so special?
According to Audio-Technica, the ATH-M50xSTS and ATH-M50xSTS-USB are specifically designed to “serve the needs of live streaming content creators”. To that end, you get the same large-aperture 45mm drivers found in Audio-Technica’s iconic M50x headphones.
But where these headsets really stand out from the pack, according to Audio-Technica, comes down to their microphone. On both sets you get a cardioid condenser capsule with a flexible boom arm from Audio-Technica’s own 20 series microphones. Reportedly, this will bring “rich, studio-quality vocals with no background noise” to the table.
Depending on the headset, you can certainly find some good sounding sets, but they often lack the neutral quality of studio headphones. What’s more is that headset mics tend to be lackluster most of the time, so if Audio-Technica can successfully innovate and address both tendencies of headsets, that’s an interesting product to keep an eye on.
Plus, as the name suggests, you can choose between an XLR model (the ATH-M50xSTS) and a USB model (ATH-M50xSTS-USB), depending on how you want your setup to work. Both sets will be available from late winter 2023, and you can get the ATH-M50xSTS for £169 / €199 / $199 and the ATH-M50xSTS-USB for £199 / €229 / $229.
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