Over-Ear
Audio-Technica ATH-SR50BT
58Average
$120
Full review dataAudio-Technica ATH-SR50BT vs Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen): which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 86. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) - Outstanding overall at around $359.
Over-Ear
Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)
86Outstanding
$360
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) leads on 6 of 7 measures.
- Audio-Technica ATH-SR50BT
- Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)
HearWiki score
58
86
Sound
7.4
8.2
Noise cancelling
3.2
9.4
Battery
5.2
6.5
Calls
4.2
6.7
Value
-
7.5
Price (USD)
$120
$360
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
New platform
Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) (2026) against Audio-Technica ATH-SR50BT (2020). The Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) is the newer platform here: Bluetooth 5.4 against 5.0 and Top codec LDAC against aptX. It also adds Multipoint pairing and USB-C.
- ATH-SR50BT2020
- QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)20266 yr newer
What differsATH-SR50BTQuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)
- Bluetooth
- 5.0
- 5.4
- Top codec
- aptX
- LDAC
- Multipoint pairing
- No
- Yes
- USB-C
- No
- Yes
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Transparency mode.
Specifications
ATH-SR50BTQuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $120
- $360
- HearWiki score
- 58
- 86
- Released
- 2020
- 2026
- Availability
- Still sold new
- Sold new
- Driver
- 2× 45 mm dynamic
- 40 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- dynamic
- Driver size
- 45 mm
- 40 mm
- Drivers per side
- 2
- 1
- Frequency response
- 5 Hz - 40 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance
- 47 Ω
- 32 Ω
- Sensitivity
- 100 dB/mW
- 110 dB/mW
- Bluetooth
- 5.0
- 5.4
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, aptX
- AAC, LDAC
- Multipoint pairing
- No
- Yes
- Battery life
- 28 h
- 24 h
- Full charge time
- 330 min
- 180 min
- Quick charge
- -
- 15 min → 2.5 h
- Wireless charging
- No
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- Yes
- Companion app
- Yes
- -
- Custom EQ
- No
- -
- Wear detection
- No
- -
- Controls
- buttons
- -
- Weight
- 262 g
- 236 g
- Water resistance
- none
- none
- Foldable
- Yes
- -
- Detachable cable
- Yes
- -
- USB-C
- No
- Yes
- Connector
- 3.5 mm
- -
- Microphones
- 1
- 6
- Microphone type
- condenser
- -
- Mic sensitivity
- -44 dBV
- -
What reviewers said
Audio-Technica ATH-SR50BT
The Audio-Technica ATH-SR50BT is a wireless over-ear headphone that combines long battery life with a balanced, flexible sound profile. It offers active noise cancellation, though its effect is modest, and includes a transparency mode for ambient awareness. With a comfortable fit and foldable design, it's a practical everyday choice, though it relies on older micro-USB charging and lacks multipoint connectivity.
- Pro:Long battery life of up to 28 hours
- Pro:Comfortable fit for larger ears
- Pro:Foldable design for portability
- Con:Noise cancellation is moderate, not fully effective
- Con:Uses micro-USB instead of USB-C
- Con:No multipoint Bluetooth pairing
Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)
These over-ear wireless headphones prioritize all-day comfort and top-tier noise cancellation, wrapping them in a lightweight 236-gram frame. They deliver a clear, balanced sound with support for high-quality LDAC and AAC codecs, plus handy features like multipoint Bluetooth and transparency mode. While the asking price is steep and some extras like Immersive Audio feel gimmicky, the core experience of quiet, comfortable listening is hard to beat.
- Pro:Extremely comfortable for long wear
- Pro:Excellent active noise cancellation
- Pro:Improved sound quality with LDAC support
- Con:Expensive for the feature set
- Con:EQ controls in the app are limited
- Con:Immersive Audio feature is underwhelming
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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