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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired, closed-back monitor built for tracking and mixing, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M20x; if you need wireless noise cancelling with spatial audio and marathon battery life, choose Srhythm NiceComfort 95. That is the short version. The long version is that these two headphones barely live in the same category — one is a corded studio tool, the other is a travel-and-commute machine — so the right pick depends entirely on where you plan to wear them.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M20x biggest strength: Wired, closed-back studio tuning with 40 mm drivers, rare earth magnets and aluminum voice coils — plus a 6.3 mm adapter and a hard case in the box.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M20x biggest trade-off: No Bluetooth, no active noise cancelling, no app. It is a cord-only headphone with a fixed, functional look.
• Srhythm NiceComfort 95 biggest strength: Adaptive hybrid noise cancelling, transparency mode, 360-degree spatial audio with head tracking, Bluetooth 6, and a claimed 100-hour average battery life.
• Srhythm NiceComfort 95 biggest trade-off: It is a consumer wireless headphone first — 16 ohm, 20 Hz–40 kHz, app and button control — not a neutral reference monitor for critical mixing.
• Pick the ATH-M20x if you record, track or mix at a desk and want a sealed over-ear that isolates without a battery.
• Pick the NiceComfort 95 if you commute, fly, game or take calls and want noise cancelling plus wireless freedom.
The ATH-M20x is a closed-back dynamic monitor with 40 mm drivers, rare earth magnets and aluminum voice coils. In plain terms, that combination is the classic recipe for a wired studio headphone: strong motor force, controlled excursion and a tuning that leans on enhanced bass response. Audio-Technica has tuned this pair for deep low end, which is why it shows up in home studios where people are tracking bass-heavy material and need to feel the low end without it smearing the mids.
The circumaural — around-ear — design is the other half of the story. Full ear coverage means passive sound isolation, and that matters more than most beginners realize. If you are recording vocals or a mic'd amp in the same room as a computer fan, a noisy AC unit or a chatty roommate, a sealed over-ear keeps the bleed down and keeps your attention on the take. The earcups also swivel up to 15 degrees, which is a small but genuinely useful touch for one-ear monitoring — you tilt a cup off your ear to hear the room, then swivel it back.
Specs worth knowing: 47 ohm impedance, 96 dB sensitivity, 15 Hz–20,000 Hz frequency response, and a 6.3 mm jack with a snap-on 1/4-inch adapter included. The 47 ohm load is friendly to laptops, interfaces and phones with a dongle — it does not demand a dedicated headphone amp the way high-impedance studio cans do. Weight is around 1.45–1.5 pounds, so it is not a featherweight, but the ergonomic build is designed for long sessions, and the bundle adds a protective case and a polishing cloth so the headphones survive being tossed in a bag.
Buy it if you want one dependable wired pair for recording, editing, beat-making or just listening critically at a desk, and you like the idea of a hard case included. Skip it if you need Bluetooth, active noise cancelling, a transparency mode, a microphone for calls, or a battery. There is none of that here — and that is the point. It is a cord, a driver and a seal.
The NiceComfort 95 goes the opposite direction. This is a wireless over-ear with adaptive noise cancelling that automatically adjusts its cancellation level to the ambient noise around you, and Srhythm claims deep cancellation blocks up to 95% of ambient noise — the airplane engine hum, the subway rumble, the office AC buzz. Hybrid, passive and environmental noise cancellation all appear in the spec sheet, and there is a transparency mode for the moments you actually need to hear the flight attendant or your coffee order without pulling the headphones off.
The audio side is built around 40 mm hybrid drivers with a high-rigidity diaphragm, a 20 Hz–40 kHz range, 16 ohm impedance and 120 dB sensitivity. That is a very easy load to drive, which is exactly what you want from a Bluetooth headphone. The headline feature is 360-degree spatial audio with head tracking — the soundstage is meant to feel like a live room rather than a point source in your skull, which pairs well with EDM, hip-hop and cinematic scores. There is also a low-latency game mode for audio-visual sync while gaming or watching video, and five microphones with ENC for calls, so you can take a meeting on a train without shouting.
Connectivity is where it pulls ahead for daily life: Bluetooth 6 with a 10-meter range, plus a 3.5 mm jack and an included audio cable for wired listening when you want it. The box includes a travel case, a Type-C charging cable, a two-pin airplane adapter and a quick start guide. Battery is the standout number — a 10-minute charge and up to 100 hours of average life, which is the kind of figure that changes how you pack for a trip. Build-wise it is metal-heavy with a polished aluminum finish, a multi-function knob and app plus touch/button control, with Google Assistant and Siri support. The replaceable ear pads are cotton and protein leather, and the colorway here is Rose Orange.
Buy it if you want one pair for commuting, flying, gaming, calls and casual listening, and you value silence, wireless freedom and battery life over reference accuracy. Skip it if you need a neutral monitor for mixing decisions, or you simply do not want to manage charging, firmware and an app.
• Best for critical listening and mixing → Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. Closed-back, wired, 47 ohm, no processing in the signal path.
• Best for noise cancelling → Srhythm NiceComfort 95. Adaptive hybrid ANC plus a transparency mode the M20x does not have at all.
• Best for battery life → Srhythm NiceComfort 95. Up to 100 hours average life and a 10-minute charge; the M20x has no battery to worry about.
• Best for recording and tracking in a loud room → Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. Circumaural isolation, 15-degree swivel cups and a 6.3 mm adapter for interfaces.
• Best for travel and commuting → Srhythm NiceComfort 95. Airplane adapter, travel case, Bluetooth 6 and ANC tuned for engines and trains.
• Best for gaming and movies → Srhythm NiceComfort 95. Low-latency mode plus 360-degree spatial audio with head tracking.
• Best for zero-maintenance simplicity → Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. Plug in, listen, done — nothing to charge or update.
• Best for calls → Srhythm NiceComfort 95. Five microphones with ENC; the M20x has no microphone.
If I had to buy one of these for myself, I would buy the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x — because my priority is a wired, sealed, neutral-ish monitor I can trust while tracking and mixing, and the M20x is built for exactly that job with a case and adapter included. The NiceComfort 95 is the better headphone for almost everything else, and if your day involves planes, trains, calls and gaming, I would point you there instead without hesitation. Two different tools, one honest answer: match the headphone to the room you actually sit in. Before you decide, check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page — the gap between a wired studio pair and a wireless ANC pair is usually the deciding factor for most shoppers.
what are the best wired studio headphones
There is no single answer, but the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x is a strong wired studio option on paper: closed-back, 40 mm drivers, 47 ohm impedance, 15 Hz–20,000 Hz, and a 6.3 mm jack with a snap-on 1/4-inch adapter. If you need a corded monitor for tracking and mixing, it fits that brief. If you want wireless features, the Srhythm NiceComfort 95 is the other side of this comparison.
what are wired headphones
Wired headphones connect to your device with a physical cable instead of Bluetooth. The ATH-M20x is wired-only via its 6.3 mm jack, which means no battery, no pairing and no charging. The Srhythm NiceComfort 95 is primarily wireless but also has a 3.5 mm jack and an included audio cable for wired listening.
what headphones do professional studios use
Studios typically use closed-back, wired, over-ear monitors for tracking and mixing, which is the category the ATH-M20x belongs to — circumaural, sealed, 40 mm dynamic drivers, tuned for enhanced bass. The Srhythm NiceComfort 95 is a consumer wireless headphone with ANC and spatial audio, so it is aimed at travel, calls and entertainment rather than reference monitoring.
are all studio headphones wired
Historically yes, and the ATH-M20x is a good example — wired-only, no Bluetooth, no ANC. But the line is blurring: the Srhythm NiceComfort 95 has Bluetooth 6 plus a 3.5 mm wired option, so it can work as a casual wired headphone even though it is not a studio monitor by design.
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See also: Audio-Technica ATH-M40x vs OneOdio Pro10, Audio-Technica ATH-M30x vs ARTIX Headphones: Studio Monitor, Kinboofi KZ ZS10 vs Sennheiser Consumer Audio CX: In Ear