How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want studio-grade, wired over-ear headphones built for tracking, mixing and long listening sessions at home or in a project studio, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M20x; if you need lightweight, foldable on-ear headphones with a built-in mic for a kid's online classes, homework and travel, choose AILIHEN Kids Headphones.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M20x — biggest strength: 40 mm dynamic drivers with rare-earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum voice coils, tuned for enhanced low-frequency performance, with a circumaural (around-the-ear) closed-back design that isolates sound in loud rooms.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M20x — biggest trade-off: It's a wired, adult-oriented studio tool with a 3.0 m straight cable and no microphone, and its 47-ohm impedance and 96 dB sensitivity mean it's happiest plugged into a proper headphone output rather than a cheap dongle.
• AILIHEN Kids Headphones — biggest strength: A lightweight, foldable on-ear design (180 g) with an adjustable sliding headband, a tangle- and tear-resistant nylon cable with an inline microphone, and a multi-function button for play, pause, answer, hang-up and track changes.
• AILIHEN Kids Headphones — biggest trade-off: The 32-ohm, 20 Hz–20 kHz on-ear build is aimed at clear speech and everyday music, not critical low-end monitoring, and it leans on a 3.5 mm wired connection only.
• Who each pick is for: The ATH-M20x is for producers, students and gamers who want one durable wired pair for focused work; the AILIHEN is for kids and teens who need a comfortable, portable headset with a mic for school and calls.
The ATH-M20x is a closed-back, over-ear wired headphone built around a single idea: give you a reliable monitoring tool without asking you to baby it. The 40 mm dynamic drivers use rare-earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils, and the tuning deliberately pushes low-frequency performance. That matters if you're tracking a bass part, checking whether a kick drum is muddy, or just want a game's footsteps and explosions to land with weight. The frequency range runs 15 Hz to 20,000 Hz, so the bottom end is genuinely part of the design brief rather than an afterthought.
Who should buy it: anyone doing tracking, mixing, podcast editing, video work or long gaming sessions who wants one wired pair with a durable build, professional-grade ear pads and headband material, and sound isolation as a core feature. Who should skip it: anyone shopping for a child. The age range is listed as adult, there's no microphone, the impedance is 47 ohms, and the 3.0 m cable is a trip hazard around small kids. If your real need is hands-free calls and a backpack-friendly fit, this isn't the pair.
AILIHEN Kids Headphones: Who It's For
The AILIHEN Kids Headphones are the opposite kind of product, and they're honest about it. This is a wired, on-ear headset with a 3.5 mm jack, a built-in microphone on a braided nylon cable, and a multi-function button that handles play, pause, answer, hang-up and track changes. For a kid juggling a Chromebook, a tablet and a phone, that one button and one jack cover almost everything they'll be asked to do in a school day.
The design choices all point at portability and comfort. At 180 g and foldable, they'll slide into a backpack without a fight, and the extended sliding headband adjusts across a wide range of head sizes, which is why AILIHEN pitches them for both teens and younger kids. The padded ear cushions and adjustable headband are the comfort story for long class sessions or a movie on a car trip. The rounded faux-leather on-ear cups and the coating process behind the shiny finish are clearly aimed at kids who care what their gear looks like — that's not a trivial feature when a child has to actually want to put them on.
On audio, the honest framing is this: 40 mm dynamic drivers, 32-ohm impedance, and a 20 Hz–20 kHz range. That's a friendly, easy-to-drive spec that most phones, laptops and tablets can push without help, and it's tuned for clarity on speech and everyday music rather than deep bass monitoring. The microphone is the headline feature for online classes and video calls, and the nylon cable is specifically described as tangle- and tear-resistant — the two failure modes that kill cheap kids' headsets. The one-year coverage described for manufacturing, delivery and normal wear is a meaningful signal for a product that will live in a school bag.
Who should buy it: parents buying for a school-age child or teen, and anyone who needs an inexpensive wired headset with a mic for calls and classes. Who should skip it: adults who want serious low-end extension, isolation for mixing, or a replaceable cable. If you're producing music, this isn't your tool.
• Best for studio monitoring and mixing → Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. Tuned low-frequency performance, a 15 Hz–20,000 Hz range and a closed-back circumaural design built for tracking.
• Best for kids, school and online classes → AILIHEN Kids Headphones. The inline microphone, multi-function button and teen-to-kid adjustable headband are exactly what classroom and video-call use demands.
• Best for sound isolation in a loud room → Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. The around-the-ear contour plus closed back is designed to block outside noise and minimize bleed.
• Best for portability → AILIHEN Kids Headphones. 180 g, foldable, and light enough to disappear into a backpack; the ATH-M20x's 3.0 m straight cable makes it a stay-at-the-desk pair.
• Best for hands-free calls → AILIHEN Kids Headphones. The ATH-M20x has no microphone at all.
• Best for low-end weight → Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. Its whole tuning brief is enhanced low-frequency output; the AILIHEN is voiced for clear speech and music.
• Best for long wear on a big head → Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. 210 g with professional-grade ear pads and headband material; the AILIHEN suits smaller, growing heads.
• Best for easy plug-and-play on any device → AILIHEN Kids Headphones. 32 ohms is easy to drive from a phone or tablet; the ATH-M20x's 47 ohms and 96 dB sensitivity pair better with a dedicated headphone output.
If I were buying for myself, I'd take the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. In my opinion the 40 mm drivers, the enhanced low-frequency tuning, the genuine around-ear isolation and the 6.3 mm adapter make it the more capable pair for anyone doing real listening or production work, and the 210 g build with professional-grade pads is the kind of thing you keep for years. But I'd buy the AILIHEN Kids Headphones in a heartbeat for a child. The mic, the one-button control, the foldable 180 g frame and the adjustable headband solve problems the ATH-M20x was never designed to solve. Different jobs, different picks — and both are good at theirs.
The AILIHEN. It's listed for teens and kids, weighs 180 g, folds for a backpack, has an adjustable sliding headband and includes an inline microphone for classes and calls. The ATH-M20x is listed for adults, has no mic and a long 3.0 m cable.
You can plug them into a laptop with the 3.5 mm jack, but there's no microphone, so you'd still need a separate mic for speaking. The AILIHEN's inline mic is the practical choice if talking in class is the point.
They have 40 mm dynamic drivers and a 20 Hz–20 kHz range, so music sounds full and clear, but the tuning leans toward speech and everyday listening. If deep low-end is your priority, the ATH-M20x's enhanced low-frequency tuning is the better fit.
I don't publish prices here because they change often. Check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page for both, then weigh it against which job you're actually buying for.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.