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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-30 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
If you want studio monitor headphones you can wear for hours while tracking, editing and referencing a mix in noisy rooms, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M70x; if you need a full starter studio setup — speakers, an audio interface and a monitoring pair of headphones in one box — choose M-AUDIO BX4.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M70x — biggest strength: 45 mm large-aperture drivers tuned for an extremely wide 5 Hz–40 kHz range, with metal components in the build for durability and 90° swiveling earcups for one-ear monitoring.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M70x — biggest trade-off: It is headphones only. You get no speakers, no interface and no inputs — just a wired, closed-back monitoring tool for your ears.
• M-AUDIO BX4 — biggest strength: It is a complete bundle. Two BX4 studio monitors, a dual XLR audio interface and a pair of monitoring headphones land together, plus Bluetooth streaming to the monitors.
• M-AUDIO BX4 — biggest trade-off: It is a system, not a single precision instrument. You are buying a workflow, so you are trusting the bundle's fit for your room and your setup rather than choosing each piece yourself.
• Who each pick is for: Pick the ATH-M70x if headphones are your main monitoring reference and you need isolation and one-ear flexibility. Pick the BX4 bundle if you are building a home studio from near-zero and want speakers, recording inputs and headphones in one move.
The ATH-M70x is a closed-back dynamic studio monitor headphone built around a proprietary 45 mm large-aperture driver. Audio-Technica tunes that driver to cover 5 Hz to 40 kHz while aiming for balance across the range. In practice, that very wide frequency response tells you the design intent: reproduce the extreme low and high ends of a mix rather than flatter the middle. With 35 ohm impedance and 97 dB sensitivity, it is a relatively easy load for a wide range of headphone outputs, which matters if you move between interfaces, consoles and laptops.
The circumaural (over-ear) design contours around the ears, and that is the feature that shapes daily use. Good isolation in loud environments means you can track a vocalist in the same room as a drummer, or work in a shared space without fighting the background. The 90° swiveling earcups then let you flip one side off for one-ear monitoring while the other ear stays isolated. Audio-Technica lists the intended uses plainly: studio mixing and tracking, FOH, DJing, mastering, post-production, audio forensics and personal listening. That is a wide brief, and it is why I would point engineers, editors and DJs at this one.
Who should skip it? Anyone who needs to hear their mix in a room rather than in their head. Headphones can't give you the room interaction, stereo imaging across a physical space, or the low-end feel of speakers moving air. If your goal is to build a production setup from scratch with recording inputs, the ATH-M70x on its own doesn't get you there. It also ships with a case and a 3.5 mm wired connection, so if wireless freedom is a priority, this is the wrong tool. The build mixes faux leather, metal and plastic with metal in key components for durability, and it carries a 2-year warranty description — details that matter if the headphones live in a bag and travel between sessions.
The M-AUDIO BX4 bundle is a different kind of purchase. Instead of one instrument, you get a small studio in a box: a pair of BX4 Bluetooth studio monitors, a dual XLR audio interface, and a pair of monitoring headphones. The BX4 monitors use a dynamic driver design and are positioned for precise audio and clarity during critical mixing. The dual XLR interface is the piece that turns this from a listening setup into a recording setup — it lets you capture multiple sources at once with high fidelity, which is exactly what you need for a microphone plus an instrument, or two mics on a source.
Bluetooth connectivity is the quietly useful part. You can stream music wirelessly to the monitors for casual listening and reference tracks without rewiring your interface every time you want to hear something. The included headphones are described as providing isolated, detailed sound for comfortable monitoring, which covers the late-night and close-listening side of the job when speakers would annoy the neighbours.
Who should buy it? M-AUDIO frames the bundle for music production, and specifically for producers, engineers and serious home studio users, plus podcasters and streamers who need to capture and monitor audio in one workflow. If you are starting from nothing — no speakers, no interface, no monitoring — this bundle removes the guesswork of matching components. If you record vocals, instruments, or spoken content and you also want speakers for mixing and streaming, this is a coherent package. The manufacturer is inMusic Brands Inc., model BX4.
Who should skip it? Anyone who already owns a good interface and monitors and only needs one more pair of headphones. Anyone who works primarily on the move, in loud rooms, or in shared spaces where speakers simply aren't practical. And anyone who wants to hand-pick every component to match their own room and taste — a bundle is a bundle, and you take it as a set rather than choosing the interface and monitors individually.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for isolation and one-ear monitoring → Audio-Technica ATH-M70x. The circumaural closed-back design plus 90° swiveling earcups are purpose-built for tracking in loud rooms.
• Best for mixing that needs a physical room → M-AUDIO BX4. Speakers let you hear how a mix behaves in space; headphones cannot replicate that.
• Best for detailed, repeatable reference listening → Audio-Technica ATH-M70x. The 45 mm driver's 5 Hz–40 kHz tuning and 97 dB sensitivity make it a precise, consistent reference you can carry anywhere.
• Best for recording microphones and instruments → M-AUDIO BX4. The dual XLR interface is the deciding feature here — the ATH-M70x has no inputs at all.
• Best for travel and shared spaces → Audio-Technica ATH-M70x. Wired, closed-back, comes with a case, and it won't disturb anyone around you.
• Best for casual listening and reference streaming → M-AUDIO BX4. Bluetooth to the monitors makes it easy to play a reference track from a phone without touching the interface.
• Best for podcasters and streamers → M-AUDIO BX4. Capture and monitoring in one bundle matches the way spoken-word content actually gets made.
In my opinion, the M-AUDIO BX4 bundle is the better buy for most people asking this question in 2026, because it solves the bigger problem: it gives you speakers to mix on, an interface to record through, and headphones to monitor with, all at once. Most home studios stall at exactly that gap between "I have headphones" and "I can actually record and hear my mix in a room."
That said, I would buy the Audio-Technica ATH-M70x if headphones are my primary reference and I need isolation, portability and one-ear monitoring — a DJ, a tracking engineer or an editor working in noisy spaces. If you already own monitors and an interface, the ATH-M70x is the sharper single-purpose tool; if you own nothing, the BX4 bundle gets you working faster. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever path matches your setup before deciding.
what is studio monitor headphones
Studio monitor headphones are closed- or open-back headphones designed to reproduce audio accurately rather than to flatter it, so you can make mixing and tracking decisions you can trust. The Audio-Technica ATH-M70x fits this definition directly: a closed-back dynamic design with 45 mm drivers tuned across 5 Hz–40 kHz, intended for mixing, tracking, mastering and post-production.
what are the best studio monitor headphones
"In my opinion, the ATH-M70x is a strong pick if you want isolation and one-ear monitoring, because its circumaural closed-back design and 90° swiveling earcups are built for exactly that. But the honest answer is that "best" depends on your job — if you also need speakers and recording inputs, the M-AUDIO BX4 bundle's included headphones plus monitors and dual XLR interface cover more of a home studio's needs.
do i need studio monitors if i have headphones
Yes, in most cases — they do different jobs. Headphones like the ATH-M70x give you isolation and detail, but only speakers such as the M-AUDIO BX4 monitors let you hear how a mix behaves in a physical room. The common workflow is to check on both, which is exactly what the BX4 bundle's combination of monitors, interface and headphones is set up to support.
what are studio monitor headphones
To repeat the point plainly: they are headphones voiced for accuracy and critical listening, not for boosted bass or casual enjoyment. The ATH-M70x is the pure headphone answer here with its 45 mm large-aperture drivers and 5 Hz–40 kHz range; the BX4 bundle's headphones serve the same monitoring role but arrive as part of a larger recording and playback system.
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