We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-26 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a wired streaming headset that doubles as a serious pair of studio headphones, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS; if you need headphones that simulate real mixing rooms and reference systems in software, choose Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS — biggest strength: A genuine two-in-one. It pairs the M50x-style 45 mm driver tuning with a cardioid condenser mic on a flip-to-mute boom arm, so you get monitoring and a broadcast-grade vocal capture in one wired rig.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS — biggest trade-off: It is strictly wired, with a permanently attached 2 m cable and an XLR mic output that expects an audio interface or mixer — not a USB plug-and-play streamer.
• Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio — biggest strength: The VSX Platinum Edition software is the product. It models studio monitoring spaces and popular reference headphones, so you can check a mix against rooms and systems you don't own.
• Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio — biggest trade-off: The headphones are only half the story — you need a Mac or PC, the included Essentials license, and iLok to unlock the Platinum expansion, and there's no microphone at all.
• Pick the ATH-M50xSTS if you talk as much as you listen — streaming, podcasting, voice work, or tracking where you need a mic and isolation in one device.
• Pick the Slate VSX Platinum if your job is mixing and mastering and you want to hear your work through many environments without leaving your desk.
The ATH-M50xSTS is a streaming headset built on a headphone people already trust. Audio-Technica took the driver formula behind the M50x — 45 mm large-aperture dynamic drivers with rare-earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum voice coils — and added a cardioid condenser microphone derived from its 20 Series mics. The stated frequency range runs 15 Hz to 28 kHz at 38 ohms impedance, which is an easy load for a laptop jack, a mixer, or a small interface.
The clever part is the boom arm. It's flexible, it sits near your mouth to reject background noise, and it flips up to mute silently — no button click landing in your recording. Audio-Technica also ships two sets of earpads: the M50x pads for sound isolation and audio quality, and mesh/leatherette pads for breathability during long sessions. The enclosure is aluminum, the fit is over-ear with a rounded earpiece shape, and the whole thing weighs 454 g.
Buy it if you're a streamer, podcaster, or voiceover artist who wants one wired headset for both monitoring and talking, and who already has an interface or mixer to feed the XLR mic output. The 3.5 mm headphone jack plus 6.3 mm adapter covers consumer and pro gear. Skip it if you need wireless freedom, USB-only convenience, or if you're purely mixing music — the mic is wasted on you, and the permanently attached 2 m cable limits how you move.
The Steven Slate Audio VSX Platinum Edition is a different species of product. It's a closed-back, over-ear headphone with a stainless steel enclosure and dynamic drivers covering 20 Hz to 20 kHz — but the headline is the VSX Platinum Edition modeling software, delivered as a Mac/PC VST and AAX Native plugin. The idea is that your room colors everything you hear, so VSX gives you a curated library of monitoring spaces and reference headphone emulations to check your mix against.
The Platinum tier expands on the Essentials Edition with more high-end monitoring spaces, and the software covers everything from famous mastering rooms to the inside of a luxury SUV — a genuinely useful way to hear how a mix translates to a casual listening environment. There's hybrid noise cancellation and app-based volume control on the hardware side, and the package includes the cable.
Here's the catch, and it's a real one: the Platinum Edition expansion requires the included Essentials Edition license, and it runs on iLok. So this is not a casual purchase — it's a commitment to a plugin ecosystem on your computer. Buy it if you're a producer, mixing engineer, or mastering engineer working in an untreated room who wants reliable reference points without building a studio. Skip it if you want a headset for talking, if you work mostly on mobile or without a DAW, or if you don't want to manage iLok licensing.
• Best for streaming and voice work → Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS. The cardioid condenser mic and flip-to-mute boom arm are the whole point.
• Best for mixing and mastering → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. The VSX Platinum room and headphone modeling is built for translation checks.
• Best for microphone quality → Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS. It has one; the Slate VSX doesn't.
• Best for hearing how a mix translates → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. Modeled rooms and reference headphones do what a single pair of headphones can't.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS. Wired 3.5 mm jack, no software, no license.
• Best for extended frequency range → Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS. 15 Hz–28 kHz versus the Slate's 20 Hz–20 kHz.
• Best for noise control while listening → Slate Media Technology Steven Slate Audio. Hybrid noise cancellation beats passive isolation for blocking a room.
• Best for a single-device setup → it depends on your job, not your gear. Talking and monitoring, go Audio-Technica; mixing and referencing, go Slate.
In my opinion, most people searching these two names are actually trying to answer one question: do I want a tool for talking or a tool for mixing? If your work involves a microphone — streaming, podcasts, voice, or tracking — I'd buy the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS. It's the more self-contained purchase: one wired headset, two pad options, a real condenser mic, and no software to maintain. I'd only steer you to the Slate VSX Platinum if your daily work is mixing music and you're ready to live inside its plugin ecosystem on a Mac or PC. Different jobs, different tools — and honestly, few people need both.
how to connect studio headphones
Studio headphones like these use a wired 3.5 mm jack. Both the ATH-M50xSTS and the Slate VSX connect that way; the Audio-Technica also includes a 6.3 mm adapter for interfaces and mixers. Just plug into your headphone output — the ATH-M50xSTS's XLR mic output is separate and goes to an interface or mixer.
how to test studio headphones
Play material you know intimately and listen for balance across the range. The ATH-M50xSTS spans 15 Hz–28 kHz at 38 ohms, so check bass accuracy and high-frequency clarity; the Slate VSX covers 20 Hz–20 kHz, and its real test is whether mixes translate once you switch between its modeled rooms.
how to bluetooth studio headphones
Neither of these is wireless — both are wired-only designs. The ATH-M50xSTS uses a permanently attached 2 m cable with a 3.5 mm jack, and the Slate VSX uses a 3.5 mm wired connection too. If you need Bluetooth, you'd want a separate pair built for it.
how to pair beats studio headphones
That's a different brand entirely, and pairing steps vary by model. For this comparison, note that neither the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS nor the Slate VSX supports Bluetooth pairing at all — both are wired studio tools, not consumer wireless headphones.
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