Not too long ago, the notion of a wireless headset would make a hi-fi nerd to tremble – and with good reason. It’s because the technology has improved, a high-quality wireless headset now, it’s more than a match for the cable. The Hi-Res Audio, the label that you will be able to see it in its new in-ear headphones, means that they meet the specific criteria for the play of the music is of a higher quality than CD quality. This means that the headphones must be capable of decoding and playing of the music, which is a 24-bit/96 kHz and higher. This is the The Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT Review.
The Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BTs are amazing wireless headphones, with a frequency response of 5-40,000 Hz, which means that you’ll hear every note crystal clear. Also, they will last up to 38 hours on a single charge, which means you can go days, if not weeks, without any charge to them, relying on your listening habits.
The Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT Review: Design
The design of the ATH-SR5BT is low-key, with a black finish, and a few silver accents, but there is also a white-on-white if you like the clean sci-fi look. The headphones feature a metal ear shells with soft leather ear pads and headband, which define the comfort. That being said, they do have an in-ear design, but they do a great job of passively blocking outside noise. On the upside, the ATH-SR5BT an exceptionally smooth ride, mainly due to its small size.
The ear pads are made of memory foam, soft and feel good even after long listening sessions. There is very little clamping force, which is great for long listening sessions, but they can be a little bit lost for the users who would like to practice with them. All of the controls are on the back of each ear. To the right of the headphone jack has a switch, while the left earcup has controls for playback, charging, micro USB port and a 3.5 mm jack for use in a wireless way.
The headphones feature 45mm drivers that can cope with an incredible frequency response of 5-40,000 Hz. The in-ear headphones have an impedance of 45 ohms, which means that you don’t need an amp to drive them properly. The box contains a micro-USB charging cable, 3.9 feet (1.2 m) cable with a headphone jack, and a carrying case. The cable from the headphone jack, comes with a built-in microphone and a button on the remote control to control playback and answer phone calls.
Connectivity
To pair with the ATH-SR5BTs with my Galaxy S-10 is trouble-free with the addition of the NFC technology – one touch on the back of your NFC-enabled phone to the left of the head to quickly pair the headphones with your device. While the Audio-Technica boasts that these headphones can remember up to eight devices, you will need to connect/disconnect to Bluetooth device-settings, because they are not able to connect to multiple devices at the same time.
A few headsets support multiple devices at the same time, such as the Plantronics Backbeat Pro, and it would be nice to see that Audio-Technica includes this feature in the future, as it is a pain to chase down all the settings for the switching devices. There is no support for the aptX codecs and AAC audio, which means that the wireless audio with Bluetooth 4.1 you’ll sound great with both Android smartphones and apple iPhones. Please Note that the in-ear headphones in Bluetooth mode, it only gives you a frequency response of 20-20,000 Hz, while the use of them in the wire so that it gives the full 5-40,000 Hz, is required for Hi-Res Audio.
To control the playback with your headphones, it’s relatively easy, but it will take some time to get used to it, because it’s a toggle and a button. Switching to the up and down arrows change the volume, but you can hold down the a button to jump to the front and hold down the a button to jump back to it. Press the button to play/pause music or answer/reject an incoming call. Speaking of phone calls, friends and family reported the sound of your hand over the flame, and noting that it sounded a lot better than using the built-in microphone on our Samsung Galaxy tab S-10.
The Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT Review: Performance
Enough about the connectivity. How do the ATH-SR5BTs of the sound. In short, it’s phenomenal. The music is well balanced throughout the entire frequency range, even though there is a slight treble and mid-bass boost. This means that the high frequencies can seem a bit tiresome for those of you who are sensitive to the higher frequencies, and we found out that they are on the verge of being too much power. All of the high-frequency energy, means in the ATH-SR5BT it has an excellent resolution, well-recorded music.
You will hear the musicians breathing, or the beating of the feet, something that other wireless headsets, you can’t play. The sound is well-rendered, but it can be a little bit bigger. The bass is tight with good impact, but low-end enthusiast would probably want headphones that you can dig deeper into it. Bassheads should look at the Marshall Major II Bluetooth in order to satisfy the desire of the EDM and rap, but to expect a mudder and low and lower the resolution.
While the majority of the people are accustomed to using the ATH-SR5BT in wireless mode, it is worth to connect them with the experience Hi-Res audio is capable of. We plugged a set of headphones with the included cable, and have been blown away by how much better everything sounded in it; the bass had more impact, especially when used in conjunction with a power amp like my Fiio E18 and the WooAudio 3. We hooked up with in the way of the day.
The Service Life Of The Battery
Audio-Technica claims to have 38 hours of play are in place. We have had problems with the drain the battery in about a week, I went with a set of headphones. They have to have a serious resistance to it. However, they do need a little bit of time (about five hours) to recharge again from the dead, so that you are going to want to put them on the charger for the night.
The Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT Review: Conclusion
The Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT offers a great balance between portability, and listen to it. Sound Bluetooth it’s great for travel or when you are in the least concerned in the treason. Once you are safely at home or in a quiet environment, you can easily switch to the wire so get the Hi-Res Audio. While its $199 price point, the ATH-SR5BT offers you great value for all the audiophiles that have the convenience of going wireless.
Sure, they don’t have all the features of the more expensive, wireless headphones, such as the active noise cancellation and multi-device pairing, but those are the trade-offs worth making for a phenomenal sound. Also, read our list of the Best Headphones / headset with Noise Cancellation
