RØDE NTH-100 vs Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: Why RØDE is the New Budget King?

When you talk about microphones, RØDE is a name that effortlessly slides out of your mouth. RØDE NTH-100 is RØDE’s take on headphones after they’ve been dominating the market with their high-quality microphones that millions of people worldwide rely on. 

Before RØDE, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x was a critically acclaimed pair of headphones that was the best professional option under a budget. But now, with the arrival of RØDE NTH-100, Audio Technica appears to be dethroned from its title as the budget king. 

Today, we will compare these two budget headphones so that you can make a better-informed decision. 

Features

Professional headphones usually don’t come in cheap. And even when you manage to find one, it’s hard to compete with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x due to their incredible combination of price and performance. This headphone has been practically dominating the professional headphone market since February 2014, and it has held its ground firmly for all these years until now.

The recently announced RØDE NTH-100 inspires creativity by offering exceptional sonic performance and pairs it up with a supreme level of comfort, making them an incredible pick for long hours in the studio. With custom-matched drivers delivering precise frequency response with minimum distortion and a precision-engineered acoustic design for enhanced clarity, the NTH-100 is undoubtedly performing a coup. The legendary Audio-Technica ATH-M50x appears to be on the receiving end, as the NTH-100 is turning out to be the ideal go-to headphone for all kinds of content creation, including but not limited to music production, audio mixing and editing, podcasting, and even online streaming.

Not only in terms of audio quality, but a good level of comfort plays a significant role in judging a headphone’s performance. With that in mind, the NTH-100 comes with luxurious Alcantara cushions with their revolutionary CoolTech gel, guaranteeing the optimum amount of comfort during prolonged usage. The cans also come with a fully adjustable headband with the innovative “FitLok” locking system, assuring you a perfectly snug fit no matter the shape of your head. Unfortunately, things, at this point, are looking pretty grim for the long-running reign of Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.

Does the Arrival of RØDE Nth-100 Make Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Obsolete? 

Absolutely not! The ATH-M50x is still a great pair of headphones that has stood the test of time for years! Imagine how good a pair of headphones needs to be in order to be titled simply the best budget performance headphone for over eight years!

What made the ATH-M50x such a stunning pair of cans? Is it the 45mm large-aperture drivers with copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils? Or is it the circumaural design that contours around the ears of the users, providing a soothing sound isolation experience even in loud environments? Or the fact that these cups can add more to the comfort by having 90 degrees swiveling capability? You, and most users who have first-hand experience using the ATH-M50x, will have a ton more to add to this, but at the end of the day, we all know why the ATH-M50x was a big deal to everyone, and that, was undoubtedly the price. It had such an amazing value for the money that it was instantly rated one of the best budget headphones to ever exist. 

Well, until now, anyway. We say that because RØDE NTH-100 is taking no prisoners! Providing pretty similar specs when compared to the ATH-M50x, if not downright exceeding them, the cans also come with a seemingly indistinguishable price tag! For 150$, there are a plethora of professional budget headphones you can get. But the specs simply cannot compete with what RØDE has to offer! 

This goes to show how RØDE means business in the audio industry, and from here on after, people will think twice before calling RØDE a brand that only specializes in microphones. To be able to dethrone the legendary Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is not a small feat, and RØDE, with the success of RØDE NTH-100, is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

RØDE NTH-100 vs Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: Who Wins?

So, that was an overall comparison between RØDE NTH-100 vs Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.

“Yes, we DO think the RØDE NTH-100 wins, as it just stole the title away as the best budget professional headphones. However, with superb audio quality and still being offered at an affordable price, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x does not fall much behind.”