For earbuds in the $150 range, there’s usually not a lot to get excited about. Sure, those models typically offer the basics with decent sound quality, but very few have a stand-out feature that leaves a lasting impression. For its ATH-CKS50TW2 ($149), Audio-Technica sought to do this with extremely long battery life and a neat trick that will help you make the most of it. There’s a lot more to like on this set, including a list of tools that rival more expensive alternatives, but the ATH-CKS50TW2 is far from a complete package. The satisfying audio performance and ability to use them for over 20 hours on a charge might be enough to entice you to overlook those shortcomings.
The good: battery life, magnets and sound quality
When Audio-Technica announced the ATH-CKS50TW2 at CES, the first item on the spec sheet that struck me was the battery life. The company says you can expect up to 25 hours on a full charge without active noise cancellation (ANC) and up to 40 more hours from the charging case. With ANC enabled, you’ll still get a whopping 15 hours of listening time, which is about double what a lot of the competition offers these days. Importantly, those claims actually held true during my tests.
To maximize those numbers, the company equipped the ATH-CKS50TW2 with so-called Magnetic Switch technology. Specifically, the earbuds snap together with magnets to turn off before you put them in the case. Much of the competition doesn’t power down until the earbuds are inside of the case, but with the ATH-CKS50TW2, you don’t need to worry about that extra step. Simply take them off and snap them together, then you’ll know you’re no longer wasting precious battery power while the buds are resting on your desk. This also means the ATH-CKS50TW2 won’t always be charging in the case when you’re not using them, which should help extend battery longevity.
I’m also happy to report that Audio-Technica brought its trademark warm, inviting sound profile to the ATH-CKS50TW2. More specifically, the stock audio isn’t overly tuned, so bass remains pleasantly thumpy when needed and dialed down when it’s not. The bassline of Kendrick Lamar’s “tv off” booms while the hi-hats, claps and vocals cut through clear. When you switch over to something more mellow with less low-end bombast like Turnpike Troubadours’ “Be Here,” you get the full gamut of the acoustic instruments and light drums without bass overpowering the mix.
It doesn’t deliver the enhanced clarity and pristine detail that more expensive, flagship-level earbuds do, but the ATH-CKS50TW2 is plenty good for $150. In fact, this may be the best option in terms of sound quality in this price range. On Jason Isbell’s Foxes in the Snow, for example, the acoustic guitar — the lone instrument on the album — doesn’t have the expressive nuance as it does on Technics’ AZ100 or Bowers and Wilkins’ Pi8. But I’ll admit the ATH-CKS50TW2 holds its own against similarly priced competition. That, and the extended battery life alone make these earbuds a compelling package.
The not so good: design, controls and a missing feature
By 2025 standards, the ATH-CKS50TW2 earbuds are big and bulky. They also feel unbalanced, with much of the weight sitting well outside the curves of your ears. This means they’re not as comfortable as smaller models and feel unsteady. I never had issues with them falling out, but they feel like they could, which isn’t great. Perhaps Audio-Technica needed the extra space for bigger batteries, which I’m guessing will be an acceptable trade-off for users searching for longer listening times between charges.
Audio-Technica gave the ATH-CKS50TW2 physical controls, which is usually a good thing. Like some of the company’s previous models, the buttons are small, positioned along the top edge of the earbuds. Due to the design of the ATH-CKS50TW2 though, you have to hold the earbuds in place while pressing those buttons. It’s cumbersome, mostly due to the size and weight of each bud. The bulky, unbalanced construction has trickle-down effects on other aspects of the listening experience.
The ATH-CKS50TW2 is missing a crucial feature — wear detection. But the company has done well to include ANC, Hear-Through (ambient sound) mode, a five-band EQ, soundscapes, media controls and battery updates in its app. There’s also a “private timer” and low latency mode for games and video. You can even adjust how many steps volume adjustments will jump and test your microphone to see if optional noise reduction is needed during calls. Additionally, a quick-attention, Talk-Through mode that reduces volume and activates ambient sound for brief chats too. But you won’t find the simple, and handy, automatic pausing when you remove the earbuds from your ears.
The final verdict on the ATH-CKS50TW2
My initial assumption was correct: the main reason to buy the ATH-CKS50TW2 is the extremely long battery life. I don’t think the Magnetic Switch feature is necessary to hit the promised runtime, but it’s nice to know the earbuds are off without having to put them in the case where they’ll recharge even when you don’t need them to. Audio-Technica’s sonic prowess is on display here as well, albeit to a lesser degree than some of the company’s other earbuds and headphones.
The design isn’t the most comfortable and the controls are awkward to use, but the full list of the ATH-CKS50TW2’s features is quite long. Despite a few flaws, there’s plenty to like here, including the two most important things for a lot of users: sound and battery life.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/audio-technica-ath-cks50tw2-review-long-battery-life-and-satisfying-sound-for-150-130042531.html?src=rss
