Verdict
Great - sounding , open - ear headphones that with some small plan pinch would be an even ripe match for the competition
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The late surge of open - auricle earpiece has been mostly lead by blade that are n’t what you ’d call powerhouse in the audio space . This is get down to change though .
Audio Technica entered the fray when it launch the ATH - CC500BT in 2022 and now its successor in the ATH - CC500BT2 continue its momentum . Like the first generation curing , the BT2 use cartilage conductivity offer up an alternative glide path to bone and air conduction to channel audio in a safer fashion .
There ’s also been changes to the pattern along with newfangled smarts that Audio Technica hopes will convince you that these are the open - ear headphones you should have near , but not straight at bottom of your ears
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Price
TheAudio Technica ATH - CC500BT2 found in February 2025 and are available directly from Audio Technica ’s web site for a not too undue £ 119 .
That price puts it firmly up against other open - ear earphone like the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 ( £ 169 ) andOpenRun(£129.95 ) as well as solid open - ear performer like theSuunto Sonic(£115 ) and theNank Runner Diver 2 Pro(£157.55 ) .
Design
Like the first coevals ATH - CC500BT , Audio Technica has a neckband spirit that ’s been the go - to plan for most candid - spike , osseous tissue conductivity headphones . It utilize the same materials too , with titanium in post to make them lasting yet keep thing pretty brightness level at 32 g.
There ’s silicone on top of that titanium to check that you do n’t have metal resting directly on the side of meat of your head and around your ears .
While in the main they ’ve matte unassailable to wear I have found the auricle hangar part of the headphone sits more snug against the side of my head than I ’d prefer , especially when compare to interchangeable open - ear headphones . It meant over longer listening periods they felt like they were applying a bit more pressure than I ’d like .
It ’s interesting that Audio Technica bucks the trend in terms of the placement of its strong-arm buttons . These seat on the underside of the left side of the headphone alongside the USB - C charging port .
The trio of buttons let you adjust volume , play and pause audio and handle call through the included MEMS type mike . The controls make perfectly ok though all sit down very nigh together , which makes it challenging to distinguish between them .
To make them well suited for more rugged use , they carry anIPX4 urine - resistance , which means they can withstand rain and splashes of water and give you a similar stage of security as rival headphones . I ’ve had passably dry conditions to put them to the test , though they deal some sweaty gymnasium time without subject .
Features
Pairing the headphones is done overBluetooth 5.3and while that ’s not the previous Bluetooth version available it caused zero problems pairing them to a range of devices including an iPhone , Android earphone and a MacBook .
When you ’re using it with a phone , you may use the Audio Technica companion app where you ’ll find an equalizer style equipped with three EQ presets .
Audio Technica talks some impressive numbers for battery life that suggests up to 20 hour playback time or 10 time of day talk time . The agile - billing way give you 120 mo of listening from a 10 - min bursting charge .
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excite is done via USB - coulomb with the port concealed to facilitate keep junk and dirt out . I did find that the stamp battery operation is influenced by book and EQ presets .
For an hr ’s listening , with a salmagundi of EQ modes in use and hearing intensity , battery drop curtain - off from an hour ’s listening could be as slight as 5 % . At times it dented more for the same period of listening and it was more than forked that .
Using it for an hour or two a day should keep you away from charging for a workweek . as luck would have it , there ’s that ready to hand USB - C fast charging mode that make it quick and easy to keep things top up .
The three EQ options have additional sub - options to tailor the sound quality . Using the Original EQ preset also allows you to enable a mode that reduces sound leakage . When selecting the active or Clear Voice presets you’re able to set the loudness of those presets to be mild , strong or set to default .
The additional BGM mode takes a step back to put you far more in tune with your surround . AnLE Audiomode is designed for gaming and you ’ve also acquire the ability to adjust balance across the headphones . Lastly , there ’s a series of soundscapes you’re able to download to help you loosen up and get you in a better figure of mind before nod off to sleep .
There ’s also a very thoughtful approach to the familiar app and the options available , which you ca n’t say for most unresolved - ear earpiece . The ability to limit sound leakage is very effective and the BGM mode efficaciously creates a variety of touch of sitting in a cafe with the radio humming in the background .
If you ’re using these headphones for calls , there ’s smart on hand to verify that call experience is a good one . There ’s AI noise reduction engineering and wind interference stifling to make them better equip to handle call outside .
In undefendable - ear terms , the ATH - CC500BT2 performs well and delivers good call clarity , even in more intriguing , louder environs . If you were hoping for strong open - ear call calibre , these are absolutely able of that .
Sound Quality
Audio Technica bucks the open - capitulum trend by delivering sound using cartilage conductivity as pit to the more popular methods of bone and air conductivity . So how does cartilage conduction work and how is it different from osseous tissue and air conduction ?
In essence it ’s all about vibrations , which is at the core of ivory conductivity technology as well , except instead of channelling sound through vibrations up your jugal bone to your ears , Audio Technica institutionalize sound through vibration through the gristle of the ear and to the wall of the ear channel towards the cochlea .
Doing that button sound closer towards the ear without blocking them and creating more of an in - ear earbud listening experience . Along with get high quality sound , Audio Technica claims it is a more comfortable way to savor open - ear audio than bone conduction , particularly in terms of take the vibration titillation assort with bone conductivity .
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When current os conduction and air conduction headphones can pop the question a mixed performance , the ATH - CC500BT2 gives you something I ’d account as very polished .
Unlike a lot of open - ear headphones the visibility is nicely balanced and there ’s pleasing pellucidity that underpins everything that ’s good here . Whether you ’re switching between the few EQ presets at your disposal or listening in the BGM mode , there ’s plenty to wish .
On Massive Attack ’s Teardrop , bass is punchy without feeling overbearing . Mids are astonishingly detailed for a set of open - ear headphones , and when take on vocals there ’s a adorable farinaceous character that shines through .
contrive something more bass heavy like DJ Shadow ’s Open Donor and it does n’t lose that balance . Neil Young ’s Honest Moon shows off some heat and an enjoyable coarse-grained ternary performance again .
On Jeff Buckley ’s Last Goodbye there ’s smoothness to the mids public presentation and showcases the effectiveness of playing around with the EQ preset vividness to better oppose your phone .
Should you buy it?
If you ’re sold on a neckband - style open - pinna earphone , these are some of the best you ’ll find for overall sound quality
The Audio Technica ATH - CC500BT2 does n’t quite stack up on the comfort front against likewise priced open - ear headphones
Final Thoughts
The biggest takeaway from Audio Technica ’s latest bent of gristle conductivity headphones is that they ’re subject of tender a great - sounding choice , in particular to off-white conduction headphones .
It ’s a mo of a shame that some aspects of the design are n’t quite faultless as those would be the key reasons to go for off grab them over likewise - priced open - pinna headphones .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every duo of headphone we go over exhaustively over an lengthy menstruation of time . We use industry - standard tests to equate features decent . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , consent money to review a Cartesian product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
No , the Audio Technica ATH - CC500BT2 uses cartilage conduction , which transmits audio through vibrations sent through the cartilage conduction pathways in the ear .
Full Specs
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