Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: minute review
Damn, the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW wireless headphones are too cool for school. These cute but cubist buds have stolen hearts at a price that will make you fall in love for all the right reasons, and after hearing them, we just have to get your attention.
Will the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW soon find its rightful place among the best budget wireless headphones we've tested? Shit yes. And, in fact, they're also good enough to collapse our best wireless headphone guide, because the excellent sound here justifies the recommendation regardless of price.
Audio-Technica is now 60 years old and the Tokyo-based audio specialist has been a legendary name in vinyl for more than half a century. Grabbing these cheap headphones is being a part of that history, in the coolest way. These headphones don't scream about their sonic abilities, they don't have to, but they're worthy of their heritage.
Let's express the sentiment in Prince's lyrics, shall we? In Style, His Royal Badness commented, "Style isn't coveting someone because they're great. Style is loving yourself until everyone else does too."
Look, what we're trying to get across is that the ATH-SQ1TWs are clear proof that Audio-Technica loves Audio-Technica right now. The company hasn't tried to emulate any other headset, or even any competing audio brand. The company has paid the price of being boss for over 60 years, and it shows in this simple, winning pair of headphones.
They come in no fewer than six delicious-sounding color schemes (Caramel, Popsicle, Cupcake, Blueberry, Liquorice, and Popcorn; try it for size, AirPods Ice White only) and you get Bluetooth 5.0, 20 hours of battery life, a beautiful product that fits comfortably, well-functioning on-ear controls (including volume), plus a low-latency mode, listening function, and more expansive, clearer, and overall better sound than anything you can buy for your money.
Until the lack of a companion app and active noise cancellation are a deal breaker, these cheap headphones should be on your list.
- Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW at BHPhoto for €79 (opens in a new tab)
Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: price and release date
- €79 / €79 / AU$129
- Released: December 1, 2021
Although they started at a very affordable price anyway, now you can cut the cost even further and still lower the price of these Audio-Technica headphones, as long as you know where to look.
We've seen the ATH-SQ1TW discounted to £20 in the UK at times, and down to AU$40 at some Australian online retailers, meaning their price has dropped to AU$89, and they're really a steal for that amount of money. .
But wherever you live, you should know that the price here is incredibly low when you feel how high quality they are when you hold them in your hand, and even more so when you put them in your ears and turn up the volume on your music.
Maybe you want to buy something small for the vinyl lover in your life, something that isn't actual vinyl? Gift these little buds and watch their faces light up in brand recognition. now priceless...
Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: features
- Bluetooth 5.0 and sleek build quality
- Useful listening function
- On-ear volume control
Not content with adding cheeky style to your wallet-friendly wireless listening experience, the ATH-SQ1TW offers proprietary 5.8mm drivers along with an "IPX4 equivalent" splash-proof design and plenty of easy-to-use features.
As is now standard, the headphones automatically turn on when removed from the case, then turn off and start charging when put back. But place them in your ears from the case, and the earbuds will announce their battery level and connectivity. Status, which is a reassuring touch of high-end at this budget level. Touch an earbud and a voice will say “play”, “pause” or similar, keeping you informed. There's also dual connectivity on board so you can connect to your laptop and phone at the same time, for example.
The earbuds' touch controls work extremely well in our tests, allowing you to manage music playback (using the right earbud), answer calls, and most importantly, adjust volume directly from the earbuds (via the right earbud). left earphone). Additionally, a long press on the left earbud launches and cancels low latency mode (to ensure the action matches the sound when gaming on your phone or watching with a Bluetooth-enabled TV), while holding the right unfolds and listen-cancel function, which filters out external noise but in a refreshing way, without bus drivers and the like jarring or distorting the quality of your music.
And there's even a relatively effective Sidetone feature, thanks to the microphone placed on each earcup, which lets you adjust the volume of your own voice by tapping the left earcup during calls, which we found clear and rock-solid.
Google Fast Pair is also built in, for one-touch pairing with Android devices, and you can enjoy up to 6,5 hours of use with the earbuds fully charged, plus an additional 13 hours of juice from the charging case, for a total of 19,5 hours.
Charging for just 15 minutes (or so) with the USB-C charger also provides around 60 minutes of continuous playback, though the case doesn't support wireless charging.
What you don't get is active noise cancellation or a companion app, but at this level (and thanks to the impressive levels of passive isolation provided by the buttons) we don't miss out on those benefits. In the budget space, the feature set here represents a smart move from Audio-Technica. We imagine the instructions were to focus on the basics and get it right; that is exactly what was achieved.
Perhaps the only thing we could have hoped for that isn't here is automatic carrier detection, but honestly, the ATH-SQ1TWs are so good it doesn't matter.
Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: sound quality
- Excellent separation and clarity.
- Energetic and jealous listener
- Pleasantly musical across the frequencies.
These headphones, however... you don't get high-res aptX HD, LDAC, or hifalutin codecs, but what you do get is snappy, enthusiastic, and musically pleasing performance across all frequencies. As with the aesthetic, the sound here is what Londoners would call "a little good"; a gateway to good old school rock 'n' roll, but in a really neat wireless package.
Any serious comparison between these $80 headphones and the best products from Sony, Apple, Bose, or Sennheiser is more than a little unfair, and there isn't much serious competition at this price point, but skip the $100/£100 Cambridge Audio Melomania. 1 Plus and the sound is on par in terms of detail, clarity and neutrality, and that's huge considering these headphones are class-leading at that level.
In fact, we found that what Audio-Technicas lacked in cohesive precision and timing (which was a very small lack) it made up for in old-school energy and fun, in direct comparison. Again, the shortfall is small and it simply shouldn't be, not here, where an extra €20 usually nets you big wins. For added agility and enjoyment, we actually found ourselves selecting Audio-Technicas as we listened.
Stream Perfume Genius's On the Floor on Tidal and the intricate intro is so detailed that we notice treble elements in our right ear that we've never heard before. A female backing vocal is easily discernible and punchy, delivered with the kind of insight inferior headphones at this price can't begin to deliver. Slowing down (slowing down; yes, we know the big words) is also expertly handled and the strings sound three-dimensional and layered across an expansive soundstage.
Skip to Aerosmith's Dream On and Steven Tyler's key chords, devised while lying under his father's piano at the age of three and listening to him play classical music (completed when Steven was 14) are emotional and have plenty of room in the mix to shine
What these headphones are not is shy or reluctant, in any way. If a recording is less than polished, you get it with no restrictions, which means it will highlight your choice of streaming services, bands, and singers in a way you may never have heard before. Give them your music and they will celebrate it to the best of their brave little skills, and we have to say we are huge fans.
Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: Design
- Available in six appetizing gourmet colors
- beautifully cubist design
- The headset weighs only 5,2g.
Let's start with the headphones themselves. They're small and light, weighing in at 5,2g, and while JLab's €20 Go Air Pops weigh just 3,7g per earbud (the Sony LinkBuds S gem comes in at 4,8g per earbud), they practically fit any human ear. They're certainly suitable for our small ear canals, and with a total of four different sized ear tips supplied (that's one more than can be offered), they'll almost certainly work for you too.
The design of these headphones is really pretty, with Bluetooth connectivity LED lights illuminating the little 'L' and 'R' cutouts in the top corner of each button so you don't have to look at them to know which one it is. . Put them on, twist to lock and you're good to go.
The ATH-SQ1TW's Diddy case is equally beautiful in a minimalist yet unique way. Audio-Technica didn't care what Apple could do with its toothbrush head headphones. This is the Audio-Technica solution, all the squares, the triangle mark in a circle, and the color accents. Our sample is black...