Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT Review

You can currently count on one hand the number of reviews online about the  Audio-Technica ATH6S300BT. Despite the dearth of tests. this Active Noise Cancellation Bluetooth headphones offer great value for money. It also has a stratospheric 90-hour battery life! I reviewed it for nextpit and it’s totally worth it for $99 a pop.

Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT

Good

  • 90-hour battery life
  • Ninety hours!
  • Good audio quality
  • Super-comfortable design

Bad

  • Minimalist design
  • Limited functionality
  • Average Active Noise Cancellation performance
  • No IP-certification
  • No application support
Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT

Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT


Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT: All deals

The Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT in a nutshell

The Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT has been available since early June 13 for $99 a pop. Those who are interested can also check out online stores like Amazon. 

Design


The design of the Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT is minimalist in nature. There’s no huge logo, no shiny metal bits, and ‘suffers’ from a lack of touch-sensitive controls. If you like understated consumer electronic devices, you’re in for a treat. However, this Bluetooth headset is also extremely comfortable to wear.


Pros:

  • Minimalist and discreet.
  • Very comfortable.

Cons:

  • Lots of plastic parts.
  • Few color choices.
  • No IP certification.
  • Not foldable.
  • No carrying case

Simplicity and comfort sum up Audio-Technica’s design philosophy for these headphones. There are two colors to choose from: black and beige. The colors are uniform, with a slight contrast around the earcups. Plastic is omnipresent with the exception of the headband temples, which are part metal. This plastic is matte and soft to the touch.

The ear and headband pads are well cushioned, even if the headband pad is very small indeed. The headset cannot fold. There’s no carrying case. Thankfully, the earcups can be rotated 90°, allowing you to wear them around your neck and store them flat in your bag. It has no IP certification for water and dust resistance.

The design is far too plain for my taste. I found the Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT very comfortable to wear though. It’s perhaps one of the most comfortable Bluetooth headsets I’ve reviewed this year. It doesn’t place unnecessary pressure on the head and sits in its place well. The absence of an IP rating is a real shame, even for a mid-range wireless headset.

Audio quality


The Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT may not look like much but its audio quality far exceeds the humble expectations I set given its price. The audio signature is very warm while the stereo soundstage is also very wide, especially for a circumaural or “closed-back” headset.


Pros:

  • Warm rendering
    • Responsive bass.
    • Detailed mids.
    • Low treble.
  • Suitable for wired and passive applications.

Cons:


I mentioned this Bluetooth headphones produce a very warm sound. This means that it places more emphasis on bass and lower midrange. This leaves the sound a little rounded, with nothing to ruffle your eardrums. The mid-range remains fairly detailed, while the treble is a little on the low side. The stereo soundstage is also fairly wide, to the naked ear.

On the technical side, we have the classic 40 mm dynamic drivers featured here. The frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hz is equally well-loved. Supported codecs are sparse, with the basic SBC and AAC staples available.

This is an audio signature found on many other headphones. The bass isn’t particularly deep, and the headphones don’t drop too low. Thankfully they’re responsive, they impactful, and don’t drag or spill over into the rest of the musical message. The higher frequencies are clearly audible.

Vocals and instruments are fairly detailed and easily identifiable. Treble frequencies are a tad subdued. Personally, I like that. There’s no need to worry about sibilance with over-accentuated “F”, “S” or “Ch” sounds that make your ears strain. It’s classic. Overall, it masters audio beautifully in a well-contained manner.

Do note the headset can be connected to another device with the included 3.5mm cable. It also works passively, i.e. when switched off, but Active Noise Cancellation will be disabled.

Active Noise Cancellation(ANC)


The Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT features Active Noise Cancellation. There’s also a transparency mode to amplify ambient noise. Both leave something to be desired.


Pros:

Cons:

  • Active Noise Cancellation is not effective enough.
  • Transparency mode is too unnatural.
  • ANC and transparency cannot be adjusted.

This Bluetooth headset’s Active Noise Cancellation works manually and cannot be adjusted. You have to press the dedicated button on the right earcup to switch between ANC, transparency, or nothing.

With ANC activated, only constant, solid-borne noise is properly attenuated. These are mainly low-pitched noises resulting from contact between two surfaces. Public transportation noise, footsteps, etc. Airborne noises, such as voices or alarms/bells, are not filtered sufficiently in my opinion. We’re clearly not living in a bubble of silence when you put on a pair.

Transparency mode also lacks naturalness. Noises are not sufficiently amplified. Above all, for more distant noises, the headphones forces itself too much, which causes quite a bit of distortion. I also think it’s a pity that none of these modes are adjustable. It’s not all bad but it’s not good either, even at this price range.

Features and applications


No, there is no app. Audio-Technica doesn’t let you set up your headphones via your smartphone. That’s a shame. You can’t customize the controls and, above all, there’s no equalizer to play around with. At least the physical buttons provide a bare minimum for controlling the headphones without too much trouble.


Pros:

  • Multipoint connectivity with two devices.
  • Physical controls.

Cons:

  • No application.
  • No equalizer.
  • No customizable controls.

Audio-Technica does have an app for Android and iOS but the ATH-S300BT is not supported. It’s impossible to make any adjustments. This leaves the user high and dry without any equalizer, no wear detection, no Find My Device, which is a shame, really, even pitiful. Thankfully, we do have multipoint connectivity, which is something.

As for controls, there are four physical buttons. Three are located on the left earpiece, and you can’t customize these controls.

 Left earpieceRight earpiece
Volume + button
  • Single press: Increase volume
  • Long press: Next track
Power button
  • Single press: Play/ Pause | Pick up call
  • Long press: On/ Off | Hang up or reject call
Volume – button
  • Single press: Volume down
  • Long press: Previous track
ANC button
  • Single press: ANC/ Transparency
  • Long press: Voice assistant

I haven’t had the presence of mind to ask Audio-Technica whether the headset will receive software updates. Without an application, I hardly see how this could happen. Longevity-wise, it’s not great.

Battery and charging


The major highlight of the Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT is its 90-hour battery life. This is quite simply the best battery life among all models reviewed by nextpit.


Pros:

  • 60 hours with ANC, 90 hours without ANC.

Cons:


According to the manufacturer, the Bluetooth headset can last 90 hours without Active Noise Cancellation and 60 hours with it. That’s a long time. Even if you used the headset 12 hours a day non-stop for a whole week, you’d never run out of battery.

Personally, I used the headset at these settings:

  • 100% charged.
  • Put on standby at the end of each use.
  • No charging between uses.
  • Active Noise Cancellation is always enabled.
  • 50% listening volume.
  • Paired to an iPhone.
  • Bluetooth listening only.

To be honest, I didn’t time my entire usage. However, I was able to last for over 12 days without any problems on a single charge. I used the headphones for at least half of my working day, averaging 4 to 5 hours. The same goes for weekends. If we take the high average of 5 hours a day for 12 days, we have an amazing battery life of 60 hours.

Technical specifications

 Technical specifications
Device
ImageAudio-Technica ATH-S300BT product image
DesignCircum-aural | weight 258 g | No wear detection | Physical controls
Audio40 mm drivers
Frequency response
ANC
  • Yes, manual and non-adjustable
Bluetooth

5.1 | codecs SBC, AAC | Multipoint

Autonomy
  • 90h without ANC
  • 60h with ANC
  • 3 minutes recharging = 1.5 hours listening time
Price$99

Conclusion

Would I recommend the Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT at $99? Yes.

This mid-range Bluetooth headphone makes a lot of compromises. The design is minimal. Functionality is limited. Active Noise Cancellation performance is very average.

On the other hand, this wireless Bluetooth headphone isn’t too expensive. It’s super comfortable. Above all, it’s unbeatable with its enormous battery life. If you want indestructible headphones you can wear for hours without discomfort and only need to recharge every two or even three weeks, then go for it.

This is what we call a “sleeper hit.” A product that really doesn’t garnenr much attention, a product that hardly anyone talks about. A product that only those in the know will appreciate. And I’m glad I looked into it.

What do you think of the Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT after this review?

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