Headphones or Speakers for Your Desk? ATH-M50x vs A2+
Not a product comparison so much as a question about your room. Why speakers win for anyone working alone, and the four cases where headphones are the only answer.
This is not really a product comparison. It is a question about your room and the people in it, and the answer changes nothing about which of these two is better made.
This is a research-based comparison. We have not tested either product ourselves and do not claim to have. Our review standards. Full write-ups: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x and Audioengine A2+.
The short answer
Do you share the space? Housemates, a partner working nearby, a baby asleep, a thin-walled flat — headphones, and the question ends there.
Do you have the room to yourself? Speakers, almost every time. Not because they sound better, but because you can wear them for eight hours without noticing, which is not true of anything clamped to your head.
The trade, stated plainly
| ATH-M50x | Audioengine A2+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Disturbs others | No | Yes |
| Comfortable for 8 hours | No | Yes, you forget them |
| Blocks the room | Yes, closed-back | No |
| Low-frequency limit | Deeper, close to the ear | 65 Hz |
| Stereo image | Inside your head | In front of you |
| Desk space | None | Two speakers |
| Works on calls | Yes, with a mic | Echo unless managed |
| Suitable for recording | Yes | No, they leak into a mic |
Comfort is the argument people underrate
Everything clamped to your head eventually becomes noticeable. Pads warm up, the headband presses, glasses arms dig in. The M50x is a well-made closed-back monitor and none of that is a criticism of it — it is what wearing something for eight hours does.
Speakers have no such limit. You switch them on in the morning and stop thinking about them. For anyone at a desk all day, that is a bigger quality-of-life difference than any frequency response chart.
Why speakers sound “bigger” even when they measure worse
With headphones, each ear hears only its own driver. The stereo image forms inside your head, which is why headphone listening can feel intense and slightly unnatural — no real sound source has ever behaved that way.
With speakers, both ears hear both speakers, slightly out of time, plus reflections from the room. Your brain reconstructs a soundstage in front of you. That is closer to how hearing normally works, and it is why people describe speakers as sounding more relaxed even when the headphones are technically more accurate.
Where the M50x wins outright
Recording anything. Speakers leak into a microphone, and that leakage ends up in your recording. If you podcast, record voiceover or play an instrument into a computer, closed-back headphones are not a preference — they are a requirement.
Calls. Speakers plus a microphone means your callers hear themselves back unless echo cancellation handles it well. Headphones eliminate the problem.
Detail work. Isolation means quiet passages stay audible without turning everything up, which matters for editing.
Not needing a desk. No space, no cables across the surface, and they travel.
Where the A2+ wins outright
All-day wear, because there is none. Covered above and it is the big one.
Sharing. Anyone else in the room hears what you hear. Useful for a video, a meeting, or simply having music in the room rather than in your head.
Hearing your surroundings. A doorbell, a person speaking to you, a child. Closed-back headphones deliberately remove all of that.
An upgrade path. The A2+ has a variable subwoofer output and a built-in DAC over USB. It is a system you can extend.
What about listening fatigue?
Both can cause it and the mechanisms differ. Headphones fatigue through physical pressure, heat and sound delivered directly into the ear canal. Speakers fatigue through volume and room reflections.
The practical advice is the same for both: keep the level lower than feels natural at first. Most listening fatigue is volume, not equipment, and permanent hearing damage accumulates silently over years. Headphones make it easier to sit at a harmful level without realising, because there is no room telling you how loud you are.
The honest answer for most desks
Buy both, in this order
- Speakers first if you have the room to yourself
- Headphones first if you share the space
- Add the other when the gap becomes obvious
Only one, ever?
- Record audio → headphones
- Share a room → headphones
- Work alone all day → speakers
- Bad-sounding room → headphones
They cost roughly similar amounts and solve different problems, which is why so many desks end up with both. If you are starting from nothing and sharing space, the M50x is the safer first purchase — it works everywhere.
Cheaper starting points
If the budget is the constraint, the Creative Pebble V3 delivers most of the jump from laptop speakers for a fraction of the A2+. And if you want to know how the M50x compares with wireless noise-cancelling instead, see ATH-M50x vs Sony WH-1000XM5.
What this comparison cannot tell you
We have not listened to either product, measured frequency response, or assessed comfort over time. Specifications are the manufacturers’ published figures. The explanation of stereo imaging and room interaction is standard acoustics rather than a measurement of these two products.
Frequently asked questions
Headphones or speakers for a home office?
Speakers if the room is yours, because you can wear them all day without noticing. Headphones if you share the space, record audio, or the room sounds bad.
Can I use speakers while recording a podcast?
No. They leak into the microphone and end up in the recording. Closed-back headphones like the M50x exist for exactly this.
Why do speakers sound wider than headphones?
Both ears hear both speakers plus room reflections, so your brain builds a soundstage in front of you. Headphones place the image inside your head, which is less like natural hearing.
Which is better for my hearing?
Volume matters far more than the device. Headphones make it easier to sit at a harmful level without noticing, because there is no room to tell you how loud you are. Keep levels lower than feels natural.
Do I need to treat my room for speakers?
Not formally. A rug, curtains and a bookcase do most of the work. A bare hard-walled room makes any speaker sound harsh.
Should I just buy both?
Many desks end up that way, because they solve different problems for similar money. Start with the one that matches your room, and add the other when the gap becomes obvious.
Sources. Driver specifications, frequency response, inputs and design type are Audio-Technica’s and Audioengine’s published figures. We have not tested either product ourselves. Primary source: Audio-Technica’s ATH-M50x product page.