Lab M50x will launch on January 10 with three panellists and the public selecting the eventual winning design.

Audio-Technica is inviting fans to design the limited-edition ATH-M50x (wired) and ATH-M50xBT2 (wireless) headphones for 2024.

From January 10 to January 24, fans can enter the interactive “Lab M50x” experience, selecting colours for four different components, choosing their finish (solid colour or metallic), and providing their creation with a name.

The design submissions will undergo careful scrutiny from a distinguished panel of judges, including Hiroyasu Suzuki, Project Manager for the ATH-M50x; Yutaro Kumagai, Chief Designer at YONENOI DESIGN; and Grace Aberhart, bass guitarist and M50x superfan. The trio will reveal their top three designs on January 26 on Audio-Technica's social media channels, inviting the public to cast their votes for the winning design. The chosen design will be revealed on February 01.

Since 2012, 11 limited-edition models have been released, with colours ranging from Ice Blue to Metallic Red. Each model is only available while stocks last, with some fans adding all colours to their collection.  For the first time ever, people can opt to add four different colours to the M50x and M50xBT 2, ensuring that the 2024 models will be truly unique additions. 

The ATH-M50x were released in 2014, based on the original ATH-M50, they quickly gained a reputation for their balanced sound profile, robust design, and accessible price point. M50x are the go-to headphones for content creators, with over 2 million sold worldwide. In 2018, a wireless version of the headphones was developed with the same acclaimed signature sound, these were enhanced based on fan feedback in 2019, when the ATH-M50xBT 2 launched.

The winning design from Lab M50x will be released in September 2024 – the same design will appear on both the wired (ATH-M50x) and wireless (ATH-M50x BT 2) versions of the headphones.

From January 10 to January 24, fans can enter the interactive “Lab M50x” experience here.