Audiotechnica ATH-SQ1TW Bt Earbuds

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW Earbuds

The Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW is a pair of true wireless earbuds built around one idea: simple, well-made everyday listening without unnecessary complication. Each earbud carries an exclusive 5.8 mm dynamic driver tuned for clear, balanced sound, in a compact square-styled case that slips easily into a pocket. There is no app dependency and no active noise cancelling — instead, the design concentrates on fit, battery life, call clarity and controls that work by touch on the earbud itself.

Battery life runs to about 6.5 hours from the earbuds, with the charging case adding roughly 13.5 hours more, for around 20 hours in total. A fast charge of about 15 minutes returns roughly an hour of playback, which covers the common case of earbuds run flat just before a commute. The earbuds are splashproof to IPX4, so rain and workout sweat are not a concern.

Key features

• Exclusive 5.8 mm dynamic drivers, 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz response
• Up to 6.5 hours per charge, around 20 hours total with the charging case
• Fast charging: about 15 minutes gives roughly 1 hour of playback
• Hear-through function to let surrounding sound in when needed
• Low-latency mode for videos and games
• Touch sensor controls for music, volume and calls on both earbuds
• IPX4 splashproof design, only 5.2 g per earbud
• Bluetooth 5.0 with multipoint-ready pairing and single-ear use

Awareness, built in rather than cancelled out

Instead of active cancellation, the SQ1TW offers a hear-through function that passes outside sound through the microphones, so you can hear announcements, traffic or a colleague without removing an earbud. For calls, a sidetone function feeds a little of your own voice back to you, making conversations feel natural rather than muffled. Either earbud can be used on its own for calls or for listening while keeping one ear fully open to the room.

Calls and controls

Each earbud has a MEMS microphone with omnidirectional pickup, rated at minus 38 dB sensitivity across 100 Hz to 10,000 Hz — the range that matters for speech. Touch controls on both sides handle play and pause, track changes, volume and answering calls, so the phone can stay in a bag or pocket. Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC codec support keeps compatibility broad across phones, tablets and laptops, over a line-of-sight range of about 10 metres.

Fit and charging in daily use

Four sizes of ear tips are included — XS, S, M and L — and choosing the right size decides both comfort and bass response, so try more than one. The earbuds charge in about 1.5 hours and the case in about 2 hours over USB-C, using the supplied 30 cm USB-A to USB-C cable. The case itself weighs 34.2 g, light enough that carrying the full system is never a burden.

For listeners who want clear sound, useful awareness features and honest battery life from a compact, splashproof design, the ATH-SQ1TW is a well-judged everyday earbud.