Audio-Technica ATH-IM50 Dual symphonic-driver In-ear Monitor headphones

compared it to my MYR15 asus earphone, and it sounded slightly better only in terms of clearness and bass. i like the design and colour. not as comfortable to wear as shure 215 (own one before for 3 years). cable feels cheap and not rugged. when put max bass setting on my xperia z3, the bass was everywhere not detail and sharp. its a cheaper version of shure 125. not worth it in my opinion. next time better go to a higher grade.

I bought IM50 about 1 year ago after Soundmagic E10 and immediately notice that it sounds better than the already good E10. For 62 USD this is still my most expensive BNIB IEM to date. But unfortunately it is not my best IEM since I bought JVC FXT90 about 1 month ago. Overall FXT90 sound quality is slightly better than IM50. Both IM50 and FXT90 has fairly balanced sound with IM50 has slightly more bass amount and FXT90 has slightly more treble. FXT90 also has bigger soundstage and slightly more detail. I prefer FXT90 mainly because it is more comfortable and lighter. IM50 housing is fairly big and memory wire is not very friendly for spectacle wearer like me. Using silicone tip is not recommended, so I only use foamtip on IM50. With FXT90 silicone tip is sufficient to get comfortable fit.

Pros;
1. Very balanced sound, so it is good for any kind of music. Safest bet for anyone without any musical preference.
2.The best cable ever amongst my own IEM - minus the memory wire. Thick but flexible, tangle free. Chin slider included.
3. Best IEM I have own for last 1 year until FXT90 arrived.

Cons;
1. Bulky housing, memory wire, have to use foam tip for perfect fit
2. Bass amount is slightly higher than FXT90 but on some tracks I can detect some bass bloat. FXT90 has moderate amount of bass but it sounds tighter.
3. Anyone reading this mini review would probably know that there is Audio-technica IM70, a more expensive and probably better sounding big brother to IM50. So if you have 90 USD or more to spend please take a look at IM70. Not to mention that BNIB FXT90 is costing about 90+USD. Or for even more value you can buy China OEM FXT90 from Aliexpress like me for just 33 USD

So what we have here is a good upper entry level IEM which has above average sound quality, over ear and bulky design which is not suitable for everyone and there are few other IEM which has better SQ for less. Other similarly good IEM for about 50+ USD BNIB is Audio-technica own CKX5 /CKX5is. I have Audio-technica CKX7 but somehowe I found that I prefer CKX5 more - so does our mighty ljokerl . But for a dual dynamic driver IEM, this is a good start until you can trade up to FXT90, IM70, Vsonic gr07, Dunu Titan etc.

I can only just about use these for an hour with Silicon Tips.

Tips...
- Silicon only last up to an hour, they make your ears scream in pain when you take them out.
- Foam Comply Tips, wash them well and they'll last you forever, keep them clean.

So, the IM50:
Why'd I buy them?
Well... I've not used Earphones since pushing on about 2010, and I really needed something good for just laying in bed on lazy days with, if I had more money it'd have been the SE215, but I think the IM50 are gonna make me just as happy.

So... Bed Headphoners,Earphoners.
Do some research, you'll see that warmth is there thing, warm sound, rich tonality, and why? It's relaxing, not everyone enjoys it, but yes... it's very calming.
Most Bedphone listeners don't really care for the Lemon Zest Bubble Tea+ Spring Guava, no. They like general Butter Coffee, or Cocoa, it's rich!

OK, Soundstage:
Feel free the make fun of my graph I made in Paint, but this is this only way I could describe the soundstage to myself.


The points discussed here were odd to me, a Soundstage that really left me wondering why the Earphones felt so congested at times.

Highs:
I actually heavily recommend a bit of tuning if you wanna bring out the Highs.
At first, the Bass, & sometimes overwhelming Lows swamped up the Highs.
But what's left to be said about them after an EQ?
M50 - Once properly fixed, the Highs are like the M50. Cut, copied, & pasted back into another device.
So what do I think?
Tune the M50 a slight bit, enhance it, you've got a percussion headphone, the same is left to be said here. A bit more masked, but sitting faintly in the back are the same Highs I knew awkwardly well.

Mids:
- Mids are flowing.
- Forward.
- Relaxed.
There's not much to say, the Lows are too thick to let the Mids shine with detail, but... with most Headphones/Earphones, Acoustics did OK for these.
They weren't super detailed, but they're definitely piercing, enough so that they can escape the lows at %30 Volume, & %50 Volume.

Lows:
Now for a already Warmer Sounding headphone, I expected this.
Lows were REALLY thick, the foam tips cut down on that some, but they could get congested very easily.
Unfortunately instruments were a bit difficult to find, but Bass detail was done very well.

Final Thoughts:
With everything said, people would surely assume that I've taken a strong disliking to these, which in false.
I think they're solid for the price point.

If you get the IM50, here are some recommended Albums, & Test Tracks(My Taste):
[album]Tara Terra - Daughter[Female Fronted Indie Pop/Soft Rock - ]
[album]Seth Corbin - Why Is Social Anxiety Ruining My Life And Why Am I Drinking So Much Beer[Folk Punk w/A Pop Side - ]
[track]Tiny Moving Parts - Clouds Above My Head[Emotive Punk w/A Taking Back Sunday Style Vibe]
[discography]Vulfpeck - Discography[Great for testing Monitor Value of these, Genre:Jazz Influenced/Funk/Sinatra/& etc... - https://vulf.bandcamp.com/]
[discography]Morning Effort - Discography[Great Lo-Fi Music for testing Highs, Genre:Emo/Bedroom Pop - http://morningeffort.bandcamp.com/]
[track]Hot Tears - Follow You[Indie Rock/Warm Music - Compliments the Genre Highlights these Earphones work better for - ]



Lastly, I ask that if you end up getting the IM50, be safe! And enjoy.



Last but not least, don't be immature about my Soundstage Description that I had trouble figuring out.
I needed to use it to explain the points of where I get lost sound, a missing point, or certain areas of the soundstage the separate and seem unnatural.
So, if you don't like how I tracked myself, or you think you're cool, and an internet gangster, don't comment, thanks!