Audio-Technica ATH-M50S Reviews

The ATH-M50 is one of those rare products where the quality/price ratio really hits the sweet spot, and in fact is like a small miracle in the world of pro audio. When you get Grammy Award-winning audio engineers and producers like George Massenburg, Frank Filipetti, Al Schmitt...etc singing its praises publicly, you know it's got to be something special.

The M50 pulls off the difficult balance of being neutral, accurate, and detailed while not causing listening fatigue, and that is one of the most important things to get right when it comes to any audio device. If the device hurts your ears with shrill or piercing treble, then no matter how "detailed and revealing" you think it is, you won't be able to withstand the sonic torture anyway. Designed as professional studio monitors, the M50 can be used all day long without any listening fatigue, and it's tonal balance is accurate enough that many respected audio engineers would not hesitate to mix on them. Being sealed headphones, they also are a favorite among musicians and singers when recording, as they do not bleed into the microphone like open headphones (which means you also won't bother the people sitting near you, unlike open headphones where others will hear a tinny version of what you're hearing).

One of the most outstanding characteristics of the M50 is its sub-bass extension (50Hz and below), which is both deep and substantial. For those that don't know what full-sized loudspeakers with proper sub-bass extension sounds like, they might think the M50 is "bass heavy," but that would be incorrect. The extension and amount of bass rendered by the M50 is similar to what full-sized loudspeakers should sound like when the sub-bass is at a proper level. In fact, I would say headphones that have less sub-bass extension/level than the M50 should be categorized as "bass shy." The M50's bass is also punchy and visceral in a way that approximates full-sized loudspeakers, which is a very difficult thing to pull off for headphones.

The mids and the treble are smooth, and the treble never gets gratings like many other headphones. If I must nitpick, I might say that the treble has a tiny hint of metallic timbre when compared to open-back headphones. But it's a very vague impression and in no way gets in the way of the music, and it's only noticeable when doing extensive A/B comparisons. What I really love about the M50's upper mids and treble is that some songs can sound very shrill and fatiguing--especially on sharp snare hits or vocal sibilance--on other headphones that "fake" detail by raising a few to several dB's in those frequency ranges, but on the M50, those tracks sound perfect balanced and natural, never harsh and irritating.

The soundstage of the M50 is smaller than the average open-cans, because of its sealed design. This is perhaps the only thing sonically I wish it could be improved upon, but this does not mean the soundstage of the M50 is claustrophobic or in any way detrimental to the listening experience--it's simply not as open and lush as headphones like the Sennheiser HD6XX/5XX series (and other high quality open-cans).

Physically, the M50 is pretty comfortable to wear, but pleather tends to get a bit sweaty, and is a necessary evil for sealed-headphones. The rotating earcups are a bit annoying when taking the M50 on and off, since sometimes you have to rotate the earcups back into the correct orientation. For traveling, the M50 folds down to about half of its normal size, and that makes it very easy to travel with, not to mention more durable because it's harder to accidentally bend them or twist them out of shape. The overall look of the M50 has a pleasant, no-none-sense professional appeal--they really do look like they were designed to feel right at home in professional studios.

On a side note, the Sennheiser HD280 Pro is often recommended to musicians who need sealed-cans, and I highly suggest anyone considering a pair of nice sealed cans check out the M50, as they walk all over the HD280 in every single way possible, while still remaining very reasonably priced.

This is a review by a person, with little headphone experience.  The best headphones I have had before these would have to be the v-moda bass freq. I've had the skullcandy crushers, and some other of $20 or less phones.  This is probably a review for those who are on this forum and are noobs, since their ears are probably not as developed and won't appreciate the gifts of a $500 pair of headphones(good ones). At first I considered the Monster Studios as they were probably the only pair of headphones that i had heard of due to advertising and huge stores, and since they had such a high price tag i thought they had to be amazing.  I did try them on and they sounded good at first, but after thinking about the listening experience, the bass was muddy, and the sound was muddy as well. It just felt condensed.  Anyways, thanks to this site i saved 200 bucks, and got these babes.

 

Main things I noticed:

-These actually isolate very well, i was quite surprised with how well they do.

- These have great bass, quantitively less than the Studios but not by much.  Quality wise they are way better.

- The pleather and the design of this heapdhone was crazy good.  They were comfortable for me, and they look really good which was a big factor. Ears do swear a little, but you only notice once you take them off.

- The spinning ear cups don't bother me much.  They are kind of cool cause you can spin it off and you don't have to take off the heapdhones if somebody is talking to you

- The only two cons of this headphone is that the cable is rather long and that the headphones create pressure on your head but that goes away after a while.  The thing with the cable is that you can wrap it up and its fine. 

 

 

Conclusion:

Most people that don't do too much research or just look at price will probably go with the beats studios or bose.  I was quite convinced about those two before i came here.  I was going to buy the studios, because of how i thought they looked good and the noise cancelling feature was good because i could listen to my music and feel alone as if nobody was there.  These are just as good looking, and they are definitely better quality.  These cans are better than than any pair of bose over ears, and the studios with the bose and studios set up at stores in their best conditions.  I play this out of my ipod, and its way better. I listen to hip hop and rap and these are great for those genre's of music.  The bass is perfect and the cans produce crisp and basically beautiful sound.  Buy these if you want a cheap pair of headphones, that perform like expensive headphones that provide good bass, without compromising sound quality and having good isolation.  As you can tell i don't know audiophile terms, but these are amazing.  Everything you could want for 99 bucks

Just wanted to share my thoughts on the vaunted m50's...not that more reviews are needed. First off, I couldn't be happier with them except for the comfort level. I need a break from them after about an hour and it's a tough concession as I really don't want to take them off!! I plan to stretch them out a little and see if it makes a difference. 

 

The best way that I can describe the m50's is that they seem to be able to play just about any genre well...effortlessly. The sound is rich, articulate, a bit heavy on the bass (which I like) and inviting. The sound signature is perfect for me. I just like the way that they sound in nearly every category. The other headphones that I owned have been put through the artificial burn in period. When I put these on my head, I just didn't feel the need to give them a burn in period. I just wanted to listen, and listen and listen. I will let them burn in naturally as I use them. I just don't feel the need to get better sound from them out of the box. They are that good to me.

 

These are not what I would budget/bang for the buck phones. They feel expensive, look expensive and sound expensive IMO. The fact that they can be had for around $100 may change that equation though. Maybe the best compliment that I can pay the m50's is that when I put them on I stop listening to the audio quality and just get lost in my music. The second best compliment is that they curbed my desire to go and buy "a better" pair of headphones. How long will that last? Don't know. 

 

The cable is nice and thick and metal coiled at the terminated end...nice touch. They are drive nicely without any amp. They have a heft to them that suggest the quality of the build. What would I change about them? I wish that they had more comfortable pads. That's it really. 

 

If anyone is on the fence about these, don't be just buy them and enjoy!!

 

There's always one.  Every good thing has a dissenter, and that's me.  The ATH-M50 cannot handle songs with lots of different lower frequencies going on at once because of the artificial bass extension.  For example, Nine Inch Nails' "Heresy" is a very challenging song to play on headphones; it sounds like crap on my car stereo because the subwoofer is confused on which notes to play, so too low of frequencies overpower what should be playing louder.  The M50s do the same on the FLAC version of it.  The impacts of the kick-drum are far quieter than the bass in the verses.  It's incredibly annoying.  The bass is so sloppy and uncontrolled.  Another good example, Smashing Pumpkins' "Thirty-Three", in which there is a subtle background bass that tends to get incredibly emphasized to the point it's unlistenable on car subwoofers/headphones with poor bass response.  The ATH-M50 do this.  Luckily, they have really nice mids and respectable highs.  Yet, it's shocking they bill these as monitors, they're horribly unbalanced towards the lower-end.  These headphones main competitor, the HD280Pro, are superior in every way, except for the clamping force.  Not a producer I can think of uses these, either.  NOT monitors.

 

The build quality is a joke.  I went through three earpads in a year before the right speaker stopped working and the connector to the iPod got frayed.  They seem big and durable, but I've had lesser headphones be more durable.  I thought they were comfortable.  But the praise on here is sickening and misguided.  Do y'all get paid by Audio-Technica?  And at their new price, they are an even worse deal.

First off, this was my first real headphone, coming from 40$< consumer Sennheiser/Sonys

 

Since then I've listened to many others, and these are still great in my mind

 

BUILD

 

high quality, durable, and comfy 

 

Cable is great, and they look good...wish they had more color schemes though (black is boring), these are a really attractive can

 

SOUND

 

Fairly neutral, with a slight bass emphasis, not boomy or sloppy, but not as tight as it could be. However, tightens up when properly amped (used the schiit Asgard). Still, sound fine unamped. 

 

These are monitors, not supposed to be super colored sound, however this allows them to be completely non-fatiguing. I've listened as many as 8 hours straight, no problems.

 

Drive well straight from Ipod or computer sources. Really this could be used effectively as a portable, they are light enough anyway.

 

 

CONS

 

Probably not neutral enough to be a good monitor, but they are great for enjoying music!

 

CONCLUSION

 

Seriously, 100$

 

runs circles around the HD280

 

Does everything(music,gaming,movies,portable) pretty damn well.

 

Probably the most versatility for your buck. 

 

 

 

 

I like

These are very good headphones which have similar sound with the beyerdyanmics DT770. However, when u first put them on, you'll be greeted with extremely hot and harsh treble, very weak bass and less than satisfactory midrange. These qualities change however, and i find them refining after 2 weeks of use. These have very good synergy with the Fiio E5 and E7 since they offset the recessed mids. one more thing to note is that the details that these put out are real details, not like the RE0s which i find having too much of a faker detail retriveal by highlighting the high trebles. Im not saying the RE0s have bad detail at all just that the treble sounded a bit wierd to me. In all essence, if you're not seeking high end Stax equipment, and like most mortals have only around 200 to burn on audio products, get these along with a fiio E7!

After scouring the Head-Fi forums, and noticing that HeadRoom.com included the ATH-M50S in their "ten best" list with the next best headphone at a much higher price point, I pulled the trigger on these for $110 new from an eBay seller that was a large professional music equipment dealer (an excellent source for good prices on headphones apparently, because they carry the full manufacturer's line - including microphones - I have a pair of new Sennheiser 650s coming from another pro music audio dealer that I got for $319), and have been overjoyed with the ATH-50S coupled to a tiny NuForce uDac-2 HP ($99 headphone-only DAC-amp) ever since.

 

I am new to Head-Fi and digital audio generally, so I can't compare the M50 to any other headphones, but based on my long-ago experience selling really high-end audio, they are like experiencing the sound of an excellent pair of full-range, expensive loudspeakers, except they take up a lot less space, are more portable, cost much less for a comparable degree of sound quality, and allow private listening.  I really needed a closed-back headphone because I listen in a lot of circumstances where I can't disturb those around me, and the ATH-M50S are excellent at containing sound "leakage" while not being as insulating from allowing you to hear outside sounds (like fire alarms, doorbells, etc.) as an IEM would be.  I listen to the the M50s in the public library at what seems like a really robust volume to me, and people sitting just a few feet away from me never glare or look askance at me.  They are easy to drive (I can actually play them quite acceptably from my tiny Rockboxed Sansa Clip+, and the disparity of size between the source and the cans and sound eminating from them is kind of amusing.  With the Nuforce uDAC-2 HP serving as a replacement for the internal sound card in three different notebook computers (a Sony i7 running Windows 7, an old HP dual-core and an Asus Atom netbook - both running Ubuntu Linux), they can be driven to deafening levels without a hint of distortion at any frequency, even what we used to call "bass doubling" coming from speaker woofer cones breaking up from the cones not moving linearly trying to push large volumes of air quickly.  Another advantage of headphones with a small enclosed acoustic cavity over trying to fill a room with high-quality sound.

 

The closed-back design does lead to a smaller soundstage, which is why I have the Sennheiser 650s coming, which I will use only at home where I can afford to "bleed" some sound to the area around me.  The only real complaint I can make about the M50s is comfort.  The build quality is excellent, and even though high quality plastic is used to keep them relatively lightweight, they are still a tad heavy, and the clamping force is strong, but tolerable.  Helps for a good acoustic seal, so I would be wary of trying to stretch out the headband too much.

 

Supply and demand tells you a lot about the quality of any product.  When I got my pair for $110 new on eBay, the Amazon price was about $129.  Now, they are going for almost the full retail of $199 on Amazon, and the number of five-star reviews of them grows daily as people take delivery.

 

Definitely a keeper.

For the price, you probably won't get a much better over the ear headphone. Any headphone worth buying over $200 needs an amp. There are Sony brands around the same price that are good as well, but I've found these deliver an overall better sound. At a REASONABLE volume, these have a sweet airiness to them; almost as if you're mid row at an outside concert. They deliver decent bass (although not as much as I like), some good mids (which personally I think are the best part of these), and a clear treble. Now, its not CRYSTAL clear- it does get sloppy at times, but mostly when listening at high volumes. I think what they tried to do with these is balance out the high, mids, and low as best they could, making these cans a jack (or an apprentice :D) of all trades, but a master of none, if you will.  

 

On the comfort end, these are very comfortable. Now, if anyone has ever tried the Bose Quietcomfort, these are a couple notches down on the comfort rating. None the less, I've worn them for hours comfortably. 

 

For 115 dollars I was very pleased with my purchase, and I believe now that they are even cheaper (at B&H photo online). 

 

One side note though, is that for me, these phones needed burn-in time. About 20 hours worth I would say. The treble was very overpowering when I first got them, but after leaving them on all night, they sounded much better. (or perhaps I got used to the sound signature, or whatever you believe 

Preferred them to :

 

SR225 - little bass quantity, uncomfortable

SA5000 -  body missing, little bass quantity, resolution is too much,  great for electronia

T1 - M50 had a more fullbodied sound while having less resolution

 

Cans that were close:

HD650: veiled,great tone&mids, better resolution, less bass, needs top amplification, better comfort

DT990: great treble energy, better resolution, but bass & treble can get tiring/ too much quickly

 

recessed mids excepted - the m50 have a much better balanced sound with better imaging, body and prat. while the higher end cans were technically superior in some ways (resolution & speed), i had more fun with the m50 over time and thougt that extra cash would be better spent on the best D/A  one could afford.

 

SOURCE FIRST ! Nuforce, Centrance, PS AUDIO, LINN...

 

Clamping force will get comfortable if you store your cans on a box that is a few inches wider than your head. Some users report increased comfort with Shure 840 Pads. I have the coiled cable version as i use them on my mobile aswell.

I opened the box when these arrived and spent the next four hours listening to these. I was quite impressed right out of the box. My normal phones are Shure SE 530 and 535 IEMs. I bought these mainly due to the buzz that these are great cans for a low price. I am very pleased with them! I have been running them in for the last couple of days. I hooked them up to a Squeezebox and let them play. I have read that them warm up nicely after 40 hours or so. I liked them just fine out of the box, if they improve I'll call that a bonus!

I am satisfied for investing on these cans. I appreciate the most the natural response and sound reproduction unlike with other cans, of this type, who seems to be to hypey with their base. These are able to capture other flaws of a mp3 file like (sibilants, plosives, crackles and hisses) which might have slipped through  the recording process. One of the things i appreciate on these cans, you could hear all the sounds even the smallest ones like egg-shakers and other small instruments. Also, i seem to get the feeling that i am just inside a studio watching and listening to singing artist. further, it has good clamping force which it wouldn't fell or slip off from your head when you bend over or do a little bit of head banging. good job Audio Technica. 

Like the title says my first real pair of headphones, i couldnt be any happier with them i love hearing all my music on these headphones and i hear music from many genres from classical to hip hop and rap. Love the bass since it doesnt drown all the other sounds like other headphones do, there really comfortable i wore them while being in nyc and the whole 4 hour trip back and i didnt have any complaints but that depends on how big your ears are i consider mine not to big so i didnt have much trouble with the size. Bought them at B&H superstore in NYC no regrets have great prices and great service even got to try them before buying. Over all I cant say anything bad about the headphones
there great and do what they are said to do.

Nothing to add off of other reviews. Simply the best headphone purchase dollar for feature that Ive ever made. 

     These headphones are incredible. Fantastic sound quality. The bass response is really, really nice. It's well defined, accurate and strong, but it's not overpowering. The mids and highs are awesome too. Very crisp and I heard things in my music that I haven't heard with my other headphones. As well, these headphones look really nice and are really comfortable. The only things I do not like about these headphones is the very long straight cable. I always have to hold a bit of the cable when i'm listening to music on my iPod or my computer. Overall, amazing pair of headphones, for an amazing price! I would pay more than 200 dollars for these headphones. They are that good. Buy them.

I know there are too many reviews for these cans, but I thought I should put out my 2 cents. Keep in mind these are my first set of "real" headphones, as before this, the highest I shelled out was $79 for a set of Astro IEMs, which no one here has probably heard of. Anyway, let's begin.

 

Design These just look amazing. They're slick, and the circular metal ring on each of the earcups looks great and adds that "expensive" look. I wouldn't mind being caught wearing these in public, and they look better than Beats, at least in my opinion. The DJ articulation is nice, as I DJ at a lot of school events. The only flaw with the design is the huge Audio-Technica written on the band. Not a major issue, rest assured, but I feel it takes away from the look just a bit.

 

Price : Quality Ratio I've auditioned some of the other headphones offered by Sennheiser and V-Moda just above this price range, and I can easily, without a doubt, state that these are the best headphones you will find at a $100-$199 price range, and I think many of the other Head-Fi'ers will agree. If you're looking for cheap headphones that can perform, pull the trigger on Audio Technica.

 

Comfort: I have a quite small head, so the tight clench feels nice for me. Many of the others review state comfort as an issue, and that the pleather gets sweaty. An easy fix-up is to just buy different pads, and break them in as you would break in a baseball glove. Don't smack it with a ball, just stretch them out over a box slightly larger than your head during burn-in.

 

Sound Quality

 

First Impressions: I didn't bother to burn these in, I was too eager to see why this was the number one headphone at it's price range. I put them on my head, plugged them in unamped to my 4S, and I was immediately in shock. They sounded barely any different from my Skullcandy FMJ buds. I decided it was time to give in and burn them in for a good 48 hours.

 

After Burn-In: It was a night and day difference from the pre-burn in state. The soundstage widely improved, but it was still outplayed by some open ear cans I've heard. The sound signature itself is warm and balanced. They can't handle volume very well, as once it enters the higher volumes, treble gets very sharp, mids get a bit recessed, and the bass doesn't become all that much more present than it usually does at higher volumes. Keep in mind, these are monitor headphones, so they were built for recording and mixing. They will have a very flat-as-a-ruler sound, so EQ-ing for different genres is going to be needed for good sound. The "Rock" equalizer on my 4S seemed to clear things up for most genres, so I find myself using that a lot. Overall, these sound great, with clear trebles, great mids, and clean bass. I even got one of my friends with Beats Pro to say they were great. Most people with those horrible things usually try to justify their purchase by saying everything else is horrible.

 

Bottom Line If you're looking for cheap headphones with relatively great sound quality compared to other headphones in its price range, take a look at these. They can be bought at $119 at SoundProfessionals.com, so check them out - they even have burned-in, yet new, M50s for sale.

 

Bass: Clean and crisp, but not as punchy as I'd like.

Mids: Can be recessed at high volumes, excels everywhere else.

Highs: Only problem with the highs is that they get very sharp at high volumes.

Soundstage: Not the best, but it's decent.

 

tl;dr Amazing quality for the price, burn them in before judging the sound. No need for an amp.

 

Thanks for reading my review, I'll catch you on the flipside.

-Agony

 

the m50 was released a few years ago by audio technica as the flagship of their "m" studio monitor line. 

and, like all audio technicas, it is colored in one way or another.

this particular headphone definitely has more bass than a strictly neutral set of cans should.  but, the bass is quite impressive for a phone of this caliber and price range.  using the "heartbeat" test track from the "Open Your Ears" headphone test album, the m50 produces more low frequency rumble than any headhpones i own or have heard.  (bear in mind i have not heard denons or ultrasones).

 

the general sound is warm.  the headphones are colored forward in the mids such that the bass does not step on them too much.  this creates a fairly engaging sound signature.  the highs are recessed just a tad, fortunately, because they are just a tad grainy as well.

 

the imaging and soundstage are pretty respectable for closed cans.  but, the soundstage doesn't really "take off" until they are amped and turned up pretty loud.

 

when listening to these extensively, you get used to the presentation, and the one drawback that reamins is the mid-bass is just a tad unresolving.  i wouldn't go so far as to call the mid-bass "sloppy", but it doesn't have the attack and decay of higher end headphones.

 

overall, the m50 performs very well for a headphone that you can buy for around $100. 

it's biggest drawbacks really don't come so much in the form of sound quality as they do in the region of comfort.  As the clamping force is a bit much, and prevents me from wearing them longer than a couple hours at a time.

 

Also, as a result of them being closed cans with a tight seal, your ears will require quite a bit of adjustment when putting these on.  after a few minutes, the pressure will equalize, but at first it feels like your ears need to pop.

 

as for audio quality.  i struggled between giving these 3.5 stars and 4 stars.  but, i have to be honest here.  if 3.5 stars is "very good" and 4 stars is "excellent", then 3.5 stars it must be.  they sound very good to my ears.

 

edit:  after a couple months constant use, it seems to my ears that the midrange took a backseat after burn-in.  i'm not certain whether burn-in is real or placebo, but either way, the mids on the m50 afer a few hundred hours use are now somewhat recessed, possibly even slightly veiled.  not too objectionable, but noticeable.

These are great headphones for some one who is looking for great, isolated sound for cheap.

To give my thoughts some context, I wouldn't call myself an audiophile.  I have an eclectic taste and appreciation for music, which I listen to on an iPod Classic.  The most "hi-fi" audio equipment I've ever owned is the pair of Ultimate Ears Super.f1 5 Pro earphones that I'd still be enjoying happily if the right 'phone hadn't developed an annoying buzz.  I can rarely discern an audible difference between songs encoded in 320 kbps formats and their lossless counterparts, but, the inferiority of sub-320 kbps files is often very apparent to my ears.

 

That said, I do enjoy well-presented music.  It might very well be my favorite thing in the whole world. 

 

After doing some light reading about headphones, I began my search for new ones with a conscious decision to avoid even auditioning open-air headphones.  I've never tried them, and I became convinced by my reading that I'd likely fall in love with all of the qualities that seem to have made them the consensus choice for audiophiles around the world, and I feared I would then end up spending far too much money (for me) on a pair of "36-24-36" Sennheisers or others like them.  The majority of what I read on the subject seemed to indicate that closed headphones offer the best value for the money, so that's the route I chose.

 

Please keep all of this in mind when judging my use of the superlatives that are bound to follow.  I may not use certain words the way others who are more experienced in this realm may use them.  Just bear with me on that.

 

These are fine headphones.  It's really as simple as that. 

 

They provide full-bodied bass that never loses its natural texture.  Whether you're listening to music in which the raw tactility of the bass tones is just as important as the notes being played or music that features a delicate and measured response, these headphones don't just reproduce those sounds, they reproduce them very, very well.

 

Mid-range tones are loud, clear, and so readily apparent that they're never muddied by the bass tones, no matter how far the two may occasionally overlap within the same sonic space.  They remain distinct at all times, moving freely within the mix whenever the music requires it.

 

I feel like these headphones really shine - pun semi-intended - when it comes to the high-frequency tones, even though my inexperience may prevent that from being a truly accurate statement.  I think it's easy to forget sometimes just how important those highs are to music.  Hi-hats and ride cymbals are, in fact, a major driving force.  Crash, trash and splash cymbals are, indeed, important punctuations.  Each singular stroke is just as important as the next, no matter how quickly it may follow.  And these headphones just do it every time with highs that are loud, clear, distinct and never harsh.

 

Perhaps most impressive of all is the ability of these headphones to expose the natural character of the instruments within the music, an effect far too often lost when listening to them through the many layers of any recorded media.  I believe that's referred to as transparency. 

 

A snare drum being struck no longer sounds like "just" that; what you hear instead is the complex interaction between the drum stick, the drum head, the snares and the shell, components whose construction and combination were expressly chosen by the drummer, being used in concert with his talents and technique to produce a desired effect only achieved with that singular formula.  You hear that with these headphones.  By the same token, guitars and basses become the glorious sum of the various woods, hardware and amplification chosen by musicians utilizing their myriad skills to play them rather than just the notes they chose to play.  I've found this quality present in every piece of music to which I've listened through these headphones, and the effect is positively magisterial.

 

When all of these elements are combined as harmoniously as these headphone combine them, I can't describe the joy I get from the music I hear, even that which is as familiar to me as the back of my hand.  These headphones are a revelation.

 

And for the price?  They're worth more than what I paid for them, especially when judged against others at the same price point and even those priced considerably above it.  I did that, and these headphones won with ease every single time.

 

I think the often-seen criticism that mid-range frequencies are recessed in these headphones is more rooted in the fact that mid-range tones are the easiest to reproduce and most headphones and speakers generally tend to get that part right.  However, low and high range sounds are an altogether different beast, and, as a result, aren't often presented correctly.  I think it's easy to merely perceive the mid-range to be lacking when sandwiched between low and high ranges that are not.

 

And I suppose it's only fair that a review also include any perceived negatives.  To that end, they have a nasty tendency to expose poor music production and mastering, but what can you really do about that?  They're also not the best-looking headphones I've ever seen.  In that regard, I guess it's good that they're headphones and not a hat or something.  And they do tend to warm my ears a bit.  Just a bit, though.  (But, they're nonetheless very light and comfortable, and I've found that the range of articulation provided by the swiveled cups, a feature often derided, is actually quite helpful for maintaining constant and even contact while wearing them.)

 

I awarded "only" 4.5 stars to these headphones for Audio Quality out of consideration for my lack of experience.  I didn't think it would be fair to give them a full five since, admittedly, I haven't listened to everything offered.  I honestly hope I don't ever hear something better, though, unless I can also afford to buy it, as I think such a tease would be equally unfair.  Luckily for me, I think these headphones are going to be extremely difficult to top.

 

UPDATE: Burn-in can be an evil mistress.  I'll elaborate later.

Overall:
The ATH-M50 is a well built, beatiful HP. It has swivel earcups and comfortable high quality pleather pads. It comes in big white box with a leather bag and a 6,3 mm jack.
(ATH-M50 and ATH-M50S are the same HP. M50s has straight(S) cable, M50 has coiled.

Sound:
The ATH-M50 sound great out of the box, but started to shine after ~50 hours of burn in.
They sound detailed, refined and balanced, with a strong but controlled bass.
The biggest quality of the M50s is, that they don't really do anything wrong. They performed pretty good with evrything I threw at them, and their sonic performance is outstanding in this price class.
I think it is hard to dislike them at all, but experienced audiophiles may find them to sound "clinical" or "booring", because they don't really shine at anything.
Newcomer audiophiles on the other hand will be blown away for sure.

The ATH-M50 made me realise, that a good HP is not all about sound quality.
A HP this expensive really has to fill all it's owners needs.
For me the isolation just didn't do it, and the pleather pads got my ears sweaty all the time.
But that's cause I used them as a portable HP mainly, which they were not designed to be.
Now with a high end portable HP (hd 25-1) I am as happy as i can be.

Conclusion:
The Audio Technica ATH-M50 is a excellent Headphone with outstanding sound quality in it's price class, but I would not recommend it as a portable HP.
Newcomers to audiophile equipment can't go wrong with this.

First and foremost, I didn't buy these. Put in bogus purchase dates or it won't let me submit.

 

It was a really short audition, roughly 15 minutes. 

And this will be an equally short review.

 

In fifteen minutes I found out six good/bad things about the M50

 

1) Boring sound signature.

2) Very clampy head band.

3) Uncomfortable ear pads.

4) They are not as revealing as some say they are.

5) Loved the coiled cable. Very thick and solid.

6) collapsible, iirc.

 

I suppose point 2 and 3 aren't deal breakers since headphones

do get more comfortable over time.

 

The M50 wasn't worth S$240. It surely didn't sound like $240

to me. I auditioned the M50 and the Grado SR80, and I preferred

SR80's sound signature. 

 

The M50s are not overly revealing headphones. I suppose this could

be largely due to my mediocre DAP (fat PSP). They just sounded flat.

Didn't stand out in any department.

 

 

I suppose this is how Studio Monitor headphones should sound like...

I haven't tried the Sony MDR V6 or 7506 which are recommended quite

often to those looking to produce/mix music.

 

Btw, I was auditioning this at the time when everyone was recommending M50

to newcomers - June/July of 2011? I was like "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat" when

I put them on. They're decent headphones but they certainly are not worth US150

or SGD240. 

 

I'm not a fan of the design either.

 

 

I'll update this at a later date.

Audio Technica M50 vs Ultrasone HFI-580 vs Audio Technica Pro700 MKII

 

Audio Technica M50 when compared with Superlux HD668B and HD681F

Okay I'm not going to fill this area with a bunch of BS terms I'm just going to say it straight up.

 

I bought the headphones from a really nice used shop locally, and I was told they were pretty decent. Upon first applying them to the not forehead (because that would be retarded behavior), I noticed the isolation was quite impressive. The guy that worked there was talking but I couldn't hear a damned thing he was saying. The song I tested it with was King Crimson's "Epitaph." The power they gave off was very nice and despite what the assistant said, the bass was of a great level, not too high and not too low. When I got home I listened to American IV by Johnny cash and let me tell you, PURE MAGIC.

 

A couple gripes I had: The fit was pretty tight so I wasn't able to wear them longer than 7-10 minutes at a time, the cord is long as hell so I was sitting in my computer chair holding 75% of it, and the condition they were in was less than stellar. The ear pads were beat to hell, given this means nothing if you buy them new or used from a decent person, but there was no way I would keep the cans and pay $20 for replacement pads. I mean heck at that point I might as well buy them new!

 

I'll will be getting another pair down the line but as of no I can't afford it.

 

These headphones are highly recommended by the community and there is a reason why; If you get these things in new/good condition THEY ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY, and if you get them for a steal of a deal then that just makes them better!

 

EDIT - Now that I have a new pair this can be updated. The music sounds muddy, especially in the mids and highs. I don't know if this goes away after burn-in or not but it isn't that big of a deal.

Before i get on to the sound, I will give you a summerized box reaction. Looking at these through the plastic box, they have an almost ikea asthetic about them, sort of a minimal hipster look. They have a funky way of sitting in the box and i couldnt help but hope they didnt sound as minimal as the looked through the box. However, as soon as i pulled them out and felt them in my hand and got a better look, i almost soiled myself. The headband and pleather pads are just about some of the comfiest things ive ever put my hands on. They just looked like they were MEANT to be worn and loved.

 

After seeing them in a 360 degree view, they just looked beautiful. Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of these headphones, but with a poor quality camera and some poor camera work, i tried :)

 

 

I couldnt help but sneak them on my head after fondling the pads with my hands. They felt DECADENT! 

 

So, naturally, i have far too much curiosity at this point to not give them a listen before burn in, so i plugged them straight into my ipods headphone jack and hit shuffle. 

 

3 words: Muddy, distant, recessed mids :( I thought i might have been sent a dud or that they needed a lot more power than they might have assumed with their low impedence. So without further adue, i will move in to a thorough description of my first impressions. 

 

First Impressions:
 

Low Volume: Bass seemed a little muddy, voices noticeably more recessed than the rest of the sound signature, and i NEVER though i would be a stickler about voices. It is so blatantly apparent that even my relatively untrained and non-analytical ear became frustrated by it. Sound seems very "in front of you", but not in terms of distance; i mean in terms of direction. Yep, that means very little sound stage, almost none. I have 50$ IEM's that have better sound staging than these, however that might be preferred for some people to have a more center focused and distant sound. The distance feels as though your at least 15 seats back from the front stage. You feel as though your in the same room as the music, just very far away from the speakers. Very little sound stage. You definately know your wearing headphones. Snare doesn't have correct timbre.

 

High volume: Snare and voices more natural sounding but definately "behind" the lead guitars and bass guitars when listening to rock. I would never consider myself a guy that would notice recessed vocals but it was just so obvious that it made it uncomfortable and certainly not balanced listening. I know for a fact that the vocals were not that recessed in the recording. It wasn't horribly bad, it just sounded like the vocals were playing at a different volume level than the bass guitars and lead guitars and percussion. Guitars in high notes sound shrill and extremely bright with some distortion. 

 

Fit: comfortable, sturdy, very nice fit for my head at the stock settings. However, after about 10 minutes of listening i already could feel my ears sweating to the point where the pleather was actually sticking to my ears! Clamping force was noticeable but i liked it, sort of like they were giving you a nice big bear hug. I could see how it might bother some people, but i like it. Rest assured it could be easily fixed by stretching them out over a box while burning them in.

 

Overall verdict of first impressions: i just wasted $150 bucks, hugely overhyped 

 

 

After 100 hours of burn in: Much better sounding! All the previous querks still noticeable but are far more tolerable, bass is very nice and strong hitting on any low frequency range thrown at it, but definately not overpowered. Maybe slightly emphasiszed, but not overpowering. Bass in these will only sound overpowering if you bought them after listening to a bass-less headphone like the akg 701's. Highs are still shrill and bright and painful to listen to, however the distortion issue is gone. Mids are still indeed very, very recessed. 

 

These headphones, even in their best genre which i would argue to be electronic, feel way to far from the source of music for my liking. I stated earlier that they feel about 15 rows back from the stage; thats being generous. I feel like i'm sitting in an auditorium designed to house very loud volumes and heavy rock bands, but hearing a highschool band play on a fer marshal amps sitting right next to them up front on the stage, very far away. However, the sound that is coming from very far away and very centered, is a very balanced and high quality sound. 

 

In order to get the engagement I want from these headphones, I am constantly motivated to turn them up to extremely high volumes, because that brings me much closer to the stage and the instruments start to tune up and come alive at high volumes. However, even at the highest volumes, the mids are still noticeable recessed even to an undiscerning ear. Also, the trade off is that in order to get the volume and engagement and louder vocals, the highs become unbearable (atleast to me) at high volumes on some types of music, especially rock with high pitched guitars. A guitar solo is too painful to hear and its sad because guitar solos are some of my favorite parts of music to hear.

 

Verdict: They have a great balanced sound with emphasis on the low end, very little sound stage, seems "far away", slow and hard to keep up on complex music with lots going on (sort of like if you had a balanced steak dinner with a side of green beans and mash potatoes, and someone took them and mushed them in a blender and poured the result into a soup bowl and handed it to you), with bright and sometimes painful highs. Certainly a capable headphone with its own personaility that may fit some types of listeners, and is a high quality headphone worth its price. If you like to feel close and engaged with your music, dont buy. It just isnt worth the ear damage you will inevitably get trying to compensate by turning up the volume extremely loud. 

 

It is worth the plunge for anyone to try who hasnt really decided what type of music listener they are. This is for a relaxed listener who wants to keep its distance from the music, with warm bass and harsh and engaging highs, with recessed mids. At this price, these are a steal and if you decide you dont like them, they are a great reference phone to compare other headphones in the future should you choose to upgrade. They are balanced but distanced.

 

LET THEM BURN IN BEFORE YOU JUDGE!

 

Peace, love, happiness, and a good pair of headphones to all !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After my Sennheiser HD 595s ended up being slightly damaged- resulting in some annoying background distortion-, I went a few years without a higher-end set of headphones. The ATH-M50S caught my eye initially, and I was going to purchase this or a set of Beyerdynamics that cost twice as much but were said to be really worth it. Needless to say I chose these, mainly due to the price, and I am certainly pleased with this purchase. In terms of sound quality, these are arguably better than my HD 595s, as the ATH-M50S rivals the HD 595 when it comes to mid/high frequency range, but the ATH-M50S also produces lots of bass. The soundstage produced by these headphones is excellent, as the sound frequencies across the board are finely balanced- the high frequency range is not quite as clear as with the HD 595s, but this is most likely due to these Audio-Technicas being closed-end headphones. They are comfortable to wear for prolonged periods of time- I've worn them for 4-5 hours without experiencing any discomfort-, and I have become impressed with the build quality and the materials used. My pair has withstood being carried around, and the fold-in design makes these large headphones easy to move around- in comparison with the HD 595. Unfortunately I do not have any other high-end headphones to compare these to, but the ATH-M50S is arguably the best set of headphones I have had the pleasure to own. I highly recommend these to anyone looking for relatively affordable high-end headphones- if you're looking for high-end Bose or Shure headphones, please check out these!

For $100 these are a steal

My title, pros and cons sums it up rather well. Do NOT forget to warm these babies up for at least 30 h. They will change a lot in character, the first experience might be horrible, whilst after 40 h you love them.

 

It should be added that the treble sensitivity of your ears will affect your liking of these. Very demanding ears have listened to these and come to totally different conclusions. So listen to these at your local store before buying, your ears might not like the intense treble.