Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

I am not sure if there are unit variances or this headphone received modest tuning improvements. But I feel like this gunmetal version which comes with a hardcase, (apparently an amazon exclusive?) does sound slightly different from the black version I had several years back.

The black version had a slightly looser and stronger bass, a low treble peak around 4-4.5khz and a slightly rough textured treble response.

Despite its shortcomings I always enjoyed the fun tuning. I do feel they had some reasonable image separation and depth, but the soundstage itself was rather direct.

On this Gunmetal unit I feel the bass is not as strong, sounds more refined, far less bloat. The cold "hole" in the low mids seems reduced, giving these a more natural timbre. No more 4khz peakyness. Treble seems even more boosted though, quite some zing, but it seems to be broader and less sharp. Imaging and separation is serviceable, soundstage is still much the same though. But it does not sound congested with its ample treble response.

Overall I think this headphone still delivers solid value years after its initial release.

After many years I routinely try to come back to these as if they'll suddenly improve on my next listen, but unfortunately they just don't sound very good. I'm not too familiar with the 110USD range, but I am with the 25-60USD and the 250-350USD ranges and I can say that this is not a middle ground I'd ever spend money on if I were to do it again. I have a 25 dollar pair on-ear Sony's (ZX-300) I put a couple foam pads into and as a result it sounds much better than these. I have a 60 dollar Sony basshead pair (XB500) and it tops these in every way stock.

My least favorite part is the treble and bass, both in quantity and quality. The quality of the treble is abrasive and unrefined (aka there are phasing issues, whether it be the enclosure or less likely the driver). The quantity of the treble tricks you into thinking they are 'precise', but for me it just gets fatiguing extremely fast. The bass quantity is also very heavy and that level carries into the low mids a bit but not in an enjoyable way. The bass quality suffers from what the rest of the spectrum does, a lack of dynamic range and phasing issues that result in a 'loose' sound. This is a headphone I'm afraid to listen to at my normal volume because it does occasionally surprise me with some resonant interjections in the ~500 ~8k Hz regions where there really should be none.

Sound stage is almost non-existent despite there being actual outer reverb channels on the baffle. Sounds like everything is playing in half-mono. Sound wise all in all these would not be very good for professional mixing, mastering or sound design applications.

The comfort is not uniquely terrible or anything (I suffered through PSB/NAD's designs so I know a thing or two about that), but the pads feel almost on-ear as much as over ear for me and my ears are not that large. The ear 'chamber' is very very small and your ear will press against the thin foam over top the plastic baffle. The pads are not very soft. These get pretty hot while wearing them.

If noise isolation is an important factor to you, these are fully sealed and isolate very well. Not my thing to be fair, I don't like hearing my own bodily functions while these are on.

The build is a high quality plastic one, but the pleather headband material will deteriorate and flake off over time. I don't like how heavy these are, they really have a presence on my head, especially with the claustrophobic ear chambers.

If you can pick these up in decent condition for around 50 bucks they might be worth it if you have nothing better already.

Intro
5 years have passed since this piece of crap was hyped up by the likes of tech****s like Markass Brownlee and later pissed on 2 years after by the god of headphones himself Z Reviews. I sat down with this headphone with high hopes years ago when I first got into the hobby, left the store with nothing but disappointment and confusion. A pair was loaned to me by my dear friend Sultan Mohammad Najib bin Abdul Razak a week ago, so I gave it another go.


Build: (7/10)
Nothing special, what you would expect from a $130 headphone, faux leather pads and headband, full plastic build with the exception of the headband adjustment. Seems durable enough, not exceptional, not crap, the only thing that's decent about this headphone.

Comfort: (4/10)
Becomes hot and painful after >30 min of use because of high clamping pressure and sub-par pads.

Bass: (6/10)
Bloated, bleeds into the mids, excessive in quantity, lacking in quality

Mids: (3/10)
Muddy, feels like a cum rag was blanketed over the drivers

Treble: (5/10)
Like the bass, it is excessive and lacks nuance and control, also has a peak at around 10K. Makes the sound shrill, sharp and rape for the ears

Clarity: (4/10)
Muddy, veiled, or any of their synonyms.

Soundstage: (4/10)
Narrow, almost to the point where it sounds linear. Imaging is serviceable.

Overall Sound: (4/10)
The sound has an obvious v-shape characteristic to it, albeit too exaggerated on the low and top end. Individually, the components which form its sound are not the worst at this price point. However when coupled with the immensely narrow soundstage, it simply creates an unpleasant listen, amplifying the overly aggressive treble and making the lack of clarity and fullness of the mids more noticeable.


Conclusion
It is as much of a shitter headphone now as it was 5 years ago. Still sounds like a turd with needles being force fed into your ear. Don't buy it.