Very simple ATH-M50 'balance' mod (less bass, more mids)

Hi y'all,
I've posted a bit here and there about some experimenting I've been doing with my M50s. They're great cans at $99 (ebay) but I don't think anyone can deny, they are a little heavy on the bass and a recessed in the mids.

So basically, I slipped off the pads, had a poke around, tried a few different things & this is what I've come up with:

I tentatively call it the 'M50 Balance Mod'

This mod is fully reversible.



Start by removing the pleather pads. They are pretty easily removed, but I guess the one risk here is you might stretch the pads a little. Its hard to say whether thats happened to mine, I don't think so, but unless I had a stock pair to compare it to, its difficult to be sure.

Anyway, just hook a finger inside the pleather bit and 'scoop' it out. I usually work from the top, narrow part.



So this is what you'll see. Those little holes around the driver? Well, to cut down the bass a little and bring the mids forward, all we do is cover a few of those holes with a little masking tape. The more you cover, the less bass you'll have.

This is the combination I liked best.



I'd say it has about 5% less bass and 10% more mids (vocals really)

Don't worry about damaging the plastic, the masking tape seemed to leave no residue I could see.

And thats it! Pop the pads back on and enjoy!

***

BTW, I did a little experimenting with adding extra dampening material behind the driver (see pic below) but I didn't really like the sound too much, I thought the bass wasn't hitting as low. I'm guessing the Audio Technica engineers got the volume of the earcup perfect, they just ported too much bass in through the small holes.

Yeah actually I kind of like the bass, I just find the mids a little too recessed, especially compared to my other headphones. I tried it with all the holes covered & the bass really did mellow out a lot, but I missed the bass "oomph". Covering every 2nd hole instead sounds like a good compromise to my ears
This mod also adds a bit more intimacy to vocals too.

As do the AD900s, which I used to own.

Yep, I did notice that. I guess it alters the sound the ports through the holes (makes it bassier) but is also there to get the sound levels right - i'd think if it were removed the bass would be bigger and flabbier.

The idea of 'double taping' as you say is to prevent too much bass from porting through the holes...

I think the bass might shatter some important bone structures around your upper jaw...