Audio Technica ATH-M50s

 are they you first audiophile cans?   congratz.. one of the smartest buys you can make!

You won't be disappointed :)

The annoyingly bloated bass (as in, why is the kick drum twice as loud as the others?) will go away after a few hours.

Just received mine also and I'm currently burning them in. They'll be my alternative commuter phones. :)

I'd be interested to hear your guys' impressions - I'm looking into these myself.  Especially in comparison to your SR225.  Plonter, it looks like you have the D5000, HD650, and RS1 as well...how would you compare the ATH-M50s?

I think you will be fine with them, i love their soundstage and great imaging. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by johan851 

I'd be interested to hear your guys' impressions - I'm looking into these myself.  Especially in comparison to your SR225.  Plonter, it looks like you have the D5000, HD650, and RS1 as well...how would you compare the ATH-M50s?

well..the RS1 is totally a different beasts.  the grado signature is bright,aggresive with a punchy bass but not the deep and boomy kind  like the M50 or D5000 (not in a bad way). 

the M50 naturally sound much closer to the D5000 ..as they both closed headphones with a rather strong and authoritative bass response.  I would say that the bass is more or less the same in quantity and quality.  the D5000's mids are more recessed,more in the background than the M50,the M50 mids are a litte bit more upfront.  I like it and consider it as an improvement over the D5000,although with certain recordings the D5000 mids can be a delight!  but over all the M50 mids are more balanced imo.

the D5000 has a spark in the treble which the M50 don't have...good or bad?  it depends in your taste.  sometimes i  am in the mood for D5000 treble and sometimes for the more relaxed M50's treble.   the M50 treble is not rolled off or something,not at all,just not as sparkly as the denons.

about the HD650..I personally don't care for them so much.  I can appreciate them for thier great comfort and nice laid back sound..but the overall sound signature is not pleasing for me as the D5000 and M50.   the HD650 really don't supply the bass power and punchy sound i need in order to enjoy my music.    the only genre i find them superb is classical which doesn't require an emphasised bass.   

I would consider both M50 and D5000 a bassheads delights!

EDIT: ah..and as a general comparison i consider the M50 to be in the D5000 leage! 

another comment about the M50 bass, they go very deep.  sometimes i feel that they dive even deeper than the D5000 but that's an illusion!  the D5000 simply has a hump in the midbass which tends to mask the deep notes a little bit.  the M50 don't have that big bump in the midbass so the deep notes is presented more clearly.  at least that's what i am hearing.

i must say that i am totally in love with both my D5000 and M50..the difference is that the M50 don't cost 600$.    but the D5000 got thier advantage in soundstage and treble.

I just got mine, still burning em in :D My first cans :D

You wont be dissapointed with the M50's if they are your first headphones and they do get a lot better after burn-in.

I had a pair of Grado and Shure cans before I got my M50's. I didn't like the lack of isolation on the Grado pair and didn't like the sound of the 440's to be honest. And I probably wouldn't appreciate my M50's sound if I hadn't gone through those. The thing about first pairs is your expectations are always very high. Let's hope yours aren't too high, otherwise it'll be the M50's that you think suck and a future expensive pair that matches your expectations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LurkerJeff 

I had a pair of Grado and Shure cans before I got my M50's. I didn't like the lack of isolation on the Grado pair and didn't like the sound of the 440's to be honest. And I probably wouldn't appreciate my M50's sound if I hadn't gone through those. The thing about first pairs is your expectations are always very high. Let's hope yours aren't too high, otherwise it'll be the M50's that you think suck and a future expensive pair that matches your expectations.

I had high expectations from the M50 before i got them based on head fi reviews,and after i got them the results were even better than what i thought it would be,  I was very pleasently surprised.

My M50 should be here tomorrow. I'll A/B them with my Denon D1001. I might even pick up the Shure 840 from a local Head-Fi'er. Could they be the trilogy of (well) under $200 closed cans? Who's to say? It should be fun trying it out thought.

Congrats to you. :)

Peace,

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonter 

I had high expectations from the M50 before i got them based on head fi reviews,and after i got them the results were even better than what i thought it would be,  I was very pleasently surprised.

Exactly... me too.

Also, @ baka1969. I had the SRH840 and thought they were stellar. I though they had better sound (more natural, neutral and balanced) than the M50. But... I couldn't wear them. Too heavy and painful on my head (as opposed ot a hard clamp). Many feel the same. You may not have that issue. But they are wonderfull sounding. Really. If you can try them first, you should.

The M50's are fun and I wear mine a lot. They just reporduce music in a very enjoyable way. Not too bright, not tubular... very smooth and punchy.

Cheers!

shane