(Studio Worthy Headphones of up to $200) UPDATE: I got the ATH-M50's. I hate them! Why?.. Thoughts? - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomikn00b 

i must say. it was a pleasure reading through this post. you seem to have similar ears as mine. i own the brainwavz m2 and also pre-ordered the hm5's. i was tempted to buy the m50s based on readings as well, but you've stopped me. (that's a good thing).

 

i'd be very happy if you posted your thoughts once you receive them. if they don't satisfy you, i would also be happy to know which headphones finally reproduce the kind of sound you're looking for.

Well, I'm glad.  Not sure how much experience you've had with different headphones so don't jump to that conclusion yet.  For all you know, trying other stuff besides the M2's which we agree on, you may find not to like them anymore and find me to be a fool.  I don't think so but I'm not exactly sure what you think we share besides our liking of the M2's.  Have you tried many other things in the past?  I just don't want to misguide you simply because I, like any other bloke, enjoy the feeling of being flattered ;) 

Thanks though, and I will post like you've asked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmdevils 

This is complete ********.  You may prefer the 840's but the M50's don't suck.  The M50 actually measures better than the 840 in that it has less ringing.  Check out Purrin's plots if you want to cry yourself to sleep tonight.  I'm pretty tired of the "M50 backlash" with people hating on them simply because they are popular with noobs.  they're not the best ever by any means, but they are good closed headphones. 

 

I don't really have any idea what the OP is talking about.  I mean it's one thing to dislike a headphone, that's great.  But the OP seems to be saying the M50 has no bass, which makes me throw up my hands. 

Well, I must say, it had always seemed like we differed in opinion in more ways than one, whether it's about headphones, in general what to look for, simple matters, etc...  But still, just to try and clarify, I didn't say the M50's have no bass.  I hear every little increase in Hz from 30 and up.  I was simply confused about its praise and was trying to get people to state how they really feel instead of just saying it has better bass than other headphones.  I was looking for details - specifically how.  Maybe to give you an idea of what I mean, I tried this wireless Logitech headset which my cousin bought.  It's known to have kinda f'd up bass.  That's the first thing I noticed.  What to say.. well, it's accuracy is horrible.  But, I tweaked it a little bit (very little) and I actually began to enjoy the bass on them.  I'd get tired of it but it was fun - it "wooo'd" the same way as would my speakers and/or subwoofer.  It felt real - organic.  I enjoy bass but I'm not a basshead.  I do believe though that bass should be reproduced as meant to be heard and in no place you go or listen besides on headphones is there ever an expectation (to relative things of course) for the bass to simply be heard as some tone within a low frequency for analysis.  Bass often defines the feel of a song and in the case of the M50's, I'd be lucky to get a struggling thump or just any signs of bass making a statement.  My fear is that this is how it is on all headphones if the M50's keep being mentioned as the bass heavier cans relative to many others people may be looking into.  I also obviously don't just want bass oriented headphoens where they're just made to boom; that's retarded...  Anyway, that's really what I'm asking; I find it impossible that any accurate pair of headphones should in reality force bass to be flat.  That's just completely flawed...  If I'm mixing, am I supposed to guess how it'll sound live?  Should I be guessing the level of impact it has when I'm adding it in?  There's more to it than just loudness and differences there I feel the M50's compress.

In regards to the bashing, I had no idea about that and please nobody try to attribute/generalize me to a certain group.  That's most annoying of all out of anything which can be done.  All I've seen so far is praising of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tus-Chan 

lol sound is subjective lol

Yes but, there are ways of reaching a conclusion which makes sense in application to oneself upon reading it.  If I were to take the similarities in the reviews for the Brainwavz M2 IEM's, even if one might say it's a flaw and the other says it's a plus, that "thing" exists and I can apply whether it is something I'm looking for.  The level of whatever area of sound this "thing" might be in can also be determined by comparing reviews.  I just haven't gotten the sense of that with the M50's and it's as if people are blind to its mediocrity (IMO).  Of course though, a fact about them can be stated which is that they're soundstage is horrible.  That was evident from the start.  No sound every feels like it gets close and hard left/hard right is out of its realm completely.  You have to analyze that.  There's freakin' sound coming from the right and only right, and I have to be like, "Oh, I think they're trying to make sound coming only from the right."  BS I tell you...  Maybe IEM's are just more distinguishable in terms of their signature maybe?  I don't know...

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdockweiler 

I don't understand how the treble on the M50 can bother someone yet with the SRH-940 it's perfectly fine. IMO the M50 is no more muffled than the SRH-840.

Strangely enough, I've found that out of my Ipod Touch the M50 does have issues with it's treble and it's bass is a bit bloated. I wonder why? They say the Ipod Touch is neutral, but I'm not hearing it.

On the clip and a decent amp it's fine.

 

I'm not a huge fan of the M50, but I could think of dozens of headphones worse than it around it's price range. Like the ZX700...

 

I wish more people could just say they don't like it's signature instead of just bashing a headphone because it's not as good as their favorite.

 

There's a ton of good headphones I don't like because it doesn't match my preferences. The K550 is one of them..

 

bcasey25raptor, I don't know if you only tried the M50 with an E5 and E7, but the E7 seems to be a treble happy amp, same with the E5. Ipod Touch plus a Fiio amp would be like a double whammy for me. Yeah and I even like Fiio stuff.

Strangely enough I think the M50 only sounds very good with specific amps. I love it with the Nuforce Icon Mobile. That thing seems to reduce the bass a tad, bring forward the mids and tame the treble a bit. This is why it's a good match for the D2000 too.

Must be the most screwed up amp ever to do this..

 

For some reason the E7 made all my headphones more fatiguing than they really should be. I still never figured out why.

 

My only reason for not keeping the M50 is that it's mids just don't do it for me. Not very fun to listen to, but I still like it.

 

 

Well, that's what I would say.  The M50's are a decent pair of headphones that just don't match my preferences and/or just need to be "better" if they are to carry that kind of a signature.  The only definitive flaws I'd say are the small soundstage and the limited range in volumetric dynamics, especially in the lower frequency region.  All other things are my personal inflections and I think they're relative to anybody that thinks they'd feel the same way relative to the facts.  I agree with your last statement for instance and even though it's not a flaw, it's relevant preference.  So yeah, I don't like them in almost every way and therefore, I don't understand the praise and it leaves me hanging, as if, what could be better in the price range of up to $200? 

And btw, umm, just in case it wasn't clear.  BCasey25Raptor was saying that he finds the treble fatiguing, probably because he finds it to be a bit harsh (I just find it inaccurate and overly present over the mids), and he finds the mids bloated, probably similar to what you meant by it.  I think they the M50's provide a false sense of clarity due to its treble.

Are there any further suggestions looking past the M50's?  This back and forth can go on forever.  Point is, based on what I don't like and maybe what some other people are saying, without irritatingly throwing other examples, what are honestly other good pairs of headphones which can measure up to other people's liking other than those who the M50's satisfy?  Once again, it's really seeming like there's nothing and I just don't think it could be that.  I would imagine there's something of every possible combination that would be considered good for its intent.