ath m50 vs beats solo hd - Page 2

In a trollish way, the M50s are made for hearing music. They work better on some areas than on others, but you will get an overall pleasant experience. The Beats are made for hearing thumping bass in techno/trance/hip-hop. Not even general bass, just the thupy one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldburrito45 

also what is a good portable amp

Fiio E5, or the more expensive (and still less than 100$) E7 if you also want the DAC possiblity to use as an external soundcard.

If you can get the E5 easily, don't hesitate. It's like 20$, and for that money it is cosmically (couldn't find cooler word) impossible to match the quality. The sole concept of a 20$ amp already sound like a joke, but it makes a difference. I don't own it (and will probably get flamed for it), so I cannot officialy recommend it, but it's kind of a no-brainer. I'm getting the E7 as soon as I can since I can't stand my soundcard.

Even if they sound the same, the M50 is ~100$, the solo HD ~230$...

U can get a good amp for 120$ or get another headphone..

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One friend I have listened to my M50, and he said that he owns the beats (i dont know model was it, but it wasnt the studio) and said that his beats didnt sound as half as the M50.

I can't really comment on the M50's but I did own a pair of Q40's which are often compared to the M50's and said to be very similar.

What I can tell you is that the Beats Solo HD's are more comfortable to wear and look undoubtably much better. The chunky red/orange wire is something I have always loved to. Now onto sound quality... When I'm listening to Rap/Hip-Hop/Dance/Trance/Dubstep/Grime etc I prefer the Beats. The bass is just mind blowing, extremely responsive and punchy which really enhances the rhythm and the whole experience. You also hear things with the Beats that you might not of heard with the Q40's so the sound does seem to be clearer and more detailed with the Beats. But with most other genres that in general don't contain a lot of bass then the Q40's were arguably the same or maybe did have the edge (especially with classical!). Now the reason I say 'did' own a pair of Q40's is because I don't really listen to many other genres than I have stated so I often found them left in my bedroom drawers.

So from my totally unbiased opinion I found the Beats to be better for my needs, however if your music choices are that much different to mine then maybe you would prefer the M50's. However the Beats do come with a few problems for me, the first is wearing them in public. Yes they look absolutely stunning and are very stylish but they can also attract a lot of the wrong attention. So because they are so well known (and also known to be very expensive) you have to be careful when and where you wear them or you might not own them for much longer if the wrong types of people catch a glimpse of them. At least when I was wearing my Q40's I didn't have to worry so much about them getting stolen when I was alone. Another problem with the Beats is the glossy finish, they can quite easily get all smeared or full of fingerprints if you touch them without the cleanest of hands.

I own the M50s and a good friend of mine recently bought the Beats Solo HD so i have done some comparing. From my personal experience the beats only have the edge in weight and looks. They feel lighter on the head and look better than my M50's especially if you're considering wearing them in public. As far as sound quality goes the beats actually sound really crisp and clear as long as there's no bass in the music but as soon as it kicks in that's all you can hear. Loud, over the top, colored bass. My M50's have plenty of bass for my taste and never sacrifice detail. For me, there is no contest between the two, especially because when the song calls for it the M50 can really thump and they EQ really well if you really do want to drown your music in bass. Burning mine in did help by making the highs less shrill and the bass tightens up a bit. 

I also want to mention how great the M50s are as all-purpose headphones. They sound amazing whether you're listening to music, movies or anything else you throw at them. The beats on the other hand only sound decent when listening to music. They are entirely too bass-heavy to listen to say for instance a podcast or speech and they're not exactly all that great with movies either.

I've never seen an M50 snap in half without consistent abuse. I have seen it happen with Beats treated well.

Another thing to consider.

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldburrito45 

also what is a good portable amp

I recommend getting an E11. I first bought the E5, which is fine for a small player, but you'll be happier with the E11 in the long run.

I own a pair of Beats Solos (not HD) and ATH-M50s. I think the M50 is vastly superior to the Solos.
 

you might want to check out the thread about being called out for not wearing beats.  I would suggest that you not waste any time trying to convince your friend that your phones are better than his.  "Better and Best" are subjective terms.  He is probably more concerned with the look and status of the beats.  If this is the case, they are the "best " for him.  After all when was the last time you saw an NBA star wearing M50s when walking into the locker room.

I'm sure you will find most people on this forum believe that the M50s are the better of the two.  I agree.  I also second the suggestion to get the Fiio 11 and a line out cable if you are going to use an Ipod as the source.  About $65 at Amazon for the amp with a charger and extra battery.  The line out is about $10    

Altough the M50 lost some of it's populatrity in Head-Fi for the last couple of monts, I think i'ts still the most recommended headphone in the entire Head-Fi forum.

(The main reason for the M50 lost of popularity is the FIscher Audio FA--003 Hyper Hype).