Audio Technica ATH-M50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acorn Radio 

 

Ive read alot of reviews on here and other sites for the m50s and for the most part they say these are good headphones and im confident theyll suit my recording and guitar needs, but im not sure about just regular music listening. i listen to just about everything.

 

people have said that ipods and whatnot do not have enough power to run these headphones without an amp. is that true?

 

how portable are these headphones? i know they have a long cable but is there a version with a shorter cable?

 

also are there headphones comfortable?

 

 

I'm not 100% sure but I think you might have that first part of the quote backwards, i dont play guitar so i wouldnt know but I think there might be better cans at that price range for that need, as for regular listening they are great (until you listen to something much better). Ipods suck but they will power these at almost full volume (my 6 year old sony mp3 powers them at 40% volume and sound much cleaner). M50 doesn't need an amp in my opinion in fact to they sound worse when i use them with my little dot mkiii. portability, they fold are not that big but i never recommend full size cans for portability thats  why there are IEMS. they are like 7/10 comfort cause they have smaller pads so if you have bigger ears they might be claustrophobic in them.

Gonna go ahead and suggest the HD25's. Great SQ, lightweight, and one of the best portable headphones IMO. They are on ear, so look into them before buying. They are also more comfortable than the M50's (using velour pads).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acorn Radio 

hello, im new here and would like some help on deciding what pair of headphones to get.

 

im looking for headphones for recording music, playing guitar through, and listening to music from my laptop at home or my zune on the go.

 

ive read alot of reviews on here and other sites for the m50s and for the most part they say these are good headphones and im confident theyll suit my recording and guitar needs, but im not sure about just regular music listening. i listen to just about everything.

 

people have said that ipods and whatnot do not have enough power to run these headphones without an amp. is that true?

 

how portable are these headphones? i know they have a long cable but is there a version with a shorter cable?

 

also are there headphones comfortable?

 

are there any other headphones around the same price that would suit my needs? i need over ear headphones. ive never had a pair of on ear headphones stay on my head

 

thanks

The M50s are one of the best pair of headphones under $200. They are pretty much all rounders, but they can do their best in Electronic music. They are also classified as "Monitor Headphones", so they can be used for your recording (studio and DJ-ing).

M50's use around 38ohms, just about 6 ohms higher then what an average iPod can give (32ohms). There won't be much of a sound difference with only having 6ohms difference. If you want you can use an amp for them which will, no doubt, shine them :)

The M50's are pretty shut tight around the head which, at first, can feel a bit harsh, but after a while they will loosen up, which will enable them to give you a fairly good clamp force. Not too hard, and not too light.

There are 2 models of the M50's. Coil and Straight. I have the straight model and trust me, it is LOOOONG! If you want portability? Go for the coil model of the M50's.

There are cheaper headphones which will suit you as well (well recording and all rounder listening). It is the Sony MDR-V6. You can get any of the older brother models of the V6, but it is your choice.

I'm using the version of the M50 with the coiled cord, and the cable is actually very short if it is not being stretched on. But the beauty of it is that it extends when you need it to. Some people hate the coiled cord though..but I find it convenient.

As for the subject of amplification... In my experience, pretty much anything ranging from computers and laptops to ipods and other portable MP3 players power these without a problem. I don't even notice a very dramatic change when I switch between sources.

I must add that I don't even have a dedicated headphone amplifier, so I'm not sure how much things could change with one. But regardless, the M50 sounds fantastic without an amp.

Overall, I feel that the M50 is a perfect aid for recording/monitoring; because after all, like Mooshimuushi said, they were made for it.

And they can easily be used as portable headphones, in my opinion. The way they sit on your head may look very weird in public though.(They seem to be suited for someone with a square-shaped head o.O.)

To conclude this long reply, welcome to Head-Fi!