ath m50 expectations?

Weird. Well, here goes. I noticed *straight* out of the box that the mids/highs sounded a little strange. I fed them white noise at moderate volume for about 28 hours and noticed afterward that they were what I expected tonally. Haven't noticed any changes after that. So yes, there was a change from the first 10 seconds to 28 hours later, but I wouldn't worry about much beyond that as far as "burn-in."

I did the "coax mod" pretty early on, which means I got a normal stiff coax cable (for cable TV?) and cut two strips of it at about 9.5 inches (24 cm) and implanted them inside the cups. I found virtually no change to the tonal balance, but a little greater sense of depth/space/width. Mostly I noticed significantly better comfort. Love it!

I run the M50 straight cable version off my Cute Beyond amp (never tried it otherwise) at work and at home and love it. Sounds better at home where I use my Marantz CD Player vs at work where I use an HP business computer. Only thing I could wish for is more isolation, or certain loud/obnoxious co-workers to drop dead of a disease. In my opinion what I have here is superior to both the Shure SRH840 and the SRH940, as well as the Denon D1001 (though you just cannot beat the D1001s for smooth sound, lightness, and comfort).

I really love the tonal balance and level of compromise of these. Where I wanted to be stunned before, by other closed cans, I'm finally stunned by these. I think these are keepers. I'm thinking of buying Etymotic ER-4PTs for work (to better ignore the noise) and HiFiMAN HE-500s + Schiit Asgard for home (I mean, come on...) but I think I'll be keeping these M50s, as I'm finally satisfied with comfortable and revealing all-purpose closed cans that sound fine out of my little amp.

What else do you want to know?

Quote:

Originally Posted by basshead1 

I am getting the ath m50s headphones tomorrow (i hope). Anyone have any reccomendations with them? What should i expect?

Did you read nothing or research them first and simply bought them because they're too widely recommended on the internet? I hope you got them for a very good deal, ie, $50~80. Otherwise, I have bad news for you. Unless you're upgrading from ibuds.

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalVeauX 

Did you read nothing or research them first and simply bought them because they're too widely recommended on the internet? I hope you got them for a very good deal, ie, $50~80. Otherwise, I have bad news for you. Unless you're upgrading from ibuds.

 

Very best,

Are you trying to kill his fun or something? You don't like them so he won't? Maybe they'll have his perfect sound signature.

With the right amp they can sound quite good, but it's generally not worth investing in an amp just for only ONE headphone (unless it's hard to drive).

I think the M50 is worth $130 max. The current price is way too high.

i too, just got my M50's. at first I wasn't TOO impressed. but I've been burning them in. they're starting to sound a lot better now.

I hate to do this, but see that little box up above there? ^^^
Yea, that one that says "Search" in it?
You should use that.
Lord knows we have enough M50 threads...

I was not impressed by they sound out of the box. I felt that bass was boomy, but after some burn-in i liked them...it becomes softer.  

Enjoy your new babies. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by basshead1 

Thank you very much. I cant wait. Mind if i ask if you are using them with your sansa fuze? I happen to have one, and i am unsure if i need an amp with it. Thank you.

You won't need an amp with the Sansa Fuze, I run mine out of the iShuffle and performs well enough. Hooking it up to my full sized amplifier

the bass becomes very prominent I find ~ some would say ~ overwhelming.

Stick to reasonable amounts of EQ if you need a bit more, it's free! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by basshead1 

Thanks! They should be coming in a few hours, so excited!

If you love the M50, I 100% suggest spending a few dollars and getting a Fiio LOD ($15) for the fuze and an E5 or E6 ($20-$28). I think the Fuze will drive the M50 well, but it definitely benefits from an amp.

I prefer the E5 for the M50 even over the E10/E7.

Expect a warm, smooth, and detailed phone. These guys have great--if not a touch flabby-- bass, and drums (especially snares) sound fantastic. I wish these things had a larger soundstage, however; alas, the major flaw of closed-back hps. The m50s have great detail retreival but can sound a little (and I mean a little) muffled at times due to its warm sound signature. Altogether these phones handle just about everything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoneman5823 

Expect a warm, smooth, and detailed phone.

First time I've seen the M50 described that way.

Weird.

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalVeauX 

First time I've seen the M50 described that way.

 

Weird.

 

Very best,

Hey MalVeauX. I noticed you're not too fond of the m50s, which is fine. What do you personally recommend to headfiers at this price range?