Are Audio Technica ath-m45 any good?

HI.

Just looked up their stats over at Guitar Center and found that they are almost identical except that:

The m45's have a lower bass capability, but also a higher impedance, are lighter, but the M50s have 45 mm drivers and the M45s have 40mm. 

dont own either but they look very similar

I've heard some complaints about the build quality. Cant comment when it comes to sound. 

The ATH-M50, in my opinion, is better in terms of bass definition and overall musicality, but the "lower" M-series headphones all have great detail.

The Limited Edition White version is on sale for $79.  Very tempting...

I received the ad from Guitar Center for the ATH-M45 on sale for $79 and like most of you did a search to find out about them. I have not used the ATH-M45 and can not find any reviews on them however I own 4 pair of ATH-M50 including the 50th Anniversary edition and wouldn't be without a pair of them within arms length. I have used just about every brand of cans out there but the ATH-M50 is my absolute favorite for just about everything I do. I have a couple of pair of Pioneer HDJ-1000 laying around, one pair was used once and the other is still in the box never used. Once upon a time those Pioneer's were my favorite cans... then I had to purchase the ATH-M50 because I was caught without a working pair of headphones/monitors in a critical situation and I never looked back once I put those ATH-M50's on my head.

I can not comment on the ATH-M45's but from experience and many many many years of usage yes the extra $50 is in all likely worth it. The ATH-M50's are a flagship set of closed back studio monitors for Audio-Technica and there is a good reason. They are the most reliable set of monitors I have ever used. They are comfortable out of the box, no break in time where your ears feel like they are going to shatter if you touch them from the pain of wearing for an hours. Given I wear mine anywhere from 12 - 18 hours a day without ever taking them off that is one hell of a feature. They sound awesome out of the box and while there really isn't much burn in time to make them sound good because they sound good soon as you place them on your head BUT somehow they do sound better the longer you have them. So they just keep getting better and better.

I work within the genre's of Hard & Heavy Rock / Metal / Prog so as you know they can all be hard on the ears and if you have a poor quality pair of monitors then you will miss a lot that gets lost from the sound source to your brain. I listen to a lot of live concerts for various reasons and the moment I decided the ATH-M50's were going to be my main set of cans is while listening to a Dream Theater live recording and in my Pioneer's I heard the low roar of the crowd. I put the ATH-M50's on and I was able to make out some of what was being said in the crowd. So in my opinion the ATH-M50's are worth more than what they are charging to begin with so yes and extra $50 is a given in my opinion.

Oh and with me being so stead fast about the ATH-M50's yet doing a search on ATH-M45's may leave you wondering why? Well my nephew wants a pair of ATH-M50 for Christmas however he is 13 years old and just plans to listen to music with them so I thought for the price if they had good write ups then... what can I say it gets tight around Christmas time so save a buck where I can.

--Kimmie M Sharon

KMS ROX - President/Founder

http://www.kmsrox.com
 

I'm wearing a pair right now. I bought them because my m50s are 3000 miles away. I plan on giving these 45s to my girlfriend when I get my m50s back.  It's hard to compare the quality, as these haven't broken in yet (They're only a few days old now), and I haven't listened to my m50s in months.

Impressions so far:

Physical: Not quite as comfortable on the ear, as the driver is pressing on them. If my memory serves me, the ear pads seem nicer, and the headband is more padded. More comfortable than everything else I tried in the $100 range, by far.

Audio: I can't hear the dogs whining if I've got music playing, they cancel outside sound really well. The sound doesn't seem as full and deep as I remember but I really can't put much faith on that. I'll try to come back and respond when I get my babies back.

Do I regret buying them for a crazy good deal? Not even slightly. As usual, you get great quality for the dollar with ATH. They're not as wonderful as the m50s, but they're certainly better than anything else you'll find under $100.

Peace, Love, Music