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Different Audio Technica M50 versions?

post #1 of 13
2/15/12 at 4:49am
Thread Starter 

I've heard that there are different versions of the Audio Technica M50 - one with bigger bass and more recessed mids, and one with tighter bass and more forward mids. Has this been confirmed, either by Audio Technica, or by enough general consensus on Head-Fi (such as the whole 'old' vs 'new' Sennhsier HD650 debate) that it IS probably true? If so, is there any way of telling the different versions apart visually? Which 'version' came first? Thanks in advance...

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post #2 of 13
2/15/12 at 4:52am

Yea, I think that there is a white box, blue box version. The white is the newer and has the tighter bass. There is also the LE version that some say has a slightly different signature...although I'm not sure that is true. 

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post #3 of 13
2/15/12 at 4:53am

Yea its true.When the m50 first released it was more bass heavy and came in a blue box I think.The newer revised version is more balanced sounding and came in a teal and white box.

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post #4 of 13
2/15/12 at 5:12am
Thread Starter 

Does the new m50 have a forward mid-range now? Or still recessed, just not as much?

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post #5 of 13
2/15/12 at 5:41am

I had the m50's, newer version, and I found the mids just slightly recessed...

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post #6 of 13
2/15/12 at 11:46pm
Thread Starter 

Mids were recessed on the newer version compared to what? General percieved neutrality?

 

Also, is the difference between the old and new versions of M50 as big as between the old and new versions of HD650?

 

Can both the old and new versions of M50 come with a coiled cable, or just the old ones?

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post #7 of 13
2/17/12 at 2:46pm
Thread Starter 

I'm still confused about this issue...

 

There's some guys on this thread saying there are different versions, there's this thread;

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/596452/this-is-for-anybody-having-questions-about-ath-m50-box-difference-and-bass-amount#post_8154479

 

...in which the OP said he contacted Audio Technica and they said nothing had changed, there is this thread;

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/594206/ath-m50-confusion

 

...in which a few people said they couldn't tell the difference between the supposedly older and newer versions of the headphones...

 

Man, I'm just confused.

 

Was the 'old' version meant to have more bass AND more rolled off treble, or just more bass?

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post #8 of 13
2/17/12 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cactus_farmer View Post

I'm still confused about this issue...

 

There's some guys on this thread saying there are different versions, there's this thread;

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/596452/this-is-for-anybody-having-questions-about-ath-m50-box-difference-and-bass-amount#post_8154479

 

...in which the OP said he contacted Audio Technica and they said nothing had changed, there is this thread;

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/594206/ath-m50-confusion

 

...in which a few people said they couldn't tell the difference between the supposedly older and newer versions of the headphones...

 

Man, I'm just confused.

 

Was the 'old' version meant to have more bass AND more rolled off treble, or just more bass?



I don't know, but I'm also interested in knowing the facts behind this. I've heard a lot of times, yet no one has been able to provide any kind of source for this except what they've read in other threads.

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post #9 of 13
2/17/12 at 3:39pm

I think even with the new M50, there are differences in sound quality, or at least that's how it is in my case. I have heard a white box coiled-cord regular ATH-M50 with plenty of bass, slightly recessed mid, harsher treble, and more constricted soundstage, and that's in comparison to my 50th Anniversary Edition silver M50 straight cord that's almost the complete opposite of that.

 

The difference is very noticeable to me, but I have also read reports that the silver M50 should not be different from the regular M50 out of the box.

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post #10 of 13
2/18/12 at 4:11am
Thread Starter 

Also confusing the issue is the apparent existence of a fake M50.

 

Between the 'old' M50, the 'new' M50, the 'fake' M50, and the 'differences in production' M50, it seems that the M50 possesses every possible type of sound signature at once!!


Edited by cactus_farmer - 2/18/12 at 4:13am
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post #11 of 13
1/25/13 at 11:15am

bump - I'd like to know the extent of the differences in the apparent 'versions' of the M50...

 

Are they basically clearly the same sound signature with slight alterations - or do the different 'versions' sound literally like completely different headphones?

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post #12 of 13
4/3/13 at 5:30am

When listening to acoustic guitar + vocals music - are you going to find the mids on the M50 recessed?

 

I ask this because acoustic guitar + vocals music is essentially all mids anyway. So if you listen to all-mids music on a mids-recessed headphones, what will the result be?

 

Or do you only notice the mids recession on mids-recessed headphones when there is bass and treble to compare it to?

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post #13 of 13
4/3/13 at 6:41am

Tyll from InnerFidelity noted that on its own, the M50's midrange is uncolored, however it is recessed against the slightly emphasized bass and peaky treble, as you can see in this graph: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHM50B2012.pdf

 

So acoustic or other midrange-heavy music will sound good on the M50.

 

Usually when people on this site refer to recessed mids, it is in relation to the rest of the frequency range; that is, a headphone will have recessed mids if its bass and/or treble is too strong. 

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