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Are my Audio-Technica ATH-M50's FAKE?! ***Pictures Included***

post #1 of 31
1/16/13 at 11:22am
Thread Starter 

Hey all, I'm new here as you can see beyersmile.png. Before I get to the point, i'd just like to take the time to comment on how great this site is. I've learned so much within the last month of browsing, and all you audiophiles keep me coming back for more! Thanks all! Now to the point. I'm not going to provide you with a huge background story behind this, just a few things i believe may be important to know about the headphones, and ****loads of pictures for you all to look at and help me identify whether these are indeed FAKES. 

 

PRO REAL:

 

  • Bought from Amazon.com LLC (thought to be trustworthy, based on all the comments and ratings on the headphones)

link:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ULAP4U/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

  • Shipped from Columbia, North Carolina and not from Hong Kong or China (where many fakes originate)
  • Box is the newer white and teal colour
  • Bottom of the box reads 'Made in Taiwan', and lists the 'www.Audio-Technica.com' website as it should
  • Inside the box was Audio-Technica's yellow 1 year limited warranty slip (didn't think fakes came with these)
  • Headphones are in fantastic cosmetic condition, with no signs of wear, cheaply assembled joints / screws or anything. Cosmetically, these look 100% top notch quality.
  • The logo on both sides of the ear cups are facing the correct way (as some fakes aren't)
  • Headband seems to be filled well and stitched fairly well (for the most part)
  • Sound quality is pretty good, but not amazing, although maybe i was expecting too much.
  • Inside of each cups the grey and yellow circuit board is used instead of the green and yellow many fakes have
  • The Ridges are stuffed with some hard cotton like material, unlike some fakes
  • The Audio-Technica logo on the headband is Grey, unlike some fakes which are white

 

 

PRO FAKE: 

 

***** The main reason I'm scepticle at all - The "125B" driver sticker inside each of the ear cups beside the circuit board is MISSING triportsad.gif

This really bothers me, as everything else about these headphones lead me to believe they are 100% genuine, EXCEPT for this one important thing. All the pictures or videos of legitimate M50's I have ever seen have all had the "125B" sticker on each ear cup. I have provided a bunch of pictures of the headphones and components below for all you experienced M50 users to look at and maybe come to a conclusion. Thanks all, I really appreciate it!! I'm hoping these aren't fakes deadhorse.gif

 

 

 

LINK TO PICTURE ALBUM: http://imageshack.us/g/1/9968361/

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post #2 of 31
1/16/13 at 11:24am

They look perfectly real to me.

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post #3 of 31
1/16/13 at 11:26am

Didn't like the sound?

 

Sorry that sounds bad, But these Cans are the overhype of the Decade...

 

But they look Real for sure!!!


Edited by Magicman74 - 1/16/13 at 11:35am
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post #4 of 31
1/16/13 at 11:33am
Maybe you should listen to them for a little bit longer and see how it goes. They look real.
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post #5 of 31
1/16/13 at 11:53am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the amazingly quick replies everybody! etysmile.gif Yeah for the most part I feel as though they are real, it was just the '125B' sticker that's making me paranoid.. Anybody have an explanation for why this pair of M50's don't have that sticker? 

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post #6 of 31
1/16/13 at 11:56am

There is no sticker on my car like the one in the brochure, but that doesn't bother me.
 

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post #7 of 31
1/16/13 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baxide View Post

There is no sticker on my car like the one in the brochure, but that doesn't bother me.
 

Touché...  But I guess my speculation regarding the sound quality may just have been a result of me being paranoid... I'll definitely give these a good burn and and see how I feel about the sound a few weeks from now.


Edited by ColinC - 1/16/13 at 12:00pm
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post #8 of 31
1/16/13 at 12:17pm

Don't expect a miracle from them, they seem legit. 

 

One thing i recommend is plugging them to a good source, and Eq if you feel the need. Remember, crappy source, crappy sound. 

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post #9 of 31
1/16/13 at 12:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by fabio-fi View Post

Don't expect a miracle from them, they seem legit. 

 

One thing i recommend is plugging them to a good source, and Eq if you feel the need. Remember, crappy source, crappy sound. 

Do you think it's worth investing in a Fiio? I mean, I use them in my dorm a lot and they are plugged into my laptop. I'm not sure if the sound card drastically effects the quality of output in the headphones? I'm also pretty much converting my PC sound library to all FLAC, so I can get the most out of these puppies. I'll also be using quite a bit of FLAC on my phone when I listen on the go as well.  If i could ask for one thing out of these headphones, it would be a little more punchy, hard hitting bass. I guess I would need an amp to fulfill that.

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post #10 of 31
1/16/13 at 12:47pm
They look real enough to me - unsurprising you don't find them the best sounding thing ever though; as someone said once - hype of the decade. ph34r.gif

Drop as much money as you want into upstream equipment, fancy cables, fancy DtoA converters, fancy amps, audiophile recordings, etc - you won't "fix" these. I'd say look for a replacement if you want a drastic difference in sound signature.
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post #11 of 31
1/16/13 at 12:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinC View Post

Do you think it's worth investing in a Fiio? I mean, I use them in my dorm a lot and they are plugged into my laptop. I'm not sure if the sound card drastically effects the quality of output in the headphones? I'm also pretty much converting my PC sound library to all FLAC, so I can get the most out of these puppies. I'll also be using quite a bit of FLAC on my phone when I listen on the go as well.  If i could ask for one thing out of these headphones, it would be a little more punchy, hard hitting bass. I guess I would need an amp to fulfill that.

 

Generally laptops onboard sound quality is poor (if we talk about macbooks sound quality, that's another story). Investing on a separate Dac its a step up, specially if you want to experience with new sound formats such as flac. 

Take a look at the Fiio E7, it has a good dac section. If you change your mind about the M50, it will serve you on future upgrades.

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post #12 of 31
1/16/13 at 12:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fabio-fi View Post

If you change your mind about the M50, it will serve you on future upgrades.

beerchug.gif

Very good point.
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post #13 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post


beerchug.gif

Very good point.

 

A nice Dac doesn't hurt smile.gif

beerchug.gif

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post #14 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fabio-fi View Post

A nice Dac doesn't hurt smile.gif

beerchug.gif

Oh no, I'm not saying good gear is bad, I'm just saying that IME the M50 did not benefit a whole lot from higher end source equipment - they're still gonna be boomy, somewhat sibilant, "wall of sound"-ey, and overall unimpressive. frown.gif

But there's always the potential that the original poster is dealing with a soundcard that's really that terrible, that it would improve the M50 some to upgrade to something like the E7, but it still won't fundamentally change what they can and cannot do. smily_headphones1.gif

On the upside, having a headphone amplifer (or combo unit) basically means you have no holds barred when it comes to finding a replacement for the M50, because you've already gotten the amp bit out of the way. beerchug.gif
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post #15 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post

They look real enough to me - unsurprising you don't find them the best sounding thing ever though; as someone said once - hype of the decade. ph34r.gif

Drop as much money as you want into upstream equipment, fancy cables, fancy DtoA converters, fancy amps, audiophile recordings, etc - you won't "fix" these. I'd say look for a replacement if you want a drastic difference in sound signature.


I completely disagree with the M50's being considered the "hype of the century", just a silly statement. Most of the time the recommendation for the M50 is going out to people looking at buying their first quality headphone. They get recommended a lot, that is true, but are they being recommended as something they are not? Most of the time, no they are not. I don't see people throwing out the suggestion that these are the be all, end all of headphones.

The M50's have a newbie friendly sound signature, which is V shaped. They have embellished highs, and even more embellished bass, and recessed mids. Anyone coming into the headphone game without audiophile ears loves this sound signature. It's the sound signature that make headphones like Beats popular. The M50's aren't high end headphones, and they are rarely suggested as such. But they are a solid choice at their price point, they take a popular sound signature and do it with more quality then the competition. This is why they are widely recommended, because people like the way they sound. There are now other headphones in this price range that are great headphones, with more audiophile friendly sound, even better quality sound. But that V shaped sound signature is going to continue to be popular, it's what people like, so the M50's I'm sure will continue to thrive.

As for an amp for the M50's, I'd go as cheap as you can for a simple bass fix that you want. The Fiio E6 is only about $25 and has some simple EQ settings that work well with the M50 for tightening up the bass and adding some punch.

 

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Are my Audio-Technica ATH-M50's FAKE?! ***Pictures Included***