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Are my Audio-Technica ATH-M50's FAKE?! ***Pictures Included*** - Page 2

post #16 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post



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

 

Exactly my friend. 

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post #17 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mani ATH 87 View Post


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.

 

This post was extremely informative. The thing is, i'm NOT an audiophile, more so i'm trying to become one beyersmile.png. For previously not owning any 'good quality' headphones, these are in fact great. I really do love the sound they produce, i just feel like they are missing a little something I can't quite place my finger on. Maybe I should look into another pair around the same price range? I was also considering the SHR-840's but from reading reviews, the M50's were overall better quality cans. Also, my audio controller is a "Conextant 20672 SmartAudio HD". Personally I didn't think that having a low/mid end integrated audio controller would really make that big of a difference in the sound of the cans... More so the song quality you're dealing with. Like I said, I'm listening to mostly FLACs with ~1000kbit/s bitrates which means I would be getting the best sound i could possibly get from these things. Would anybody have any opinions on what cans would rival these M50's in the same price range? With maybe a bit more bass?

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post #18 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mani ATH 87 View Post


I completely disagree with the M50's being considered the "hype of the century", just a silly statement.

I said "decade" - not "century" - there's a big difference. If you're going to quote me to jab at me, do it properly please. redface.gif
Quote:
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 are suggested left-and-right and handed out like scrips for Prozac in a suburban clinic as the cure-all to anything that a noobie wants. They're at once ideal "not-Beats" and "gateway to high end sound" - but if you notice most people do not stay with them, they end up replacing them fairly quickly. That's not a good sign imho.
Quote:
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.

Except the M50 sound nothing like the Beats, and not everyone actually loves that sound signature, noobie or not; I think you're projecting.
Quote:
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.

We aren't suggesting or not suggesting a headphone here - we're responding to (from my POV) yet another "I got M50, now what?" thread - and I have no issues saying that it's okay to be underwhelmed or less than perfectly satisfied with these cans; not even really high-end flagship stuff could fill the shoes the M50 are touted to fill. It just sets them up to fail.

I'm not trying to rip on the M50 here, just being honest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fabio-fi View Post

Exactly my friend. 

And from now on, your posts will be read in this guy's voice:

Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinC View Post

This post was extremely informative. The thing is, i'm NOT an audiophile, more so i'm trying to become one beyersmile.png
. For previously not owning any 'good quality' headphones, these are in fact great. I really do love the sound they produce, i just feel like they are missing a little something I can't quite place my finger on. Maybe I should look into another pair around the same price range? I was also c
onsidering the SHR-840's but from reading reviews, the M50's were overall better quality cans. Also, my audio controller is a "Conextant 20672 SmartAudio HD". Personally I didn't think that having a low/mid end integrated audio controller would really make that big of a difference in the sound of the cans... More so the song quality you're dealing with. Like I said, I'm listening to mostly FLACs with ~1000kbit/s bitrates which means I would be getting the best sound i could possibly get from these things. Would anybody have any opinions on what cans would rival these M50's in the same price range? With maybe a bit more bass?

Without knowing what you aren't liking, it's hard to direct you on what to change. I will say, there is no "overall better" or "overall best" - there's only better (or best) for you. Which is something that will save you a lot of money and hassle to figure out sooner rather than later (trust me when I say this).

As far as the equipment you're using upstream, it's tough to say if it is or isn't a problem - the M50 are extremely easy to drive and not very picky about amping, but some onboard stuff is just royally BAD. I think that's what fabio is getting at with saying try the E7 - we just don't know where you're starting from overall. Yes, having lossless audio is good (it isn't absolutely necessary though - by and large 320k or good lossy VBR is comparable, but if you have the storage space and the original CDs - why fuss?), but again, it may only be part of the puzzle.

Now it gets interesting: you say bassier than the M50. That's something we can work with! My first suggestion would be the Ultrasone HFI-2400.
Edited by obobskivich - 1/16/13 at 1:33pm
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post #19 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinC View Post

Would anybody have any opinions on what cans would rival these M50's in the same price range? With maybe a bit more bass?

 

The HFI-580 at similar price/sometimes cheaper. It does things better than the M50. 

 

@Obobskivich, an honor. That's the most interesting man in the world's voice biggrin.gif


Edited by fabio-fi - 1/16/13 at 1:34pm
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post #20 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by fabio-fi View Post

 

The HFI-580 at similar price/sometimes cheaper. It does things better than the M50. 

I will do some research on these cans, thanks for the recommendation fabio beerchug.gif

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post #21 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post

Without knowing what you aren't liking, it's hard to direct you on what to change. I will say, there is no "overall better" or "overall best" - there's only better (or best) for you. Which is something that will save you a lot of money and hassle to figure out sooner rather than later (trust me when I say this).

As far as the equipment you're using upstream, it's tough to say if it is or isn't a problem - the M50 are extremely easy to drive and not very picky about amping, but some onboard stuff is just royally BAD. I think that's what fabio is getting at with saying try the E7 - we just don't know where you're starting from overall. Yes, having lossless audio is good (it isn't absolutely necessary though - by and large 320k or good lossy VBR is comparable, but if you have the storage space and the original CDs - why fuss?), but again, it may only be part of the puzzle.

Now it gets interesting: you say bassier than the M50. That's something we can work with! My first suggestion would be the Ultrasone HFI-2400.

 

I'm going to hope my sound card is adequate, since I don't plan on buying a desktop anytime soon, and This is the only PC I own at the moment. I do like that the M50's are easy to drive, because I WOULD be using any headphones I buy both indoors and outdoors on the go (which would be driven by my iPhone 4s) and If I do end up buying different headphones, I'd be afraid my poor little iPhone wouldn't throw enough power to the cans. 

 

Also, I guess the main thing is the bass. I do listen to quite a bit of pop, rap, dubstep, D&B and I would love to feel a bit of thumping in those situations, but I also listen to a lot of alot/pop, indie. And too much bass with those genres would not be desirable. I noticed the HFI-2400's are semi-open backed, which means they would deliver a better soundstage correct? I wouldn't mind a bit more sound stage, as I feel like the closed backs do degrade that.

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post #22 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinC View Post

I will do some research on these cans, thanks for the recommendation fabio beerchug.gif

 

Let us know how the search goes, the HFI-2400 is also an interesting pick. 

 

Cheers

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post #23 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:51pm

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post #24 of 31
1/16/13 at 1:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinC View Post

I'm going to hope my sound card is adequate, since I don't plan on buying a desktop anytime soon, and This is the only PC I own at the moment. I do like that the M50's are easy to drive, because I WOULD be using any headphones I buy both indoors and outdoors on the go (which would be driven by my iPhone 4s) and If I do end up buying different headphones, I'd be afraid my poor little iPhone wouldn't throw enough power to the cans. 

Also, I guess the main thing is the bass. I do listen to quite a bit of pop, rap, dubstep, D&B and I would love to feel a bit of thumping in those situations, but I also listen to a lot of alot/pop, indie. And too much bass with those genres would not be desirable. I noticed the HFI-2400's are semi-open backed, which means they would deliver a better soundstage correct? I wouldn't mind a bit more sound stage, as I feel like the closed backs do degrade that.

The M50 have no real soundstage to speak of - so they're a bad representation of "conventional" closed headphones and soundstaging to begin with (if you want a better representation, truck over to Best Buy and try either the Audio-Technica ESW9 or A900X, or the Koss PRO3AAT/4AAT - I doubt you'll want to buy any of them, just saying try them for the soundstaging) - but Ultrasone makes that a different discussion, because Ultrasone means S-LOGIC. And S-LOGIC means you either get a very convincing 3D stage, or you're in the minority of people who don't have the "right" ear shape and they sound like someone is running a garbage disposal through a wood chipper, and you'll know right away that S-LOGIC and Ultrasone isn't for you. tongue.gif (Okay it isn't really that bad according to the research, but it's supposed to be pretty spectacularly bad).

So yes, the 2400 would have a much better soundstage, but you're really comparing apples to oranges in drawing that up. They are open, so that will mean they leak in and out, and won't provide much isolation when it comes to carting them around with you - that might be a problem. As far as the iPhone - if the M50 hooked up to that still aren't doing it, I think it'd be safe to say it's the headphones, not the computer. redface.gif

Beyond Ultrasone (I noticed that's what you've been suggested twice now tongue.gif), I'm not entirely sure where to point you - I can think of smoother and better extended/controlled (less boomy) cans in that price range (like the Bose AE2 or Sennheiser HD 380), but that would probably seem to be going in the opposite direction of what you want, sonically. The Sony X10 are relatively bassy, and don't sound like total mud (and aren't clashy), but they're massively expensive for what they are (especially wrt build quality), I don't think the CAL! would offer you much more (if any) additional bass, and ditto for the Q40. Not sure what else that leaves that's in current production - if Ultrasone doesn't work out (and again, it's a minority of people in a random sample, so assume they'll work for you, and certainly try them, just know that if they sound extremely bright/harsh on the top-end, it's likely not a good fit).
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post #25 of 31
1/16/13 at 2:01pm

beyerdynamic custom one pro

portable

comfortable

you can change the bass to your liking

built great

and look pretty cool  

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post #26 of 31
1/16/13 at 2:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post


I said "decade" - not "century" - there's a big difference. If you're going to quote me to jab at me, do it properly please. redface.gif
The M50 are suggested left-and-right and handed out like scrips for Prozac in a suburban clinic as the cure-all to anything that a noobie wants. They're at once ideal "not-Beats" and "gateway to high end sound" - but if you notice most people do not stay with them, they end up replacing them fairly quickly. That's not a good sign imho.
Except the M50 sound nothing like the Beats, and not everyone actually loves that sound signature, noobie or not; I think you're projecting.
We aren't suggesting or not suggesting a headphone here - we're responding to (from my POV) yet another "I got M50, now what?" thread - and I have no issues saying that it's okay to be underwhelmed or less than perfectly satisfied with these cans; not even really high-end flagship stuff could fill the shoes the M50 are touted to fill. It just sets them up to fail.
 


Sorry, decade. I wasn't jabbing at you, I was commenting on something I don't agree with. Most people replacing them isn't a direct result of the headphones being bad, it's a result of getting caught up in the whole headphone obsession. Most people who continue to move up the ladder would quickly replace any entry level headphone. I agree that the M50's don't sound like the Beats, because they have a similar sound signature that focuses on embellished bass and they do it much better. I never said everyone likes that sound signature, I said it's popular among non audiophiles and many people enjoy it - If your going to quote me, do it properly please redface.gif

I've never seen anyone say the M50's could replace flagship headphones, because they obviously can't, and people don't make that statement, ever. The M50's don't set anyone up to fail, that's just another completely ridiculous statement. 

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post #27 of 31
1/16/13 at 3:06pm
Thread Starter 

I've always been an impulsively acting, never completely satisfied person, which makes me wonder If I'm seeking something new 'just because' there's better headphones out there. I guess It's best if I use these for a few weeks and reconsider things then. After all, I've only owned these headphones for a day now biggrin.gif. I'm going to take notes of the genres I listen to most, and take that into consideration when i reconsider in a few weeks. I will definitely look into some ultrasones' as possible alternatives, they seem like they manufacture some pretty solid cans. 

 

How do Shures and Sennheisers stand up to the ATH-M50's in terms of a little extra bass response, and extended sound stage? It's important to note that i LOVE LOVE LOVE listening to music like  trance, and chillstep where I can lay in my bed and be lulled by the soft, tight bass and smooth transitioning mids / highs. So If i were to look into some new cans, I would love for them to have a great sound stage and punchy lows, without the highs giving me a headache.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Killashell421 View Post

beyerdynamic custom one pro

portable

comfortable

you can change the bass to your liking

built great

and look pretty cool  

 

These look pretty awesome, but are WAY out of my price range in canada, as they are going for about $370 on amazon.ca.. and they won't ship to canada from the .com site triportsad.gif

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post #28 of 31
1/17/13 at 12:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mani ATH 87 View Post


Sorry, decade. I wasn't jabbing at you, I was commenting on something I don't agree with. Most people replacing them isn't a direct result of the headphones being bad, it's a result of getting caught up in the whole headphone obsession. Most people who continue to move up the ladder would quickly replace any entry level headphone.

Are we really at a point where $130 is entry-level? redface.gif

Sorry, I'm guessing we've just seen quite a different set of threads - but I commonly see "I want to upgrade because..." over the M50. I think its possible for the majority of first-time buyers to get closer to their ideal than the M50, and that the M50 have a bigger reputation than their quality belies.
Quote:
I agree that the M50's don't sound like the Beats, because they have a similar sound signature that focuses on embellished bass and they do it much better.

beerchug.gif
Quote:
I never said everyone likes that sound signature, I said it's popular among non audiophiles and many people enjoy it - If your going to quote me, do it properly please redface.gif

You specifically said that "people like it" (a few times) - which struck me as "everyone." redface.gif

Quote:
I've never seen anyone say the M50's could replace flagship headphones, because they obviously can't, and people don't make that statement, ever. The M50's don't set anyone up to fail, that's just another completely ridiculous statement. 

Not long ago actually there were a few threads about "why does anyone need to upgrade from M50? they measure perfect!" - that's what I was referencing, specifically (most of them were deleted because they, unsurprisingly, turned into massive flame-fests).

Don't get me wrong, the M50 aren't bad, but I think there is a disjoint between the M50 as a headphone, and the M50 as an idea. Just like how Grado headphones are typecast as "only for rock" - it sets up expectations that may get in the way of someone finding what they really want. And again, I'm not trying to rip on the M50 - my entire point in bringing it up (as other posters have said as well) was that ColinC shouldn't feel bad that the M50 aren't a perfect fit out of the gate - both because they're his/her first headphone purchase, and because the M50 have a very big reputation and not everyone is going to get the same level of enjoyment as their diehard fans do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinC View Post

I've always been an impulsively acting, never completely satisfied person, which makes me wonder If I'm seeking something new 'just because' there's better headphones out there. I guess It's best if I use these for a few weeks and reconsider things then. After all, I've only owned these headphones for a day now biggrin.gif
. I'm going to take notes of the genres I listen to most, and take that into consideration when i reconsider in a few weeks. I will definitely look into some ultrasones' as possible alternatives, they seem like they manufacture some pretty solid cans. 

Time is always a good thing, and it's worth noting that generally "good" headphones aren't going to immediately "wow" you out of the box - it takes time to appreciate what they're doing (and the M50 compared to something like the Beats certainly would be a good example here, as was pointed out). But at the same time, and this is back to my original point - if they don't end up being for you, that's okay too.
Quote:
How do Shures and Sennheisers stand up to the ATH-M50's in terms of a little extra bass response, and extended sound stage? It's important to note that i LOVE LOVE LOVE listening to music like  trance, and chillstep where I can lay in my bed and be lulled by the soft, tight bass and smooth transitioning mids / highs. So If i were to look into some new cans, I would love for them to have a great sound stage and punchy lows, without the highs giving me a headache.

*Which* Sennheisers and Shures? I haven't much experience with the Shure line (but from reviews I'm led to believe they're fairly diverse), but I know that Sennheiser is a pretty diverse manufacturer to approach - there's not a strong house sound trend (and other ATs tend to be quite different from the M50 as well).

On your explanation of the sound - soft makes me think of wet, like the Bose AE2 or AT ESW9 - but those cans might not have the treble response for some of the electronic music (again, preference dependent). Maybe try the ESW9 if the M50 don't grow on you (or even if they do honestly, haha).
Quote:
These look pretty awesome, but are WAY out of my price range in canada, as they are going for about $370 on amazon.ca.. and they won't ship to canada from the .com site triportsad.gif

eek.gif

That's *a lot*!
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post #29 of 31
1/19/13 at 10:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post

     Time is always a good thing, and it's worth noting that generally "good" headphones aren't going to immediately "wow" you out of the box - it takes time to appreciate what they're doing (and the M50 compared to something like the Beats certainly would be a good example here, as was pointed out). But at the same time, and this is back to my original point - if they don't end up being for you, that's okay too.

 

It makes sense that in order to learn to appreciate a new type of sound, it would take time. To be quite honest, I could definitely see myself beginning to appreciate these headphones more given a few extra weeks, but yesterday something happened.... Here's my other thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/647022/my-day-at-long-mcquade-dt770-pro-250ohm-vs-kns-8400-vs-hdj-1500-vs-dt770-32ohm-le

 

In a nutshell, I tried on a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250Ohm. They absolutely blew me away and the whole way home I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted them. They are better than my technicas in almost every way possible. Now after experiencing the 770's, I feel like I won't ever be able to appreciate these as much! Which is why I am now selling my Audio-Technica M50's and trying to score myself a pair of the DT770 Pro 250's gs1000.gif

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post #30 of 31
1/19/13 at 11:13am
Sounds good man! Glad you found something you like. beerchug.gif
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