Buying headphones (ATH-M50's) - Need advice

An audiophile is rather a person who's insanely in love w/ the reproduction of sound. So no, you don't have to be an audiophile to get a nice pair of headphones. Audiophiles spend anywhere from a few bucks to thousands of dollars. Alternative the the M50's would be the MDR-V6 from Sony (which is about half the price at its normal $67). Only thing is the pads that will break anywhere from months to years (depending on how much you sweat, whether or not you wipe the sweat off, etc). 

Quote:

Originally Posted by trieuthat 

Hello everyone,

 

I'm really considering buying a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50's but would this be too much seeing as I don't know much when it comes to audio? Do you need to be an audiophile in order to buy nice headphones? Would really appreciate any advice or comments. Thanks!  

What are you gonna use them for? Gaming or just music?

M-50 would be pretty good. You can also go for Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro. They're really nice. But I guess it all depends on the type of music you prefer.

Calling the M50s a Ferrari is giving them a lot more credit than they deserve. I'd say it'd be more like buying a used 2005 model Chevy instead of a 1985 Civic. The differences will be noticeable enough but it's certainly not impractical. To be honest, it's probably better to jump up there instead of gradually spending more and more. The difference may just be enough to shock you and get you hooked. I presume that this is where all of the comments calling the M50s the best thing ever invented come from.

There's no need to take baby steps up to a $120 headphone. If the way you hear them described online matches what you think you'd enjoy, give them a shot. All while being financially responsible and all that junk...

"Some would say that this is like buying a Ferrari when you first learn how to drive."

 I wouldn't mind driving a ferrari when I first learn how to drive. that is if I can afford it.

back to the subject, it's more of are you willing to fork the money for something that can be more appreciative then a cheapo at a typical store.  The M50 is a good headphone, but far from a Ferrari of headphones.  Most of the time it's either classified as entry to lower mid fi.  If you like music don't worry about it being too much as all you have to do is plug in and listen, in fact most people here if they can afford it wouldn't mind jumping higher.

._. ferrari of headphones. Brotha you haven't seen the big picture yet. The ferrari of headphones are like the flagships of stax, sennheiser, auduez'e, etc. But don't take this (and the other comments) to heart. You've just taken a small step into the big world of audiophilia, the place where your wallet could possibly burn. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrViolin 

._. ferrari of headphones. Brotha you haven't seen the big picture yet. The ferrari of headphones are like the flagships of stax, sennheiser, auduez'e, etc. But don't take this (and the other comments) to heart. You've just taken a small step into the big world of audiophilia, the place where your wallet could possibly burn. 

Absolutely. Nobody could rightfully say that spending $150 or so on a first headphone is a bad idea just because there are better options out there in far off price categories. It's a solid stepping stone and will get you a lot of the way there. Once you hit that wall, the differences between headphones become more subtle, like the differences between a Ferrari or a Porsche. They'd both be dream rides for a lot of people (not me, personally; I'll go with a CTS V or G8 GXP) but they each have traits that make them more desirable to certain people.

If you've done your research, which I assume you have since you're going with a strong favorite among many headphone communities, jump on them and see how you like the experience. You'll be in good company. Keep your expectations realistic and they'll likely please. Don't expect them to sound like a top notch stereo system but they should be a very noticeable jump from the cheap stuff you find stocked in big box stores in the sub $50 category.

As I read it back, I realize that I may have sounded harsh in my first post, which I did not intend for. I guess I'll blame my tendency of wanting to keep expectations realistic so people aren't disappointed immediately because they don't live up to hype. The hype is pretty strong on the M50s but they can back a lot of that up with their performance. I don't think anybody should be ashamed of using them and they could be a solid end game 'phone for a lot of users.