Hi all,

I recently purchased the Beats Solo HD headphones, and I am only somewhat satisfied with my purchase. While the sound quality is good, IMO, it could be better, and these headphones get uncomfortable after wearing them for an hour or so. Thus, I am looking into over-the-ear headphones. I came across these Audio Technica models. They are nicely priced, and have excellent reviews. My questions are as follows. Is it worth it to get the M50X over the cheaper M50? And if anyone has any insight on the lesser models, such as the M40s, M30, and the WS55, then please feel free to offer some brief reviews. 

PS: I got the Beats for cheap. No way I'd pay full price for them! I'm not that much of a scrub. 
 
Thanks all

Hey Lauzy,
 
Just randomly spotted your post and STOP!  
Go straight to the store and get the Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones.  I have owned them for over a year now and for sheer clarity, power and across the board range they are phenomenal.  These headphones get great reviews and in my opinion they still deserve more credit.  
Don't even think about those other headphones, believe me.  
I see you were not satisfied with the Beats, Please do yourself a favour, don't buy toys anymore, hey you're not the only one who fell for the hype.  If you don't like music buy beats.  I paid £350 UK about $580 US for a pair of Beats Pro's the top of the line metal ones, and when I got them home I noticed everything I listened to was drowned out by that flabby bass signature sound, it was like listening to music with my head in a bucket of water, hideous! 
When I took them back and got the M50's for a third of the price the difference was like night and day.
Just put a pair on for 60 seconds and I dare you not to buy them.
I can't speak highly enough of them.   
Top Tip: Always listen personally before buying.
The next best in that price bracket I would say are the AKG K240 MKII (55 ohm), exceptional, a close second to the M50's.
Hope this helps.
Good listening!

Do you think it's a worthy investment to choose the M50X over the M50? I'm no audiophile and I'm certainly not a musicmaker, but a pair of good headphones is literally priceless to me. 
 
I'm also trying to flip the Beats on Craigslist, so I can have some extra cash in my pocket. 

Hey Lauzy,
I haven't tried the M50X's but I would stick to the M50's as they are a proven entity.
The M50X's have a detachable cable but soundwise I would have to try them to find out.
By the way never buy headphones with an in-line volume control if you want the best sound possible as the signal is diminished significantly due to the extra control in the signal path.
I personally would also prefer a wired cable instead of a detached plug in cable as it is fixed by soldering not a possibly temperamental 3.5mm jack plug.  
If you can get to try before you buy that would be the best option, but if not M50's everytime!
Good listening!

I'd like to try them, bu unfortunately, I'm not sure which stores around here will carry these. Walmart has it on sale on the Web but my local joint does not have them in-store. I'm from the States, btw. The price difference on Amazon is $30 USD, which really isn't too bad. I'm considering the M50X for the detachable cable, because I have no idea how to fix a headphone line by soldering, and if it breaks, that would probably mean I need to get an entirely new pair of 'phones, right? It may not be worth it to skimp on the slightly higher priced model. 
 
The amazing thing is that the M50X, which is highly lauded, is STILL less in price than the inferior Beats Solos. Luckily, I got them for cheap and will probably not have a problem selling them, so thank the lord I did not pay full price. 

Go do yourself a favor. If you use the Solo HD, sell them IMMEDIATELY. It's a punishment to listen to that headphone. 
Get yourself the M50X. Still got the same awesome sound of the M50, but with detachable cable. Also have a shorter, lighter cable for on the go listening. Also the M50X got 3 cables, so you have some spare to throw around.
 
The M50 was liked by many people here in head fi, as well as non-head fi. All of my friend was amazed when they tried out my headphone. One time a guy owning the Beat Studio was hit me with the "your headphone doesn't have swag" kind of attitude. Told him to tried out the M50. Man I love the face he's making afterward. And I used the white M50 version, which look a million miles better than his plasticky white Studio. Still, he think my headphone's cable "suck" and started praising his red cable with mic and control, lol. I kinda feel bad for his ignorant. Anyway, now that the M50X fixed the cable, it's fine.
 
So yeah, in short, grab the M50X. You're in for a treat. After you've fallen in love with that sound, maybe buy a portable amp to make the M50 sound even better  

So you definitely think the M50X is worth it over the M50? This is happening, now I'm just deciding in which to get. Basically whether or not it warrants the $50 USD extra p

lauzy said:

So you definitely think the M50X is worth it over the M50? This is happening, now I'm just deciding in which to get. Basically whether or not it warrants the $50 USD extra p

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Yes it's worth it. The only flaw I can think of with the M50 is the cable. When using it on the go, the coiled cable (the one that look like old phone's cable) is too bunky and heavy. The straight cable however is too long (3 meters something).
Now they got a shorter straight cable that's thinner and lighter. It's much better

i definitely think the extra money is worth it for m50x for cord management, the cords are long on the m50s, 

I am a little too late here, but what I would have said is skip over the M50X, and get an ATH-WS99 (a little bassier, but the bass is more controlled with better extension, much larger soundstage... Only thing that isn't better about it is the non detachable Y-style cable, but its meants to last. Decent thickness.), sennheiser HD558/598, (both open backed but are much better imo) Logitech UE6000 (looks cool, more portable, cheaper, and better mids and bass to my ears.) or an AKG Q701 if you are gonna buy a dac and amp, and like a bright-ish headphone, or even the M40X (more neutral for cheaper)

To those who have owned the M50x for quite some time, are the pads easy to harden as with the M50? Is the M50x more comfortable to wear?

spartafxrs5 said:

To those who have owned the M50x for quite some time, are the pads easy to harden as with the M50? Is the M50x more comfortable to wear?

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I've had the m50x for over a year now and don't own the m50. They are comfortable, but not as comfy as my beyerdynamic 770 pro or Philips fidelio x1. The researh i did pointed to them being very simmilar in twrms of comfort and build.

If you aren't an audiophile, then just get the m50 because the x just improved upon the physical aspects of the headphone, such as detachable cable. Different cables are good for different things.

dddavidp said:

I've had the m50x for over a year now and don't own the m50. They are comfortable, but not as comfy as my beyerdynamic 770 pro or Philips fidelio x1. The researh i did pointed to them being very simmilar in twrms of comfort and build.

If you aren't an audiophile, then just get the m50 because the x just improved upon the physical aspects of the headphone, such as detachable cable. Different cables are good for different things.

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I've owned the M50 before, and the thing that made me not want to buy them again is the pads, after some months, they they became hard (and it's quite hard to find pads here in the Philippines). I've read that comfort was improved with the M50x, and the optional cables as well, I hope that their pads won't harden like the M50 did.

I can't imagine this pads getting hard anytime soon, but because i have 3 headphones, they aren't used as much as somebody who just has one.

dddavidp said:

I can't imagine this pads getting hard anytime soon, but because i have 3 headphones, they aren't used as much as somebody who just has one.

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Oh great!!!! Now my wallet's nagging me!!! Hahahaha. Thanks, man!!!