I would suggest you go audition some headphones before purchase, especially if this is your first buy in this hobby. People have different preferences so take peoples opinions with a grain of salt. Having said that though, I would definitely not recommend M50x. 

I just went with the M40X's. At $120 it won't be too much of a waste to upgrade later if I want to. $229 just seemed like too much for the M50X's. Everything in Canada is 50+% more expensive.
 
I wanted something closed-back. I also wanted neutral, high quality sound and it sounds like the M40X's are better for that. I can always use an EQ if I want to adjust the sound, so neutral seems like the best way to go.
 
Didn't bother with the amp.
 
Unfortunately, most of my songs are 200kbps MP3's, so hopefully they still sound good with that...

When you get the M40x's. Spend some time with them, and if possible find a place that sells a good selection of cans and listen to those too. I am not going to claim any crazy accolades, I have been in this hobby for many years and in those years i have helped many others with audio as well. I have found every one has their preference.Get a Baseline with the M40x's and find what you like, no two cans sound the same.and what works for one does not work for the other. I started with the M50x's and ended up with the PSB M4U1. Along they way I tried various AKG's, Shures, BW's, Bought Grados, Even Harmon Kardons. Sure some will say there are better ones, they always will. I did not want to spend insane amounts of money and wanted to find a set of cans I enjoyed.
 
The Quality of the audio file is a big factor in the details you will and will not hear. if you are happy with mp3's that's cool. I tried Mp3's back in the napster days and hated them because it was a few steps down in Sound Quality fro cd's, so I never really had a lot. Not to long ago a Friend of mine dumped his whole MP3 collection when we compared Mp3's vs flacs. He went to the other side and does not even compress his rips. Keeps them as .wav files now. My rambling point is the quality of the file as important if no more important Than Any other piece of gear. If the information is not there to being with then you are starting off with a ceiling and may not realize the full potential of any other gear. So it's a good starting point while you figure out what other gear you may want to upgrade to. 
 
If you have any cd's you can use Exact Audio Copy and start to rip them to FLAC. I actually go to local thrift stores and pick up cd's for anywhere form 50 cents to 2 dollars. Many of them do not have a scratch on them. Of course you can buy flacs online from HD tracks and even Tidal now sells them but they are a little pricey. The only ones I buy online are if they are better than 16/44.1. other wise the cd's can be far cheaper even for newly released albums. The Nice thing is once you have a decent collection of hi res files then you can really start to realize the potential and short comings of your other gear.
 
This Hobby can be daunting, I not only listen in headphones but grew up and still prefer 2 channel speaker systems. There is a lot of products that are awesome and a lot of overpriced snake oil. All to often people forget to just sit back and to listen to the Music. Enjoy The Music and enjoy the journey, it can be an expensive one.

You will never really poor the m50x's sound until you upgrade. m50x was one of my first phones. It is entry level at best.

After reading all the piss and vinegar here I'm dumb founded by the fact no one has even talked about DACs.

The OP has even stated "no sound-card"

The order of importance goes Source, Amp and headphone.

I say this because DACs now can be purchased for $50 which were really expensive 10 years ago.

I routinely try out $20 headphones with a DAC and amp and am always floored from the up-scale.

This thread is lost because no one has even tried to help member get the best sound quality with normal common sense?

yaldabaoth said:

  I only have about $200 to spend. 
 
M40X is $100 cheaper. Is the M50X enough of an improvement over the M40X to be worth $100 more? If I get the M50X I can't afford an amp right now.
 
Or am I better off getting the M40X and a FiiO E11K Kilimanjaro 2 amp with the money I save? 
 
I plan to use these with my phone and computer (no sound card). Is an amp necessary to fully enjoy these?
 
I have a feeling that the M40X + amp is a better deal, but I wanted to ask some people that are more experienced

Click to expand...

I am not sure where the War Began, The OP has a Limited Budget and plans to use the M40x's (since that's he ended up ordering) With A Phone and from a computer. So Low Impedance, Portable and probably closed since the phone use means he may be traveling, commuting etc.  That's the base criteria. I do not get the slightest impression that he/she is a an Audio fanatic, just someone looking for a low cost entry level pair of headphones. Maybe the OP is a Blue collar working class type, I sure as hell am.
 
Instead of friendly suggestions, the OP was caught in the middle of a pissing match although the supposedly substandard cans being considered Fit his criteria. Sure we can recommend gear from now till next year DAC, Amp,  Power,  Fancy cables Blah Blah Blah. Electrostats don't really fit the bill for the OP's use case as a lot of the "true audiophile headphones" because some have too high of an impedance for use with a phone or are just out of his price range.
 
Ferrari Vs. The Chevy Impala. The Chevy will never outperform or out handle the ferrari but it falls in the budget bit it can haul groceries, the Kids and does not require special oil, tires etc. The OP was in the Market for a Chevy.  Nothing More.
 
 

bigro said:

I am not sure where the War Began, The OP has a Limited Budget and plans to use the M40x's (since that's he ended up ordering) With A Phone and from a computer. So Low Impedance, Portable and probably closed since the phone use means he may be traveling, commuting etc.  That's the base criteria. I do not get the slightest impression that he/she is a an Audio fanatic, just someone looking for a low cost entry level pair of headphones. Maybe the OP is a Blue collar working class type, I sure as hell am.

Instead of friendly suggestions, the OP was caught in the middle of a pissing match although the supposedly substandard cans being considered Fit his criteria. Sure we can recommend gear from now till next year DAC, Amp,  Power,  Fancy cables Blah Blah Blah. Electrostats don't really fit the bill for the OP's use case as a lot of the "true audiophile headphones" because some have too high of an impedance for use with a phone or are just out of his price range.

Ferrari Vs. The Chevy Impala. The Chevy will never outperform or out handle the ferrari but it falls in the budget bit it can haul groceries, the Kids and does not require special oil, tires etc. The OP was in the Market for a Chevy.  Nothing More.

Click to expand...

. True, but he does not realize the improvement he will get with buying a used DAC/amp combo for an additional $50, and still be in his target budget.

bigro said:

I am not sure where the War Began, The OP has a Limited Budget and plans to use the M40x's (since that's he ended up ordering) With A Phone and from a computer. So Low Impedance, Portable and probably closed since the phone use means he may be traveling, commuting etc.  That's the base criteria. I do not get the slightest impression that he/she is a an Audio fanatic, just someone looking for a low cost entry level pair of headphones. Maybe the OP is a Blue collar working class type, I sure as hell am.

Instead of friendly suggestions, the OP was caught in the middle of a pissing match although the supposedly substandard cans being considered Fit his criteria. Sure we can recommend gear from now till next year DAC, Amp,  Power,  Fancy cables Blah Blah Blah. Electrostats don't really fit the bill for the OP's use case as a lot of the "true audiophile headphones" because some have too high of an impedance for use with a phone or are just out of his price range.

Ferrari Vs. The Chevy Impala. The Chevy will never outperform or out handle the ferrari but it falls in the budget bit it can haul groceries, the Kids and does not require special oil, tires etc. The OP was in the Market for a Chevy.  Nothing More.

Click to expand...

Well said, it is unfortunate that the question in hand (once again) turned into this kind of garbage.

I am sure the OP would have been thrilled with the sound of the M50x, but instead is now purchasing the 40, sure it is more neutral, but is not really what people look for when they jump into this hobby.

I love the elitist mentality from folks who have limited experience and parrot the thoughts of people who actually own said gear. The M50s are a great entry level headphone that are that check all of the boxes that most people look for when they jump into this hobby. I gave them as gifts to a few friends last X-mas and they have thanked me multiple times.

Yep, for Most people The M50xs can be the gateway to better sound. I still have my pair at home.Is it the Best? probably not but far from the worst.
 
 
 
 

redcarmoose said:

. True, but he does not realize the improvement he will get with buying a used DAC/amp combo for an additional $50, and still be in his target budget.

Click to expand...

Agreed, That fulla is an awesome little Combo for the Price. Its $79 in the US. I have one and it stays In my headphone case at all times, I use it when I do travel with my laptop and have to leave the desktop gear behind.
 
OP,  if you have not tuned us out yet this ^^^^^^.
http://schiit.com/products/fulla

I have the original m50s and they don't sound good straight out of my Samsung laptop. The OP is interested in getting the most bang for the buck. He is interested in good sound or he would stick with generic headphones.

I know that you sound is only as good as the weakest part of the chain. A DAC improves the sound of the M50s as they can scale. I have not heard what the OP decided on but the M40s would maybe scale up with the Fulla.