[AngryMarmot]

cytoSiN, I will probably get flamed for this recommendation but I fly a lot and while I am not a Bose fan by any stretch, their QC noise canceling phones are the answer. Sure, you can get sound isolating but you still need to play at a reasonably loud volume to drown out the engines, kids, etc. and that becomes taxing after several hours especially if you want to sleep. They are expensive which is why it took me years to make the purchase but they make flying far less taxing. My only regret is not buying them a long time ago.

Now, I must add that I never listen to them when I am at home. There are far too many other superior options for home and office listening.

 

[zazex]

Quote:

 
That said, $102 for the M50 is a great deal.  At that price they are very competitive, no matter how much hype they might bring along.

 
+1
 
 
Quote:

Some decent aftermarket tips will easily fix those concerns.
 
Also, at $102 the M50 is actually a decent deal in terms of SQ, but comfort-wise you'll want to look elsewhere.

 
Which headphones in the price range provide noticeably greater wearing comfort?

 

[streetdragon]

HD558 and DT770 have better comfort.

 

[zazex]

Quote:

 
+1
 
 
 
Which headphones in the price range provide noticeably greater wearing comfort?

 
Quote:

HD558 and DT770 have better comfort.

...and both are more expensive than the M50's.

 

[streetdragon]

Uhh dt660 then? Or dt231

 

[zardak]

After owning many high-end headphones i fell for the M-50 hype, mainly out of curiosity, but also because i had money to waste. The M-50 did not impress me at all, it became tiring very quickly; sonically i found the M-50 to be skewed throughout the entire audio spectrum. Quite frankly when you have superior headphones and a trained ear, anyone can hear that the M-50's are a deluded little joke, a total waste of time, the bass is crooked all-over and bloated in all the wrong places, not linear at all, the midrange severely lacks essential nuance details, and the treble range is shrouded, but the treble part of the audio spectrum that the M-50 does present is shrill and unrealistic, plus the stereo imaging is woefully lacking in comparison to my sub $100 headphone. Actually, even open-back headphones don't have any advantage whatsoever over mine, i lie not, basically any headphone i have listened to, and i have listened to nearly all lauded headphones, do not even come close to this, i promise you. I swear (God is witness) that my sub $100 headphone wipes the floor with the M-50 and everything else i have ever heard, no joke.
 
In fact, this cheaper headphone goes toe to toe with the worlds best headphone... the Abyss AB-1266 ($5500). My local audiophile headphone store is the only store outside of America to have this headphone on sale. I did the A/B the other day with my 'Under $100' headphone, and my one clearly matched 'every' nuance of the Abyss headphone and then some, including the weight and extension and tightness of the bass; not one of my other headphones (nor anything else i've ever listened to) can match the superlative sonic presentation of my sub $100 headphone.
 
By the way, the Abyss headphone was being fed from an $8000 CD player and driven from a $14,000 amp (which required multiple processes to get it functional and switched-on ready for use) and also the abyss headphone was being fed through custom wired $4000 cables direct to the headphone, and yet my FiiO E12 running my sub $100 headphone matched it 'every step of the way' in fact, the truth is that my cheap headphone usurped that $31,000 set-up. Miracles do exist people, you just have to know where to look, persistence has finally paid-off for me. This sub $100 headphone even slightly exceeded 'every sonic aspect' of the Abyss headphone, and even trumped it in the stereo imaging department, you can't do better than that, which by the way also shows the stellar performance of the FiiO E12, what a friggin amazing amp. Someone needs to explain the law of diminishing returns to these nutters who spend umpteen thousands on trying to achieve the Holy Grail, since i have the proof in front of me that the holy Grail can be had for $200 all-up, no exaggeration at all, basically perfection, nothing could be faulted.
 
FYI i auditioned music that i was utterly acquainted with when doing this test. When i explained all this to my audiophile friend (who is always honest with me) he said "yeah bro, all these other headphones are hiding the full extent of the signal) Anyway, i have the M-50's right here, they are garbage. Audio Technica is making millions on a dud, what a strange world we live in.

 

[pichu]

Care to share the name of the sub $100 headphone? 

 

[TrollDragon]

Yes please... inform the rest of us poor audio plebes what these amazing sub $100 headphones are...

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2

 

[zardak]

Sorry, but i thought Grado and Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser had all the answers, or so goes the spiel on these forums.
 
If i revealed it, there is only two predictable outcomes... scorn and mockery from toffee-nosed self-proclaimed experts in here who laud the Sennheiser HD-600 ROFL, which i'm not in the mood for, and secondly, it would be doing a massive favour for a company i don't respect; seeing as how at least 200 immediate sales would result from my info, and that would equate to $20,000 in sales for that company, but they aren't gonna reward me for that or cut me in for a commission, are they? So why should i? In fact, i intend to contact this company to buy the headphone wholesale from them and resell it on the net rebadged. I will promote it as the world's best headphone, and i can do it in the confidence that very few if anyone will bother to contradict me once they here the results.

 

[billybob_jcv]

I'll make you a deal: You send your rebadged sub $100 headphone to Tyll at Inner Fidelity and tell him it is hands-down the best headphone in the world. Ask him to listen to it, measure it and compare it directly against the TOTL headphones from Senn, Audeze, Fostex, etc. If Tyll agrees with you, then you can make whatever claims you wish. Some of us will see Tyll next month in LA, would you like us to ask him to test them for you? I would be happy to pass the message.

 

[Argyris]

Spoiler: Holy%20opinion%20change%2C%20Batman!%20(Just%20compressing%20a%20long%20quote%20section)

 
zardak today on the M50:
 

After owning many high-end headphones i fell for the M-50 hype, mainly out of curiosity, but also because i had money to waste. The M-50 did not impress me at all, it became tiring very quickly; sonically i found the M-50 to be skewed throughout the entire audio spectrum. Quite frankly when you have superior headphones and a trained ear, anyone can hear that the M-50's are a deluded little joke, a total waste of time, the bass is crooked all-over and bloated in all the wrong places, not linear at all, the midrange severely lacks essential nuance details, and the treble range is shrouded, but the treble part of the audio spectrum that the M-50 does present is shrill and unrealistic, plus the stereo imaging is woefully lacking in comparison to my sub $100 headphone. Actually, even open-back headphones don't have any advantage whatsoever over mine, i lie not, basically any headphone i have listened to, and i have listened to nearly all lauded headphones, do not even come close to this, i promise you. I swear (God is witness) that my sub $100 headphone wipes the floor with the M-50 and everything else i have ever heard, no joke.

 

Anyway, i have the M-50's right here, they are garbage. Audio Technica is making millions on a dud, what a strange world we live in.

 
zardak four weeks ago on the M50 (trying to sell his pair in one instance):
 

I just did the test for you right now with an iPod and 'uncompressed' WAV files 16bit CD quality music: unamped they sound great, but amped they sound fantastic, simple as that. Without an amp you will be happy, but the clarity and definition that comes through when they're amped is a noticeable difference.
 
I hadn't listen to them for a couple of weeks, so just now when i listened to them unamped, i thought WOW that sounds great, but they will definitely need more volume if you like to listen to your music a bit louder than normal, but then i plugged in the FiiO E12 (classy amp!) and BANG! Now where talking.More detail, better instrument separation, more depth, better treble sound, better soundstage stereo imaging. Hope that helps.
 

 

I have brand new M50's for sale if you want them, not a scratch on them, only bought them two weeks ago and never taken them anywhere. They are in perfect condition; if you want you can have them for 80 pound and ill pay the shipping cost. I've got other headphones and i always buy new ones so there's nothing suspect going on here; and yes they are a good headphone, clear sounding with nice weight in the bass, all over nice and balanced audio spectrum, but of course there are hundreds of headphones out there and none are perfect, but you can't go too far wrong with the M50's.
 

 
 

 
Ah, zardak, Head-Fi's favorite whirligig. Your opinions seem to change more often than a chameleon in a bowl of Skittles.
 
Anyway, I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say your "mystery headphone" is a Shure SRH550DJ, since they're < $100 and you're over the moon about them here, here, here, and here. But then, perhaps you've found a new champion and the SRH550DJ is now crap?
 
I do have a question for you, though, and if you can take a few seconds out the time you're going to spend on your inevitable lashing out at me for having the nerve to call you out, I'd love to hear the answer. Here it is:
 
If (when!) you decide that this "mystery headphone" is now crap and that something else is the new hotness, and assuming the manufacturer will give you the time of day, what are you going to do with your stack of rebadged cans which are now crap? I certainly hope the answer isn't to knowingly talk up and sell a product you consider to be substandard to the uninitiated (as you seem to be doing with your pair of M50 in one of the quotes I posted), especially tied to accolades such as "world's best headphone."
 
I also think you should give billybob's post some serious consideration. Or are you going to say that Tyll Hertsens doesn't know his donkey from a hole in the ground when it comes to headphones? If so, I think there are lots of folks who know far more than you about headphones, audio, and the objective measurement and quantification of both who will disagree with you.

 

[Magick Man]

By the way, the Abyss headphone was being fed from an $8000 CD player and driven from a $14,000 amp (which required multiple processes to get it functional and switched-on ready for use) and also the abyss headphone was being fed through custom wired $4000 cables direct to the headphone, and yet my FiiO E12 running my sub $100 headphone matched it 'every step of the way' in fact, the truth is that my cheap headphone usurped that $31,000 set-up. Miracles do exist people, you just have to know where to look, persistence has finally paid-off for me. This sub $100 headphone even slightly exceeded 'every sonic aspect' of the Abyss headphone, and even trumped it in the stereo imaging department, you can't do better than that, which by the way also shows the stellar performance of the FiiO E12, what a friggin amazing amp.

Tell you what, send those sub-$100 headphones in to Tyll at Innerfidelity and let him measure and test them. If they surpass, or even just match, "every sonic aspect" of the Abyss, I'll give you $100,000 in cash, no tricks. How's that?

Edit: Oh, and if you lose, you leave this site forever and the admins ban you and your IP address range for life.

 

[nick n]

Zardak:
How can i go and look into these if i don't know what they are?

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Tell you what, send those sub-$100 headphones in to Tyll at Innerfidelity and let him measure and test them. If they surpass, or even just match, "every sonic aspect" of the Abyss, I'll give you $100,000 in cash, no tricks. How's that?

Edit: Oh, and if you lose, you leave this site forever and the admins ban you and your IP address range for life.

 

[warrenpchi]

Quote:

After owning many high-end headphones i fell for the M-50 hype, mainly out of curiosity, but also because i had money to waste. The M-50 did not impress me at all, it became tiring very quickly; sonically i found the M-50 to be skewed throughout the entire audio spectrum. Quite frankly when you have superior headphones and a trained ear, anyone can hear that the M-50's are a deluded little joke, a total waste of time, the bass is crooked all-over and bloated in all the wrong places, not linear at all, the midrange severely lacks essential nuance details, and the treble range is shrouded, but the treble part of the audio spectrum that the M-50 does present is shrill and unrealistic, plus the stereo imaging is woefully lacking in comparison to my sub $100 headphone ... Anyway, i have the M-50's right here, they are garbage. Audio Technica is making millions on a dud, what a strange world we live in.

 
Hey zardak, you know what's hilarious?!?!  You seemed to think the ATH-M50 was just fine a few weeks ago when you were trying to sell yours (as shown in the posts below):
 
Quotes:

I have brand new M50's for sale if you want them, not a scratch on them, only bought them two weeks ago and never taken them anywhere. They are in perfect condition; if you want you can have them for 80 pound and ill pay the shipping cost. I've got other headphones and i always buy new ones so there's nothing suspect going on here; and yes they are a good headphone, clear sounding with nice weight in the bass, all over nice and balanced audio spectrum, but of course there are hundreds of headphones out there and none are perfect, but you can't go too far wrong with the M50's.
 
Originally Posted by zardak /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Quote:

If I don't get an amp with the m50s will they still sound really good?

 
I just did the test for you right now with an iPod and 'uncompressed' WAV files 16bit CD quality music: unamped they sound great, but amped they sound fantastic, simple as that. Without an amp you will be happy, but the clarity and definition that comes through when they're amped is a noticeable difference.
 
I hadn't listen to them for a couple of weeks, so just now when i listened to them unamped, i thought WOW that sounds great, but they will definitely need more volume if you like to listen to your music a bit louder than normal, but then i plugged in the FiiO E12 (classy amp!) and BANG! Now where talking.More detail, better instrument separation, more depth, better treble sound, better soundstage stereo imaging. Hope that helps.

 

---

 
Quote:

In fact, i intend to contact this company to buy the headphone wholesale from them and resell it on the net rebadged. I will promote it as the world's best headphone, and i can do it in the confidence that very few if anyone will bother to contradict me once they here the results.

 
Please let us know if you intend to do that so we may make you a Member of the Trade.  Thanks!