[size=x-small]My impressions, briefly: [/size]
[size=x-small]Isolation is very good. Style is great, shallow as it sounds, you do look pretty cool in them. Efficiency is VERY good - never had headphones been so loud from such a low volume before. Sound was involving and high impact. These are an extremely fun and smooth sounding pair of cans with a lot of potential to mod and if I had the free time right now would be a keeper. [/size]
[size=x-small]Do I prefer them to the M50? [/size]
[size=x-small]No, I think I prefer the M50s closer-to-neutral presentation with a bump to the bass rather than the clubby, pumping sound of the TMA-1. I can understand why others do prefer them though, I think it all comes down to the sort of music you're into.[/size]
[size=x-small]With my electonic music, pop and a lot of rock they were so, so good. But I haven't been in the mood for that stuff much lately. With folk and female vocals and gentler airier music (which accounts for a lot of my current flavour of the month albums right now) they were a bit too weighty, at least with stock pleather pads.[/size]
[size=x-small]The stock pleather pads are no ordinary pleather pads by the way. They are covered in a high quality protein leather that are soft and appear to breath. This isn't the old days of sweaty cloth with a vinyl coating. They are extremely comfortable and much less sweaty than the ATH-M50 pleather.[/size]
[size=x-small]It seems a shame not to use them but for folky female vocals the treble is too nerfed, and even with EQ the sound still a bit too weighy and impactful. None of these comments are actually negative for certain kinds of music. They just aren't giving me what I want. They are very "male" if you like, whereas the music I've been listening to most recently is very "female". If anything I find the ATM-50 too "male" as well now so I'm really not sure where to go next. [/size]
[size=x-small]Forget the foam pads by the way. They are terrible, terrible, terrible. Really don't know what AiAiAi were thinking there - I said I wanted more treble, I didn't say I wanted nothing but treble![/size]
[size=x-small]The velour pads I tried were a compromise but were too far towards the foams, and the with the Stax SR-X pads attached those genres did very well indeed but despite initial good feelings, long term comfort was not great with those and they also had a slightly aggressive "in your face" midrange and isolation was reduced too. There was a challenge that seemed to be laid down to me to pad roll until I got it right, but I have so many various projects right now I'm not really looking for a new one. [/size]
[size=x-small]As it is, I think the me of a year ago would be in love with them. I think they are perfectly designed for the club atmosphere they were intended for and I think anyone into electronica, hip hop, dancy poppy music or pacey rock will get a lot out of them. [/size]
[size=x-small]Right now I'm trying to reduce my headphone collection to bare minimums and am looking for just one portable closed set of cans and regretfully, this is not it. I've finally decided to put them up for a trade in the classifieds, so hopefully they can go to someone who will appreciate them more.[/size]
