After my Sennheiser HD 595s ended up being slightly damaged- resulting in some annoying background distortion-, I went a few years without a higher-end set of headphones. The ATH-M50S caught my eye initially, and I was going to purchase this or a set of Beyerdynamics that cost twice as much but were said to be really worth it. Needless to say I chose these, mainly due to the price, and I am certainly pleased with this purchase. In terms of sound quality, these are arguably better than my HD 595s, as the ATH-M50S rivals the HD 595 when it comes to mid/high frequency range, but the ATH-M50S also produces lots of bass. The soundstage produced by these headphones is excellent, as the sound frequencies across the board are finely balanced- the high frequency range is not quite as clear as with the HD 595s, but this is most likely due to these Audio-Technicas being closed-end headphones. They are comfortable to wear for prolonged periods of time- I've worn them for 4-5 hours without experiencing any discomfort-, and I have become impressed with the build quality and the materials used. My pair has withstood being carried around, and the fold-in design makes these large headphones easy to move around- in comparison with the HD 595. Unfortunately I do not have any other high-end headphones to compare these to, but the ATH-M50S is arguably the best set of headphones I have had the pleasure to own. I highly recommend these to anyone looking for relatively affordable high-end headphones- if you're looking for high-end Bose or Shure headphones, please check out these!

These were my first "audiophile" grade headphones, and I soon fell in love with them. I had never experienced such clear sound, as these were also my first open-ended headphones. In terms of audio quality, the mids and highs are crystal clear. Low-frequency bass sound is low in the soundstage, which makes these headphones great for ambient music, classical, jazz and other genres that do not primarily focus on bass. The lack of bass is a minor gripe though, as the overall sound quality is stellar otherwise- note that I have never used an amp for these. The HD 595 are also extremely comfortable, as I've worn them for several hours on end before without them becoming uncomfortable to wear. The build quality is commendable, as they are durable and are constructed from high quality materials. Unfortunately, the right can somehow ended up coming in contact with some water, which resulted in some distortion, but this is only vaguely audible at the worst. Overall I would recommend these to anyone introducing themselves to higher-end headphones, but I suspect there are better headphones out there for the price.

I initially bought these as a temporary replacement for my AKG K26Ps that crapped out on me after being left in a car for two weeks, and because I knew I'd want earbuds for music on the go. Given that I bought these for around $30, I was astounded at the audio quality these earbuds produced. The NE-6 has far more bass than any other earbud I've come across so far, and while there isn't a great balance between bass and treble, the mids came out clear- though these things lacked high treble. Despite this, they are easily the best earbuds I've come across in terms of audio quality, I'd say they're comparable with the lower-level Shure earbuds, which are twice as expensive, at the least. They also provide great sound isolation, thanks to the variety of earbuds that come with the NE-6. One inevitable fault of such earbuds is that they are uncomfortable to wear after long periods of time, and the NE-6 is no different. I don't consider this to be a major fault though, since this is a common issue. The only other complaint that I have concerning these earbuds is that they stopped working only two months after I purchased. I do not know if this is a result of faulty design/construction or if it's more due to the way I handled them- I used them everyday, stopped using the protective pouch that comes with it. One day the right side stopped working, and my pair has been like that since. If it was not for this issue, I would give these a 4-star rating, but I question the reliability of the NE-6.