A Concise View of Why The ATH-M50 is No Longer King

[gelocks]

Quote:

Sorry but to me so far from what i have heard the m50s are best under $300.

It's just a preference thing.
I actually ENJOY my cheapo Panasonics more than the M50s!!!
Even though I KNOW that they are not cleaner nor produce a good enough clarity as the M50s I still
ENJOYED them more than those ATs.
 
I usually tell people to try the Shure 440s first even.
For me the M50s missed the mark on their mids... and sometimes sound too boomy with that constrictive soundstage
but my friend LOVES it (even though he himself is looking for new gear now!).
 
Under $300, most of the headphones I have sound better (the HD600s KICKS the M50s arse all over the place,
the 940s do the same but for different reasons, etc.). But again, it's because I ENJOY these other headphones
way of reproducing the music and not the M50s way...
 
Just to note, I always try to tell the posters to trust their ears because of this very same thing!
What I find fun and energetic might not be what others find fun and energetic (like on this case with you...)
 
 

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

I heard the M50's. Hated everything about them, IMO they had very weak bass, the mid range was just sloppy and recessed,and the high end was very rolled off. Head-fi was set on fire with constant M50 everything.
Bass headphones-M50!
Neutral headphone-M50!
Aggressive headphone-M50!
Comfortable headphone-M50!
New to the he-M50!
I'm look-M50!
 
Just FYI during the M50 FOTM I was still a new member LOOKING into the M50's, instead I got the HFI-580. the D1100 were even better but I was coming off my sr80i high and wanted something more "shouty" I'm not bashing them because I'm being a hipster on head-fi I'm saying I think they were ONE of the worst FOTM headphones because I think they were. As for the Pro900, take a look at the for sale forum and see the mass exodus of them for Penny's on the dollar. If Bose were a small company they would stay that way, as there headphones are WAY to over priced for the build, and sound. I mean $350 for around ears that look like they are held together with twigs; They don't even use real leather for that price man.
 
 
Forgot to mention I have heard them since that time and my opinion has not changed.
 

 

[Teleute]

It's just a preference thing.
I actually ENJOY my cheapo Panasonics more than the M50s!!!
Even though I KNOW that they are not cleaner nor produce a good enough clarity as the M50s I still
ENJOYED them more than those ATs.

I usually tell people to try the Shure 440s first even.
For me the M50s missed the mark on their mids... and sometimes sound too boomy with that constrictive soundstage
but my friend LOVES it (even though he himself is looking for new gear now!).

Under $300, most of the headphones I have sound better (the HD600s KICKS the M50s arse all over the place,
the 940s do the same but for different reasons, etc.). But again, it's because I ENJOY these other headphones
way of reproducing the music and not the M50s way...

Just to note, I always try to tell the posters to trust their ears because of this very same thing!
What I find fun and energetic might not be what others find fun and energetic (like on this case with you...)

 

Aren't HD600s on the 500 range though? That's not a fair comparison.

Still an interesting thread though. I was thinking of picking up m50s for my younger Bro but now I'm thinking twice.

Wondering now what's the new best cans at the 100-150 range

 

[Enter Darkness]

Quote:

Aren't HD600s on the 500 range though? That's not a fair comparison.
Still an interesting thread though. I was thinking of picking up m50s for my younger Bro but now I'm thinking twice.
Wondering now what's the new best cans at the 100-150 range

In the last few months people have become m50 haters on here. They don't deserve their hate. When people on here claim the shure srh940 to be a good headphone i would take everyone without experience with at least 4 different headphones opinion with a grain of salt.

 

[Southy013]

Personally, being a relative noob to audiophilia (had Ety HF5s for a few years and LOVE em) and a total noob to head-fi, the M50 are something I would call "pretty good".  Having just picked up some HM5 (after lots of homework here) which is the same as FA-003, and a buddy of mine from work having picked up the M50, I had a chance to ABx them - both amped on a Fiio e10 - just a couple days ago.  Bought the HM5s for $140 shipped, though they're on pre-order for $119 and can sometimes be had for ~$100 if you catch a sale.
 
M50 had more bass quantity, and sounded very slightly looser.  HM5s were tighter, and when the bass does kick it has a nice punch, and wins maybe by a shade on extension.  Bass is certainly present but I could see some hungering for more.  HM5 also articulated the highs a bit more, but for some EDM tracks that have a lot of sibilant highs I found the M50s were smoother as the HM5s came off harsh in some instances.  That's smoothed out a bit with a bit of burn-in but not much, yet anyway.
 
The HM5 DESTROYS the M50 on soundstage.  And both are closed cans.  Listening to something orchestral like an Andrew Bird track on the HM5 was just lots and lots of fun.  I can understand why a lot of people are using an open Senn (HD600) as the closest analogue.
 
I think if I listened to a lot of aggressive electronica and wanted to get rocked by bass I'd actually favor the M50.  They're also smaller and more portable. I might give them a win on aesthetics, though neither one is that special.
 
For everything else the HM5 is a clear winner.  And cheaper.  I can understand why there are restock issues.
 
 

 

[nikp]

Quote:

Sorry but to me so far from what i have heard the m50s are best under $300.

 

 

[gelocks]

Quote:

Aren't HD600s on the 500 range though? That's not a fair comparison.
Still an interesting thread though. I was thinking of picking up m50s for my younger Bro but now I'm thinking twice.
Wondering now what's the new best cans at the 100-150 range

no. you can get the hds for three hundred bucks even from amazon.com
 

 

[gelocks]

Quote:

In the last few months people have become m50 haters on here. They don't deserve their hate. When people on here claim the shure srh940 to be a good headphone i would take everyone without experience with at least 4 different headphones opinion with a grain of salt.

well, i'm not hating but for me they're not the best and definitely i like the shures a whole lot more. lol

 

[Enter Darkness]

Quote:

 

So when someone has a different opinion you disagree with all of a sudden it's void.

 

[nikp]

Quote:

So when someone has a different opinion you disagree with all of a sudden it's void.

 
When did I ever like the M50? I disliked the SRH940 but that doesn't mean the M50 is king. 

Okay let's see headphones under 300: SRH940, SRH840, HD598, M50, HFI 580, DT1350, DT770, etc. 
 

 

[Enter Darkness]

Quote:

 
When did I ever like the M50? I disliked the SRH940 but that doesn't mean the M50 is king. 

Okay let's see headphones under 300: SRH940, SRH840, HD598, M50, HFI 580, DT1350, DT770, etc. 
 

I stated that i had HEARD
 
shure srh840/940, grado sr225i, sennheiser hd 25 1 ii. None come close.

 

[Teleute]

@nikp

Cool suggestions. Imma read on them. Too bad i can't go past 150. Thanks though

 

[pyrokid]

T50RPs put 'em to shame, even the lowest-end Grados can top them with a few quick mods, HFI-780 and HFI-580 are both more fun sounding, HD600s aren't even a comparison, D2k's have their way with them AD900s mid-range them to death... All IMO of course.
 
I understand if you think they're better than the four you've heard, but you really should say something like "They sound better to my ears than the A, B, X and Y" than "They sound better than anything I've heard under three hundred." Because the second variation is misleading to newer posters who could assume you've heard a lot more than you actually have when they read something like that. 

 

[TMRaven]

I think you should probably do the same, if you're saying stuff like HFI-580 are better.  That's most likely not a universal thing.  I definitely don't think the 580 are better.  

 

[pyrokid]

I edited that one, because I keep forgetting the love/hate relationship people have with Ultrasones... Although you are probably right, the HFI-580s aren't technically 'better' I guess. But I like them a lot more. I would argue that the HFI-780s are better, though. And all the rest. I just really didn't get on with the M50s at all for some reason, and the amount they get suggested has always baffled me.