[Brando]

Hello headfi. I just got some ATH-M50's dropped on my front porch by ups. They're going to be my moms christmas present so she can dabble in voice over work. I figured it was my duty as a son to make sure they were broken in properly when she got them

ahem...anyhow...yeah. So right out of the box they sound a bit distant and a bit flat(ish) but bassy. They clamp down fairly tightly and started off uncomfortable but I've forgotten about them at this point (about 5 minutes). Surprisingly the isolation is almost non existent considering the apparent air tightness of the seal on my head. Good news though. The sound is growing on me. I can actually make out separate noises a bit better than with my ad2000's and everything seems more....even? Nice bass. Not as punchy and tight as my ad2000's but there is a good quantity. I don't really know the lingo but they're pretty nice for $110 shipped. I still need to run some more sound through them to loosen em up. More later if anyone is interested.

 

[1Time]

Great! Looking forward to more of your impressions after burn-in. What amp are you using with the M50? I suggest extending the ear pads all the way and clamping it over a box or stack of books to loosen its grip.

 

[Brando]

Thanks for the suggestion. To be honest the clamping is ok. It's been a little while and my ears don't hurt. The pads are a smaller diameter than my other AT's and I'm not used to having pressure closer in to my ears. It felt funny at first but it's fine now. same thing when I bought my first high top boots...but with ankles instead of ears...? Lol nevermind. By the way, I've never heard dt770's so I don't have a point of reference for what people consider to be basshead phones but these seem to fit the description. It makes for a pretty vivid atmosphere. I assume the smaller ear cups channel the bass better. Pretty cool. Oh yeah and I'm using my Gilmore lite\Xonar d2x with the phones.

 

[Brando]

I've got little subwoofers on my head! It's very clear though. Doesn't cover up other sounds or get in the way.

 

[Brando]

A little muddy and the earcups are finally starting to bug me some. Still very enjoyable though. Need a break. I'm going to give it some more time tomorrow. Nitey nite!

 

[Brando]

I couldn't leave it alone. They really seem to be tightening up and getting more crisp and musical. So much sweet ass bass. These things are t!ts! I may have to buy a pair myself. I'm listening straight from the sound card at the moment and they don't seem to have lost anything. Still the same slam etc... Ok I'm really going to bed now.

 

[gav17]

Corda headsix drives it good

 

[Brando]

I had to go back to my ath-ad2000's for a few days to get some perspective on these phones. Obviously they can't compare to the 2000's but I think I can recommend these without guilt. They're heavyweight contenders in my opinion. I had to get used to the sound a bit, and maybe they burned in some more too. All I know is I enjoy them quite a bit and wouldn't feel ripped off if they were all I could afford and I had ordered them as my only cans. They have plenty of bass, maybe a bit much, but it seems to be getting better as time goes by and all the different types of sound are beginning to seem more balanced with each other. For $110 (ebay) I think they're a steal. Sorry I don't have all of the right words to describe them in the way more experienced members do but I tried.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brando /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had to go back to my ath-ad2000's for a few days to get some perspective on these phones. Obviously they can't compare to the 2000's but I think I can recommend these without guilt. They're heavyweight contenders in my opinion. I had to get used to the sound a bit, and maybe they burned in some more too. All I know is I enjoy them quite a bit and wouldn't feel ripped off if they were all I could afford and I had ordered them as my only cans. They have plenty of bass, maybe a bit much, but it seems to be getting better as time goes by and all the different types of sound are beginning to seem more balanced with each other. For $110 (ebay) I think they're a steal. Sorry I don't have all of the right words to describe them in the way more experienced members do but I tried.

Thanks for the update. About how many hours/days of use do you have with this M50?

 

[Brando]

I didn't really count but maybe....20 hours? I'm going to keep it up until the day before christmas lol. Maybe this post was premature. I think they're starting to sound a bit better with certain sounds that were muddier before like electric guitar and high pitched female vocals. If anyone wants me to try a certain song and describe it I could give it a shot. Whatever it takes. I'd like to contribute in whatever limited fashion I can since this place helped me get the setup I have and love.

 

[hauntingtheholy]

TooL - Prison Sex

NIN - Closer

:-D

 

[Brando]

Tool-Prison sex: These phones seem to be made for the undertow album with all of the lowlowlow heavy bass and deep bass kick sounds. They really get down in the gutter with this album. I can also hear the separate sound of the bass and guitar playing simultaneously where they sounded like one creepy noise with all other speakers etc before. Crawl away sounds even better.

NIN-Closer: Wow nice. It makes me think of that line from enter the Dragon when the owner of the island is talking about Bolo, or whatever that muscular fighters name is, when he says "Strength is it's own technique" or something along those lines. The bass in these phones really helps to separate all of the different noises in this song and makes them easy to feel. The tape hiss in the beginning is really obvious and made me think it was a bad recording but I guess it was a sample because it cuts out suddenly and intentionally. The drums and bass really shake your brain and everything is very distinct. I think it sounds awesome.

If anything I guess I wish they sounded a bit...clearer? Shinier? Not sure what to call it. You can hear everything very distinctly, but the individual sounds themselves are kind of low-fi-ish compared to the ath-ad2000's. I know it's not fair to compare to $600 phones but that's my point of reference. I'd like to point out while I'm thinking of it, that the ath-m50's are perfect for Rush. I was just listening to moving pictures and it was great.

EDIT: "The pot" by tool sounds freakin sweet. The drums in the beginning of the song shift behind you after a few seconds and then back to the right again and I never noticed before! I think these cans would be good for 3D gaming!

EDIT#2: Yep, good for gaming. I just played some FEAR multiplayer and the strength of the bass gives a better sense of space and direction.

 

[Brando]

I'm finding that they really shine with electronic music. Future sound of London to be specific.

 

[Brando]

I guess I wouldn't really recommend these phones for certain kinds of metal. Flying guitar solos lose something when the guitars don't quite have that electric squeal and a certain something that my ad2000's have that I don't know what to call. I assume the ath-m50's are like this because of the fact that they're "monitors" but I'm not sure. So yeah, Dark tranquility, Megadeth etc...maybe not so much but Tool sounds awesome and so does Isis. It depends. Definitely great for rap, r&b, electronic music, and probably anything that has lots of bass, drums, and texture.

 

[Brando]

I take it back. They sound pretty good on the gallery by dark tranquility.