ATH-M50XDG distortion?

[DandD]

I am a completely new head-fi audiophile but a very old front loudspeaker audiophile.
 
I just received my ATH-M50XDG and am questioning it's capacity / ability.
 
Firstly, some frequencies outright distort. I find it interesting, it feels like it has the capability to 'open up' but on the mid / hi bass range is plain out distorts. Where as other frequencies it displays beautifully.
 
Am I excepting too much from a very budget conscious decision?

I tried both a yamahha receiver and MS S Pro 3 both display similar attributes although the amp is far more....expansive.
 
All I am looking for is a yep, that's IT ...that's the limit, or, you have a faulty product.
Most people, endless threads here, say there is no distortion to this product, event with an amp added, i find that impossible to believe.
 
Anyway, like I said I come from an mid-fi stereo background just looking for answers, do I break them in?
...complain, be complacent...
 
 
 

Source, CD Original > Massive attack Mezzanine> PS3 > Optical > Yamaha HTR 5940
 
 
 
Also tried a blue ray game - dishourned. First thing I noticed was the chicks voice distorting....

 

[MindsMirror]

The M50x should not be producing audible distortion unless you are listening at an unusually loud and unsafe volume. First verify that the distortion is not in the source. Try the M50x on other sources with other audio tracks, try different headphones on the same source, lower digital volume to rule out clipping, disable any signal processing such as EQ, etc. If you can conclude that it is definitely the M50x producing distortion, send them back.

 

[DandD]

Steps taken in order of suggestions.
 
- CD / .Wav formats uncompressed.
- other sources with other audio tracks - Check.
- My source has been used for years across multiple loudspeakers / crappy little sennheiser PMX 60s.
-  lower volumes seem to retain the same attributes...just at a lower volume. Meaning the range that seems to produce 'fuzziness' still exists it's just harder to identify because the volume is lower.
- disable any signal processing such as EQ, etc.- check, PCM Straight. Tried on Laptop / ps3 / MS Surface pro
 
I don't know if this is normal, what is normal?
Some elements to the soundstage, highs / lows are exceptional for this price, but there is a large range of frequencies that are very distorted, around mid / hi end of the bass.
 
It occurs during explosions, electric guitars, bass guitars, any type of electronic sounds, deep vocals.

 

[DandD]

I've looked into this further and believe some of the following changes have improved the over rall quality coming to the device.
 
PS3 - multi output mode. This splits the signal between two output methods, being hdmi and optical. With this setting enabled the signal delivered to the amp is downgraded by the ps3 to stereo.

Changing this option Settings >Audio Output Setting > Multi out turn off.
 
The other issue is windows ...in general.
There is no real baseline yet so I want to reserve final judgement until I'm completely fulla schiit.
This should happen in a few days.
 
Then I'll try foobar > WASAPI to Fulla Schitt > M50.
 
 I am currently running from windows to a Shure X2u which amplifies the signal.
This setup helps considerably, however I definitely feel it's not ideal, is this thing even a dac? what the hell is windows and Realtec HD really doing....by default realtec HD drivers set the output to downscaled, you have to change it to 'full range speakers'!
 
So many questions still remain.
 
One observation I want to make thus far, these headphones are very susceptible and revealing to any floors from source to device.
 
Coming from a mid-fi realm I appreciate similar complexities in this environment, at $185 aud these headphone are the first real challenge for a long time, it's a fascinating situation.
 
I don't want to end this on a low note but this is definitely a totally different experience not at all comparable to the stereo audiophile experience. The fact I can sit in the same room with other humans and listen to my music without affecting them is a really interesting bonus.
 
but if you want portals to other universes...stereophile may be worth experiencing

 

[DandD]

This has been a difficult topic to finish. It's been 6 long weeks for a conclusion.
 
Conclusion:
Headphones are just as complicated as floor standing stereo solutions and many of the issues around digital loss between source and speaker drivers remain.
 
Impressions of the ATH-MX50DG:
These $185 headphones are the most disbelieving audio device I've ever owned.
 
In the last 6 weeks I listened to 3 floor standing speakers ranging from $3,500 to $10,000.
Oddly enough, the ATH-MX50DG is all I think about.
 
The main issue that started this thread was distortion. Indeed I had distortion.
To resolve, the foobar player, WASAPI event driven output, and FULLA SCHIIT dac / amp were the perfect combination.
 
I found the Microsoft audio drivers, the ones you to route sound to the dac for youtube or any other application other than foobar, near intolerable, even in foobar. It would suffice for a casual listen, like watching a 2 minute trailer.
 
When I switched to WASAPI that magical window to the music finally opened!
This nirvana is often mentioned around the audiophile community, it's hard to find, but if you have a budget, the above solution really does work.
 
These headphones have some obvious limitations, like the spatial definition of sounds is near non existent - where is that guitar coming from, how far away is that voice?
But having that expectation is like expecting to go for a fresh beach stroll whilst on the international space station, you're in space!
 
Keep the source as close to high quality as possible, like .wav or flac (set to lowest compression).
 
These speakers are very very sensitive to any deprecation in quality between source and headphone.
For example they don't sound as good (way better than the microsoft drivers though) through the the ps3 via optical to yamaha 5.1 receiver compared to foobar > wasapi > fulla schiit dac.
 
ENJOY!