[c61746961]

You're welcome. Modding the M40x is very easy since the pads fit a little loose and the screws are your regular, mid-sized phillips screws. The inner layout is clean and the wires are not too short either. Don't forget to share your findings

Update: I actually used another type of micropore tape which is not as densely woven as the 3M one, I just checked, I used two layers, my bad.

 

[zunehdrocks]

I wonder how these compare to the tascam th02 and the nvx xpt100 (+ other clones)

 

[c61746961]

I own the TH-02, it has a better bass response (more defined, flatter), but the upper mids and treble are of a noticeably lower quality. Haven't tried the NVX but they probably sound better, they are very large, though.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

Ditto. I had the Teac 02 which is the same but cheaper, and aside from the wonky seal I thought it was fairly good for a $20 headphone, but there's some herky jerky stuff going on in the treble that made it sound...well, like a cheap headphone. The NVX I currently have as well, and I think it's very good, on sound quality alone I think it's comparable to the M40x, just depends on preferences, I like a little more bass and a smaller form factor for portability with a more aggressive signature while the NVX is a more relaxing leaner sound and is way more comfortable for long sessions at home. I think both are good value with NVX sounding better as a whole, but hard to beat the M40x as a portable.

 

[mungus]

i just wanted to say thanks for a very well written and fun to read review of the M40's
i just bought a pair ! lol

 

[korak111]

  Great review thanks dude! These headphones look really good as well O.o Would you recommend these over the Shure SRH440's?

Hi! So I was going to go for the Sure SRH-440's but yesterday when I went to an audio store I found that the although SRH-440's are good, however, I preferred the M40's.  The deterring factor for the SRH-440's was that the cans were not very deep and my ears were touching the back of the cans, which was quite bothersome.  My ears happily fit in the M40's however, so they're my choice.  Hope I could help!

 

[imran27]

What's the difference between this M40X and the A700X, I know the A700X is costly and comparable to M50X but I just want to know the differences, most importantly about the clarity, detailing, instrument separation & timbre, nature of frequency response. Can the A700X give me better results in the mentioned aspects

 

[imran27]

BUMP

 

[ricksome]

Just bought & received the ATH-M40x mostly based on this posting. So a big shout out to the OP. I also have the Sony MDR-V6 which in my opinion is the direct competitor. The Sony has more "slam" in the lower end. I cannot say that that means the MDR-V6 is more accurate. Just be aware that is part of the sound signature.
 
In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with either headphone. Both offer a lot of value for the money.

 

[kiteman]

M40x with Fiio E6 on sale at Amazon for $99.

 

[metal571]

Decent deal.
 
Now that I've heard quite a few more cans in my time, I can confirm the M40x is V shaped like the M50x. The very upper octave is pretty bright, and the midbass hump is still there although not quite as aggressive as the M50x. Honestly the E6 doesn't add anything to their sound. I already own both the cans and that amp.

 

[kiteman]

Decent deal.

Now that I've heard quite a few more cans in my time, I can confirm the M40x is V shaped like the M50x. The very upper octave is pretty bright, and the midbass hump is still there although not quite as aggressive as the M50x. Honestly the E6 doesn't add anything to their sound. I already own both the cans and that amp.

I assume it helps as a volume boost though on a phone? I figure it is free since the M40x alone is the same price as well.

 

[metal571]

I assume it helps as a volume boost though on a phone? I figure it is free since the M40x alone is the same price as well.

Definitely. It doesn't hurt.

 

[imran27]

Mids definitely are recessed on these cans. I expected much forward mids from these. They have amazing accuracy but lack of mids and soundstage is disturbing.
 
An amp, though not required but will still be helpful. The frequency response of the cans may change due to changing load conditions at different voltage levels of the output amp of your phone/music player. An amp can stabilize that. Not to mention the decrease in quantization noise when amping a low volume sound (Lower volumes produce less quantization noise, when they are analog they can be amplified by a low distortion amplifier to produce much clearer and distortion free sound at the same volume as opposed to only phone/mp3-player at that volume)

 

[metal571]

Mids definitely are recessed on these cans. I expected much forward mids from these. They have amazing accuracy but lack of mids and soundstage is disturbing.

An amp, though not required but will still be helpful. The frequency response of the cans may change due to changing load conditions at different voltage levels of the output amp of your phone/music player. An amp can stabilize that. Not to mention the decrease in quantization noise when amping a low volume sound (Lower volumes produce less quantization noise, when they are analog they can be amplified by a low distortion amplifier to produce much clearer and distortion free sound at the same volume as opposed to only phone/mp3-player at that volume)

I just found the amp useful for maxing out a low power input and thereby increasing SNR if there is an always present noise on the source.