[OliverBB]

Hi,
 
I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on these headphones. What keeps me hesitant is the bass. I know they are often mentioned as being bass heavy. How much is there? I am NOT looking for that head rattling thump that a lot of people seem to like.
For a reference the Klipsch Image One's almost immediately hurt my ears from the "thumping".  So over the top.
I listen to a lot of classic rock- for instance, will McCartney's bass be overbearing, Bonham's kick drum go through my head? 
I'll  probably be listening to mostly lossless/high bit rate mp3's. Not really interested in using an amp either.
 
Thanks!

 

[wilyodysseus]

They're not that bad. I find the bass intrudes somewhat into the mids, but we're not talking about XB500's.

 

[cyberalpha11]

I have listened to ATH-M50 with an ipod. The bass is not that heavy & tight but the low, mids & high tones are well balanced.
Overall, it is a good headphone.

 

[OliverBB]

Thanks for the input!
 
Any others?

 

[Drmayo]

The bass isn't overwhelming, but it's definitely there. It was too much bass for me, but for my bass-head friend, it wasn't enough. 

 

[TMRaven]

M50 bass is a a bit loose and bloated, although it does extend very low.  I think you might look into something else if you want the cleanest reproduction for prog rock etc.

 

[cyberalpha11]

You can further improve the bass in ATH-M50 with a headphone amp such as digizoid ZO2 or Fiio E11.

 

[OliverBB]

Quote:

You can further improve the bass in ATH-M50 with a headphone amp such as digizoid ZO2 or Fiio E11.

 


I'm kind of on a budget right now that doesn't include an amp. By improve though does that mean it makes it more forceful (impact?) or that it controls it a little more?  At some point later I possibly could pick up an amp.

 

[OliverBB]

So I ended up buying them on amazon for $125. I figured that considering it's one of the most recommended headphones ever, I had to at least try them out. 

 

[biggbenn74]

Quote:

So I ended up buying them on amazon for $125. I figured that considering it's one of the most recommended headphones ever, I had to at least try them out. 

Congratulations! I say that's a good decision. And hey, if the bass is too much for you, as Bill Nye said, consider the following:
 
1: Buy some velour earpads (like I did with my very similar Monoprice 8323) and get some better SQ.
 
2: I know this sounds horrible, but trust me on this one. Drill small holes in the shells. It opens the sound up.
 
But definitely consider the earpad mod. Definitely worth the 25 bucks.

 

[OliverBB]

Quote:

Congratulations! I say that's a good decision. And hey, if the bass is too much for you, as Bill Nye said, consider the following:
 
1: Buy some velour earpads (like I did with my very similar Monoprice 8323) and get some better SQ.
 
2: I know this sounds horrible, but trust me on this one. Drill small holes in the shells. It opens the sound up.
 
But definitely consider the earpad mod. Definitely worth the 25 bucks.

Just curious-how is the SQ better with the velour pads?

 

[biggbenn74]

Quote:

Just curious-how is the SQ better with the velour pads?

Well, I find it takes away some of the excess bass because the bass pressure somewhat escapes through the tiny openings in the velour.

 

[Owner]

As an owner of the headphones, and a previous owner of Skullcandy Skullcrushers (Subwoofers in each ear) I can safely say the amount of bass the ATH-M50 Headphones possesses is nowhere near overwhelming. The overall un-equalized output from any standard mobile device, computer, or music player is actually very well defined and, rather than steal the spotlight from the other elements of the song, it compliments them very nicely. As a side note, the overall sound quality and attention to details is remarkable too. On topic however, I do not believe that the initial amount of bass output is very solid and well balanced, as the advertised, "solid bass" in the commercial. In fact, im listening to the Zedd Remix of SM&NS by Skrillex and I am very comfortable and happy in my current state. Moments ago I was listening to Awake And Alive by Skillet. John Cooper came through clearly on bass, and Jen Ledger's kickline comes through well. One thing i would reccomend for your mobile device, however, is if you do feel like you need a little more bass, an equalizer setting, or a new music player app may be necessary, because the initial, unedited bassline isn't overwhelming, but it isnt enough to some people in particular. The bass booster EQ's or alteration of the 31 and 62 EQ bars does the trick nicely. I actually went and did just that and am satisfied with the results
 
As an instrumentalist, (I play drums and electric bass) I can also state that they perform very well when partnered with monitoring and simple playing. I plug my bass into my amp, then my headphones, and just play away. The treble portion comes through very well, and the low ends are well produced as well. As for my drum kit, i am very impressed as well. The high-end sizzle of the high-hats, the pang of the snare, and the thud of the kick are all very well reproduced in my headphones. Overall, I am very satisfied with the Audio-Technica M50's and I would recommend them to any musician or producer working on a budget that needs solid sound. I picked up my pair for $120.00 brand new and i have not been let down thus far. 
 
I'm not a person who believes in making false claims or claims i can't support with evidence, so what you've read is all of the things I have experienced with my headphones. I am a very satisfied customer and would definitely buy more in the line if the need arose. I hope my review was beneficial to your thinking.

 

[musiclife]

Quote:

They have a fair amount. They are quite a boring average set of phones though. The dt770 is a better choice IMOuch better quality bass and crisp overall. The athm50 are quite muddy but they are decent if you have never heard good phones.

The dt990 also have been recommended in other threads. But then again in one review (of dt990 vs he400) the later was described has having much better bass, so its all price dependant. The m50 in their segment are great.

 

[Mani ATH 87]

The M50's benefit from an amp because the bass is bloated. It isn't overwhelming, but it bleeds into the mids somewhat, the sub bass has nice extension but the mid bass is a bit muddy. An amp tends to tighten up the mid bass on the M50's so that it has more punch and sounds a bit more natural. 

The M50's are a good headphone in my opinion, but they don't match well with classic rock. They will definitely perform better listening to McCartney with an amp.