[Eric_C]

Quote:

i read your review. did you realise these headphones are designed for mixing/monitoring in a studio environment? which mite explain the recessed mids. You should get a generally flat response across the board

Do you realise you just necro'd an 11 months old thread?
I'm not sure I understand your point--how are "recessed mids" in line with "a generally flat response across the board"?

 

[Megane]

Hello, head hi fi friends! I bought Audio Technica ath m50 just one week ago, and i'd like to share my two cents about them. I'm italian, so i hope my english is understandable

I can't call myself a true audiophile, 'cause i only have some good in-ear like Head Direct R0, Shure SE530 and recently some Brainwarz m2 and m4. I usually listen to music with my Toshiba laptop, a good old Cowon D2 and a Sansa clip+ rockboxed and coupled with Fiio E6, so nothing really hi-end. However, i wanted to try some more "big" headphones, and i began to search for a good model without spending too much. Finally i decided for Audio Technica, thanks to the many enthusiastic reviews around the web. I was particularly eager to listen the "full, punchy bass" and the "crystal clear highs", so i ordered one on Amazon.
Well.. after a week, and some burn-in (about 50 hours with white, pink noise and various music), i have to say i'm rather disappointed. Highs are good, crisp (but ok, i was not so surprised because R0 are more or less on the same level), mids are slightly recessed but it's not a problem, i like a v-shaped sound... problem is the bass. Yes, the so much praised bass, simply i can't find them. Where are they? At first, i thought it was a problem of burn-in, so i let them play many hours, and i tried again. But, for my ears, the Brainwarz m2 deliver overall better bass. Yes i know, these are monitor eadphones, supposed to give a more flat response, not coloured, but i simply can't find the BOOOM BOOOM described in the review. On my laptop i moved continuously from Audio Technica to m2, while i listened to rock, metal and also some dance music (which i don't like, but just for experiment), but with metallica, Maiden, Slayer and so on i always received the same impression: Audio Technica seems to me rather "thin". Very clear, very detailed, but in some way metallic and missing in presence. Overall, they seem like a bigger version of R0, with a very similar crispy responce but with the same problem of bass lacking. I'm not a basshead, but like very much a precise and dry TUMP, and here the bass is in someway muddy, i hear more vibration than a precise impact and on fast track the result is a confusing sound. My AT are however absolutely original, purchased on a trusted Amazon shop so i don't know what to think, seriously. Perhaps some reviews are too hyped, but other are written by very competent people and ALL praise the good bass quality, so the problem is evidently me, or my AT have some problems. I'll continue to listen, but if something doesn't change i think i'll refund them, 150 euro are too much for this result.

 

[MusicLover1107]

Yea so uh...... what kind of players would you recommend for the m50's. Would high quality players make improvements on the sound in headphones because it didn't sound too good on my phone(samsung galaxy s2) and when i played it on my mp3(Philips Go-GearVibe) there was a huge change.

 

[sezium]

i was talking rubbish by the looks of it
 

 

[sezium]

i use these when i am mixing at the studio. robust and accurate

 

[andreamang]

Hello guys ...
I'm looking for a headset to listen to house and trance in my house 90% of the time ... the ATH-M50 is a good headset? Better XB500 Sony or JVC HA-S500?
Now Creative Aurvana Live + FiiO E10 ... great sound but have little bass trance and house ...
thanks

 

[NakedLunch888]

Need advice urgently - made this account just to ask this.
 
Ordering headphones TONIGHT so need replies
 
Do I get:
Audio Technica ATH-M50s
V-Moda Crossfade LP2s
V-Moda Crossfade M80s
AKG K550s
Sennheiser HD25-1 IIs
 
I listen to many genres of music, but primarily Jazz and Electronic stuff.
I appreciate good, clear punchy bass which doesn't bleed, but also need a well-rounded and precise sound to accommodate for Classical music and other genres which call for this.
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[loveleif]

Just ordered a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50 Limited Edition! Right now, I own a pair of Sennheiser HD428's, so I am really excited to hear the SQ!

 

[Bonavon Vovo]

I have both the HD 280 Pro and the ATH-M50 and should receive a set of HD 380's in a few days which I will include in this comparison once I have given them some time.
 
I collect a large range of music, I listen to rock, metal, rap, electronica, ambient, jazz, blues, reggae.........honestly, you name it, within reason, if it is good quality, I will listen to it.
 
I would also like to add that there are 2 ways I like to appreciate music, 1) To listen to songs that I love and connect with 2) I enjoy analyzing the audio engineering of the tracks and how well they have been recorded, mixed etc. So I have music in my collection that i listen to for reasons 1, 2 or both. Both of these headphones give me enjoyment in both of the ways I listen to music.
 
Let me start by saying the 280's and M50's are both good headphones but both have their flaws. Here's how I hear them:
 
HD280 Pro - Owned for 2-3 years
Great clarity in the mids particularly around vocals and snare type sounds, sometimes a little too pronounced. Excellent sub bass, maybe slightly light on the mid bass. There is a good quantity of bass too but not only is there a good quantity of it, it is very detailed, instruments like bass guitard retain their "twang" rather than just sounding boomy (Not a basshead headphone though). They have good instrument separation in the bass to mid range. A little lacking in treble. Small soundstage, very inside your head sounding. A very balanced analytical headphone that will shine with good recordings and show off poor ones. Quite a dry sound. I feel that everything is pretty close to where it should be. I like these. They have changed substantially for the better with time and now have many hours on them, I use these almost every day.
 
ATH-M50 - Owned for ~6 months
These are almost the opposite set of headphones to the HD280,
Recessed mids makes vocals sound more distant and takes a little more effort to pick out of the mix. I think the recessed mids also remove alot of the strength or impact from the music, eg. Drums have less impact, bass guitars have less twang, distorted/overdriven guitars have less texture. The bass is also the opposite to the 280's, They seem to lack true sub bass in place of slightly exaggerated mid bass, along with less definition. Their bass can sound a bit boomy and flabby at times (I don't feel that I would recommend these to bassheads either, even though they have more bass than the HD280, the quality, lack of sub bass and definition lets them down). This also results in poor instrument separation in the bass to mid range, can be quite messy at times. Where the M50's do well is in the treble range. Nice clear treble with good separation and little harshness. Their soundstage is better too, things sound like they are being projected to you from a bit further away and a little more directional. Nice decay on reverb effects. The M50 probably makes you feel more involved with the music. With such a low impedance they are driven nicely by my iPhone 4s. With such a V shaped response curve they can be quite fatiguing after a while. I am undecided about the ATH-M50, They are by no means a bad heaphone and certainly have their place, they can bring recordings of lesser quality to life, but i do find myself getting bothered by them at times. I definately feel that they are overhyped.
 
Both are comfortable but to me the HD280 are more comforable. They do grip quite hard, however they make me sweat less than the ATH-M50 and the tight grip means i have to readjust them less than the ATH-M50's while doing things around the house. The 280's being lighter also makes them more comfortable than the M50 but probably impacts on their durability. Both headphones have travelled with me and neither has broken yet. I think the M50 has a better build quality though.
 
Neither benefit extremely from amplification but both have a small amount of improvement. Amp is not really essential for either of these.
 
It is hard to recommend one of these over the other because they both have their place for me and because of the amount of different music I listen to. All I can say is that I am not really biased toward either and I hope the comparison I have given can help aid in your decision making process when buying either of these headphones.

 

 

[NakedLunch888]

Hmmm.

 

[burgundy22]

Nice reviews.......how would these compare to the v moda m100's, akg k550s, and the beyerdynamic custom one pros?? I know I just listed a lot of phones to compare them to haha but if anyone could help me out that would be greatly appreciated since I narrowed down my choices to those three but recently saw a review saying these cans are better than the beyerdynamic's. 

 

[TheGame]

Awesome and informative review - thanks!

 

[Onyx715]

This review is actually really accurate. I accidentally damaged my M50s cause I was playing them too loudly during the 'burn in' time so they crackle at points during the song so I'm definitely going to replacing these guys by summer of 2014 with Sennheisers or something a step up. 

 

[Don Lehrer]

Here are my ATH M50

I used them as my portable cans (together with Sennheiser HD25)

 

[kartoonz]

I will be ordering these shortly. I want to know if they will sound good for psy/Goa trance, commercial trance & dubstep genres?