[WhitePanda]

The best set of earphones I currently have are the JVC Marshmallows, so I don't think I'll be having any problems with the M50s being out-shined by anything.

 

[johan851]

 
Quote:

EDIT: ah..and as a general comparison i consider the M50 to be in the D5000 leage!

 
Wow, high praise.  I bought a pair of used K240 MKII's today, and I'm optimistic.  People seem to be pretty divided on those.  If I don't like them I'll give the M-50's a shot.

 

[plonter]

Quote:

My M50 should be here tomorrow. I'll A/B them with my Denon D1001. I might even pick up the Shure 840 from a local Head-Fi'er. Could they be the trilogy of (well) under $200 closed cans? Who's to say? It should be fun trying it out thought.

Congrats to you.

Peace,

I would like to read a direct comparoson between the M50 and the D1001.  i heard good things about the D1001 and maybe someday i will get myself a pair.

 

[WhitePanda]

gah.... I've been reading up on some other M50 buyers and it seems my previously thought to be good deal at $108 (shipped) isn't as good a deal as i thought.
For anyone else that's been thinking of buying these, go to
http://musicianstoybox.com/_product_76813/Audio_Technica_ATHM50_Professional_Headphones
and use the code MTB0310 for 10% off the price. Shipping is free for US. That would make the final price $89.99, enjoy!

 

[blackzarg]

I have both pairs, but the M50 is definitely the winner in all sound aspects with very good clarity and bass response/cleanliness. The soundstage is comparable, but the D1001 sounds veiled and muffled compared to the M50. The D1001 is more comfortable to wear (looser fit), though, but it doesn't isolate noise as well.
 
I'm selling my pair of D1001's since I rarely use them. I got them to try as well =) I hate to go into mob mentality, but the M50 is a really good pair of phones. I really enjoyed the Sony V6, but they sound thin compared to the M50 - Taylor Swift sounds horrible with the V6.
 
Quote:

I would like to read a direct comparoson between the M50 and the D1001.  i heard good things about the D1001 and maybe someday i will get myself a pair.

 

[plonter]

ok..do you found the M50 to be better in both bas and treble?  the shure DJ750 is also a candidate of mine.

 

[baka1969]

Quote:
Originally Posted by plonter  


" I would like to read a direct comparoson between the M50 and the D1001.  i heard good things about the D1001 and maybe someday i will get myself a pair."

They should be here today, I'll give you an idea tonight with an A/B. Both out of my main rig and straight from my iPod. If you have a list of songs you like, hopefully I'll have at least one that I can use for comparison for you.

Peace,

Ross

 

[baka1969]

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackzarg  
" [snip]...D1001 sounds veiled and muffled compared to the M50. The D1001 is more comfortable to wear ( looser fit), though, but it doesn't isolate noise as well...[snip]"

I agree with them sounding a bit veiled and muffled. I also feel the bass is a bit bloated. I try to be fair because I don't want to compare a D1001 with the HE-5LE. That's why I got the M50. They are comfortable and I like the fact that they don't isolate too well because I can hear other people if they need my attention. If I need better isolation I use my RE0.

I hope the M50 is an improvement though. The one thing I'm not interested in though is for them to be even more bass heavy than the D1001.

 

[blackzarg]

Looking forward to your impressions! The M50 has very good bass extension, and yes, it is slightly exaggerated, but the bass output is very clean (IMO).
 
Just a clarification - the isolation statement was regarding the D1001. M50 Isolation > D1001 Isolation.
 
Quote:

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackzarg  
" [snip]...D1001 sounds veiled and muffled compared to the M50. The D1001 is more comfortable to wear ( looser fit), though, but it doesn't isolate noise as well...[snip]"

I agree with them sounding a bit veiled and muffled. I also feel the bass is a bit bloated. I try to be fair because I don't want to compare a D1001 with the HE-5LE. That's why I got the M50. They are comfortable and I like the fact that they don't isolate too well because I can hear other people if they need my attention. If I need better isolation I use my RE0.

I hope the M50 is an improvement though. The one thing I'm not interested in though is for them to be even more bass heavy than the D1001.

 

[baka1969]

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackzarg  
" Looking forward to your impressions! The M50 has very good bass extension, and yes, it is slightly exaggerated, but the bass output is very clean (IMO).
Just a clarification - the isolation statement was regarding the D1001. M50 Isolation > D1001 Isolation."

I think the interesting test will be having the Denon, AT, and Shure together and see how they compare with each other out of the sources and amps I have. I think with the three amps, two DACs (using the iBasso) and laptop and iPod I have numerous combinations I can try. LoL

 

[mhcarlos]

Here's some random impressions so far. Almost two days of burn-in for my M50 right now. It tamed the bass a bit. I thought the bass was a bit bloated out-of-the-box, then again I'm used to the Ety's. I like the mids.
 
Compared to:
 
1. Grado SR225 and SR60 -- I still like the bass on the Grados (especially the 225). It's more tight and controlled.
2. Ety ER4P -- The ER4P's isolate better being canal phones, of course, but the M50s isolate well enough in my everyday subway commute. I'm trying to alternate it with my Etys
 
Using the M50 with my SR-71 amp really improves it though (makes the bass tighter and brings our the upper ranges, improves sound separation) but I guess that's to be expected. Using an amp, I detect much more improvement with the M50 than I do with the Grados, the Etys and the Koss KSC-35, so I guess these cans really benefit from an amp. On the road, I just listen directly from my iPod though.
 
Compared to my other cans, the sound is a bit veiled and muffled. I hope it improves after 100 hours or so of burn-in. Regardless, I like the sound as it is right now and I think it will serve its purpose for me (i.e. an alternative to the Etys for commuting). 

 

[baka1969]

I just got home and opened the box with the M50. I got them from a fellow Head-Fi'er with some, but not many hours on them. When I put them on and plugged them straight into my iPod, I put on Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" and the first thought I had was the bass is the most prominent part of the song. Much more so than with the Denon. The Bass on both wouldn't be called as tight. Both the Denon and M50 are a bit boomy. Another thing I noticed was the highs are more rolled off than on the Denon. By more than a little. I played Marley, Nirvana and Boston. Boston's intro from "Foreplay/ Long Time" is a good test for the upper frequencies.

Because of the M50's bass being much stronger and the highs more rolled off, the Denon is more balanced overall. This isn't to say that the D1001 is a balanced 'phone, it's not. Compared to the M50 though, it is.

The M50 is also bigger and heavier than the Denon. The comfort edge goes to the Denon. And even though the M50 folds up, they don't seem to be that much, if any, more convenient to tote around.

The M50 does, so far, bests the Denon in several key areas. Clarity is much better on the M50 than it is on the Denon. Soundstage is also superior from the M50. The Denon sounds more claustraphobic. I won't be confusing the M50 for an open can though. The mids are a little better on the M50 to me so far, even if the bass does intrude on them to some degree. IMHO, if it matters to anyone, I think the M50 looks better.

Which one is a better headphone will depend if you are a basshead or not. Or how much the more veiled Denon means to you. I, myself, am not a basshead. I'll give the M50 some more time to see though.

I think I'd like to try the Shure 840 and see how it compares to both of them.

More impressions later.

 

[WhitePanda]

I just got my M50s this morning, and have been burning them in. They don't sound as bad as people have been reporting out of the box, but definitely not as good as reported after hours of burn in.
But sadly, the place I ordered from mistakenly gave me the coiled version instead of the straight cabled version.... I don't know whether I should keep it or not. I've actually been thinking about which one would better suit my need. When I was ordering mine, the cabled version were $15 more so I opted for the straight cable, and also because I didn't want to have to deal with a tangled coil (like what happens to old telephones after use). But then again, I can imagine how annoying it can get to lug around 10 feet of cable just hanging off your headphones.
I plan on taking this on a plane ride so the coiled cable will come in handy for that. I won't be using these for commuting but rather at home or my dorm in college.

 

[shane55]

@ WhitePanda. I wish I had the coiled cable. With what I use these for, the 10' cord is just too much. No biggie, I just roll it and that's that.
 
@ baka1969.  The SRH-840 are great sounding cans. They are far more neutral ('natural'?) than the M50. They have much less bass and might appear 'thin'. That said, I really liked their overall sound. While not as 'fun' as the M50's, for me they are great monitors as they seem kind of flat in comparison.
 
Unfortunately I never had them long enough to burn them in. My guess is that they would loosten up quite a bit and be an even better HP than what I heard... but the weight and lack of headband padding made them unwareable. I was sorry to see them go...
 
shane

 

[HariBhushan]

I was thinking about selling my DT880/DT990 (both 600ohm) and my woo audio 3 and just get the Audio Technica ATH-m50 with something that has a built in Dac/amp like the Zero or the Musiland Monitor 02 US.
 
do you guys think i should do it? I really wanted to like the Beyers, but i found their treble a bit too much for me + I don't really think I'm that big of an audiophile, i just like something to sound decent with a good bass response system. I know It'll be a downgrade, but what are your guys thoughts?