[Papertowels]

Hey guys, I've been lurking the forums for a while, being a poor audiophile who can do nothing but make the most out of my HD202's, but I've decided to plunk down roughly a hundred for a decent set of cans.  After endlessly poring over the forums, I've pretty much decided on the M50, but I was wondering if there's any real difference between the M50 and M50s.  does straight cut cable offer any advantage over the coiled one?  

It would be awesome if anyone just happens to be selling these
Also, are there any other suggestions for headphones around a hundred dollars?
 
Thanks! 

EDIT: Oh, and as for sound source, would a sansa clip suffice?  

 

[wdahm519]

Nope.
 
As a former AT M50 owner and a current Shure SRH840 owner, I would highly recommend getting the SRH840's if you can afford them.  Just picked up a pair for $100 shipped used in mint condition with all the original stuff (box, bag, spare pads, cable, manual, etc.).  They're significantly more neutral and detailed than the M50's. 
 
But hey, if you've got your heart set on a pair of M50's, they're also a good pair of headphones.
 
What kind of files do you have on your Sansa clip?  Better headphones will reveal bad quality files much more than standard $20 headphones will.  You might want to consider a source that can handle lossless files like FLAC, or Apple Lossless as a source.  I'm not sure if yours can.

 

[Papertowels]

unfortunately most of my music collection is composed of MP3;[
I rockbox-ed the sansa, so it should be able to handle flac
Problem is, I have no clue where to get songs in flac.  Do music labels release songs in flac format?  

 

[BRSxIgnition]

I would also recommend the 840's, but only if you don't plan to use them portably. The M50's are much better in this regard since they fold up and fold down (The cups flat on your upper chest when around your neck).
 
The 840's are only slightly more detailed to my ears, and the M50's have a more 'fun' sound signature. 840's are more analytical. If I had to choose one for home listening only, 840's. But for all around, M50's.

 

[ziweiwu]

m50 is better all arounder . very good for portable too. and it looks like good on your head as well. give it a try. i say get coil version . I have straight version myself, but cable is 3 meter long its alright u know how to loop it properly.

 

[LizardKing1]

It is seriously annoying when the OP specifically states he has his mind set on a model, and the first few replies he gets are recommending something else. If he chose the M50 he obviously wants a more colored sound than the SRH840 can offer, and that's not why he created the thread.
 
I don't know if the model has any difference in connectors or cable quality, but I doubt it that if nothing else changes, the cable can change the sound quality. Of course you have to consider magnetic interferences when dealing with cables, and I suppose a coiled cable would increase those, but it still isn't a reason to chose one or the other, since a straight cable also has magnetic interference (and only braided cable can cancel that out).
 
The coiled cable, for me at least, feels like I'm carrying a hose around. It's big and messy, and sticks out of your pocket weighing down, and you can't fit it very well with your wallet. I don't know if you ever used a coiled cable, but if not please try to since the opinions may vary a lot on this subjective matter.

 

[juman231]

I personally got the coiled version since I didn't know how I'd be able to handle 10 feet of wire (ath-m50s) inside of my pocket...

 

[ssavage]

coiled

 

[jlopes89]

 
[size=medium]

Just saw that New ATH-M50s are available on ebay starting at $109 through US sellers. Though they may be questionable as "fakes", one dealer claims to be an authorized dealer and is selling them for $119, not a bad price if you want to consider the extra money as insurance.
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[/size]

 

[Borgbox]

got my coiled through scitscat.com... i would not be able to handle 3m of uncoiled cable around campus.

 

[Speedv1]

Straight cable vs. coiled is a personal choice. That's really all it comes down to.
 
I will mention though that a few eBay sellers are selling the straight cables one for good prices (~$120), but don't actually have any in stock. I ordered one from one seller and was notified 2 weeks later that they were on backorder and that I "should know already" - I didn't. I was offered the coiled version, but don't really like coiled cables - I'd prefer to make my own cable at the specific length I want - so I canceled that order.
 
But yeah, it's just an opinion for you - I was planning on simply tying up the extra cable of the straight version with a tie-strap or something.
 
 
And I'm sure that your clip would be fine with these - like there are no doubt better combinations, but in general the difference won't be huge.

 

[jononku]

I say go for the coiled if your main use will be portable.  I've got the straight cable on my m30's, and I found them a pain to keep looped up.  I do still use the m50's while on the couch and connected to my home rig, the cable stretches to a decent length.

 

[ThumperSD]

The coiled version is the perfect length for me when using it with my DAC or ipod. If you need something long, get the straight version. I believe it extends 10ft.