[Wintersxx866]

So while I was on amazon yesterday I bought a pair of Pro700 mk2s but I also saw a pair of Pro500 mk2s I was planning on getting the girlfriend... I don't know why but the Pro500 mk2s seem to be neglected as I have found barely an reviews about the thing besides that its quite balanced unamped supposedly...  Anybody own these that can give me some clarification on bass, mids, highs and sound stage??

 

[Armaegis]

I only had a very brief listen to them once. My thoughts were like going from a Shure 840 to a 440. Less bass, so more balanced sound overall. Can't tell you much beyond that unfortunately.

 

[Wintersxx866]

Hmmm very interesting comparison... I guess I'll just have to wait and see if more reviews say these babies are worth the $100 price tag lol.  Thanks for the reply!

 

[PKPnytheta47]

I know I'm reviving an old (relatively) thread but I did want to give some feedback on these headphones as i was lucky enough to compare them to (at the same place):
 
1. ATH-M50
2. ATH-M50 S/LE
 
I would rank the three headphones in this order:
 
1. ATH-PRO500 MK2
2. ATH-M50
3. ATH-M50 S/LE
 
The worst of the bunch for me is the S/LE primarily because the highs on them were too harsh / too forward and drowned out the mids. It did offer very good bass but not as heavy as the M50. These headphones were not as burned in when I listened to them and it probably makes a slight difference so the sound signature should stay the same even if it was burned in.
 
The M50 on the other hand was the darkest sounding of the three above and had the most bass in terms of ooomph. The unit I was listening to had actually been burned in and the highs and mids sounded too far back with the bass the most forward. It's not really bad sounding but I wanted more detail in the high and mids which the M50 could not give.
 
The Pro500 Mk2 on the other hand gave a more balanced approach between the three of them and yet still gave pretty good bass, maybe not as heavy (the difference is very small compared to the M50) as the M50 but still plenty enough. The highs were nice and clear compared to the M50 and not as harsh or forward as the S/LE. The mids / vocals were as forward as the highs I felt while the low end was still heavy enough that they sounded good to the music I wanted to listen to when using these headphones. These headphones were also not as burned in as the M50 but they already sounded better IMHO.
 
Speaking of music I was using a Rockboxed Ipod 5.5 gen with a fiio E11 amp. I used the amp set to zero or basically as a pass through so I was using the wolfson dac of the unit. The files I listened to were all .flac files and the artists I listened to were (I spent a good 2.5 hours listening to these headphones):
 
1. Dr. Dre
2. Snoop
3. LL Cool J
4. Fugees
4. Linkin Park
5. A Perfect Circle
6. Foo Fighters
7. Pearl Jam
8. Tool
9. Infected Mushroom - House / Tarnce
10. Ghost in the Shell OST - House / Trance
 
I ended up buying the ATH-PRO500 MK2 and love it, I bought the red version and it looks sweet and sounds sweet!
 
EDIT: I bought these because I use Senns most of the time and wanted headphones with a little more low end to them. I know the soundstage doesn't even come close to the Senns, but with the type of music I use them for soundstage isn't something you look for.
 
I should write a review on these headphones but ever since I started noticing some bias in Head-Fi I haven't really checked on this site too much anymore. I drop by once in awhile to see how things are by lurking around the forums...hehehe

 

[sneddog]

can somone help me here. im looking at the m50s or pro500 mk2. is the difference in sound that big, what would you recommend 
cheers

 

[PKPnytheta47]

If you put them on one after the other the m50 will definitely sound darker versus the pro550mk2. I personally like the sound signature of the pro over the m50 since it's able to present mids better. Add the fact that you can swap out cables from coiled to straight as part of the package and it's a sure win.

 

[asadb1990]

I have tried the m50 and they are not really loud enough unamped on smart phones. that is to be expected since the impedence is higher for m50 than for pro500mk2

 

[Comebackboy]

Seems like many people are torn between the M50 and the PRO500MK2. Including me. I'm using the WS55 now and they hurt really badly so im looking at an upgrade. Since comfort was the problem, I'm concerned about the comfort of the PRO500MK2 since its more on-ear than over-ear. Is the comfort okay over a long period of time? Like how long could you wear these for before they start to hurt? The earpads look soft but I'm not sure. The detachable cable is a win for me but the comfort of the M50s are better since its over-ear. I've tried them both at a store and I personally like the PRO500MK2 better. It has better bass than the M50 but gives in a bit of clarity for that but its minimal. I was going to buy the M50s all along but then when I heard the PRO500MK2 it made me reconsider a lot. Plus I'm more of a on-the-go user and I don't do studio monitoring so the smaller build and the detachable cable is a huge win. Portability is a big consideration for me, but so is comfort. And that brings me back to how I'm torn between these 2 headphones. Anyone can give me suggestions or recommendations? 

 

[asadb1990]

I got them a few weeks ago, used them for 5-8hr a day atleast. I used to use mainly cheap earphones but then slowly upgraded to relatively cheap full size headphones and then to the pro500mk2. The earpads are sufficient. I can easily wear them for 2-3hrs straight before they start hurting just a tiny bit mainly due to the strong clamping force (which decreases somewhat after a few days use) and small earcups which go around the top of my ear but rest of my earlobes. One thing is that after a long session of using them I sometimes get a piercing feeling in my ear. But I listen using these on a galaxy note 2 and don't ever go past 50%. and they tend to sound better as the volume goes up with slight distortion at max volume. another thing to note is that the isolation is a little too good which I consider a plus when using these in a loud environment but your case may be different. Its a great value I would reccomend them to anyone who wants to spend 100-150 on headphones. the big bro to these the pro700mk2 are also a great option but they cost quite a bit more but they would fit better.

 

[Comebackboy]

Are there any more comfortable earpads that can replace the stock ones on the PRO500MK2?

 

[nway]

Are these pretty much out of the question for pairing with glasses? Likewise, has anyone found any velour replacements for the stock earpads? It seems like one of the smaller, circular Shure HPAECs might fit (amzn.com/B002Z9JWZS/), but I don't know. Also, has anyone found a hard case that fits it snugly enough that it won't be rattling around inside it? Its compact size is great for portability, but as far as I'm concerned, no case = no portability. Lastly, can any long-term users give their overall, retrospective impressions of whether this is worth $110, particularly considering it sells for $75 on Amazon.co.jp, and I just recently scored the M50s for $110?

 

[nway]

Just bought the black version on Amazon for $80. Reeeeeeeeally wanted the red version, but at $30 under than the red's lowest price (w/ Amazon fulfillment) and $45 under its current price (w/ Amazon fulfillment), I couldn't resist. At the very least, I can decide whether I like the Pro500mk2 enough to fork out the approx. $110 for the red version. Still hoping some long-term users can give more feedback on their experience with these cans, though...

 

[PKPnytheta47]

  Are these pretty much out of the question for pairing with glasses? Likewise, has anyone found any velour replacements for the stock earpads? It seems like one of the smaller, circular Shure HPAECs might fit (amzn.com/B002Z9JWZS/), but I don't know. Also, has anyone found a hard case that fits it snugly enough that it won't be rattling around inside it? Its compact size is great for portability, but as far as I'm concerned, no case = no portability. Lastly, can any long-term users give their overall, retrospective impressions of whether this is worth $110, particularly considering it sells for $75 on Amazon.co.jp, and I just recently scored the M50s for $110?

One of our members,i-me, mentioned that the HPAEC940 velour pads for the SRH940 headphones can be used for the ATH-M50 you scored. The link you gave has the 840 highlighted, choose the 940 and you get the velour pads which are more comfortable specially if you use glasses with them.
 
Here's the link to the post I was talking about --> click HERE (Look for post #303).
 
As for paying $110 dollars, you bet your bottom dollar it's worth it compared to other headphones in that price range (at least IMHO)!
 
I had the Pro500 Mk2 for awhile but my brother wanted them so bad, so I gave them to him and upgraded to Sennheiser Momentum's! More expensive but probably the best portable closed back phones I've ever come across!

 

[rumlyne]

I use the Pro500MK2 with 3rd party (brainwayz? brainwaze?) velour pads for the M50's. Not a very tight fit but as long as they don't fall off...

 

[DangerClose]

There have been a couple comments that the Pro500mk2 are rebranded HP700, or slightly bassier than HP700.  But I don't recall any posts where someone actually had both.  Has anyone actually had both?