[mystaku]

So I recently bought a pair of ATH M50 and what irks me is that I do not notice much of an improvement over my previously owned $40 Sennheiser HD203. So I was thinking of buying the Fiio E10 to connect it to my laptop.
 
My laptop is equipped with a IDT HD sound card and the sound quality is just 'Okay' i guess. However, like I mentioned I do not find much improvements(Other than tighter and punchier bass) over my Sennheiser HD 203 so I do not really know what I'm missing out on.
 
Please help me out! What're your thoughts on the Fiio E10 + M50? 

 

[Bill-P]

Depending on the music, you may not find much improvement there.
 
If you are listening to FLAC, then maybe there will be some improvement. Just don't expect miracles.

 

[mystaku]

 
Quote:

Depending on the music, you may not find much improvement there.
 
If you are listening to FLAC, then maybe there will be some improvement. Just don't expect miracles.

 
Even when my source is a pretty mediocre on-board sound card? 
And like i already said I do not notice much of an improvement over my previously owned Senn HD203 (which cost just $40) and if you're saying I'm not going to notice much improvement by using the E10, so does that mean the M50s are totally worthless?
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
If your source material is already flawless and of high quality, then nothing will change beyond the headphone. Changing your DAC/AMP will not make the M50 do anything. The M50 doesn't need an amp. The E10 will not improve anything. You may notice a cleaner sound, but nothing else basically. I think you just fell into the M50 hype, as it's a very mediocre headphone that received way too much attention. To me, the M50 are not worth much, but they are built like tanks, making them useful as a portable or truly used as an event DJ headphone. Pretty much bunk to me for home casual listening.

I would regroup your budget, get rid of the M50, and prepare for a serious headphone purchase (and include a Fiio E10 perhaps to get off your laptop's audio solution too). Form a budget.
 
Very best,

 

[Bill-P]

 
Quote:

 
Even when my source is a pretty mediocre on-board sound card? 
And like i already said I do not notice much of an improvement over my previously owned Senn HD203 (which cost just $40) and if you're saying I'm not going to notice much improvement by using the E10, so does that mean the M50s are totally worthless?
 

 
With my M50, I find that its sound signature varies greatly depending on who is listening to it. To me, with my relatively medium size ears, they sound about right. But to some other people I know with bigger or more extruding ears, they sound very closed-in. That's something to take into account.
 
And also your laptop's DAC isn't much of a factor, but your music quality is. Typically, I find that the M50 sucks a lot with pop/rock/indie. It does awesome with classical/electronic/jazz/r&b or otherwise generally music that is not too busy.
 
Another factor is that the sonic performance of the M50 seems to vary. You can be lucky and get one that sounds really good, or you can get one that's about acceptable. That's a true story as I have experienced it.
 
Not to dismiss it as being completely useless, since I can tell you that I enjoy my pair even more than my dad's DT880, but just to say, I agree that there are some M50s that don't perform that well.

 

[Sniperbombers]

did you buy your m50's at a retailed seller? because i do know there have been sites selling *fake m50's* for around 40 dollars. I've seen people buy them too.

 

[sinphase]

I had the HD202 and then bought the m50s, at first I didn't notice a difference and felt ripped off, but over time I began to notice that my m50s had a cleaner more precise sound. I started hearing nuances that I couldn't here before, like better highs and more thump in the bass. That being said these changes we're usually very subtle.
 
I have the e7/9 that I use with my m50s and I barely notice a difference just by using the e7, so I don't think you should get the e10.  
 
I started auditioning other headphones at a  local store, and I definitely heard a difference between my m50s and a lot of the headphones in the $300+ price range. I'm getting the HD650 and I sort of wish I had skipped the m50s. 
 
The advice I give to most people these days, if they're serious about their listening experience is to skip the headphones in the $150 and go straight into the $300. 
 
Anyways, best of luck.

 

[rhodan818]

building a collection is half the fun ^_^

 

[Cityscapego]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill-P /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Typically, I find that the M50 sucks a lot with pop/rock/indie. It does awesome with classical/electronic/jazz/r&b or otherwise generally music that is not too busy.

I can back this up. I would agree completely that the M50's benefit from more sparse/detailed songs than those indie/rock songs that grumble through sub-par recording (don't get me wrong I love indie and rock) and which have bass and guitar fighting for dominance with the drums- i.e messy music in general. I think the reason might be the overpowering bass - Iove the bass, but with music like this it does seem to make things a little obfuscated.
 
Quote:

building a collection is half the fun ^_^

I would definitely agree! I started out with Kitsound headphones for like 30$, now I've got the M50's (both closed cans) and the next phones I'm going to break the bank on are the HD650's (I really want both an upgrade and open cans) and, eventually, when I'm feeling financially masochistic the HD800's. Just having and planning a collection gives me a lot of joy personally.

 

[kiteki]

-

 

[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

Another factor is that the sonic performance of the M50 seems to vary. You can be lucky and get one that sounds really good, or you can get one that's about acceptable. That's a true story as I have experienced it.
 

 
That would explain a lot. Some seem to think it is a good headphone and some seem to think it's boring.
 
My M50s were not that far from my D2000 or Pro 900 sound quality wise, as per my preferences, so maybe I just got a very good pair? The kinds of music where I actually almost always preferred the M50s over the D2000 are synthwave, synthpop, electropop and the likes. The M50s did a good job at rendering the sounds of different synths.
 
As for the question: when I tried the M50s with the E10, I didn't notice any improvements over trying it from my soundcard to my integrated amp. I did notice a difference when trying it from my E11 when compared to my Sony A828. So, they do sound a bit better with amping, however, the difference will not be night and day. In fact, when someone on head-fi says "the difference is significant ..." or "X is much better than Y ..." you'll soon find out that it often means little to nothing.

 

[mystaku]

Thank you everyone for your replies  

 

[abcd2jg]

it depends on who listens to the music.....if you are new like me, your ears are just under-trained....It takes time 
 
Besides, it depends on so many things....