[gr34td3str0y3r]

Are the ATH-M50 different enough from the M-100s? 
I would like some different/better sounding cans. 
I just got my M-100s, ODAC, and O2 amp. I am in love btw. People say I didn't need the amp with the M-100s...
Need, maybe not, but these baby punch much better with the O2. 
ANYWAY. I live in Japan the ATH-M50 are at a great price right now. 
I do not mind throwing down the 100 bucks cash for these cans if they offer something. 
AT just came out with a huge line of IEMs and I am thinking of picking up the ATH-IM02. 
Should I save the 100 bucks for something else? I have my ears on so many other cans. 
AKG 701. AKG 550, dt 770, etc, etc, 
 
anyway. have the m-100s. should I save my cash for different cans, or pick up the ATH-M50 at 100 bucks? 
 
 
 
​

 

[gamefreak054]

Save the money. I heard that the M100s are supposed to be better than the M50s. Either way I do not think you are going to get that different of a phone if you were to buy the M50s as I think they have a similar sound sig. I know my M80s and M50s did. On top of that $98 is not that great of a deal (at least from what I have seen. 

 

[gr34td3str0y3r]

Yeah. That is what I was thinking.
 
What do you think I should do to take this hobby to the next level. 
 
Right now the m-100s fits all my needs. I am using them at home for gaming (astro amp) and music through my behringer uca202. 
 
I bought the O2 and ODAC for work. I figured the ath-im02 would work well at work and something else I could travel with and should offer a decent contrast to my M-100s. 
 
At work I need closed back or IEM. The UE TrippleFi are an option but from what I have read from the Head-fi write up, the ath-im02 are probably the better buy for the cash.
 
Right now I hauling my m-100s from work to home everyday. It fits all my needs. but I would love a set of cans for every place ever need. 
home;music, 
home;gaming
work; music
travel; music. 

 

[Claritas]

No, they're not different enough. If you're happy with M100, stick with it and buy something else instead.
 
Regarding your next move, I listen to different music so there are more knowledgeable members to advise you. It sounds as if you might want an open model for gaming though.
 
I don't know which head-fi write up you're referring to, but most head-fi write ups accentuate the positive. (I'm referring to front page stories and seasonal guides. Look at joker's website for detailed IEM reviews. Pay close attention the the category "microphonic," as you don't want a good-sounding pair that's ruined for you because it uses bad cables.

 

[gamefreak054]

  Yeah. That is what I was thinking.
 
What do you think I should do to take this hobby to the next level. 
 
Right now the m-100s fits all my needs. I am using them at home for gaming (astro amp) and music through my behringer uca202. 
 
I bought the O2 and ODAC for work. I figured the ath-im02 would work well at work and something else I could travel with and should offer a decent contrast to my M-100s. 
 
At work I need closed back or IEM. The UE TrippleFi are an option but from what I have read from the Head-fi write up, the ath-im02 are probably the better buy for the cash.
 
Right now I hauling my m-100s from work to home everyday. It fits all my needs. but I would love a set of cans for every place ever need. 
home;music, 
home;gaming
work; music
travel; music. 

Hard to say what your next step would be because I do not know your budget. Strictly talking about full size cans personally I think the biggest but cost effective upgrade headphone is going to be in the $200-$300. If I were you I would gravitate towards the Momentums, Mad Dogs (requires a powerful portable amp like the e12 for on the go, but I loved mine), AKG K550s, and probably the sony mdr1 (or whatever they are called, kind of tired to recall atm). If you would be willing to sacrifice some functionality of work (if you work in a office) or public traveling I would also gravitate towards choosing these headphones as well Fidellio X1, AKG Q701, modified grados (if you are a DIY person), and maybe the HE400s used on a stretched budget. 
 
I have not heard half of what I listened, but those would be headphones I would check out if I were in your position. I know I looked them up before. I would try to avoid side grade headphones. I owned a couple of side grade headphones at one time, and they mostly sat there as I had one better headphone that made the others useless. To me the M50s would be too much of a side grade or even a down grade to some. M100 and M50 both have a lot of the same functionality, but going from one to the other really is not a huge step in SQ.
 
I am not much of an IEM person so I can not recommend any of those. I do own a pair of Westone 2s for running and as a back up headphone. I am happy with those but they are a flatter sound than some people like their IEM to be.

 

[Funambulistic]

^This - I could not have said it any better.

 

[gr34td3str0y3r]

thanks for the advice. Just want to say I love this site. You guys are great at not making people feel stupid or less than human, basically like the rest of the internet. 
 
You all just re-affirmed what I was already thinking. 
 
I have my eyes on the q-701s, DT-990-Pro-250, he-400, and a few others. 
 
To be honest I think I am going to pick up a pair of the IEMs I mentioned earlier.
 
I want some nice open back, but I do mostly gaming at home. I think buying a open set just for home would be a waste right now. After buying the m-100s I have already gotten back into music (like it was back in college) so maybe down the road I will get a amp/dac for home music use or get a nice sound card (then nice open back cans). 
 
btw you should check out the write up I was talking about. it was front page here on head-fi
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/705687/review-of-audio-technica-ath-im01-ath-im02-ath-im03-ath-im04-ath-im50-ath-im70
 

(to be honest I just bought a car 3 weeks ago, my bike died 6 months ago and need to get another one soon, and I am looking into going for my phd in a 1 or 2 years. This is the ******* worse hobby I could have chosen to get into but so glad I did)