etb513
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2010
- Posts
- 11
- Likes
- 10
Hi all,
I came to this forum back in 2010 asking for advice on headphones and received a lot of great advice and ended up purchasing the Audio Technica ATH-M50 set. It was a great purchase and the phones are still quite functional even five years later, but they're starting to show their age in terms of wear and tear on the cable and headband (I've also replaced the earpads twice). I'm thinking it's about time to look into getting a new pair.
I could probably just buy another M50 or M50x set and be content, but I'd like to take the opportunity to explore and perhaps move on to a slightly more expensive mid-range pair, and hopefully one that can address some of my issues with the M50. So, in brief, below is what I'm looking for. I'm flexible on any of these points if there's an exceptional pair that doesn't quite match everything.
- Closed circumaural cans. This is purely out of concern for leakage - I'll sometimes use these in public places and I don't want to bother people.
- Relatively flat frequency response. While I mostly will use these for casual music listening, I do record/produce as a hobby, so something a touch flatter than the M50 might be good. That being said...
- Good bass extension. I love the M50 for this and enjoy my bass, provided it's not overwhelming/fatiguing.
- Low-to-mid input impedance. I don't want to have to worry about what's driving them too much.
- Comfortable. This is my biggest issue with the M50. They took forever to loosen up and the pads aren't great; I swapped them out for velour pads.
- Preferably around the $200 to $300 range (or lower, if appropriate).
If my music preferences are of any impact, I listen to a little of everything, but mostly rock and electronica. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Also, totally off-topic - anyone know of a good community like Head-Fi where I could get advice on speakers?
Thanks,
Ethan
I came to this forum back in 2010 asking for advice on headphones and received a lot of great advice and ended up purchasing the Audio Technica ATH-M50 set. It was a great purchase and the phones are still quite functional even five years later, but they're starting to show their age in terms of wear and tear on the cable and headband (I've also replaced the earpads twice). I'm thinking it's about time to look into getting a new pair.
I could probably just buy another M50 or M50x set and be content, but I'd like to take the opportunity to explore and perhaps move on to a slightly more expensive mid-range pair, and hopefully one that can address some of my issues with the M50. So, in brief, below is what I'm looking for. I'm flexible on any of these points if there's an exceptional pair that doesn't quite match everything.
- Closed circumaural cans. This is purely out of concern for leakage - I'll sometimes use these in public places and I don't want to bother people.
- Relatively flat frequency response. While I mostly will use these for casual music listening, I do record/produce as a hobby, so something a touch flatter than the M50 might be good. That being said...
- Good bass extension. I love the M50 for this and enjoy my bass, provided it's not overwhelming/fatiguing.
- Low-to-mid input impedance. I don't want to have to worry about what's driving them too much.
- Comfortable. This is my biggest issue with the M50. They took forever to loosen up and the pads aren't great; I swapped them out for velour pads.
- Preferably around the $200 to $300 range (or lower, if appropriate).
If my music preferences are of any impact, I listen to a little of everything, but mostly rock and electronica. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Also, totally off-topic - anyone know of a good community like Head-Fi where I could get advice on speakers?
Thanks,
Ethan