Help with ATH-M50's

[xtac]

I had to return them, way to heavy for me, and the sound didn' get that much better if anything, overall I'm still a newbie to these cans, but I'll try a few more and follow up

 

[JGOelfke]

I debated over the Shure SRH 840, ATH-M50, and the Beyerdynamic DT770 - 32 Ohm version for a long time, and eventually went with the DT770. I have heard from multiple sources that the M50's were incredibly boomy and bass heavy, which I cannot stand in a headphone. At first listen, the DT770 seem to have VERY minimal bass, but after I burned them in for about 20 hours or so, the bass really came alive. It isn't a "boomy" bass at all; has a very crisp, balanced, full bass sound that balances very well with the mids and highs, which are also surprisingly crisp for the price of the DT770s ($193 online). My only gripe so far about the DT770s is that they need a little extra amping to really have a full, dynamic sound at a lower-than-listening level volume. Otherwise, I could not be more happy. They isolate very well, are very lightweight, and the velour pads are very comfortable.

 

[audire]

xtac,
 
I may suggest. since it's newly bought, it is quite a bit mint in its condition. the sound? you have to burn-in the cans for 50-100 hours, to let its potentiality comes out, it's like give life to your frankenstien. This is what i did for my m50. it's durable, can be brought outside. Believe in listening, always listening.

 

[xtac]

I did burn them in, saw no big difference. I bought the beats PRO and honestly they sound amazing to me. Right off the bat they sounded much better. 
 
I also bought the 595's, studio, solo HD's im going to try them all and see which one i like the best
 
So far the PRO's are much better than the m50's but the price $434 is way to much for me to keep them.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

My personnel opinion is that m50's are extremely over hyped on head-fi. Most people recommending the m50's are new to the scene and have not experienced a range of other phones hence gushing over their new m50's, which has caused a craze for them... I could think of several other closed phones I would rather have for the price.

 

[dirkpitt45]

Most of the hype came from they were $110. They were my first real headphones and I don't think they're over-rated at all. It's just personal preference. I also don't think they're overly bassy, warm, musical sounding for sure, and maybe a bit boomy straight from a pc. Though after spending time with dba-02s I wouldn't pay over 180 for the m50s. If you got them cheap or a used pair they are very good bang/buck headphones.
 
I have ms1s, dba-02s currently, along hd600s on a truck heading this way!

 

[EpicE]

I'm a headphone noob researching the M50s.
This thread was helpful.

 

[desolateplanet]

You are not doing anything wrong! Most of the people on hear only like treble and they hate bass when it competes with that.... so most of these idiots think the ATH-M50s sound good..............but they SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO bass and highs suck with no definition............. Sorry man emperor's new clothes..

 

[shane55]

 

[JGOelfke]

In my earlier post I apparently left out my opinion when I heard the M50s. I agree with everyone else so far...they sounded terrible. Very sloppy, muddy bass that just overpowered everything else. They are very overrated, especially when you can get something so much better for the same (or a little bit higher) price.

 

[MythNoob]

50 hrs burn in and making sure you get the cleanest signal to them as possible are going to help, i use a usb dac when playing files from my laptop and i use a LOD when usig my ipod, doing it like that made my M50's sing but when i was feeding them a standard signal i wasnt too impressed with them either. Definetly would reccomend a Fiio E7, it will have you covered in all areas

 

[slapshot30]

For some, the bass is great if not too much. But for a guy like me they simply didn't have enough bass. Kind of disappointing considering I had all these people on Head Fi telling me the M50's had sooo much bass... no, they don't.
 
Quote:

You are not doing anything wrong! Most of the people on hear only like treble and they hate bass when it competes with that.... so most of these idiots think the ATH-M50s sound good..............but they SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO bass and highs suck with no definition............. Sorry man emperor's new clothes..

 

[crinacle]

Yep, did a little research and tests and realized that the M50s definitely do not reflect on AT's signature, which are usually mids if not highs. As compared to other studio monitors which absolutely rapes your ears with flatness and clarity, the M50s are more concentrated on the pronounced bass and give astounding clarity on that aspect alone. Female vocals sound VERY good on these cans but are not suitable for fine mixing. If you want to hear everything in a particular song, maybe these $100 cans ain't for you, but they are a great pair of bassy headphones. Overall, mids are (unfortunately) recessed, bass sounds like they come from a pair of $200 cans and is definitely worth the price if you listen to a lot of hip-hop, pop or dance tracks.
 
As for other headphone recommendations, better to ask other more experienced audiophiles here.