[DerpMaster]

I've narrowed it down to too possible headphones that would suit my needs. I would probably use them on the bus a lot, so I would like to know durability of each set. I would mostly use them for gaming, both competitively and for fun, and then I would also use them for listening to music and watching movies at home. The low bass on the AD700 doesn't bother me because I would hook them up to my subwoofer for music and gaming at home. The price of each doesn't matter to me that much either. So what do you guys think is the best option for me? I am super indecisive on this lol. Keep in mind I'm brand new to the world of sound, so I would appreciate it if you would talk in a simple enough way for me to understand. Thanks!

 

[PurpleAngel]

I've narrowed it down to too possible headphones that would suit my needs. I would probably use them on the bus a lot, so I would like to know durability of each set. I would mostly use them for gaming, both competitively and for fun, and then I would also use them for listening to music and watching movies at home. The low bass on the AD700 doesn't bother me because I would hook them up to my subwoofer for music and gaming at home. The price of each doesn't matter to me that much either. So what do you guys think is the best option for me? I am super indecisive on this lol. Keep in mind I'm brand new to the world of sound, so I would appreciate it if you would talk in a simple enough way for me to understand. Thanks!

The ATH-AD700 is an open headphone and you want to use them on a bus?

 

[DerpMaster]

Only sometimes
just like every now and then. It's mostly going to be used to play video games at home and listen to music

 

[PurpleAngel]

Only sometimes
just like every now and then. It's mostly going to be used to play video games at home and listen to music

Any chance I can talk you into the Sennheiser HD558s, $132 on Amazon.
More bass then the ATH-AD700s.
Helps to spend $15.20 for a replacement cable (for the HD558) with the 3.5mm jack.

 

[CantScareMe]

You wouldn't want to use the AD700's in any place noisy. Some people crank up volume when listening, fair enough, but you would loose so much of the detailing, focus and the DNA of an open phones sound when used in noisy environments that I would recommend to only consider closed isolating headphones.
 
The m50's are decent. I've heard them, expecting them to be pretty poor, but they surprised me. There easy to listen to, to relax to and enjoy over a period of time. Portable and well made, they're overall a good choice I think for someone quite new to the world of non-mainstream headphones.

 

[Mad Max]

I would suggest saving up a bit more for DT770Pro 80-ohm.
$150 shipped in a few places, it is more comfortable to wear and better-sounding than both M50 and AD700.
HD558 is also a very good choice.  I think you should also consider HD380Pro.

 

[AvroArrow]

I have the ATH-AD700 and no way would I ever use them on public transit.  They're big, don't fit that tight on your head (unless you've got a really big head), and the purple color really stands out... way more than a red pair of Beats, and they leak sound.  They are great for gaming (great positional audio if you use something like Dolby Headphone) and non-bass heavy music.  Fairly neutral mids and treble, but definitely weak on the bass.  
 
The ATH-M50 would probably be a better bet for outside use since they are smaller, less flashy (black version), feel better built, but I find them not to my taste.  I listened to my friend's M50 for a few hours and while the bass, treble, and sound isolation are very good, the mids are too weak/recessed for my preference.  It sounds to me like a very V-shaped frequency response curve and I actually find the treble too sharp/harsh... I think the term is sibilant.  The sound stage is nowhere near as wide as the AD700.  I didn't get a chance to try the M50 for gaming, but I don't think they'd work very well for positional audio in gaming compared to the AD700.  The sound isolation is very good on the M50, almost dangerously good especially if you're on transit/walking on the street and not paying attention, you could get run over.  I actually just use a cheap pair of earbuds (Creative EP-630) with my Clip+ when I'm on the bus and train.  They don't isolate very well so I can hear everything around me, like crazy drivers and cyclists that are trying to run me over.  

 

 

[CantScareMe]

  I would suggest saving up a bit more for DT770Pro 80-ohm.
$150 shipped in a few places, it is more comfortable to wear and better-sounding than both M50 and AD700.
HD558 is also a very good choice.  I think you should also consider HD380Pro.

 
I disagree. The dt770 pro 80 I think is better than beats. That's about the only compliment on it's sound I can give. The m50's in my experience are better sounding.

 

[greenpencil]

I own the ath-m30 (little brother of m50) and the ath-ad900x (bigger brother of ad700/700x). I've heard that these headhphones share a very similar sound signature with their brothers so here's my two cents.
 
Neither the m50 or the ad700 is suitable for portable use. Maybe a case can be made for the m50 but ad700 (i believe they basically look the same as ad900x?) is out of the question. They're huge and open back with a very long cord. I actually do use the m-30 as a set of portable headphones (i braided the stupidly long cord to make this possible) but they seem quite a bit smaller than the m50. 
 
The sound signature between these two headhpones is very different too. Mainly the difference is in soundstage (way in favour of ad700), amount of bass (way in favour of m50), mids (i suspect ad700 is clearer). Basically m-50 is a much more neutral set of cans with a bit of bass while ad700 has a very airy feel and is awesome for classical/acoustic/female vocal. As much as I love my ad900x to death, I do sometimes miss the neutral sound that the m-30 (m-30 lacks the heavier bass of m-50 so I couldn't imagine a more neutral set of cans) provides and go back to them (not very often admittedly). Also, ad700 will be much better for gaming, no question about it, thanks to the soundstage. 
 
If you want good quality portables, you could take a look at the ath-es700. They apparently share the sound signature of ad700 and ad900 and were rated just below the ad900 in terms of sound quality by one person on Head Fi. It's cheaper than the ad700x too I believe. And they look awesome.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I own the ath-m30 (little brother of m50) and the ath-ad900x (bigger brother of ad700/700x). I've heard that these headhphones share a very similar sound signature with their brothers so here's my two cents.
 
Neither the m50 or the ad700 is suitable for portable use. Maybe a case can be made for the m50 but ad700 (i believe they basically look the same as ad900x?) is out of the question. They're huge and open back with a very long cord. I actually do use the m-30 as a set of portable headphones (i braided the stupidly long cord to make this possible) but they seem quite a bit smaller than the m50. 
 
The sound signature between these two headhpones is very different too. Mainly the difference is in soundstage (way in favour of ad700), amount of bass (way in favour of m50), mids (i suspect ad700 is clearer). Basically m-50 is a much more neutral set of cans with a bit of bass while ad700 has a very airy feel and is awesome for classical/acoustic/female vocal. As much as I love my ad900x to death, I do sometimes miss the neutral sound that the m-30 (m-30 lacks the heavier bass of m-50 so I couldn't imagine a more neutral set of cans) provides and go back to them (not very often admittedly). Also, ad700 will be much better for gaming, no question about it, thanks to the soundstage. 
 
If you want good quality portables, you could take a look at the ath-es700. They apparently share the sound signature of ad700 and ad900 and were rated just below the ad900 in terms of sound quality by one person on Head Fi. It's cheaper than the ad700x too I believe. And they look awesome.

How do you like the ATH-AD900X? (details please).

 

[Mad Max]

   
I disagree. The dt770 pro 80 I think is better than beats. That's about the only compliment on it's sound I can give. The m50's in my experience are better sounding.

 
And all three suffer from flabby bass. 

 

[doremusc]

What about a used ath a900x?

 

[DerpMaster]

So it seems like the AD700 are better for gaming, but not so good for portable use, and the M50 is more like studio headphones, with extra bass. I own some super cheap earbuds that I could always use on the bus, since I don't even spend that much time there anyways. Thanks for all the answers!

 

[CantScareMe]

   
And all three suffer from flabby bass. 

 
Lol. True say.

 

[DerpMaster]

What are all the genres of music that would sound good or bad with each headphone? A list would be preferred