[Climclam]

I'm simply wondering if it's worth the 160$ for the ATH-M50 going from Sennheiser HD 428. Would i hear a difference? I'm not an audiophile and not certainly not rich, but i don't like these headphones. The build quality is trash (from my experience) and i find them uncomfortable after just 30 minutes. But i really want to know if i'd hear a difference.
 
The Phiaton MS400 is sooooo tempting.. but the m50 is a better deal in terms of sound from what i'm hearing.

 

[NA Blur]

You should hear much more even bass response from the M50.  I could not find the 428 charts, but from what I remember the 428 is a little boomy and bass emphasized.  The M50 will be much more neutral which will take some getting used to, but in the long run are going to sound much better.

 

[kore]

Does m50 kind of overhyped?

 

[NA Blur]

I have listened to the a wall of 50+ headphones at Headphone.com in Bozeman and even with much more expensive headphones the ATH-M50 sounded better, more consistent, less harsh, and had better bass response off all of the headphones I tried under $250 period.
 
The ATH-M50 is a great headphone!  I would be surprised to find otherwise from someone who has tested it against as many headphones as I have.  I am talking well over fifty headphones not just one or two at random.  They are talked about because they sound great for the price and last for years.  With a little leather lotion applied to the earpads once every two months they can last a lifetime.
 
Try them for yourself and be the judge.  Unless you have tried it and studied it hype is just hearsay and pretty much useless in the scientific world.

 

[elvergun]

Quote:

I have listened to the a wall of 50+ headphones at Headphone.com in Bozeman and even with much more expensive headphones the ATH-M50 sounded better, more consistent, less harsh, and had better bass response off all of the headphones I tried under $250 period.
 
The ATH-M50 is a great headphone!  I would be surprised to find otherwise from someone who has tested it against as many headphones as I have.  I am talking well over fifty headphones not just one or two at random.  They are talked about because they sound great for the price and last for years.  With a little leather lotion applied to the earpads once every two months they can last a lifetime.
 
Try them for yourself and be the judge.  Unless you have tried it and studied it hype is just hearsay and pretty much useless in the scientific world.

 
Yeah, but all of this depends on whether one likes the sound signature or not. 
 
Someone who does not care for how the M50 sounds will definitely find something they like better from the 50+ headphones under $250 you tried.    
 
I think the M50 is a good headphone, not a great one.   I have to use an equalizer to make them sound just right.  I bet you they had a pair of HD25s on that wall…now those, to me, are great headphones.

 

[NA Blur]

They did have a pair of HD-25's on the wall and they did sound a tad better, but for my budget at the time I settled for the ATH-M50.
 
In response the the original question:
 

Is Audio-Technica ATH-M50 noticeably better than Sennheiser HD428 ?

 
I say yes.

 

[Cwgoh2800]

I have both, and the M50s are better. Not exponentially, but rather noticeable. But the 428s are half the price for referbushed ones.
The M50s are less veiled, with more bass. They don't have that muddliness problem with the 428 that when there is bass and mids at the same time, everything becomes muddy. (Although this is only noticeable when they are turned loud and only disturbing with very poppy tracks. Play "Rolling in the deep" heinously loud during the chorus and you'll get what I mean when the bass drum kicks in.)
But the 428 are better at more vocal - centric tracks, with more rich mids and trebles, where vocal and minute details stand out better.
Of course, this is just my opinion.