[milosolo]

In response to the title of this thread "M50S Overrated?". In a word "NO". After reading many, many reviews and threads on HeadFi my first serious, fully considered HP purchase was the M50S. My goal was to stay around $100 and I paid $116 for a new set and IMO it's hard to find anything else that provides the value for the money. Are they perfect, no. I have pretty much given these to my son as I purchased a set of HD650's from a member here. When and if I upgrade from here (yeah right) it will be to the LCD2.

 

[Cortlendt]

This is my story (or 0.02$):
 
Had Senns PX-100 at the office for like two years. Decided it is a time for a change. Discovered Head-fi .
 
After some research settled on M50, got them for like 120$.
 
Used for two months or so. At the end I understood that I'm not a fan of V-shaped FR or bass-emphasis.
Lack of something (like midrange) started to cause me some strange mental pain, when I listened to M50.
 
Got the ESW9A and been happy with them ever since. Colored, but very engaging and musical to me.
 
Next step for me gonna be Beyers DT1350 I think.
 
PS. My friend got M50 on my recommendation and he enjoys them, but he prefers bassy sound, while I favor warm or neutral cans.
 
 

 

[Chris_Himself]

I heard them the other day, now while I have more expensive equipment and headphones, I still think they're very good for what they are and they're not overhyped at all. I can understand the please everybody attitude and honestly when buying headphones it's a bit risky buying into someone else's impressions but this guy SHOULD for the most part please everybody except for the analyticals and the bassheads (ew).

 

[defrenchguy]

I own them. Burn-in: didn't matter: they still sound muddy after 80+hrs and I'm being nice here, too.
Like bcasey25raptor stated, the 440's ARE a much better buy. I didn't say perfect, just a much better buy(I bought 440's for $110). In Saskatoon M50's cost $189-$199(+). I got my M50 from ebay for $112, and at that price, still find them overpriced and not worthy of my plastic.
When the 440's go on my head I enter another world, its awesome. The 840's are just a bit better. I'll never hear anyone calling for me while wearing these @ my normal volume (70%). The 440's are not that comfy, though. Find different pads when you grab these.

 

[rayjuodas]

defrenchguy, it always depends what you're comparing them to. If you compare them to Grado, Shure, Denon or even Sennheiser models, they will sound muddy at first (comparing them side to side), because they don't exaggerate high mid end of frequency spectrum. If you listen to them on their own, comparing to speakers maybe, they will sound crystal clear You simply prefer the Shure sound, and that's all there is to it, really.
 
If anyone is interested, read my take on 7 closed headphone models here (along with a few other): http://www.head-fi.org/t/575445/7-closed-headphones-vs-dynaudio-bm15-monitors-srh840-ath-m50-ath-a900-rh-300-q40-hfi680-pro-dj100-etc I compared them to Dynaudio BM15 studio monitors, which is a very highly regarded brand and model among studio professionals.

 

[B-Dawk20]

LOL if you ever wanna second guess a purchase, read a thread like this with your headphones currently out for delivery

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

LOL if you ever wanna second guess a purchase, read a thread like this with your headphones currently out for delivery

Don't worry about it.
 
Yes there are people who like to promote the "flavor of the week" headphone without owning one, or owning other headphones (I mean why own multiple headphones...)
 
But then there are the anti flavor of the week people who can't let anything get too popular around here.
 
And then there are people who don't care. I listened to them at guitar center a while back, you'll be in good hands man. It's hard to hate something that pleases everybody, but it does make it harder to prefer it over everything else... Jack of all trades, master at none. People are saying the HFI 580 is better these days, I've never liked an Ultrasone product to date... but I love Audio Technica W1000x's, ES7, ESW9, and the A700's... so consistency is the true mark of quality and the M50's are no exception to that rule.

 

[Hifianddrumming]

 Apparently the newer revisions aren't quite as good as the older revisions. So in a sense, in more recent times, the reviews you've been hearing from the past might not be completely indicative of the future.

 

[B-Dawk20]

Quote:

Don't worry about it.
 
Yes there are people who like to promote the "flavor of the week" headphone without owning one, or owning other headphones (I mean why own multiple headphones...)
 
But then there are the anti flavor of the week people who can't let anything get too popular around here.
 
And then there are people who don't care. I listened to them at guitar center a while back, you'll be in good hands man. It's hard to hate something that pleases everybody, but it does make it harder to prefer it over everything else... Jack of all trades, master at none. People are saying the HFI 580 is better these days, I've never liked an Ultrasone product to date... but I love Audio Technica W1000x's, ES7, ESW9, and the A700's... so consistency is the true mark of quality and the M50's are no exception to that rule.

 

It's ok bro, I don't regret my purchase(or at least I really don't expect to). I've been eying this sucker down ever since my first serious headphone really made me want more. I mean, I was here every day two years ago just looking at threads and seeing people describe sound and enjoyment with such detail and the great posters around here(the dude with the weird fat dude drawing in his avatar and the one with the yoda in his avatar as well....sorry, don't really pay attention to names much

).
 
For the longest time I've had my plan of a slow work up in the headphone world and this is my next step, a complimentary headphone to my current one. The AD700 is this open, spacious, and detail oriented can that provides from my inexperienced ear, a great experience with classical and acoustic styled music. But, it is kind of lacking in the more electronic department and more fun style music. The bass and the way it kinda spreads everything can I feel, take away from that experience a bit. From my floating around here, it was clear that the M50 was probably the logical choice for me to take. It is nothing like the M50 from what you hear in reviews and discussion and it will benefit the styles of music I want it to. I will have to switch between it and the AD's more than likely but who knows? I may just keep them on.
 
That is what this is all about to me, exploring music through headphones. My journey is far from over and I really can't wait for new experiences like my first hifi cans, to my first tube amp, etc. Right now I'm in what some people like to call the midfi range. I have a $200 amp/dac combo(with new op amps) that didn't break my wallet and increased my detail greatly and will hold me down for future high impedance headphones(none of my current cans really need one but benefit for sure) until I'm ready to upgrade my gear. And I have a popular entry level can that fit my needs and a highly touted bang for your buck can.
 
My end goal is to have heard and owned a bunch of headphones but find the ones that suit me best with the equipment I like the most. I wanna become the dude with the yoda avatar(lol) or whatever old head out there. Form an opinion based on experience, not just because I read a lot.

 

[B-Dawk20]

Nope, no regrets....and to think I just got them  

 

[Lan647]

I tried the M50's some time ago and I liked them. Too me, they don't sound hi-fi though. They are pretty even sounding with smooth sounding mids and highs. The bass is deep, but boomy and loose, and overwhelms the lower mids region a bit too much for my taste. Overall a nice, if a bit bassy headphone. Nothing really irritating about the sound. They are comfortable and isolate well too, which is nice for portable use. 
 
For the price, NO, not overrated. 

 

[Assimilator702]

Quote:

In response to the title of this thread "M50S Overrated?". In a word "NO". After reading many, many reviews and threads on HeadFi my first serious, fully considered HP purchase was the M50S. My goal was to stay around $100 and I paid $116 for a new set and IMO it's hard to find anything else that provides the value for the money. Are they perfect, no. I have pretty much given these to my son as I purchased a set of HD650's from a member here. When and if I upgrade from here (yeah right) it will be to the LCD2.

The thing is they aren't $116 anymore.
 
Shipped they're closer to $175 so it's a dynamic question depending oh the price fluxuation
 
The thing is.... there several headphones that sell for a lower price that are just as good and better in some areas and thats the reason why people tend to say that they're over rated.
 
I just bought a new pair of cans that completely eliminated my desire to own a pair of M50s after several people who's opinion I trust told me not to bother.
 
Of course I own a pair of ATH-A700 and those are close enough to the performance of the M50 so I see no reason to get a pair of M50

 

[Assimilator702]

Quote:

 Apparently the newer revisions aren't quite as good as the older revisions. So in a sense, in more recent times, the reviews you've been hearing from the past might not be completely indicative of the future.

This my friend is a key point and needs to be considered.
 
If a product is revised to offer different performance the model number really should be altered to reflect the changes.

 

[B-Dawk20]

This my friend is a key point and needs to be considered.

If a product is revised to offer different performance the model number really should be altered to reflect the changes.

Well when I had heard their were two versions after I purchased, I was kinda upset. I was really hoping I got the white boxed one though because people say the bass is recessed a bit but the overall spectrum is balanced out. I am very happy that I did and so far am satisfied. I went to sleep for a bit though and they've been burning in for a few hours now with some pink noise. As soon as they hit 25-50 hours, im probably gonna start testing them with a list I created. For now, just casual listening, getting my mind used to the sound signature and how it changes over time.

 

[Dennito]

The AT ATH M50s represent a terrific value and are in no way over-rated. There are certainly better headphones, but you would have to pay more than $200 to get them.  In my opinion, for the price the M50s blow away all competitors.