[Sxooter]

The DT660 are probably the cheapest fairly neutral headphones.

 

[dreamwhisper]

 We weren't talking about mixing, but now that you bring it up, hell no. The HD280 is slow, dark, distorted, and wobbly.

Over the M50 I'd prefer it anyday, Just too many wholes in the M50 frequency response for me to feel even close to comfortable with it.

However, I think the Omega 2's are a little better. That's the mixing rig I'm building.
No low budget mixing headphone will cut it in the long run no matter how you slice it. In this way you're right.

 

[EraserXIV]

What are some of the pads that make the MDR-V6 better? I currently use them with the Beyer DT250/DT280 replacement velour pads, which I find pretty comfortable. Can't remember how much it actually changed the sound, but I never really had a big issue with the sound and the V6 has actually grown on me. I use them much more than the ATH-M50 when I had them, even considering that I have the Mad Dog and HD800 in my stable now.

 

[takato14]

What are some of the pads that make the MDR-V6 better? I currently use them with the Beyer DT250/DT280 replacement velour pads, which I find pretty comfortable. Can't remember how much it actually changed the sound, but I never really had a big issue with the sound and the V6 has actually grown on me. I use them much more than the ATH-M50 when I had them, even considering that I have the Mad Dog and HD800 in my stable now.

Try Beyerdynamic EDT-231V pads. They're the same pads that are on the DT-235. They're not a perfect fit but they make them sound amazing.

 

[evolucian911]

I have to agree they are over rated. ill compare it to an rx700 give or take. but old phones like the jvc dx3 that can be had for 40 - 50 bucks online sound much better although it needs an amp. i used the m50 when I'm on the go and bought it used so it was already burned in and i was dissatisfied. i bought it based on all the rave online. i agree that they do sound good but i dont agree to the point that they are hard to beat for the price.  ​but ...... but.. i would still say its a great buy because i have spent more on far worst hps and its a great first recommendation for anyone. but bare in mind you can get better for the price or less. headfi is your friend

 

[Soundtrap]

I wouldn't say they are overrated, but since I bought Creative Aurvana Live 2 I have to say that I enjoy them a lot more then M50's. M50's just does not sound right with Ibasso DX90,  Fiio X5, bass is pretty flat and boring. In my experience M50 paired with any of my Cowon players were hard to beat, but move on to the Hi Res players and they  just can't match players capability. CAL and CAL2 give me a lot more pleasure, as Momentums on ear but, these are way more expensive then CAL or M50 so it is not a fair comparison.

 

[Monahans67]

Of course on this site I will be considered a newb but am far from that in regards to sound.  I have had the Audio Technica EW9 and 10 and just bought the 50's and ordered the 50X.  I just got the 50's and for the price they are outstanding in my opinion.  Everyone hears different I guess.  For the price they sound mighty fine to me.  I am using a Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 2 and I think it adds alot to the presentation of this can.  I realize that one may not really need to amp these but it sure made a difference to me in total satisfaction.

 

[Palladium]

Add me to the "M50 is incredibly overrated" list. Until I tried it out myself I couldn't believe headphones this muddy and devoid of any soundstage can somehow sell for an incredible $140 when I have $20 Xiaomi Pistons 2 that beats it in overall SQ hands down.
 
IMO most of the "M50 is the greatest headphone ever" reviews come from people who:
-Blindly parroting others, especially *THAT* MKBHD guy.
-Never heard anything better than stock earbuds.
-Never heard a decent stereo speaker setup like the LSR305.

 

[Zulkr9]

The m50 has a strident treble and very thin mids, the bass is decent but boomy and doesn't extend all that well, I personally prefer a slight modified CAL, which is much cheaper, although you do lose durability going that route. There are other options too like many superlux models and the Shure 440, which I find to have a better overall representation then the m50. 
 

 

[Topazus]

  Add me to the "M50 is incredibly overrated" list. Until I tried it out myself I couldn't believe headphones this muddy and devoid of any soundstage can somehow sell for an incredible $140 when I have $20 Xiaomi Pistons 2 that beats it in overall SQ hands down.
 
IMO most of the "M50 is the greatest headphone ever" reviews come from people who:
-Blindly parroting others, especially *THAT* MKBHD guy.
-Never heard anything better than stock earbuds.
-Never heard a decent stereo speaker setup like the LSR305.

I saw an article recently which said the m50s are one of the top 50 high-rated Amazon items. These things have a life on their own, regardless of their quality and questionable comfort. How did that ever happen!

 

[Zulkr9]

Oh yeah, and he justifies his claim by saying that more expensive headphones require amps to sound good and are not a significant upgrade in terms of sound quality. LOL 

 

[3Fpf47]

Hey everyone - brand new to the site and would really appreciate some advice!

Like someone aptly put at the beginning of this thread, the M50s were precisely my first venture into high-quality audio. However, I've found that, ever since I got them, they're extremely uncomfortable to wear. While my left ear is fine, the right is in pretty considerable pain after 30 minutes max.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this issue before I dump more money into something much more expensive? (the sound on these is fine for the time being and I'd like to be able to use them for more than 20-30 minutes!!)

 

[Topazus]

Hey everyone - brand new to the site and would really appreciate some advice!

Like someone aptly put at the beginning of this thread, the M50s were precisely my first venture into high-quality audio. However, I've found that, ever since I got them, they're extremely uncomfortable to wear. While my left ear is fine, the right is in pretty considerable pain after 30 minutes max.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this issue before I dump more money into something much more expensive? (the sound on these is fine for the time being and I'd like to be able to use them for more than 20-30 minutes!!)

It doesn't have to be much more expensive. Simply sell 'em and get DT660 for the same price, or more durable (actually of legendary build quality) DT770 80 ohm is all you ever need to do regarding closed headphones.

 

[zazex]

Having owned them twice, I don't know if the M50's are "overrated".
 
Overrated by whom?
 
 
 
I paid about $100. both times (I know they're more expensive now),
and they struck me as well made, sonically decent for the money,
and reasonably comfortable.  They were too big to wear at the gym,
so I'm going to replace them with a set of 7506's which are very 
sturdy and don't look out of place.
 
 
So, again - and it's a serious question - if the M50's are overrated,
who's doing the overrating?

 

[takato14]

  Having owned them twice, I don't know if the M50's are "overrated".
 
Overrated by whom?

Literally ******* everyone buys them as their first foray into high end headphones so we end up with a massive amount of newbies constantly spewing noise about how amazing they are. Some of them, unfortunately, never grow out of this phase.
 
To be fair, it took me two years with my M50 to realize how awful they were. I was happy with them for a while. But I was coming from this 1972 monstrosity, so... yeah. The moment I heard something better, they were never used again.