[tdebug]

I spent some time with the 50x and not at all pleased with their sound. Tested with A-S501 and dragonfly 1.5 black, they sound muffled and featureless. Sony 7506 have much clearer details and comparing to them, 50x sounds like from a little far away. I am surprised why so many people like them. They are not terrible headphones of course, but you do need to listen to different models, rather than just getting 50x.

 

[Mad Max]

I feel the same way as well, but the fandom is "out of control", there's no stopping the M50x "train", hahaha!
However, HM5 pads or HD280 pads bring out all the awesome that AT engineered into the drivers, to my ears, while still keeping the sound very bassy and fun.

 

[FYLegend]

 
Metal can squeak but usually it's plastic that creaks. You either need to keep the plastic parts from rubbing/moving or you need to lubricate that motion.
 
If you want to bind them so they don't move try using a cheap paint brush and a little rosin or drummers glue. It's a kind of hard sticky grit that gets soft and sticky with body heat and helps prevent your sticks from slipping out of your hands. It also keeps two plastic surfaces from moving against each other while not gluing them to gether.
 
To go the other route, I highly recommend a light application of talcum powder also with a brush or Q tip. Then wipe the outside of the plastic clean after re-assembly. You need to clean any oil up first though. Talc is very fine and works its way intoo every nook and cranny and provides a kind of mechanical lubrication.
 
Talc is a squak and creak killer in every pair of tennis shoes I've ever had noise from.

I unscrewed the hinge area and it looks just like the pic above
 

The swivel hinge is still attached to the plastic back and is rather loose. I tried cleaning up the gunk and reassembling but it didn't help. i will need to find some talcum powder or oil.
 
I also tried MSR7 earpads as some people say the midrange is more forward. However I think the sound becomes a bit too warm and the mid-bass is bloated.

 

[stuck limo]

  Question regarding the M50x and the M40X... I have the M50X and own a older pair of M40fs from 2010. 
How is the midrange on the M40x? I ask because the M40fs that I have are freaking super extreme in the midrange to the point that it is really fatiguing and leave my ears in virtual pain....at least to my ears.
I love the M50x's and would not mind checking out the M40x's for field use where I would not mind them taking a beating as much, but if the mids are more tame lol.

 
No fatigue here.
 
On a side note, my friend took back the 50x and exchanged them for AKG K240s. He thought the treble side of the 50s was just a tad too bright.

 

[Overpricedcable]

Had the M50 for about 6 years now, powered by an O2 DAC/AMP. Haven't really been compelled to upgrade. Would the M70 be worth my money?
 
Foam kind of corroded on the top, that's my only complaint. Will probably go for something with leather ear pads for longevity.

 

[thatonenoob]

Had the M50 for about 6 years now, powered by an O2 DAC/AMP. Haven't really been compelled to upgrade. Would the M70 be worth my money?

Foam kind of corroded on the top, that's my only complaint. Will probably go for something with leather ear pads for longevity.

Msr7 is better imo. Less artificial sounding.

 

[BartSimpson1976]

Hm, the headband of my M50x started flaking. AT told me replacement headband cost 49 SGD plus 18 SGD service charge.
That's 25% of the price of a complete new M50x. To replace a headband which starts flaking after just two years of use although it is
advertised as "extremely durable"...
 
Plus lead time 3 to 5 working days which means I would need to go twice to the service center which is located in middle of nowhere.

 

[thatonenoob]

  Hm, the headband of my M50x started flaking. AT told me replacement headband cost 49 SGD plus 18 SGD service charge.
That's 25% of the price of a complete new M50x. To replace a headband which starts flaking after just two years of use although it is
advertised as "extremely durable"...
 
Plus lead time 3 to 5 working days which means I would need to go twice to the service center which is located in middle of nowhere.

Pleather, especially lower quality stuff, tends to do this.  Do you use it regularly (daily?), sweat on it, etc.  These are the many factors that could significantly shorten the lifespan of the pleather. I'd say if its been through a lot two years is really rather respectable.

 

[BartSimpson1976]

yep, daily use of 1 to 2 hours...and sweating of course here in the tropics...But that's normal use.
 
What bothers me is that the headband cover is not available as replacement. Only the complete headband which needs
to be soldered then. 
 
Such wear and tear items shoud be purchasable easily for a few bucks in any store which sells the headphones.
If you have to replace the earcups also (originals also selling around 40 Dollars!!) you have spent already half of the 
price of a new headphone.
 
If I have to spend now 70 Dollars for such chicken-feed it makes me think to get another headphone. But it won't be from
AT then anymore...

 

[Dany91]

Hi, I want to know, how reliable are the graphs of the frequency response the "rtings" website ...
 
I ask because comparing with that of that of the M50x vs M40X, M40X is less neutral, and more with a sound to V.
 
And it has the sound "V", I would agree, having tried in my ears ... But i never tried the M50X
 
I was so surprised to see the frequency response graph of the M50x, it would appear headphones, although expensive, they are suitable for me, not wanting to bass and treble emphasized ...
 
Instead, however, they all say that the M50x has more sound to V, but comparing the two graphs of that site it would say no ...

 

[indieke]

  M40fs shouldn't be fatiguing.  M40x sounds like a different headphone entirely, you may or may not find M40x's treble a little fatiguing on occasion.

 
I certainly do,, and you forget to mention the treble,, that makes the voices edgy.   really listen to these voices, women are hardly reconnaissable, and men have a speed up.
They lookfun because the bass is t and present, but no; natural there are not.

 

[CaveManta]

Edit: So I got a chance to listen to the M50x for an extended period of time. And I was dissatisfied with it to the extent that I made a rage-induced post. I am editing the post because I feel that it wasn't substantive enough; It was nothing but angry thoughts that I threw together.
 
In a nutshell, the M50x sounds startlingly different than my M50, which I've had for five years. My M50 has rolled-off sub-bass and smooth treble, while the M50x has overbearing bass, as well as peaks in the treble & upper mids. The sound is best described as stuffy; Vocals sound shrill, and soundstage depth is very minimal. Simply put, the M50x is too unbalanced and unnatural sounding to me.

 

[Mad Max]

Well, with old M50 pads on an M50x, it should sound no different from an old M50 also using old M50 pads.  If it does, something's probably wrong.

 

[CaveManta]

You're right, it'll prove if something is wrong. Earpads do have quite a big effect on sound signature. I'm going to put some new M50x pads on my M50 to hear how much things change.

Edit: Things get simpler, thankfully. I bought the Audio Technica HP-EP replacement earpads and put them onto my M50. And what do you know? It really was the earpads making the difference! The stuffy sound of the M50x has manifested into my M50. I guess I should have expected the change, with my M50 pads being so old and worn out. But why do the new pads have to be the ones that make things sound so unnatural? Perhaps it sounds unnatural to me because I'm used to the sound of the old pads...

I'm going to try to get used to the sound of the new pads. After a month or so, if I'm still dissatisfied, I'm going to switch back to the old ones.

 

[Kodhifi]

Yeah I wouldn't use oil. If you're going to lubricate it I'd use lithium grease, that white stuff also used to lubricate garage doors. Many oils will degrade and soften the plastic which is not what you want.