[AsianPowa214]

I'm leaning more towards ATH-M50 but most of my friends recommend Sennheiser. CAn someone tell me the pros and cons of both headphones and if I choose to buy either one of them what will i miss that i can get from the other one? Thanks!

 

[ks12]

I just got the m50's and I have had the Hd 280 pros for about two years. For me the m50's sound much better. On the other hand I will sell you my very good condition hd 280's for $55 if you would like to try them.

 

[AsianPowa214]

i would want to but where do you live? I cant deal unless u can deliver it to me and i can pay with cash only, im underage -_- and whats better about the ATH-M50?

 

[tomatoshoe]

I've owned both. I'd say out of the two the ATH-M50 destroys it in terms of comfort and sound quality. Do not get the HD-280. They clamp so hard on your head as if Sennheiser wants you to die from them. For the price the ATH-M50 is very good. Unfortunately right now I am not happy with them. After listening to other better cans, I just cant handle the sound coming out of the ATH-M50's.

 

[AsianPowa214]

ok i got BOTH headphones today cus the senns are $55 XD and the ATH-M50 i got for $107 and i must say, ATH-M50 IS THE BEST HEADPHONE I'VE EVER LISTENED TO!!!!! its loud, clear, cord isnt as long as the HD280's, does not smell like rubber like HD280, most of my favorite songs sounds better on it, and its made from my homeland! Senn's are GOOD, ATH-M50's are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!

 

[Audioenthused]

I was planning to get the ATH-50 for both music and gaming but some members stated that the ATH-50 doesn't have a good sound stage so it wouldn't translate well for gaming my question is.  How is the 280 Pro sound stage in comparisons to the sound stage of the ATH-50?

 

[blackmarket]

the HD280 pro have a nearly nonexistant soundstage, not too sure about the m50
 

 

[Voluble]

I have owned the HD280's for a while and recently purchased a pair of ATH-M50's.  It isn't even close.  The bass on the M50's is awful... that is to say it is boosted and sloppy compared to the Sennheiser's.  People will like it if they like that sort of thing but they were useless to me for mixing music.  Maybe I just got a bad pair but my studio monitors and the Sennheisers showed a very clean and controlled bass for the material I was listening to.  The M50's did  not.  It was about as night and day a comparison as one could imagine when listening side by side.  I was very disappointed since I was primed to really like the M50's and had gotten them at a good price.
 
I have them sitting in a box waiting for the UPS man to pick them up today and ran across this thread as I was looking for a replacement for them.

 

[critofur]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voluble /img/forum/go_quote.gif  I have owned the HD280's for a while and recently purchased a pair of ATH-M50's.  It isn't even close.  The bass on the M50's is awful... that is to say it is boosted and sloppy compared to the Sennheiser's. 

 
Can anybody else confirm that opinion about the ATH-M50s?  I just read so many glowing reviews and recommendations for them, such as the "best headphones under $500" list by one website, etc.  Previously I had decided to go with the Sony MDR-V6 (only $59 on Amazon ATM).  But, it seemed that the general consensus was the M50's are better...
 
I have a pair of the classic AKG 340's, but I want something a little lighter and cheaper, but good sounding, for PC/Gaming use.
 
One guy was saying that he evaluated Sony MDR-7506 headphones (a slightly different version of the MDR-V6) and they were some of the most natural, flat, uncolored, and realistic sounding headphones he'd ever heard.   Perhaps there is variation in quality control?  Seems like if there was a pair of headphones that really sounded like "the real thing" there wouldn't be so much discrepancy between different people's reviews... 

 

[Tsujigiri]

There are two versions of the M50 floating around; if Voluble is using the old version he might find the new version alleviates some of those problems for him.

 

[starpause]

AT says there's no sound difference between M50 and M50x (newer), listeners and chars say there's a bass boost on the M50x. Of course the only thing to do is put them on your head, but if you're into charts you can see the 280 is flatter and the recessed mids on the M50x are obvious

http://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/audio-technica-ath-m50x.php
http://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/sennheiser-hd-280-pro.php

In this range my favorite has been TMA-2 Modular headphones which let you dial in exactly what you're after. You won't find any charts online because there's 300+ combinations you can put together, but you can order a full set from AIAIAI, find the sound and fit you want, then return what you don't want. I guess you could do the same thing with a bunch of cans of Amazon but what AIAIAI is offering is unique and I found a set that works for me as an EDC, production, and DJing... https://aiaiai.dk/headphones/tma-2/s02h03e06c01 "This configuration provides a neutral sound with strong low end dynamics. Wide sound stage and medium isolation."

That said, I got here because I'm curious about the M50x as a competitor... but that's mostly my disease (headphone obsession) talking...

Enjoy the hunt

 

[starpause]

Have had a week with the M50X so feel comfortable speaking to it... polar difference between them and my TMA2 setup. TMA2 is a relaxed sound emphasizing the midrange and M50X is the opposite with it's sucked/tucked midrange. Bass extension is much better on M50X but that throws off the balance. Highs are present and exciting on M50X while the TMA2 is obviously rolled off and inoffensive. I prefer the soundstage/imaging on the TMA2 which I attribute to it's looser seal, probably also what lets the M50X hit lower bass. Along those lines M50X isolation is better. For pure listening I prefer the TMA2. Either set is adequate for tracking needs but I'd pick the M50X since it's less forgiving and would let me know if I'd be (unintentionally) murdering the audiences with the upper register. I wouldn't mix on either: Samson SR850 is a better option that is ridiculous not to pick up if you're currently mixing on closed phones, and I was previously using Sony MDR-7506 with open air checks on Genelec 8020 monitors paired with a GVX-SUB15P.