[daniel521]

The audio technica ath-m50s seems to have everything I want in a headphone: Good sound quality, isolation, comfort, and durability. However, I recently found out that if you use them for over 40 minutes, your ears get really sweaty. This is really bad for me because I tend to use headphones while on a plane for long periods of time (listening to music, watching movies, playing games) and so it seems they can get pretty uncomfortable. Another drawback is that they are pretty bad for watching movies and gaming which is something I tend to do a lot. My question is: Do these things make it so the audio technica isn't worth getting? For people who own it, do you think getting sweaty is a big deal (is it uncomfortable?) and is it really that bad for gaming and watching movies? If so, could you suggest an alternative which would fit me better (300 dollars MAX)

 

[CashNotCredit]

Well, I own the ATH-M50s, and I usually listen for 2-3 hours at a time. It's extremely comfortable and my ears don't get sweaty at all. I've played a bit of APB on it, and though this isn't the perfect headphone for gaming (The ATH-M50s are a closed headphone, and while they have a nice soundstage considering that, open headphones tend to do better for gaming.), it performs adequately enough for me. I tend to prefer them amped, but they do fairly well unamped as well. If you want durability, isolation, and comfort without sacrificing sound quality or spending a lot of money, then I think the ATH-M50s will do you well.

Good luck,
~Will

 

[skyline315]

No.  Get the SRH840 instead.  
 
Better balanced headphone in my opinion.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

With a $300 max, you could get the AIAIAI TMA-1 Studio headphones, which are being released on the 20th (but have also been leaked at some Best Buy locations in the states.)
 
They are based upon the original TMA-1 DJ headphones, but with a more balanced EQ, and an around ear design. The TMA-1's are rated #25 overall in headphones on this site, which is pretty good, considering they're far less known and have been out for less than half the time that the M50's have.
 

Check out one of the first reviews here.​

 
 
Some of the Studio version's strengths that match your needs are:
 

1. Comfort: The Studios come with both Protein Leather Pads, and PU Foam pads, both of which can be seen here if you look through the pictures. Apparently they are "comparable to the Sennheiser HD 800" in terms of comfort, mostly due to the fast that the PU foam pads only come into contact with the part of your head around your head, not your ear itself. The Protein Leather pads also look extremely soft, but have more of an on-ear, rather than around-ear, pad design.
2. Isolation/Sound Leakage: Coming from the same people who managed to get one of the early sold-pairs, these apparently have even better sound leakage and noise isolation than the original TMA-1's which probably comes from their around-ear design, rather than on-ear.
3. Bass and more: The original TMA-1's were extremely well known for their controlled, deep extending bass; however, at the same time, they were also known to have a slightly muddy and veiled upper range, where the trebles and mirange would need to be slightly boosted for everything to match up. With the Studios however, everything has been fixed; the early reviews and impressions say that the Bass has been kept much the same, but with slightly more impact than before, while the Treble and Midrange now match the crispness of the low end. 

 
So that's my recommendation; They'll have the comfort for you to play games and watch movies for hours on end, the sound leakage and noise isolation to keep your gaming/watching from bothering those around you, or vice versa, and the Bass and balance to make explosions rock your head, but also let you hear the smallest footstep. I love my current M50's, but the studios are my next headphone that I'm getting to replace them, and I'm doing it without a second thought. The fact that AIAIAI has amazing customer service and interactivity with their customers is also a great thing. If you have any questions, let me know.

 

[soonkiong]

comfort? I have a pair of M50 for a long time now and comfort is definitely NOT the word to describe it. the clamp is a bit tight for larger heads. i think the TMA-1's would be a better choice if comfort is a main priority.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Quote:

comfort? I have a pair of M50 for a long time now and comfort is definitely NOT the word to describe it. the clamp is a bit tight for larger heads. i think the TMA-1's would be a better choice if comfort is a main priority.

Yeah, the M50's are comfortable for small and medium sized heads, but if you have a larger head, it takes a while for the clamping fource to settle down. I stick with my recommendation of the AIAIAI TMA-1 Studio headphones.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

With a $300 max, you could get the AIAIAI TMA-1 Studio headphones, which are being released on the 20th (but have also been leaked at some Best Buy locations in the states.)
 
They are based upon the original TMA-1 DJ headphones, but with a more balanced EQ, and an around ear design. The TMA-1's are rated #25 overall in headphones on this site, which is pretty good, considering they're far less known and have been out for less than half the time that the M50's have.
 

Check out one of the first reviews here.​

 
 
Some of the Studio version's strengths that match your needs are:
 

1. Comfort: The Studios come with both Protein Leather Pads, and PU Foam pads, both of which can be seen here if you look through the pictures. Apparently they are "comparable to the Sennheiser HD 800" in terms of comfort, mostly due to the fast that the PU foam pads only come into contact with the part of your head around your head, not your ear itself. The Protein Leather pads also look extremely soft, but have more of an on-ear, rather than around-ear, pad design.
2. Isolation/Sound Leakage: Coming from the same people who managed to get one of the early sold-pairs, these apparently have even better sound leakage and noise isolation than the original TMA-1's which probably comes from their around-ear design, rather than on-ear.
3. Bass and more: The original TMA-1's were extremely well known for their controlled, deep extending bass; however, at the same time, they were also known to have a slightly muddy and veiled upper range, where the trebles and mirange would need to be slightly boosted for everything to match up. With the Studios however, everything has been fixed; the early reviews and impressions say that the Bass has been kept much the same, but with slightly more impact than before, while the Treble and Midrange now match the crispness of the low end. 

 
So that's my recommendation; They'll have the comfort for you to play games and watch movies for hours on end, the sound leakage and noise isolation to keep your gaming/watching from bothering those around you, or vice versa, and the Bass and balance to make explosions rock your head, but also let you hear the smallest footstep. I love my current M50's, but the studios are my next headphone that I'm getting to replace them, and I'm doing it without a second thought. The fact that AIAIAI has amazing customer service and interactivity with their customers is also a great thing. If you have any questions, let me know.

these headphones seem to fit me perfectly I'll definately check them out. However, do you know if the AIAIAI TMA-1 and the m50s require portable amplifiers to make them work properly? It just seems kind of inconvenient to carry an amp around in my pocket. If I used a lower quality headphone which doesn't doesn't require an amp and a better one which does require one, will the lower quality one sound better because Im not using an amp for the higher quality one?

 

[DougT]

I can only suggest that if you find them uncomfortable don't buy them - I don't seem to have the same issues that you have suggest so try to find comfort first then sound quality, especially if movies and games are important.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Quote:

these headphones seem to fit me perfectly I'll definately check them out. However, do you know if the AIAIAI TMA-1 and the m50s require portable amplifiers to make them work properly? It just seems kind of inconvenient to carry an amp around in my pocket. If I used a lower quality headphone which doesn't doesn't require an amp and a better one which does require one, will the lower quality one sound better because Im not using an amp for the higher quality one?

Both the Original TMA-1's, the Audio Technica ATH-M50's, and the AIAIAI TMA-1 Studios all have impedance levels of 32 or lower Ohms - meaning that they are efficiently driven by devices like a laptop headphone jack, iPod touch, iPod classic, and most MP3 players. Most headphones sound better with an amp, but none of these require one.
 
If you are going for the AIAIAI TMA-1 Studio Headphones, I'd recommend ordering them from ghostly, because they have $50 off for pre-orders. At regular price, the headphones are $285 from AIAIAI themselves.

 

[czqdtc]

No.
M50 is not as good as mentioned in some of the posts here. It is highly over-rated on this forum. I bought them upon reviewing these threads, but so far, no good.
I have many headphones, hd650,k701,ED8,Westone4,EXK,IE8,HD598 and M50, among all these, M50 is the last choice for me. I've already lend it to my roommate in fact...