Shure Srh-440 vs Ath-M50
Nov 21, 2009 at 4:55 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

yeahman68

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So this is it, I've narrowed my choices. I'm listening to ath-m50, and the bass is good, the treble's alright, but the mids seem a little recessed....However, I've heard so much about the 440, and wanna know if it's gonna be worth trying those. By the way, I do like bass, the impact of the m50 is outstanding, just looking for a little more midrange.
 
Nov 21, 2009 at 6:15 PM Post #3 of 8
Here is mod by Clarksonius;

"On a side note, I actually modded my M50 to attenuate the base and bring out the mids by removing the felt plug Audio-Technica put in the back of the driver and adding some fiber-loft for additional damping. IMO that gave them a much less congested and more "open" sound. I also dynamatted the cups to improve isolation and reduce leakage."

This should be a very easy to do mod and I know the removal of felt and use of fiberloft would definitely bring out the midrange more. The trick with a mod like this is to be consistant with the amount of fiberloft in each side and to adjust the amount until you find your perfect level. I did this with my AD900 inside the center hole of the driver (underneath a dynamat cover I put in) and it took me 3 cracks to get the exact sound I was looking for.
 
Nov 22, 2009 at 12:53 AM Post #4 of 8
To mod your m50s:
1) pull of the pads
2) remove the screws
3) remove the foam plug @ the back driver (the pic is an srh440 driver but the concept is the same)
4) Add some fiberloft/polyfill into the cups (equal amounts in both cups-I would use half the amount that you would think you need & make sure you pull on the fiberloft to separate it well)

72x2ec.jpg


For better isolation (optional):
1) unscrew the retention clips that retain the large felt disk
2) dynamat the cup
3)Reinstall the felt disk
4) Add some fiberloft/polyfill into the cups (equal amounts in both cups-I would use half the amount that you would think you need & make sure you pull on the fiberloft to separate it well)
5) Add Blue-Tack or any removable adhesive putty to the edge of the cups to create an airtight seal.
5) screw the cups back together
6) let them burn in/break in for 300hrs if you haven't already done so.

*The break in period is very important for these headphones. After the 300hrs the mids should open up nicely.

Clarksonius is my brother. His modded and fully burnt-in m50s sound very similar to my SRH840s when amped-they are almost indistinguishable for certain audio tracks.
 
Jan 17, 2010 at 1:12 PM Post #7 of 8
I recently picked up a pair of m50s and I've tried removing the little foam bits in the centre hole in the back of the drivers - opening them up happens to be really simple. I think removing the foam relaxes the sound a bit - maybe the mids are a tad more forward and the bass is reduced a little. That slightly agressive edge they have seems to have mellowed - not quite sure which one I prefer...
 

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