[Agent Ice]

And compared to the Sony MDR-V6's I regularly use, I just don't see what's so special about the M50's. I've been comparing both headphones for the past few days, trying to seek out a justification on why the M50's sound better, but I just can't. I've been using the V6's daily for the past year -- they sound neutral and balanced; crisp and punchy. Now, the problem with the M50's, when compared to the V6's, is that they're just not as clear. They sound muffled; muddy. Sure, the M50's have slightly more bass, but why in the hell is this thing praised as the go-to $100-200 pair of reference cans when the V6's, which are half the price, outperform them?
 
The Sony MDR-V6's were my only pair of "higher-level" headphones, but recently I've wanted to see what more I could get out of audio. So amidst the final few weeks of last year, I went out on a trek to find a new pair of cans -- a pair that surpassed the already high standards of Sony's V6 model. I spent countless hours doing my research and comparing different headphones; but given that the holiday sales weren't going to last forever, I needed to hone in on my choice. I was willing to spend upwards of $300, leaning more-so towards the Sennheiser Amperiors or Momentums -- surely these would outperform the V6's. But I couldn't forget the M50's, which held countless perfect amazon reviews, were the topic of many great video reviews, and had a myriad of recommendations from every audio source on the interwebs. Sure, the M50's are undoubtedly over-hyped, but there always appeared to be a justification behind that. Given that the holiday deals were soon to dissipate, and seeing that the M50's were only $103 on amazon (before shipping & taxes), I knew that anyone, including myself, would regret passing up a deal like this. And so I placed the order...
 
Overall, I'm confused. Not only do the M50's fail to surpass the sound quality of the V6's, but they actually sound 'off' due to their lack of clearness. I mainly listen to electronic music, and most of my tests were done on such tracks. I did my comparison of the V6 and M50 using high quality FLAC and variable bit rate (V0) files. I didn't use an amp for either headphone (most users don't recommend using an amp for these pairs anyways).
 
Is something wrong with the M50's? Is the hype overwhelming? Are the V6's truly superior? I paid a little over a 100 bucks for the M50's, and now they're floating around on amazon for their regular price of ~$150. At this, they're over double the price of the V6's, and given their reputation, why don't they surpass the V6's? Presently I'm sitting here with a pair of M50's on my hands, and even with the deal I got, I'm beginning to regret ordering them.
 
I need some feedback; I'm getting paranoid here...

 

 

[GREQ]

Some people have called the V6 'bright' in the past, and bright headphones tend to be loved for their clear detail-enhancing sound.
Darker headphones (like M50) simply don't sound as detailed - so either the V6 is simply legendary, or it's mild placebo because you're so used to listening to a  treble-happy sound. 
 
It's been a while since I've heard either, and I've never directly compared to two... so it's just a few thoughts.

 

[Agent Ice]

Isn't representing a detailed and clear sound (as in the studio) the whole purpose of high-end audio? Why would anyone want a muffled or dulled down sound?
 
Anyone out there willing to vouch on how the V6 or M50 compare to some other sub-$300 pairs?

 

[Agent Ice]

Bumping for great justice.

 

[Slaughter]

First piece of advice is stop equating cost to sound quality. They do not go hand in hand, especially in the under $300 range.