[Jorgomli]

If this is in the wrong place, please feel free to move it. I'm brand new here, so I don't know how things work.
 
Hey guys! As you can probably see, this is my first post. This is also going to be my first major $50+ Headphone purchase. I was looking for some advice.
 
First, some background about me, so you guys kinda have an idea of who you're talking to.
 
I was born and raised in Ohio, and have just recently gotten interested in purchasing some expensive, nice headphones.
I'm 20 years old and getting my Associate's Degree in Computer Networking (I finish late this year.)
So I'm decent with technology, I just know pretty close to nothing when it comes to headphones and their quality, or how much they actually affect the music coming from them.
My whole life, I have used pretty much the cheapest earbuds I could get.
 
Okay, my (kinda) setup:
 
I just got a job at a software development company, and they allow their employees to listen to music at their workstations, as long as you use headphones and are respectful of those around you.
     -I am going to be using an iPod (They don't allow you to put music on their PCs or connect an external hard drive.) or my Android, Droid 3 phone. (Almost always going to be my iPod classic [3rd or 4th Gen if that matters] 160GB)
     -I listen primarily to deathcore music (Suicide Silence, White Chapel, Chelsea Grin, stuff like that.), though I sometimes listen to dubstep and electro-y stuff (The Glitch Mob kind of music)
 
     -It is also notable that I have a pretty large head. I wear Size 8 fitted hats, for reference. My Turtle Beach X11's fit my head perfectly when on the largest (setting?...) size, if that helps at all.
 
I was wondering if the Audio Technica ATH-M50 is a good choice for headphones around the $200 area? I've heard some pretty good things so far. The only thing that I'm not liking about the M50's is....the straight cord. This can be a HUGE hassle for me as I roll around my cubicle. Is there any way to get a coiled, old-telephone-like cord with them? Also, the cable being attached isn't too admirable, either. In the past, I've had 2 pairs of decent, over-the-ear pairs of headphones, and countless pairs of earbuds turn into garbage because the cord would start messing up by the 3.5mm connector. I don't have the skills or equipment to fix this issue, so the headphones are just sitting in a tote container somewhere, unusable.
 
I'm also interested in purchasing an amp to use at my desk at work. Would it be worth it to buy one? I've seen mixed reviews on having an amp with the M50's.
 
I'm a complete noob to the audiof(ph)ile community and don't know any of the lingo or acronyms associated with a lot of the stuff or equipment.
To be honest, before I read any reviews, my heart was SET on a pair of red Beats Studios. Then I kinda got off the idea when I read that all the Beats have is bass and everything else is pretty much garbage.
 
So any help or advice is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

They sell M50s with coiled cables. They don't need much amping, and would probably be better off with a dac than an amp. If you're using it for a computer, maybe an amp/dac like the Fiio E10 would be a great first step.

I believe the new white M50 is coiled cable only. In any case, the ATH-M50S is the straight cable variant.

 

[xLeira]

Guys I have a question for the m50's myself. A lot of people are telling me that amping the m50's would not be a great upgrade. My primary source for now would be an iPod Video 5G and currently using it's headphone out and am not satisfied with the SQ. I plan to buy a E11 just to use the iPod's LOD hoping to achieve a better SQ.
 
So would it be a great upgrade in SQ if I would buy a E11 just to use its LOD and connect it to m50's or would I just stay with iPod > HO >m50's?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I believe if you don't like the M50s now, you probably won't like them later. They do not scale that much with amping.

Make sure you're not using any equalizer/EQ/presets so you can hear the M50s for what they are.

 

[roma101]

The M50s are great but I would try to get them around $100-$130 if I were you. Other cans I can recommend are the KRK KNS-8400 (more balanced and detailed across the board) and the V-MODA M-80 if you don't mind supra-aural (they are the most comfortable supra-aural I have ever had and are way more portable than the other two cans).

 

[Mr Newyear]

I believe the new white M50 is coiled cable only. In any case, the ATH-M50S is the straight cable variant.

I was under the impression that the white M50 is straight cable only.

 

[Mr Newyear]

The M50s are great but I would try to get them around $100-$130 if I were you. Other cans I can recommend are the KRK KNS-8400 (more balanced and detailed across the board) and the V-MODA M-80 if you don't mind supra-aural (they are the most comfortable supra-aural I have ever had and are way more portable than the other two cans).

+1 to everything. The M50 coiled is around $120 on amazon right now. The KRK KNS 8400 is also a good option to the M50.

 

[Jorgomli]

Wow, that is the quickest reply I have gotten on any forum. XD
 
I was really interested in the White M50s, and really do hope they have a coiled cable.
 
Idk what a DAC is, or the difference between an amp or DAC. ;-;
 
The headphones would mainly stay on my desk at the office, I would only take them home on weekends, probably.
 
The ones I'm looking to buy are ~$160, but the price isn't a problem at all. Do you guys think the M50s would be good enough bass-wise for dubstep? I also love bass drops in deathcore/screamo songs.
 
I don't really know the difference in SQ between different headphones, except the realllllly horrible garbage $2 earbuds from China lol. I am currently using, and loving, these Nintendo 3DS Mushroom earbuds. They have lasted the longest of any heaphones/earbuds I've ever had.
 
ALSO: Kind of unrelated, but is there a product out there that can keep headphone 3.5mm connector things from coming out of the jack? Like, a locking kind of mechanism? If not, it would be a really good idea, but Idk how to go about it lol.
 
Sorry for the segmented format of my post, I just start a new line when I think of something else to add. Again, thanks for the responses, this seems to be an awesome community from what I've seen.

 

[Mr Newyear]

Wow, that is the quickest reply I have gotten on any forum. XD

I was really interested in the White M50s, and really do hope they have a coiled cable.

Just checked their website and they do have white in a coiled cable. Lucky you

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/8899070fa454699b/index.html

And to my knowledge a DAC is a digital to audio converter, basically changing the digital output to an analog signal. An amp on the other hand gives more power to the headphones if your source player cannot fully power the headphones... I think...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I was under the impression that the white M50 is straight cable only.

Yeah. Even the 50th anniversary one is also coiled, I believe.

 

[TK277]

Quote:

Just checked their website and they do have white in a coiled cable. Lucky you

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/8899070fa454699b/index.html
And to my knowledge a DAC is a digital to audio converter, basically changing the digital output to an analog signal. An amp on the other hand gives more power to the headphones if your source player cannot fully power the headphones... I think...

Yes, a DAC is a digital-to-analog converter. External DACs are recommended because on-board DACs (every device that stores and outputs music has to have a DAC and amp built-in, otherwise it would not be able to play music) add static noise due to other electrical components around it. External DACs offer a clean signal that is sent and rendered into the headphones. Depending on the quality of the DAC previously used and the quality of the external DAC, the improvement in SQ can be minute or significant.