SRH 440 vs M50x?
May 20, 2014 at 9:59 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7

FunkDrummer

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Kinda need a new pair of headphones for on the go listening. I've narrowed my options down to these two due to the availability within my proximity. I tend to listen to classical, rock, metal, reggae and DnB. I am looking for a set of cans that do not drown out the detail in songs. The soundstage should have decent depth and width and the sound signature should be fairly linear or "U" shaped.
Thanks in advance!  
 
May 20, 2014 at 10:39 PM Post #2 of 7
The SRH 440 sounds tinny to my ears.  The pads are also not very good and wear out really quickly.  I like the detachable cord though.
 
The M50x has more bass and better pads and is constructed in a way that lends itself to surviving abuse.
 
May 20, 2014 at 11:07 PM Post #3 of 7
Neither: SRH440 comes in two flavors (good bassy and bad bright) but you never know which you're going to get, and M50 has poor soundstage and treble.
 
Get HM5 / XPT100 instead as it's more neutral and more comfortable. 
 
May 21, 2014 at 1:06 AM Post #4 of 7
Donscorpio Dolphins. Fairly decent mids and highs. Has great impact in the sub bass region, so you get that bass kick with DnB and some reggae, but the bass won't overwhelm the mids and highs for classic rock and other genres that are not bass driven music. Learn more about them in the Chinese Asian brand thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/684159/chinese-asian-brand-info-thread-headphones-iems-amps-dacs

Or refurbished AKG K550s from Harman for $130. Good bass extension. Great sound overall.
 
May 21, 2014 at 11:31 PM Post #5 of 7
  Neither: SRH440 comes in two flavors (good bassy and bad bright) but you never know which you're going to get, and M50 has poor soundstage and treble.
 
Get HM5 / XPT100 instead as it's more neutral and more comfortable. 


Agreed!  The M50 does not have a very wide soundstage.
 
May 22, 2014 at 4:34 AM Post #6 of 7
ATH-M50s are kind of overrated, although since you're willing to consider SRH440s, I don't suppose that has as much weight to you.
 
Speaking as the owner of SRH440s, I can agree: they can sound very shrill and fatiguing. Plus, my Nexus 4 doesn't seem to have the power to drive them, because they have zero bass running off of it, yet it returns when I run it off of my PC's onboard audio. Much to my surprise, you might want an amp.
 
The ATH-M50s are not a bad choice at all, but they sound a little bit boring as far as headphones I've listened to go. I would, however, argue that they're more engaging than the SRH440s, which are a little more analytical. If you prefer fun to detail, ATH-M50s.
 
Don't buy the removable cable variant, though. So overpriced.
 
Based on the genres you listen to, I would suggest the Onkyo ES-FC300. They're on-ear, so if you don't like that, then ignore them. Although people say they're "almost big enough to be an around-the-ear," your ears still aren't going to fit into the cups (and even if they did, they're shallow). I would argue that had it been circumaural (and with that, a little more comfortable), the ES-FC300s would make the ATH-M50s obsolete. Like Claritas said, NVX XPT100s are also very good. There are a few rebrands of them that you can find, but the NVX variant appears to have the best value right now; it's cheaper than the Brainwavz HM5.
 
For the sake of completion, I'll suggest an IEM: HiFiMAN RE-400. It's a bit neutral-sounding, but it meets your criteria and I think you'll still appreciate it considering your wide variety of genres.
 

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