[meizumintyboi]

There will be a biiig difference in SQ, even with the Fiio E5 and my already pre-apmed SGS with voodoo and using PowerAMP, the M50's benefit a higher volume, rich thumping bass and richer highs, the amp is especially required if you lower the preamp to less than half, for truly thumping bass and certain EQ changes. In fact the Fiio E5 isn't enough, so the PA2V2 is in the post atm, should be here any day now, hopefully it will live up to it's expectations.
 
If your sound card is a standard built in unit (something like Realtek HD), you definitely want an amp, I mean it will work loud enough without one, but your missing a lot of the SQ there. Generally the onboard soundcard shouldn't have any hissing problems, it's just the SQ will not take the M50 to it's full potential.
 
I use the Creative Audigy 4, 6+ years old, on my desktop and this is 10x better than the onboard soundcards, bass will thump if you set it high enough, even this benefits from amping. My Eee PC VX6 uses an onboard Realtek HD sound card, it works with the M50, but again it isn't VERY loud, the bass is lacking as well as everything else, once the E5 has been plugged in, it's an instand upgrade.
 
My friends cousin bought 2 sets of studio solo's and 1 studio, god help me WHYYY??!? awwwful SQ compared to the M50 and at a RIP OFF price, the solo's were terribly muffled and quiet, put an E5 on there and they sounded like they cost £60 instead of £5 lol

 

[Volta]

I don't know how you guys are using these without EQ....

With any serious volume it feels like sibilant ice picks are driving into my skull!
 
This lot sorts it out though-
 

 
anyone else VST'ing with these cans?
 
(I should mention that these are unamped. Got a audioGD Compass on the way though)

 

[Anaxilus]

^  I think you'll appreciate them more w/ your new source.  Looking forward to your impressions.  I think they really sound better w/ some sort of oomph behind them.

 

[Volta]

Quote:

^  I think you'll appreciate them more w/ your new source.  Looking forward to your impressions.  I think they really sound better w/ some sot of oomph behind them.

 
Yeah, the M50s are just tiding me over until the pro900s arrive
 
but I agree- I've always found amping to really add richness to the sound. Back in the day, I had some SR225s, which responded GREATLY even to adding a Pa2v2.

 

[Wistaire]

I just received the Fiio E7, and now my m50s sound like a whole different set of headphones. This was definitely worth the money, I'm glad I went ahead and bought it!

 

[Optimus Praim]

Quote:

I just received the Fiio E7, and now my m50s sound like a whole different set of headphones. This was definitely worth the money, I'm glad I went ahead and bought it!

Good to know..
Happy listening...

 

[zowki]

I just received the Fiio E7, and now my m50s sound like a whole different set of headphones. This was definitely worth the money, I'm glad I went ahead and bought it!

In what way did it make your M50s sound different? More details please!

 

[Wistaire]

Quote:

In what way did it make your M50s sound different? More details please!

With my on-board sound card there was pretty much no bass at all, all music I listened to came out really flat. Vocals were muddled as well. The Fiio E7 brought out the bass (sometimes a gets a little muddy, bass stays tighter without using the EQ). It brought the voice more to the front and I think it sounds slightly warmer now, but I'm not sure. With some songs I can now hear bass and vocals that I didn't even know where there... 
But this is coming from someone who knows nothing about headphones, I've been using Skullcandies for a long time so anything might sound good to me at this point. Either way... I'm satisfied.

 

[Optimus Praim]

Quote:

With my on-board sound card there was pretty much no bass at all, all music I listened to came out really flat. Vocals were muddled as well. The Fiio E7 brought out the bass (sometimes a gets a little muddy, bass stays tighter without using the EQ). It brought the voice more to the front and I think it sounds slightly warmer now, but I'm not sure. With some songs I can now hear bass and vocals that I didn't even know where there... 
But this is coming from someone who knows nothing about headphones, I've been using Skullcandies for a long time so anything might sound good to me at this point. Either way... I'm satisfied.

+1..
Same happened with my sound card...
Lack of bass ..
Tried to increase the 55Hz and 77Hz from foobar and the bass became boomy and distorted..
E7 makes the bass tighter and punchier adding what exactly i was missing...
The sound started to have fullness and dynamics...
 

 

[Remonster]

I think the external DAC helped my M50s the most, I'm using a FiiO E7/E9 but even with a Nuforce uDac-2 (with its mediocre headphone amp but decent DAC, from what I've read) they sounded great. To me, the greatest improvement came from the increased dynamics afforded by bypassing my computer's volume control. Try listening to music on a computer (no external DAC) at 3 steps away from maximum volume then slowly increase the volume. What I found on my Macs is the difference in volume is small until you get to maximum volume (when the operating system is no longer modifying the sound) and suddenly the dynamism is greatly improved.
 
By the way, if any of you are considering the E7/E9 combo for the M50s, I'm extremely pleased with it. I prefer the sound through the 1/8" output though, the 1/4" seems to be a little brighter and doesn't mesh well with the M50's sometimes harsh-ish highs.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I think the external DAC helped my M50s the most, I'm using a FiiO E7/E9 but even with a Nuforce uDac-2 (with its mediocre headphone amp but decent DAC, from what I've read) they sounded great. To me, the greatest improvement came from the increased dynamics afforded by bypassing my computer's volume control. Try listening to music on a computer (no external DAC) at 3 steps away from maximum volume then slowly increase the volume. What I found on my Macs is the difference in volume is small until you get to maximum volume (when the operating system is no longer modifying the sound) and suddenly the dynamism is greatly improved.
 
By the way, if any of you are considering the E7/E9 combo for the M50s, I'm extremely pleased with it. I prefer the sound through the 1/8" output though, the 1/4" seems to be a little brighter and doesn't mesh well with the M50's sometimes harsh-ish highs.

I'm thinking of just buying the E7 for $100 as an external DAC/amp from my laptop. Is the E9 worth the additional $100 or is it very much diminishing returns? (I'm not gonna ask if it improves the sound because it obviously does, something about a warmer sound and slightly better bass but I don't know if that justifies double the cost of just the E7)

 

[Optimus Praim]

Quote:

I'm thinking of just buying the E7 for $100 as an external DAC/amp from my laptop. Is the E9 worth the additional $100 or is it very much diminishing returns? (I'm not gonna ask if it improves the sound because it obviously does, something about a warmer sound and slightly better bass but I don't know if that justifies double the cost of just the E7)

I haven't heard the combo but i know that when you dock E7 to E9 the bass boost feature doesn't  work...
For me this is a big discouragement cause i like the bass boost feature of E7 a lot...
 

 

[kmanmx]

After previously owning some AD700's, i was after something that would better suit some of the dance/electronic/dubstep music i listen too, so i ordered some M50's and they arrived today. I gave them a quick hour burn in at a fairly high volume on my Boa D2+ before i tried them, and i chose my first song, "Let the bass kick in miami girl"... WOW ! I've had 4 sets of high end headphones and none have gave me such an instantly big smile

Compared to my AD700's, these are just fun, fantastic bass, and seem much more involving to me in this kind of dance music. Sure, i love my AD700's, but there's just something special about these

Can't wait to hear them after 50hours.

edit:

Holy crap, these extend pretty low. Nicki Minaj super bass has some really deep rumbling bass i never heard before, these seem to bring it out nicely.

Also, if anyone wants to experience a truly incredible amount of bass, give this a lisen:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui_odIvVIBE[/video]

 

[jto168]

Impressions/Mini-review after 1 Month of usage
 
Sources: PC, Laptop, A/V Receiver, iPod Video 5.5G (30GB)
Amps: Fiio E7, A/V Receiver
Other headphones: Sennhesier HD 555
Files: FLAC, MP3 320 CBR, CD
 
After about one month with the M50, I can say I am satisifed and impressed with its sound.
 
Like others have stated, these are not the be all and end all of headphones. You could even say they are FOTM, much like the Sennheiser HD 555 were back in its heyday, but the M50 is a very solid headphone considering its price point and sound output.
 
Here are some positivies:
 
- Good bass response: the bass extends pretty low, and hits hard. The bass is not as tight as other headphones, but can decently output enough bass to satisfy most ears.
- Clear treble: initially the treble is pretty bright, but after some burn in it definitely relaxes and isn't as harsh on the ears. Vocals sound very good for a closed can!
- Mids: slightly recessed, but after some burn in and the foam mod, they have improved. Further improvement can be made by adjusting EQ as needed. Not a dealbreaker considering you can address the mids with a variety of options.
- Comfort: Very comfortable considering its clamp force (slightly strong initially) and the pleather pads are decent. I come from the comfort of HD 555 with its velour ear pads, so it does take getting used to pleather. That said, the pleather pads are very comfortable and are necessary to provide a good seal for this closed can.
- Overall: I don't think you can find a significantly better headphone at this price point. The M50 certainly does not put other headphones to shame, but I feel that the M50 is good all around choice. Other headphones will address other needs for specific listeners - I'll explain below.
 
Some negatives:
 
- Mids: slightly recessed, but I emphasize that this can be addressed by the foam mod and adjusting EQ as needed.
- Bass: good response, goes very low but is slightly muddy and confused. I like all kinds of bass and the M50 is no slouch in this matter, but I want a different style of bass ouput which prompted me to look at other cans. Think of the bass response as a subwoofer; ported, closed, passive, active, front firing, down firing. These all have different characteristics and present bass differently. Unfortunately the M50 can't satisify all bass styles, so I went looking for another pair of cans.
 
So after a month of listening and burn in, I find myself quite happy with the M50.
 
I listen to many genres: trance, techno, house, EDM/electronica in general, J-Pop, J-Rock, J-Metal, Visual Kei, pop, hiphop, rap, and sometimes acoustic/classical music. I love the M50 - it's a fun headphone that made me rediscover my music collection. My musical mood changes frequently so there are time when I listen to trance exclusively for weeks/months at a time, and then I go onto to J-Metal.
 
During my listening sessions with the M50, I was listening to a lot of Tokyo Nights (deep house), deadmau5 (electronica), Dir en Grey (J-metal), Luna Sea (J-Rock), and various pop artists.
 
I discovered I am a basshead at heart, as I yearned for more bass. The M50 have a decent bass response, but I wanted something tighter and more accurate. After some research and help from head-fi users, I decided on the Ultrasone HFI-580 as a sort of horizontal upgrade.
 
Still waiting on the 580s to arrive, but I intend to give another follow up review/post after spending quality time with both headpones.
 
Cheers!

 

[meyameya]

is it just me or can the m50s be quite fatiguing? i think it's the highs for me.. might just me though