The Audio Technica M50 studio monitor thread
Nov 1, 2011 at 1:38 PM Post #1,051 of 1,431
Gotta say for me, the pressure on top of the head from the headband is more of a comfort problem than the pads or the clamp, which IMO is firm but bearable.
 
Thankfully they are not as heavy as the SRH840, so I don't feel that headband pressure point as much, but still a nuisance after a while.
 
Could do with a little more padding there methinks.
 
Nov 1, 2011 at 10:12 PM Post #1,052 of 1,431

 
Quote:
 


The E7 comes with a rubber band thing that is meant to hold your iPhone together with the E7 when they are used together, but to me its an inelegant and flimsy setup. You still have to get a line out jack for your iPhone if you want to use it with the E7. so iPhone + line out jack + E7 = hot mess. Its not really something you would want to be carrying about or even put inside your pocket because of the different wires and everything, and the rubber band would obscure part of the touchscreen. The E7 is an OK DAC for desktops, but for portable use, its not really nice.


 
Quote:
Completely agree

 
and I just even remembered that you still have to plug in the most important thing....the freakin headphone wire itself!
 
Nov 2, 2011 at 12:11 AM Post #1,053 of 1,431


Quote:
 
I bought the ATH-M50's but returned them since they bothered the bloody hell out of my ears. I also heard about the ear pad replacement mod (use velour pads from a 770).
 
Should I repurchase along with those pads? Do they make that big of a difference? Cause the M50 pads were not deep enough for my ears and my ears were touching against the inside of the headphones.

 



Just mod the stock M50 pads by placing stuffing under the pad rims. Use cottonballs if you just want more physical space and soundstage, use rolls of electrical tape if you want more physical space and bass.
 
Nov 2, 2011 at 1:56 AM Post #1,054 of 1,431
Recently picked up the M50s on here myself and paired it with a Zero DAC with OPA627s. 
 
So far, I am definitely loving the sound profile. I miss the sound stage and mids of my AD700s, but the M50's mids aren't as bad as some reviews make it out to be, and having some sort of bass response is actually nice for a change. When I first got them the clamping pressure was definitely too much for me, but not sure if they conformed to my rather largeish head or if I'm just used to it now, but now they fit just comfortably. 
 
All in all, loving the M50s :D
 
Nov 3, 2011 at 5:52 AM Post #1,055 of 1,431
I have an m50 question and this seemed like good thread to ask.

I'm considering the m50 is my first set of "good" headphones.  The ones I've owned in the past were all low budget sub-$100 sets, so I'm looking at the m50 a step up.   With the previous low budget headphones I mentioned, almost all of them lost sound in one ear after a few months of use.  Due to my past experiences I'm kind of paranoid about the potential of having the same problem again.

In searching for information about the M50 I found two reports of it losing sound in one ear after a few months.  Two reports is a tiny amount in comparison to the number of people who have bought an M50, of course, but I'm still a little worried.  To those who have owned the M50 for a while, I'm wondering if you have had any problems like this, or if you have any thoughts on the build quality of the M50.
 
Nov 3, 2011 at 9:16 PM Post #1,056 of 1,431

 
Quote:
I have an m50 question and this seemed like good thread to ask.

I'm considering the m50 is my first set of "good" headphones.  The ones I've owned in the past were all low budget sub-$100 sets, so I'm looking at the m50 a step up.   With the previous low budget headphones I mentioned, almost all of them lost sound in one ear after a few months of use.  Due to my past experiences I'm kind of paranoid about the potential of having the same problem again.

In searching for information about the M50 I found two reports of it losing sound in one ear after a few months.  Two reports is a tiny amount in comparison to the number of people who have bought an M50, of course, but I'm still a little worried.  To those who have owned the M50 for a while, I'm wondering if you have had any problems like this, or if you have any thoughts on the build quality of the M50.


I havn't had this problem, and I can tell you the build quality is very good. I've tugged pretty hard on the wire, thinking it was removeable, and its still fine.
 
 
Nov 7, 2011 at 11:09 AM Post #1,057 of 1,431
Mine are currently out for delivery!
smily_headphones1.gif

 
 
But I'm just now learning their are two versions of this can...hoping I get the white boxed one.
 
Nov 10, 2011 at 1:15 PM Post #1,058 of 1,431
Hello Head-Fi'ers. I have been lurking for a bit now as I looked for a set of cans to take on my first deployment here in a few months. My AT-M50s came in yesterday and I am about 15 hours into burn-in. They certainly sound good, but I must admit it isn't a "revelation" just yet as compared to the old Aiwas I bought for $40 at Best Buy back in college. I probably need to do some A/B on them and the ear buds I run in. I guess that's A/B/C.
rolleyes.gif

 
For reference, I am listening to a variety of FLAC/Apple Lossless/and mp3s. I have so far only used my Macbook Pro and I am pushing through Decibel (which is amazingly better SQ) rather than iTunes.
 
I also picked up a Fiio LOD for my iPhone and will grab their E5 amp shortly.
 
Thanks to everyone for all the great posts and info on here. I read and read for hours.
 
Nov 10, 2011 at 3:45 PM Post #1,059 of 1,431


Quote:
Hello Head-Fi'ers. I have been lurking for a bit now as I looked for a set of cans to take on my first deployment here in a few months. My AT-M50s came in yesterday and I am about 15 hours into burn-in. They certainly sound good, but I must admit it isn't a "revelation" just yet as compared to the old Aiwas I bought for $40 at Best Buy back in college. I probably need to do some A/B on them and the ear buds I run in. I guess that's A/B/C.
rolleyes.gif

 
For reference, I am listening to a variety of FLAC/Apple Lossless/and mp3s. I have so far only used my Macbook Pro and I am pushing through Decibel (which is amazingly better SQ) rather than iTunes.
 
I also picked up a Fiio LOD for my iPhone and will grab their E5 amp shortly.
 
Thanks to everyone for all the great posts and info on here. I read and read for hours.


If you are listening out of your macbook a lot, get a DAC before you get an amplifier. It'll have a much more significant impact on SQ improvement (imaging / clarity) than a straight-up amp.
 
 
Nov 10, 2011 at 5:38 PM Post #1,060 of 1,431


Quote:
If you are listening out of your macbook a lot, get a DAC before you get an amplifier. It'll have a much more significant impact on SQ improvement (imaging / clarity) than a straight-up amp.
 


You know, I haven't really looked into those yet. I initially wanted the nice cans to have while on long flights or while waiting in airports from here to the other side of the planet for hours or days on end. I imagined myself using my phone or iPod most commonly so I went for the LOD and little E5 amp. After getting the good phones and upgrading my music, I could see myself using the MBP to listen more often when stationary and working. If the DAC is the weak link then obviously I need that. I am sure the onboard integrated sound card is nothing special.
 
Any recommendations? I checked out the E7 just now and that looks like something I could handle price wise. I will probably never go off the deep end of Audiophile-ness; rather I am a person that just over analyzes every purchase I make, and someone who thinks that if I am going to buy something then I'm going to buy the quality version of it, damnit. I am a firm believer in the idea of getting what I pay for, but without needing THE most expensive item in any given category.
 
 
Nov 10, 2011 at 8:51 PM Post #1,061 of 1,431


Quote:
You know, I haven't really looked into those yet. I initially wanted the nice cans to have while on long flights or while waiting in airports from here to the other side of the planet for hours or days on end. I imagined myself using my phone or iPod most commonly so I went for the LOD and little E5 amp. After getting the good phones and upgrading my music, I could see myself using the MBP to listen more often when stationary and working. If the DAC is the weak link then obviously I need that. I am sure the onboard integrated sound card is nothing special.
 
Any recommendations? I checked out the E7 just now and that looks like something I could handle price wise. I will probably never go off the deep end of Audiophile-ness; rather I am a person that just over analyzes every purchase I make, and someone who thinks that if I am going to buy something then I'm going to buy the quality version of it, damnit. I am a firm believer in the idea of getting what I pay for, but without needing THE most expensive item in any given category.
 

 
I highly recommend the SRS iWow 3D Enhancement Adapter for 35 bucks if you are going to be using your M50 with an iPhone or iPod Touch constantly. I've been using my M50 with the adapter for the past few weeks and the sound quality is nothing short of incredible...eargasm after eargasm. Listening to it makes me realize just how crappy the iPhone sound is, even after using equalizer apps like Equ. The music is much more clearer, louder, rich when the adapter is used, and it dramatically improves quantity and quality of the bass, which the M50 is quite good at. Anytime I use the M50 with the Adapter to listen to bassy music, the bass impact is so much that the headphones start vibrating on my head. My E7/E9 amp connected to my laptop doest even really make my headphones do that, and it costs about 7 times more.
 
 
 
Nov 24, 2011 at 12:24 AM Post #1,062 of 1,431
So I have had my M50s for about 3 weeks now. I spent a week and a half or so playing them on and off during the day and overnight whenever my computer was sitting still. While I have read that some argue against burn in and consider more of a psychological trick than actual fact, I would have to place myself in the opposite camp. There is a noticeable difference in the phones. The instruments are more crisp and seem to have better separation. The bass has also really opened up. After reading that they were a "bassy" set when compared to others that are considered natural or flat overall, I was a bit worried at first. Over time, the bass has definitely come forward some and is much more crisp and pronounced with the EQ set flat. Playing through Audirvana or Decibel also makes a very noticeable difference over iTunes. Next will be a DAC.
 
And after that....maybe another set of cans? I only wanted one set of good phones to roll with, but dear Lord help me, the bug has bitten. I gotta get off this forum.
 
Nov 24, 2011 at 1:54 AM Post #1,063 of 1,431
i've had mine for about 4 months now and it feels pretty comfortable to me. it is true the headphone clamp pressure is a bit tight around the head, and even then the top part is the worst for some. what i did was leave my m50s stretched over some computer hardware boxes overnight for about 4 days and it really loosened it up. then i adjusted the headphone band about 5 clicks for both sides and the comfort level on my head has skyrocketed since then.
 
Nov 24, 2011 at 5:07 AM Post #1,065 of 1,431
Add me as a fan I'm impressed. 
 

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