[sakageshinga]

Quote:

Impedance doesn't have as much to do with it as sensitivity does.

 
Aviators have 95dB/mW sensitivity while the M50s have 99dB, shouldn't they be indistinguishable?
 
 

 

[TMRaven]

I forget, as it's been some time since testing them out side by side, but I remember I had both of them at around 50% volume on the iPod touch of mine, so I guess they were nearly the same for me.

 

[sakageshinga]

Last question - I have a plastic cover that protects my iPod but it does make the M50 a bit hard to plug in since the cover is only slightly larger than the actual input jack and the M50's adapter is quite bulky.
 
Would getting a smaller adapter from say Radioshack reduce the SQ from my M50?

 

[erod]

I would suggest you try the Denon AH-D1100.
 
They have great bass, and also great soundstage and instrument separation.
 
People have said they have recessed mids, but it doesn't bother me.
 
They are also very comfortable.
 
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on their soundstage compared to M50s and Aviators.

 

[roma101]

I've had D1100's, have the M50's, and have the Aviators.
 
D1100'S are very different from the M50's. Dark/warm/laidback with good bass response, detail, and soundstage is way bigger than the M50's. Very impressive. I sold them however, 'cause of the recessed mids. Just felt too far away from the singer. But overall they're really great cans. Comfy and isolating.
 
M50's are punchy with sharp highs. They're detailed, fun, have good instrument separation but not as refined as something like the HD-25's or the HDJ-2000's. The highs just don't sound natural to me.
 
The Aviators - it's funny how so many people love to talk trash about them just because Skullcandy's the brand and are quick to dismiss them. Trash talk about Beats - I understand. The Aviators? Hell no. IMHO they're FAR from worthless. Plugged into a good source, they sound fun, detailed and the mids are downright beautiful. Very tight bass and very balanced overall. I agree with the idea that you may feel like you're at a live concert. The only caveats are the cord (I would love to get them recabled) and lack of isolation for me. But I've had them for several months now and they're going strong. No problems with build quality so far as I treat them pretty well. 
 
Anyway - if you need isolation and durability, M50's are the way to go. If you love the sound of the Aviators, stay with them. Or hell just keep them both like I did. One for portable use (train/bus) and one for home/walking about town.
 
One other can I can recommend also are the Pioneer HDJ-2000's. They are better than both the M50's and the Aviators hands down. The bass has body and sound full without being boomy while the sound is neutral, natural and very refined. Very balanced, just the way I like it. Not to mention the phones look great and are built like a tank squared.

 

[sakageshinga]

Quote:

 
D1100'S are very different from the M50's. Dark/warm/laidback with good bass response, detail, and soundstage is way bigger than the M50's. Very impressive. I sold them however, 'cause of the recessed mids. Just felt too far away from the singer. But overall they're really great cans. Comfy and isolating.

Hmm, I already find that I'm a bit far away from the vocals on the M50s, so will I find it even more so on the D1100s?

 

[roma101]

How long have you burned in your M50's for just out of curiosity? I feel like the mids do move forward with burn-in but remain just slightly recessed.
 
Yes to my ears, the singer sounds further away on the D1100's. Not necessarily a bad thing if you want a big soundstage and just want to relax and listen to the music (the denons just have a different sound signature - it's a matter of preference.) I enjoyed them for sometime until I realized I didn't prefer it as much as I preferred my other cans. I just like a more intimate sound. They're great to try out something different though and to see what your preferences are. 

 

[546f6e790d]

Hey, I recently bought a pair of M50's and have had some (limited) listening on the Aviators, and I would say I'm more impressed with the M50's.  I don't notice a big problem with anything and they are really comfortable, whereas the Aviators to me were a little less comfortable and I found the bass to be slightly lacking, and isolation is definitely less.  Hope this helps

 

[sakageshinga]

Quote:

How long have you burned in your M50's for just out of curiosity? I feel like the mids do move forward with burn-in but remain just slightly recessed.
 
Yes to my ears, the singer sounds further away on the D1100's. Not necessarily a bad thing if you want a big soundstage and just want to relax and listen to the music (the denons just have a different sound signature - it's a matter of preference.) I enjoyed them for sometime until I realized I didn't prefer it as much as I preferred my other cans. I just like a more intimate sound. They're great to try out something different though and to see what your preferences are. 

I've had the M50s for a few days now and have run them for about nearly 10 hours.  I know the supposed "burn-in" should take about 25+ hours so I'm going to hang on to them for a while longer before I decide.
 
I guess in terms of sound quality, I really appreciate the tight bass and highs on the M50s, but at the same time I also like the big soundstage & up-close vocals from the Aviators...if only I can find a set of cans that has both...

 

[roma101]

Hm you should check out the HFI-680's then. Those are 'phones I'd love to hear. They're the most neutral of the HFI series and I read they're similar-sounding to the Aviators.

 

[sakageshinga]

Quote:

Hm you should check out the HFI-680's then. Those are 'phones I'd love to hear. They're the most neutral of the HFI series and I read they're similar-sounding to the Aviators.

Thanks, I will. 
 
I'm wondering if you've noticed something that I have - that the M50s' output sound is a bit lower than the Aviator's when you have the source device set at the same volume.  Basically, in the past few days I've been testing both headphones on my iPod classic, and I'd have the iPod play the same song and at the same volume.  Doing so, I came to the conclusion that the Aviator's mids are less subdued and the soundstage is larger than the M50s.  However, last night I tried turning up the iPod's volume by a little when I switched over to the M50s and voila!  It sounds the same, if not better, than the Aviators!  Have you noticed this?
 
Basically, I'm thinking that in order to accurately compare the two, I'd have to increase the iPod's volume when I switch over to the M50s, and then decrease it when I switch back.