ATH-M50X Headphones, White

I have owned these headphones for 6 months. I'm semi-audiophiliac. They've generally been my go to for listening to music. I'm only writing this review because I unlocked the truth i'd been missing out on for 6 months. That's my resume. Here are my thoughts on why you should choose these over budget or more expensive headphones. ( & yes, you should, but read on.) These are great no matter what you plug them into. I'll give them that. You will be generally impressed if you plug them into your iphone, android, mac, etc.. They're pretty darned good. The volume is perfect, the highs are there but tame enough while keeping truth. You won't blow your eardrum tweeter, but the highs are definitely there and serviceable to truthiness of the treble band. The bass is true bass. It's not overly exaggerated; these WILL NOT give you an ear massage, it will however give you pretty close to exact bass. That's actually a fantastic thing, learning to appreciate bass rather than it treating your ears as a trampoline is definitely an enlightenment. I mainly use these with Spotify for my music diet. I'm a premium subscriber which gives me the rights to their high quality streams. These WILL expose bad recordings. Certain punk rock will not sound good as high quality electronic or high end produced modern pop. The ATH-M50x's keep the recording quality obvious, but I would go on to say that they're pretty forgiving at the same time. If you picked up a pair of AT's higher priced cans, you'd probably expose even more, and is that worth it? Ehhhh it's up to you, but these are the sweet spot for the price if you're really looking to find flaws in recording, ya geek. The biggest take away for these cans is this: while plugging them into anything will get you great audio, what they're plugged into matters. They will expose the the truth of the audio output of the device they're plugged into. An Iphone won't sound as good as plugged into a macbook pro which won't sound as good as a pc with a good sound card. I'd been running these on my dell monitors headphone jack, which runs into an nvidia 980ti GPU, which serves up audio through the mentioned audio jack. It was okay. Today I pulled out the long 3.5mm male to 2.5mm male (the connection on the ATH-M50's is 2.5mm fyi) that came with these and decided to plug these into my gaming pc that has a decent realtek soundcard... Oh my lord panty dropping audio blissfulness, the gods have spoken, how the hell did I miss this, hot damn. It awoke the beast. I cannot say more until you try these in a preamp (coworkers recommended) or something that pumps out decent audio. These are a catalyst, you just need the correct crucible to handle it. You pair these babies with the correct output mechanism, and it will be one of the best 100$ range headphones you'll have ever have bought. Sky's the limit, just feed them correctly. Since owning these, I've bought other Audio-Technica audio and recording devices. Have a set of their ATH-CKS55XBT blue tooth headphones : Audio-Technica SOLID BASS Bluetooth wireless stereo headset ATH-CKS55XBT As well as the AT2020 usb microphone: Audio-Technica AT2020USB PLUS Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone It helps to live 3 miles from their main headquarters and warehouse, but my first venture with AT were these headphones bought from Amazon, and I haven't looked back. These can's established brand loyalty in me to AT. They are The Truth.

Let me start off with a disclaimer that I am rather severely hard of hearing (require good hearing aids to hear well...ish) caused by a bout with bacterial menigitis as a toddler, so take the following review for what you will. General Summary: With these, I can hear/feel bass, I can now (occasionally) hear things I couldn't hear before (eg: cymbals/high-hats on drums) and similar sounds (although my headphones are in the dangrously loud range of 85-90db+ range when I do so). Volume is not an issue with these by any means as I can actually turn them up to be loud enough to hurt my ears and force me to turn it back down (though I rarely ever have it that loud as my hearing is damaged enough as is lol). For music: The bass has will actually vibrate my headphones when turned up despite not having EQ tuned more towards bass (it's pretty flat which is another bonus as it gives you a better baseline for EQ control). I can hear certain things I never could before such as things in the "back of the mix", faint adlibs, subtle sounds such as cymbals and hi-hats on drums. For Gaming: Clarity is incredible and I have slightly more situational awareness when in games (though I still miss some things due to my hearing issues). Volume & sound feels rather "full" to me as well. I rarely ever have volume/sound issues in games with these headphones. For movie/video (youtube, netflix, etc): Outside of really soft speaking/whispering, I have absolutely no issue with hearing everything rather clearly (aside from added effects such as distortions of course, but I can barely understand that to begin with due to hearing). Even with distortions though, I can actually hear and understand it a little better than I have ever been able to with any other headphones I've ever used, personally. My previous headset was a Logitech Artimis which was surprising how good it was and until I got these, the Artimis headsets were the best I've ever used (though gaming focused)... Now? Sorry Logitech, but these are even better, however, with that said. Both are surprisingly affordable for their quality and neither use the dreaded "in-line controls" which always the weakest point and when that goes, the headphones stop working so any headphones without in-line controls will always be viewed far more favorably by me in durability... Speaking of... Durability: I've dropped these countless times (by accident... butterfingered klutz problems lol). Have accidentally "kicked" them, pulled a little too hard when there was not enough cord, and other various, minor mishaps common from daily use and they are still working fine with 0 issues or any actual damage. I have one minor gripe although I think that has more to do with my glasses (or me) than with the headphones and that is that sometimes I can't seem to make them sit comfortably on my head, but rotating the cups a little seems to help though it still takes a few minutes to get used to it again but once I do... They are incredibly comfortable and remain comfortable even after wearing them for 12+ hours a day as I do most things on the PC and at my PC most of the day, so I'm wearing the headphones more often than not. These are durable, powerful, and comfortable. The only drawback for me *personally* has less to do with the headphones and more with hardware/software of my PC which is I wish this came with an app that could read db output so I can be more conscious and careful of my hearing for it is more dangerous (for me). Thus it is more likely to cause damage for me as my starting volume is considerably higher by default due to hearing loss as the 70db range is what I need to hear well enough to follow along (I can *hear* the 60db range, but have severe trouble understanding as it's barely whisper level for me due to hearing). but that's really close to 80db range and I can easily cross over into that (and into the 90s) for long extended listening periods which can damage hearing if done for extended amounts of times. All in all, I highly recommend this product whether your hearing is normal or damaged. I have found no legitimate faults with this product. I would definitely purchase again in the future (doubly so if they create and include an app that can help keep track of db levels to add a layer of hearing protection much like apple does with their air pod ear buds and the hearing section of the health app). I would hope that if they do the app, it is free or at least cheap and affordable (like 5-10 USD at most and not something like 50-100 USD). To the person reading this: I hope this review from someone with hearing impairments was helpful in spite of the fact that I have severe hearing damage. Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day/night.

Edit: This review is from a viewpoint of someone who haven't used the previous M50 version. This review is generally about the overall quality of this headphone! My Review: This is one of the best headphone I've owned. Even more expensive headphones like the Sennheiser HD series (besides the HD800 I guess) are not as good as this one. There are several factors that make this headphone awesome: Comfort: 10/10 First of all, I want to talk about the component that separates this headphone from the Sennheiser HD series or other headphones; the comfortable of this headphone is unmatchable by other brand headphones. I have big ears and the ear cups fit perfectly inside my ears as well as the tightness of the ear cups doesn't hurt my ears either which helps with extended listening/wearing. The earcups are made out of some sort of soft leatherish rubber which is once again...super soft and comfortable. Same thing for the headband, it's so soft and fit to my head so well. They also put some sort of soft cushion under the earpads for extra comfort. Which are all pretty neat and cool features. Sound Quality 30/30: +Highs 10/10: Perfect, crisp +Mids 10/10: Really clear and balance +Lows 10/10: Very good base and smooth. I'm not an expert or audiophile but dang this headphone sounds good. Everything sounds differently, every song sounds like a new song and you can hear everything in the audio file as long as you have the good enough quality audio track. I've listen with this headphone from all kinds of music: classic, rock, pop, alternative, etc. Everything just sound so good. In my own opinion, I think that this headphone sounds better than the Sennheiser HD598 HD280 380 because of the improved base as well as the clearer background I guess (just my own opinion). Also in my own opinion, I think this headphone is better than the Bose QC15 and is comparable to the Shure SHR1440. Overall, everything sounds smooth crisp with incredible base. Get this for your own to try it out and you'll see what I mean. (I will update more as I break it in a little bit more, could be even better :D) Looks 9.99/10: It looks great and well... This is again a personal reference/opinion. This headphone is very fashionable and awesome looking. It's also very light so you can wear it outside no problem! This is just my opinion on the look but you can look at the picture and judge for yourself. :D Feels 10/10: Very solid and durable. Inside is made out of metals/aluminum (I'm not really sure). You can feel the quality of it from top to bottom , it feels very dense and solid (unlike the plasticky feel from say the QC15 or HD380)...From the ear cups to the leather padding. It's a great built headphone overall. The cables are also thick and durable (I like the coil one because I tend to move around a lot). Overall, great upgrade from the last model (which I never own one, I took this sentence from reading other reviews :D) Pricing 10(+5) or 15/10: For a headphone like this,I could pay 400 dollars for it and still feel worth it. I don't know, may be it's just me but I feel like getting this headphone for just around 200 dollars (plus tax) from Amazon is way too cheap. With this awesome quality built, comfort level as well as supreme sound, this headphone is way too good for its price/competitor. [Hurry, get this now before Audio Technica raise the price:) ...jkjk haha] Conclusion: That's all I have for now. I hope you find my review helpful and help you somewhat make up your mind to purchase a great headphone. If anyone would ask me which headphone to buy within the 500 dollars range, I would tell them to save the other 300 and get this headphone in a heartbeat! Some extra comparison: -ATH-M50x or Beats Pro HD $500 => Beats: Broncos ATH-M50x: Seahawks (lol sorry Broncos fans) -This heaphone or QC15: This headphone for sound quality and price. QC15 for sound cancellation. About the same comfort level. P/S: Sorry for any grammatical errors or mistakes. Please feel free to leave any comments, improvements that I could make for my reviews as well as some more comparisons that I could do. Thanks again for reading my review!

PREFACE: The last two 5 star reviews I posted on Amazon for two different pair of headphones, they were posted but when I went back to add something, both had been removed by Amazon after posted and said "they went against community standards'. There wasn't anything offensive and they were both 100% positive so I am not sure what went against "community standards", but I am gonna try again with these. We shall see.... I have several pair of open back headphones and only one pair of closed back, which is the Sennheiser HD 280. I wanted a second pair of closed back. I debated between these and the Sony 7506. Rather than ask Amazon's AI which was better (as you never get an answer), I decided to ask Google's AI, as they will state which is the better "all around" of the two. Audio Technica came out hands down in every category. So Audio Technica is was. I should mention I also have the Audio Technica 50X, open back headphones; I ill get to that later. I am not a "true audiophile' like many who post, but I know what I like. I still use my setup fro 1974 which is Sansui receiver/amp, JBL L50 speakers (back when both brands were excellent) and a Technics 1200 table along with two OPPO blu ray/SACD players. Now to the headphones. First, they are powerful and very very loud. I had to turn the volume down to "2" so I didn't go deaf. With all the other headphones I play around "4 or 5". This proved to me that higher "ohms" do not make headphones louder as my other closed back is Sennheiser HD280 and those are 64 ohms, these are only 38 ohms. So that was a lesson learned. Second, they are very well built, comfortable and look great. Third, the sound is very very balanced, even more so than some of my open backs and they have a great sound stage to them, which is not a trait with closed backs but they do. I am hearing things on these I have not heard on any of my other headphones, closed back or open back. Point of reference, the open backs I have are Sennheiser (4 pair), beyerdynamics (1 pair) and Audio Technica (1 pair and it the the 50 X is open back). Why I did my research on these, I was hesitant because the 50X open back , honestly are poor sounding compared to the Sennheiser open backs. The At's have no bass, but these closed backs have incredible bass and treble and neither high, mids or low are overshadowed by the other. As I stated my other closed back is Sennheiser HD280 and I love the way those sound, until now. I have had Sennheisers since 1970 and I am a true fan of the brand, but this particular pair of AT's has just blown me away with its clarity. After becoming use to open back headphones I never though I could ever listen to closed back again, but these have proven me wrong and it pains me to say it sound better than the Sennheiser 280 in all around clarity and depth of the highs-mid-lows. While I am not gonna go closed back headphones purchasing happy as two pair are enough and I see no reason for a third especially with the ATs, I will still continue to purchase open backs but again the AT 50 closed back may sound better than open backs. I am truly love these headphones, especially after my disappointment with the 50X open backs. These are worth the money not only for sound but for durability as they are not all plastic but have metal components. Let's see if this review goes against "community standards"

After one year and two months of owning these, having them broken in and having myself accustomed to them, I must say, these are one hell of a bang for your buck. They're not perfect, let's start by clarifying that, the soundstage is weaksauce and there's a peak in the treble that really makes the S sound pop out (to which my ears are sensitive, so I can't crank them up that extra 10% volume to reach my sweet spot, but I blast them just under and they're perfectly good there). The padding in the headband is adequate at best. Defects out of the way, time for the worship. SOUND The clarity in these is INSANE and IN-YOUR-FACE, I'd consider them sort of aggressive actually (which I love, but if you like something more mellow you may try going for something like Bose). The bass is SOLID and smoooooooth~ really nice, no distortion whatsoever at any volume I've listened to it in (and I've gone LOUD, deafeningly loud, so if it distorts after that and that's a problem for you, man, your ears must be serious beasts to be able to bear that!). The mids are present, just present, they don't pop out, they're not absent, they're just there, loud and clear. The treble is pretty shiny, on the higher end of things some sounds may come across as a bit metallic though, but nothing particularly bad. The treble side of things does pop out a bit more, but it's just bright enough for you to listen to it crystal clear while being mellow enough for your ears to not hurt. At really high volumes there's the S issue though, as I previously mentioned. You can easily fix that with an EQ, and that's the single peak that has given me any issues at all, the rest of the sounds coming out of these are AMAZING. BUILD AND COMFORT What can I say? I've had them for a year and two months now. I've accidentally dropped them from my desk to the hard, carpetless floor, I've been a jackass to them and never put them in their carrying pouch, as in, NEVER, I just carry them on my neck if I head out to a situation where they may come in handy. I haven't been the most careful of owners, and yet, they're as good as new. No scratches, no loosened parts, no cracks, NOTHING. These are SOLID. If you were to choose one last pair of headphones and head out to Narnia where you won't be buying any new ones any time soon, these would be the ones. What's more, I recently looked for someone who dismantled them online, or straight up broken them, to have a better look at their insides and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the ENTIRE HEADBAND is made out of METAL. As for comfort, they're right there in terms of weight. They're not heavy, they're not particularly lightweight, just light enough to wear them just fine, heavy enough to have a presence on your head. If you have middle sized ears, they will fit just fine within the earpads, no issues, they're comfortable and firm. Your ears will barely if ever touch the drivers, The headband's padding is adequate at best, it could be better. In my experience, they do get tiring for the top of my head after a couple of hours, but nothing a short break can't fix, and I do wear these most of the day. I've bought more headphones within the time I bought these and now, but I always keep coming back to these sooner or later, and that's gotta say something. They've proven themselves to be potentially underpriced and I definitely recommend them. PSA: If the earpads are not good for you, I suggest you be careful when choosing others because the stock pads have this cushiony thick fabric at the drivers that adds a bit of a THUMP to the bass and kills the harsher side of the treble, so the sound WILL change with other earpads if you don't choose carefully. They will sound UNBEARABLY HARSH so choose wisely, the thicker cushiony fabric at the drivers is necessary for these to sound right.

This has to be one of the best headphones that I've bought... Period. \\The Sweetcake// I received it on March 14 and my oh my the packaging is exquisite that I don't want to get rid of the product box,open it and you receive 3 interchangeable cables to suit your need whether you want to use the short 1.2 m (3.9') for your Android or smartphone , the coiled cable, 3.0 m (9.8') AND the straight cable 1.2 m - 3.0 m (3.9' - 9.8') for your studio it will provide the cleanest connection from the ATH-M50x jack to whatever device you wanted connected to , I've tried all of the cables for a long duration and they are solid , they muster took great deal making those because each cable feels very thick and durible yet not heavy , that's amazing. . The cable option is a plus for me and its a good thing that I heard from the internet that there is a version of the ATH-M50 that you don't need to mod it in order to change its cables . \\The Build Quality// Its a mix between plastic and solidity that you should keep in mind because if this was complete build balls-to-the-wall-style then I don't think Audio Technica would go cheap and seriously this headphone should have cost about 220$ at max , however the feelings of the ear pads and the weight of headphones makes you want to be a little more careful when holding/using it because to me its like holding a white gem (Considering I have choose the white color and its a great color in paint , I don't see those very often) you can swiveling the ear cups 90° if you want to keep one on your ear and the other outside to keep an ear out . \\Comfort// These are one of the most comfortable headphones that I've ever had and that's no exaggeration , I'm a guy who sits on his chair listening to music and I do have the constitution to be sitting for about 24 hours and I can tell you it doesn't hurt , the cups have this hexagon look in detail and it feels like leather , maybe because it actually is from the start and no wonder really . I've moved from the usage and comfort of the Razer Tiamat 7.1 to this ... and you know what ? I'll throw away a Tiamat just for this. \\Sound Quality// Keep in mind this is my first entry to a professional headphone level that's meant for home/pro studio level of use and I'm kinda on the not know it expert of audio in a way but I do know the essentials that I know that in the ends matters . I listen to any kind of music that has great melodies,classical music and the "catchy" factor, from Beethoven "Symphony No.5 In C minor" , Pink Floyds Album "The Darkside Of The Moon" to Andrew - Zircon - Aversa's "Identity Sequence" and Son Lux's "Lanterns"... It was really a trip. The lows were punchy and powerful and have more energy then anything , the mids feels right , clear and smooth and the highs were crisp and not sharp but you know that when a mid and high collides together to sound like an orchestra , I can tell you for sure that this headphone does it right . I didn't mention the bass though , I like my headphones to be bass natural at best and this one brings it up just fine , it gives me that I'm actually there in the field and I close my eyes , I feel like I'm going to another worlds and its just ... Damn, just damn. When I was browsing there was one reviewer in Amazon who mentioned that some details in Pink Floyds tracks from his "The Dark Side Of The Moon" like Money and Time had a lot of details that he couldn't hear but he said that the ATH-M50x brings up life to music , I'd like to stand beside the person who wrote that statement because it is true , not only true but its an amazingly true fact with jaw dropping results . Now keep in mind I hook this up to a dedicated sound card that came with the motherboard for my PC that I use , a SupremeFX X-Fi Audio Card , There is no problems whatsoever . I hooked it up to my Android Galaxy S III with no need for phone amps since this is a 38 ohms in Impedance , sound quality still great . I use the headphone not only for music and for gaming too , It gave me an immerse feeling that I never felt I had before in the Razer Tiamat 7.1 . I also work on mixing and producing music and after closer evaluation I know this is a keeper . \\The Looks// You should look at the pictures and videos , I don't know what to say more then that , it looks like a gem , but then again who cares about the look ? , as long as it delivers what you need . Overall : If you are looking for a professional headphone that kick the sweet spot right in the ear every time for every thing you do digitally , then this is for you . If you are looking for a headphone that looks great , sounds great and looks great all for under 200$ then this is for you . Buy it , you wont regret it .

Let me preface this by saying that previously to owning these, I had owned the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (the older model of this). I bought the M50's in 2013, and they lasted me up until about a week ago; so I got 4 years out of them. I used them every single day for at least 6 hours on average. Funnily enough, the reason I had to buy a new pair is simply because of my own mistake, I accidentally cracked a part of the headphone that controls the rotation of the ears, which caused the left side to not hug my head like the right side. The actual speakers and everything else still work perfectly. Now on to the M50x. The build quality feels superb just as the older model. There is no active noise cancelling, but there is enough passive noise cancelling due to the ear-cuffs (more on that later) that a decent amount of outside noise is muffled. As far as sound quality goes, you're essentially getting the exact sound that the musicians intended. The best way I can describe the sound is that it is very clean. You're not getting super heavy bass and you're not getting airy treble either. It sits right in the middle, where the bass is full and smooth, but it doesn't muddy out the track, as it allows the rest of the tracks sounds to breathe. As you can see by the description, the headphones come with several types of detachable cords. I didn't try many of them out as I already know I prefer the coiled cable due to my previous usage of the M50 headphones, I can tell you that connecting and disconnecting them is a breeze and honestly I actually don't know how I've used headphones without this option throughout the years. Different usages have different needs, as it were, so there are many options for you here depending on your needs. Now, as for the ear-muffs. One of the most common complains that I see for this pair of headphones is that they make your ears hurt. I do not have this issue at all, neither with this set or the older M50 model. I suspect this will only be an issue for you if you have large ears. I find that the muffs fit perfectly around my ears. The padding on the muffs is great, so I'm thinking the issue is more to do with some people just having large ears for the muffs. These are in fact OVER-ear cans, not on-ear. All in all, I believe these to be the absolute best set of headphones to introduce people to the world of audiophilia. For the price, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another set that can compare. Coming from the older model to the newer M50x, I'm impressed with the changes made. I would wholeheartedly recommend this product to anybody looking for a pair of headphones that will give them a strong build quality, clean and accurate audio, and professional grade accessory options with the interchangeable cords provided. Audio-Technica made a believer out of me with the 4 years I got out of the M50 model headphones despite intense everyday usage. I hope to get a similar experience with the M50x set of headphones.

These things might be lower cost / lower-end headphones but they’re not cheap! I use them as studio monitors when I play bass and I was worried they wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’ve blown several sets of headphones already and some that cost A LOT more than these! When I’m just jamming and not really practicing anything new, I have my bass, effects, and whatever music I’m playing along with going thru these cans. A lot of headphones in this price range get really muddy or the bass gets really thin if there’s too much low-end. This is especially true if it’s turned up a bit. These Audio-Technicas are workhorses. I’ve been able to torture these things with loud music and heavy bass without any issues. I’ve been very happy with them. Now, let’s be clear on something. If you’re looking for the best sounding headphones in this price range these probably aren’t them. When I want to really listen to music or movies I have high-end headphones that are great for that. However, I would NEVER play my bass or my effects rig thru them. That’s not what they’re built for. That said, these Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphone still sound great and they can take a lot of abuse. As over-the-ear studio monitors they’re great and they don’t cost a fortune. They come with 3 excellent 1/8 inch to 1/8 inch cable options and include a quality 1/4 inch adapter so you can plug into amps, computers, mixers, or whatever. The included cables are high quality soft rubber that doesn’t pull hair (a miracle of modern science) and seem well built and durable. The headphones collapse nicely and the cables can be removed / interchanged for portability or to fit different environmental needs. They really thought of almost everything! The only suggestion I would make to any potential buyers is this. Buy a case for them. The pleather bag that comes with the headphones is “meh” at best. A decent case will keep them well protected, make them easier to carry, and will fit your cables without them getting all tangled up. Most cases are about $20 and will help protect your headphones a lot more and the bag will. That’s it! Overall, they’re great and you should get yourself a pair!!

Very sensitive and clear sound. Good for my monitoring needs, also good stereo separation for gaming.

Very good headphones. Clear sound and good bass.

Très bon casque, une répartition bien équilibré, vraiment fait pour écouter du son en bonne qualité type WAVE, FLAC ect... Le MP3 passe mais très mal on détecte immédiatement la compression et obliger de mettre a fond pour vibré un peu, alors que de bonne qualité on peu écouter a bas volume et ça envoie parfaitement comme si on y était ;) je recommande pour les artistes compositeurs et mélomanes sensible aux fréquences, pour une écoute de stream ou MP3 il est préférable de se trouver des écouteurs de moins bonne qualité ;) pour moi qui est une grosse tête je peu porter le casque presque toute la journée et pas de problème de pression avec l'arcau il ne sert pas trop et reste bien en place, produit nickel on verra l'épreuve du temps ;)

Un livraison express et un excellent son pour un prix raisonnable

I love these audio technic headsets so good for gaming. I can hear all the directional footsteps great sound quality. I would recommend them to anybody whether you just plug them into your PC or you use it with a amp or DAC