Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable)

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

They are very clean and detailed. Great bass extension. I like them almost as much as the Denon D2000s. Very similar sound to me. A decent headphone amp is required to get the best sound and bass response from them. They work great in my home studio for monitoring and are pretty accurate. Soundstage is a bit smaller than the Denons and way smaller than my Sennheisers but they are closed back so that's expected.
The mids are very slightly recessed but most do not notice this. Also they do seem to take a while to burn-in. Give them at least 24 hours of solid use before you judge their sound. The highs were a bit harsh at first and they sounded a bit sterile when I first got them. I would not hesitate to buy these again.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I saw many reviews on these both positive and negitive. They are great. I had some skullcandy aviators before these and the ATH-M50's blow them away. They make listening fun again. Songs you have heard a thousand times sound almost new again. The highs and mids are crystal clear and the bass is tight and powerful. I would recomend them to anyone.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

Once I decided to purchase a nice pair of headphones, I started to read every review and forum that I could find. After about a month, I narrowed it down to the ATH-M50 and the HD 280 Pro. My final pick was the M50, and I am glad I did. Overall the M50 has very good build quality and feels solid in your hand. The cable is thick but flexible which makes it easy to stretch out for a longer reach without worrying about breaking it. I was worried that these would be too small for my head (about 23" in circumference) but they fit very nicely and can be worn for many hours without becoming uncomfortable.

The sound quality is excellent but i highly recommend using a EQ for listening to music. There is no coloration in the bass (if you are looking for a beats replacement, this is not it) and the treble is very crisp just like the midrange. The M50 requires high quality music for a good sound, I am currently in the process of re-riping my CD collection as AIFF at 1411 kb/s. Any bitrate less than 450 kb/s will not allow the M50 to shine to its fullest potential. Listening to 320 kb/s or below, you can hear small crackling noises and some muddy-ness in the music that you would not hear with lower quality cans. With high bitrate, it sounds like you are actually in the studio with the band/ singer you are listening to. On many of the Yo-Yo Ma tracks, you can actually hear him breathe while playing. One of my friends said that these were just a bose knock-off. I had him listen to them and he quickly agreed that the M50 was the best headphone he had ever heard in his life. Keep in mind that people associate quality headphones with Beats and Bose so you will have to show them differently because these blow the competition out of the water.

Overall, I am very pleased with my decision to buy the M50 and would highly recommend them to anyone seeking a very high quality pair of headphones without spending more than 200 bucks. Right now I am at about 50-75 hrs of use.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

Short review: Awesome!

Longer Review:
So far the sound has been great. I was looking for a great pair of headphones for a decent price. So I consulted my DJ friend and he pointed to these w/o question. So I read many reviews and almost always it came back to this set as being the best for the price.

I have had them now for about 2 weeks and can say so far I love them. They fit comfortably, are great to transport thanks to their folding, and sound awesome. From everything I read they get even better sounding as you burn them in. So I have that to look forward to.

For those that worry about style, I can say these look rather nice and imo look much better then the trendy Beats. Speaking of those, I tried many headphones at the Big Box stores including the various Beats...and these beat them hands down in both price and quality.

On a side note, I do highly suggest getting the corded. I was unsure when I got them, but a friend suggest I would regret it if I didn't. I will say I am so glad I got them corded. The ease of use is awesome. If I am at my desk it is nice to not have a mile of cable laying everywhere to trip over or grab stuff.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

It is a comfortable headset, easy to wear. Ear cushions are large enough and do not press on your ears. Sound seems very simple and natural, without exaggerations in any part of the spectrum but this is just my personal impression. They provide good isolation of the exterior sound and work well for moniroing the recording sound. There are cheaper Sony and Senn sets that are also popular but I do like the M50. The coiled cord on this one is convenient when I want to sit close to the source and don't have to deal with a bundle of cord on teh floor.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

These headphones are great. amazingly clear sound and good bass. and by good bass I don't mean bass that will rattle your head and drown out everything else. That's not the definition of good bass.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I've only been listening to these for the past week at work and I'm happy with my purchase. The speakers seem to be well balanced and punchy enough without the usage of an amp. I'm using them mainly for work playing pandora from my mac pro. These headphone are also comfortable enough to wear all day.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I am writing this review more about b&h as the headphones are a gift so I can't use them and write this review about them. I ordered these headphones yesterday and they were delivered today for free in perfect condition. The price was the best offered anywhere online or in stores. Overall amazing service, and I already know the product will work great.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

Some headphones are so light and comfortable, you hardly know you're wearing them. These aren't that type. You wouldn't want to use them for everyday listening, or go to sleep wearing them.

But, they excel at critically listening to music. On a commercially-released Nora Jones track, I heard a soft little rattling resonance at one point on the left track. Concerned that the problem may have been the headphones, I swapped that signal to the right channel, and then heard the rattle in the right ear. The headphones were working perfectly! That little noise was on the recording.

Listening to other artists, some sound better than others, but that's life. If a track is clipped, or the dynamics are over compressed, you'll hear the distortion; and if instruments are randomly placed in the stereo field, you'll hear that, too.

The impression I get with most commercial tracks is that I'm hearing what was heard in the studio control room. Also, pristine live recordings can sound very good.

Concerning bass, there is a test signal I have with a click track over a bass sine wave that slides to progressively lower frequencies. When a speaker can't handle the low bass, you can still hear the click track. The bass on these headphones was smooth and audible all the way to the end of the test track, which is better than any speakers I own.

Concerning the closed-back design, it doesn't completely eliminate external sounds, but it does reduce them enough to improve the signal-to-noise ratio vs. open phones.

About me: I'm a computer programmer with an engineering background. I sing in church choirs and a community choir, and sometimes make amateur recordings of live performances.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

Love these headphones - best sound I've ever experienced.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I compared this headphone to Klipsch in ear headphones and found a huge difference...everything is crisp and clear...amazing headphones for clarity, comfort and price

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I use this product for mixing audio for music and film (in addition to desktop monitors) and on location monitoring. These headphones have exceptional range, and you can hear the difference. The sound is portrayed accurate and true, enabling the possibility for reliable mixes.

The cost of course, is a big up. I've read some people complain that they're expensive. To them I suggest listening to a $100 pair of headphones and critically comparing it to these. Pitching out a little extra money goes a LONG way with these and compared to the more expensive variety, I believe these to be inexpensive for their quality. They are lightweight, but not cheaply made (yes they are plastic, but not plasticy... It's a trade-off that needs to be made for them to be light weight) I was pleased they offered a coiled cable, for I own a pair of Grados and the uncoiled cable often gets yanked in ways that scare me.

Wearability is also a big factor for me, as there will be times in which I will be wearing the headphones for hours on end. Make no mistake, ear fatigue will definitely occur if your mixes are sub-par, but one can easily listen to un-nuked music for hours on end with these. As well, their overall comfort on the head is incredible, and I will at times forget they are there.

The closed back design is a plus, but that of course is a preference. For me, the closed back aids in keeping noise in just as much as keeping noise out. At times I will be in the same room I'm recording in, and the last thing I want is bleed from the headphones to the microphone. These headphones prevent anything of the sort (at reasonable levels).

In all this is a great product. I would highly recommend it for on location monitoring, studio monitoring, and even pleasure listening. I did receive them as a gift but if they were lost or stolen I would definitely buy them again.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

This, my friends, is an excellent set of headphones. I use them for long hours of music listening, and additionally video gaming.

The ATH-M50's are extremely comfortable. After as sessions of 6 or so hours of gaming, and browsing, they still feel great. They mold into your head and ears and it just feels like the music is playing in your head and not from headphones.

As far as quality goes, I'm no audiophile but they sound beautiful. The bass on them is great and they kick fast during rock. Unfortunately I don't know the dynamics or inner-workings of music to provide a more in-depth analysis on the sound quality, but it sounds great for movie-watching too.

The cord is a nice comfortable length, with a spring connected at the jack to prevent the connection from diminishing.

There are no known cons to these headphones as far as I'm concerned.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

No major complaints so far.........

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I've had the Sennheiser HD555 before i bought the ATH-M50. If i had to choose between these 2, i would pick ATH-M50 every time.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I've owned a lot of headphones that I use while recording and mixing guitar, percussion, drums, vocals, piano, etc. I was looking for a nice, even response, good isolation to prevent a click track / monitor from bleeding into the mics, and comfort. These satisfy my needs perfectly. The frequency response is nice and wide, so I can mix with these and my studio monitors to have a good sense of the sound. I highly recommend the coiled cable; it gives you a bit of warning if the cable gets caught on something instead of ripping them off your head.

These are excellent headphones at a very reasonable price. I highly recommend them.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I use these headphones for small amounts of mixing (at night, when using my studio monitors would wake the neighbors) and for general listening and they perform wonderfully. I don't encourage mixing with headphones, but when you've got no other choice but to do so, these work well. Their sound is honest and isn't colored. The bass isn't too heavy either, but still has a definite presence without any crackles. Increasing the volume doesn't equate to a blown-out sound.

As far as noise isolation, they do a fairly good job. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pros and they definitely keep noise out / sound in much better. I'd say if my HD 280 Pros scored a 10 in noise isolation, the ATH-M50s would score a 6 or 5.

Again, though - these are great headphones and, from what I've heard, a standard in many studios when it comes to obtaining flat and honest sound.

Also came with a nifty little carrying pouch... helpful while traveling!

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

i recently purchased this headphones after hearing and reading good reviews about it. I wanted to have a decent one for my desktop audio system. The sound was very good out of the box. Some say you need atleast 50 hours burn in though. Im really impressed with th sq- very detailed, good bass, wide soundstage. Highly recommended for hp below $200.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I am a very novice user, who is now treading into the pro arena in both Audio, as a musician, and Video, as a camera/editing for my company. I needed a pair of headphones that encompassed three areas, 1. Comfort for LOOOONG hours filming 6 hours sessions. 2. Quality of sound for mixing both live and studio audio, and 3. A good price, since lets face it, you can spend upwards of $500 in a great set of headphones. Well, these have slam-dunked all three! They are comfortable, awesome for mixing...as our guitar player put it "My headphones sounds like I am listening to a walkman, where as your ATH-M50's sound like I am standing in a room with my AMP! The price can't be beat for the quality you get.

Comments about Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Closed-Back Studio Headphones (Coiled Cable):

I use these as a part of my 3 point mixing/monitoring setup that includes avantone mixcubes & krk e8's... these 'phones sound stupendous & my mixes translate perfectly. i have 3 other headphones: they will ALL be replaced with ATH-M50'S asap.