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

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

My girlfriend and I both use a set of these headphones at work. They have good isolation, are very durable, comfortable, you don't need an amp to power them, and they sound good as well. They have good bass without being too colored, decent soundstage for closed-back phones, and are accurate but not boring. Since I first got them, my co-workers (music editing) have started to get them as well. I've had them a couple of years, replaced the pads once and they were like new again. Although they are not the end-all, beat-all of headphones, they are really good phones for the price.

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

Good quality audio.
Very comfortable, I tend to be picky about this.
After burn in these do become unbiased headphones... letting you listen to what the person who made the song wanted you to hear. The bass has a different feel then I'm use to, but I enjoy it.
Only issues I have is that the cable doesn't detach and people in the state of Florida can't buy the B&H warranty. So if it breaks you'll have a big issue... though it does come with an Audio Technica 1 year warranty. Also no mic, but you don't buy headphones like this for a microphone. Best headphones under $200-$250 as far as I know. The coiled cable is the perfect length letting it be able to rest in my pocket if I want to walk around with these on. Stretch length is still very long too.

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

I use my new ath-m50s a lot now that I got them, they fit pretty comfortably, they sound amazing, not too much bad to say about them, one thing is they sound much better in an amp,the bass is pretty punchy but not overpowering and nice highs and lows! I would def recommend this product to anyone looking for great headphones at a great price

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

This product is second to none. I have researched for hours seeing which sub-$200 headphones would be the best in terms of aesthetics and, more importantly, in terms of audio quality. If you like headphones such as Beats, this is NOT for you. These let you hear EVERYTHING in your music, not just the bass and the singing. Plus, if you have a decent amp, you can ramp up the bass so that they sound like a bass monster. Overall, these headphones are perfect for anything whether it be casual listening or for studio monitoring, and, when paired with a decent amp, the possibilities are endless.

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

Sound is great

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

I use these to mix, track, and for FOH work. I have compared them to Sony 7509 and Beyerdynamic DT 770Pro. The M50 has a smoother more natural response than either of those.

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

best cans below $150! heck, best below $200! building a budget computer audio rig needs a lot of research. i was surprised you could get a lot of quality equipment on a tight budget. scouting around on a lot of forums, the ath m50 kept popping up. i think its the most widely recommended cans for its price range. i'll leave out comments on audio and build quality. just do your research. what i'll do is recommend this to anyone looking for headphones out there. great product!

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

I have straight-cable and coiled-cable sets of these, and I like the coiled-cable for sitting at the desk, straight cable for long runs across the room. Either way, these beat out anything I've ever tried at anything close to the price range. Awesome phones: excellent isolation, comfort, dynamics, and frequency response. Translates extremely well with nearfield monitors. These are studio phones: they benefit from having a legit headphone amp or audio interface-- iPods and laptop soundcards might not have enough juice to produce volume and dynamics. They are also pretty bulky for "around town" listening.

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.