Audio-Technica ATH-M50S Monitor Headphones w/ Straight Cable
| Overall rating: |
|
With the ATH-M50 professional studio monitor headphones, Audio-Technica has achieved an exceptionally accurate response and long-wearing listening comfort. Designed especially for professional monitoring and mixing, these studiophones feature an efficient collapsible design for space-saving portability and storage. Circumaural ear pieces swivel 180 for easy one-ear monitoring and luxuriously padded ear cushions create an outstanding seal for maximum isolation. The adjustable headband is generously padded for ultimate comfort during long mixing sessions. A coiled cable at the left earpiece terminates to a gold-plated mini-plug with included screw-on 1/4″ adapter.
Audio-Technicas sophisticated driver technology and superior components deliver exceptional power handling and very high SPL capabilities while maintaining clarity of sound throughout their extended range, with deep, accurate bass and outstanding high-frequency extension. The headphones feature proprietary large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems for ultra-efficient signal transfer.
Features
- Exceptional audio quality for professional monitoring and mixing
- Collapsible design ideal for easy portability and convenient storage
- Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems.
- Closed-back cushioned earcup design creates an outstanding seal for maximum isolation
- Adjustable padded headband for comfort during long mixing/recording sessions
- Single-sided straight cable terminates to gold-plated mini-plug with screw-on” adapter
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 83 x 47 x 104 inches
- Weight: 1 pounds
Amazing Headphones!
Now, I’m not a total Audiophile when it comes to things like this. I was used to some crappy headphones that I used during gaming. I bought these because I wanted something to block out our server fan noise at work and allow me to listen to music(dubstep, DnB, classical, whatever.) First thing I noticed about these headphones was that the bass is deep. It was love on the first song. Everything was so crisp. Paired with a custom built headphone amp, these things beat out my friends AKG 701 Whites(his words, not mine) So over all this purchase was the best $100 I spent ever.
Clear, clean, and comfortable.
I bought these to replace an aging pair of Sony MDR-V600’s and the Audio-Technica’s are superior in every way. Sound quality, sound quantity, build quality, and comfort – theses phones have it all. These phones, a NuForce uDAC-2, and some AC/DC combine for a quality listening experience.
Bravo, great right out of the box!
I won’t go into lots of technical detail since many esteemed audiophiles have gone on and on about the specifics already.
These sound great right out of the box. BURN IN is a MUST! Mids sound good right off the bat, but the bass needs time to loosen up. I really am hearing my music differently. The soundstage is amazing. The snares are the most natural I’ve ever heard. I want to dance in these.
I do home music production in Logic and some simple recording. I chose these for the flat frequency range, and they haven’t let me down yet.
Comfort is great too, though it seems these may get a little warm after extended use.
Great
Not a technical review, all I know in audio is what sounds good to me…
I’d been listening to ripped music on a Sony NWZ-A818 with its supplied, and quite good, earphones, trying to escape the horrors of mushy iPodland, but I’d been longing for the next step. After reading many reviews I zeroed in on this… And all I can say is listening to music with these on brings a huge satisfaction grin. The clarity is great, I can listen to new instruments, or listen to them much more clearly, there’s better space between instruments… It sounds like it’s the way the music was intended to be heard in the first place…
My ears ache after a while but I’m just not used to headphones, and the tip someone wrote here about putting them around a Kleenex box works…
Like music? Get these!
All I can say is : AMAZING
This is the first time I review something online; I was so amazed by the quality of these headphones I had to tell everybody. I have been reading headphone reviews for a while and decided to go for the ATH-m50s. I must say I am quite impressed. Reviews on Amazon are very accurate.
A few minutes ago, I turned my head around because I thought there was someone in the room; it was the beggining of a song!
I give those 5/5. Recommended to any audiophile out there.
The only negative point is that they are not very comfortable with eyeglasses, but I got used to it and it is perfect right now.
These are the headphones you should have bought.
Depending on what your need for headphones are these headphones might be over qualified. They are that good, if you are looking for accuracy and comfort….the whole 9.
Good sound, but it leaks
I’ve had these headphones for a few weeks. I really like the sound quality and the bass and I don’t think it can better than these. However, the sound does leak from these headphones quite a bit, which I’m pretty unhappy with. Anything higher than volume 3 or 4 on my MacBook is too loud and the people around me can hear my music. In addition, they’re not noise-canceling, so if you’re planning on taking these on a flight, I would recommend buying noise-canceling headphones. I took them on a flight and I had to have the volume all the way up in order to hear my music. (It sucked.)
Also, when I lean my head back, they fall off my head. That’s a little inconvenient, but whatever — not too big a deal for me.
On the other hand, the sound on them is really really nice. I listen to them at work from around 10am – 6pm without any problems whatsoever. It took a couple days to get used to them since they are a tad bit tight in the beginning (but probably because I’m a girl and my head is a bit smaller), but I’m very happy with the comfort level (and sound) now.
So overall, the largest complaint I have is that the sound leaks a lot, but other than that 4 stars!
Great Sound, Great Value
I’m adding this review to share an experience with others who might be interested in these headphones. For background: I am a music lover, with a high-end audio system using Vinyl as preferred source. I have a set of Sennheiser HD 600, which I use through a vacuum tube headphone amp, and a set of Sennheiser EH-350, which I use for listening on a computer or portable music player. I recently upgraded my digital music files (mostly recorded from my vinyl collection) to WAV and got quite satisfying results. This led to a need for a second set of headphones, efficient enough to use without a headphone amp. And this time I wanted closed-back for monitoring recordings, and preferably with a 1/8″ jack.
I first bought the ATHM40FS, due to the positive reviews & great price. Unfortunately, they went back the next day. Yes, I didn’t let them break-in for a long time, perhaps no more than 6 hours. But that was long enough for me to judge that they would never be ideal for me. Their sound was much too thin, bright, & cool for my tastes. I don’t pretend to know what those touting “flat” are looking for. For me the acid test is: does it sound like the real thing? And if you have ever heard a real cello playing in your living room, you’ll know that the sound of the real thing can be full bodied & rich, with deeply satisfying bass resonance. Cellos did not sound anything like that through these phones – to my ears. Before returning them, however, I had my wife listen. Like many women, she is much more sensitive to high frequencies than I am. After a few minutes, she judged them unlistenable: too bright for her also.
I know more break-in would improve this, and that many people actually like this type of sound, so it’s not a criticism – just part of the search for what sounds best to our own ears. I then chose to look much more carefully at the online reviews, reading between the lines where necessary, and ultimately decided to try the ATH-M50s.
For those comparing the two, they are nowhere near such a bargain. They cost almost 2.5 times as much, when I bought them. But right out of the box they sounded much richer & warmer, without the treble emphasis which can bother some of us. Listening via the modest headphone amp in my Dell laptop, they sound as good as the HD 600s. When the Sennheisers are used through the my ASL headphone Amp they, however, move into another league (to my ears). I found the ATH-M50s to be very listenable from day one: warm enough, detailed enough, with great bass, and, in my case, well worth the difference in price. I chose the coiled cable version, which I prefer for mobile listening. And they come with a 1/8 mini plug, screwed into a 1/4″ plug. Perfect for use with portable player or amp.
Good but AD700 sounds better ( broke )
First off I am not a DJ nor do I work in a studio so closed back is not required for me. After being used to open back I guess it is my own fault that I expected it to sound like an open back and then there is the fact that they broke after 3 days of use.
Quality:
Sound was the best I have heard from a closed back headphone but sound very lacking when it was compared to nice open back headphones like the AD700. The bass sounded really nice the highs and meds though sounded more “closed” so to speak. The soundstage seemed no existent and very closed in. Of course this is personal preference but I enjoy feeling like I am sitting a few rows back and this puts your right next to the singers and instruments.
Comfort:
I actually thought they were pretty comfortable for closed back headphones no complaints here.
Durability:
Biggest problem… After using these for 3 days ( and not playing them load or anything mind you ) the right channel went out completely. This is very sad considering how much these cost for them to die in 3 days. I decided i would return these and so I sent them back.
Overall:
if you need closed headphones and you don’t mind a nonexistent soundstage and lacking detail in the high and of course the possibility of breaking in 3 days get them otherwise avoid them.
Perfect headphones and a great price
I usually don’t write reviews, but these impressed me enough to make me want to.
These headphones are great, very clear, the bass is great. I can hear every sound in the song like you’re there in the studio.
Great sound quality but extreme clamping pressure
Great sound quality. The only gripe I have about them is that I can only wear them for about 30 minutes until my ears start to hurt because they are very tight. Maybe it’s the padding but I would lean more towards the clamping pressure that causes the pain and soreness. I have an average sized head so I’m sure others have experienced the same thing with these. I think they are great phones as far as sound quality goes. Maybe they are so tight so that the noise does not travel. They are very good at not producing noise pollution… I’m not sure what the technical term is for that but I can turn them up very load and the music wont radiate to those around me. Would I recommend them? Yes and No, I would do some Google’ing on the comfort level of the phones you are looking for. It doesn’t help very much if you have great headphones (sound quality) but can’t wear them for more than 30 min whiteout getting irritated from the pressure. I’ve owned chearp head phones that haven’t caused this problem (Creative HN-700. Great headphones but are discontinued)
Headbang inspiring headphones… for less than a weekend at the bars
MISSION: Buy headbang inspiring headphones that block out most office chatter (but not all at low volume) and spend less than a weekend at the bars.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Before purchasing these headphones, I owned Shure E3c and Etymotic Research ER-4P in-ear earphones. The noise isolation of those earphones was unbeatable, a lifeline that kept me smiling when buried in boisterous supermarket crowds in China.
While wonderful for disappearing from surrounding madness, foam or phalange-type in-ear earphones were impractical for office use. Popping in and out the plugs every 15 minutes to answer a coworker was too complicated. I needed a set of headphones that were easy to take on and off, but still had some noise isolation. Since both of my earphones immersed me in brilliant trebles (and mediocre bass), I wanted headphones with equal sound clarity and some bass to boot.
I concluded closed, around-the-ear headphones were my best bet. I tested a bunch of Bose headphones. Their ear cushions may be luxuriously comfortable, but their over-pronounced bass waters down music like Twilight blights vampires. Wireless headphones would cut in and out with my office’s multiband WiFi network. Since I couldn’t test out other quality headphones locally, I surfed Amazon reviews and ordered these.
Excellent decision. After one month with them, my:
LIKES
The closed design shields me from normal office chatter when playing music at 25 to 30% volume. Unlike using the in-ear earphones, I can still tell if someone says my name loudly. If I lower the volume, I can overhear keywords. Just right.
Especially in a quiet environment, the sound quality on these headphones matches my in-ear phones in the treble… and blows them away in the bass. The natural bass is deep and clear, reproducing the chest thumping beats I love in swanky dance clubs. Maybe it’s a mind trick, but at 40% volume a bass beat from these headphones makes my chest vibrate a bit. After a few songs, I get serious canned heat in my heels. (Flamenco and classical is great on these, too. Bass is natural, unlike Bose headphones.)
In-ear phones are more comfortable, but the around-the-ear cups and padded band are easy on my shaven head. I can comfortably wear them for a couple hours or so at a time, the longest I could go without a meeting or conference call. My ears do get warm, but I like that. My office’s A/C is too strong.
The coiled cord prevents stray cord syndrome, is robust, and has a metal guard at the plug end to protect it from sharp bends. The metal plug looks audiophile-serious.
The big, serious appearance on these headphones justifies (partially?) a skinny white boy bobbing his head to the beat.
DISLIKES
The ear cups swivel around two axes when I take them off. Sometimes it takes some fiddling before they return to the right position. That swivel action probably helps comfort, though.
The headband boldly says Audio Technica. I don’t like showing off brands.
Okay…a little sanity.
I am not some johnny come lately to audio nor am I relegated to buying inexpensive equipment. So know you aren’t wasting your time reading this. Bottom line: Does the equipment give you an out of body level of pleasure? Yes, that orgiastic place burning in the darkness where you soar with your music with eyes closed. A place for only you and the music. Let these phones have 200hrs of burn in and they will take you there. Those that don’t need the burn in, all well and good. Things will only get better. But to you super discerning listeners and you know who you are; the Beyerdynamic and Denon crowd that doesn’t have the cash yet…to you I stress allowing these phones to burn in. I almost tossed them by being impatient. What a loss that would have been. (Oh..the nuforce udac~$99~worked beautifully with these. It’s another astounding value: Much better than Headroom’s equivalent for sure.) So for $259 (udac+ath-m50) add computer and the rest is obscenely enjoyable for the money. Cheers.
ATH-m50 Headphones
Overall I’m very pleased with the headphones. Great frequency response and superb clarity. Plus I use these in an office setting and the closed-ear design keeps others from being annoyed by my music. Researching these prior to purchase, I was unsure if “studio headphones” were too “flat” or if they would provide an enjoyable listening experience from an MP3 player, but they work great and are by far the best sounding cans I’ve ever purchased.
The construction is very solid, which for me was an important factor, and they are comfortable to wear for hours on end. I would recommend these to anyone looking to step up their listening experience without spending a thousand dollars. Great product. Oh, one final comment. Be advised that there are two versions of this headphone model: one with a straight cable and one with a coiled cable. The coiled cable version is actually only coiled for the last foot or so of cable near the headphone jack, not the entire length.
Accurate and amazing
I don’t want to write a long review with lots of details concerning my experience with Audiophile headphones and how they compare to this set. Plenty of other reviews have been written like that on this page and if you want the details go to them (not that those types of reviews aren’t necessary, indeed reading those reviews is what led to my purchase of these headphones and they were correct). I’ll sum everything up in just a few sentences. The headphones are well-rounded and precise; just what you would expect from a studio monitoring headphone. The bass is present and not invasive. Some could perceive the headphones as “lacking” in bass but they are probably the type that would turn the bass up on just about everything. The highs are reproduced with finesse although on some songs I’ve realized a slight cutoff on extreme highs. This is more than likely my source rather than the headphones themselves. I will echo a previous reviewer and say that these are definitely monitoring headphones and will not COLOR the sound in any particular way. All in all, probably one of the absolute best deals you will find for a set of headphones of this quality.
These are so amazing!
I am very picky about my audio quality, but I don’t have a huge budget.
I wanted something that was excellent quality, but not a lot over $100.
These fit the bill, so I bought them!
The sound quality is amazing, every instrument feels separate from the other allowing you to clearly hear every part of the song as it should be.
They are comfortable, fold up, and though a bit big, totally worth it.
I use these for paying video games and listening to music. They work well for blocking out sounds in the car.
There is nothing I would change in these headphones, they are truly amazing, and a fairly good price too!
Thank you Audio-Technica for bring the joy of Music back to me
They are so good I cannot ****ing believe it
This has been my experience. I started out looking for a pair of noise-cancelling headphone to block out the noise of people that insisted on talking while I took practice MCATs. I wanted good sound, I wanted over-the-ear and I wanted a cheap pair. I did my research and decided – incorrectly – that the headphones I should get were the Sony noise-cancelling (Sony MDR-NC60). My budget was around 100 and they did a good job blocking out a great deal of loud noise … but, as headphone, they were awful… i mean I spent 100 dollars and I have had $10 logitech speakers for PCs that sounded better. So after more research, it seemed like every pair of headphone below $300, noise-cancelling or not, had some “cons”….
every pair except the ATH-M50s … near perfect reviews on every website, forum, critics review…
but they were not “active” NC. I took a gamble.
I found that they blocked out enough noise to be useful on their own (active NC headphones vs these are comparable in lowish noise environments – which is good because I was blocking out student chatter in a library not sitting next to a lawnmower)
They are comfortable, big but not heavy, have a long lead, come in a soft carrying case, with a 3.5mm to professional jack converter.
But the reason that I write this review is to tell you that I have never heard such a good reproduction of music. I mean Dr. Dre’s headphones are beaten by these… for the first time in years I am listening to music, not to change my mood, have in the background, but just to listen to music. Techno to 70s Rock (but not country… cuz that is crap no matter what headphones u have) everything is enjoyable.
Oh, and I heard the sound gets better after you “burn them in,” im not 100% sure what that means but I think it means that the more you listen to them the better they get…. I really don’t know how they will get better but I guess I’ll just have to wait…
Buy these phones!
I am not an audiophile but these phones sound incredible! You will feel like your are listening to your favorite songs for the first time, and it is a sublime experience. You won’t confuse the base for a decent sub but being headphones it’s pretty damn good.
Should have bought these a long time ago…
I can’t add too much to what has already been said here, these headphones are very good. I have had Grado SR 80’s for over 10 years now and I LOVE their sound so much. They are so rich and sweet sounding. However, a few years back I wanted to get a closed headphone so I wouldn’t bother others as much. I went with the Senn HD 280 pro. They are ok, but the Grado’s destroy them in the sound department and the senns aren’t very comfortable.
These Audio-technica headphones give me what I’ve been missing. They almost sound as good as the Grado’s,(I would score the Grado’s a 100, the Senns 30 and the Audio-technicas 85)and are more comfortable than either the senn’s or the Grado’s. Not much else to say… only negative is the cord is the length of a football field but I just keep a bundle of it twist tied.
I use it more than my AD700
When I first used these headphones, I hated it because it clamps my head like a vice!
I had to stretch them with pillow, I would actually advice don’t over stretch it because you don’t wanna loose isolation as well.
Anyway after stretching and many many hours of usage, I dont really feel the clamping factor but it still gets warm after an hour or so of usage.
The bass response is so much better but don’t expect head rumbling kind of effect. However comparing to AD700, the bass thump are alot more. I got this pretty much because AD700 wasn’t too nice for hiphop and dance/trance tracks.
So far these are holding up quite well with my FiiO E7 Dac/Amp. Quality is so much better comparing to on board sound card of my laptop, which tends to make the sound overly bright.