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Hey guys! I'm considering picking up a pair of earbuds, for more portability mainly. I have a pair of ATH-M50's now, and I've used them for many years, and love their sound. I was wondering if any of you have any recommendations for earbuds that sound similar? I realise that if I want on par sound as the headset I would probably have to buy a really expensive pair, if they even exist, so prizes reachable by a student would be appreciated if possible!

So I picked up a pair of ATH-M50's (not the M50x, though very similar) a few years ago, and they still sound fine. BUT, the headband is totally shot. Outer covering completely flaking off, in dire need of replacement. So I was wondering if anyone else here had encountered the issue, and if you all might have some pro tips for my much needed DIY repair. I have seen some older advice elsewhere but figured it would be worth an ask. I haven't seen a post related to this topic here before, but if one has been made, then my bad, and thank you in advance for directing me to it—same goes if there are more appropriate places for this post.

Hi, I'm currently using the Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones paired with an Objective2 and ODAC combo. I was thinking of upgrading to a better pair of headphones that would make better use of the Objective2. I'll be using it for listening to music and playing games. I generally listen to Orchestra (Video game soundtracks) and rock music. Most of my music files are in FLAC format which I play on Foobar2000 with the Wasapi plugin. This pair of headphones will only be used on my desktop so size and portability is not an issue. Here are the requirements: Clean, Neutral sound. Solid and sturdy build quality. Utilizes the Objective2's capabilities well. Circumaural All black (I'm very obsessed with aesthetics) I don't currently have a budget but it would be great if you could suggest a pair of headphones that is, in your opinion, worth the money. Any suggestions/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if I seem too picky. Thanks

TLDR: Great product, I was blown away after upgrading from a set of Siberia V2's and would highly recommend them to anyone looking into getting this product. They are rather low in terms of bass output when compared to bass heavy alternatives such as the Razer Electra or anything Beats related but as a result everything else seems clearer and easier to recognize / distinguish. Background I've been listening to music all my life like many people, I also fall into the gamer group of individuals which has commonly resulted in purchases from Logitech, SteelSeries and Razer. In addition to that I commonly listen to anything I enjoy ranging from instrumental / classical to electronic music but most specifically Trance, Drum and Bass, Rock and Acoustic. Given the background I have with music and my priorities as a gamer I have typically chosen products based on comfort and features specific to gaming (integrated microphones, low weight, comfort for extended periods of time). Many of my choices I made under the assumption that I was getting an excellent audio experience which has changed after this recent purchase. I am also using on-board audio and am unsure if a soundcard or headphone AMP would make my experience with any of the products mentioned any better. The headset I am most experienced with is the SteelSeries Sibera v2 which I've been using for a while so many of my comparisons will be made to this product. Audio Quality Coming from one of the most popular gaming headsets (Steelseries Siberia v2) the M50s are a huge step above what I was used to and expecting. I tested this product by listening to the normal music I listen to and some songs I am extremely common with and I was blown away by the additional instruments and clarity of the vocals I was experiencing with the M50's. One example I can use is Gravity by A Perfect Circle, with the SteelSeries Siberia v2 the drums sound decent (or what I used to consider good) but after switching to the M50's I can now hear each individual hit of the drums and can clearly make out the difference between every single sound. In the same exact song Maynard's voice is so unbelievably deep in parts of the song that I got goosebumps listening to it on my walk home from work tonight as in the years that I have listened to this song I have never noticed how deep his voice actually gets in parts of this song and was caught off guard as a result. I then decided to try another song I was common with and this time I chose Alone Tonight by Above and Beyond, listening to this song has always been an enjoyable experience with my Siberia's, moving up to the M50's I once again started noticing things I had never noticed before due to the clarity of every single sound being outputted by the M50's. There are several parts of the song that I enjoyed and I could never really put my finger on it but listening to it again with the M50's there is some piano in it which I am fond of. Another example is the lyric which is repeated (I wouldn't be standing here alone tonight) throughout the song, before I would hear it maybe four times max when it repeated and it would blend in with the rest of the song, with the M50's at parts it feels like I hear this specific lyric two or three more times but due to how quiet it was I wasn't hearing it on the Siberia's. These two songs caused me to rethink just how I was listening to music and changed how I viewed many of my old favorites, I have found a new love for many songs that before I was fond of but wasn't deadly in love with, because of this I feel like for every year I was listening to music without a high quality product like the M50's I was doing my ears a disservice. I was absolutely blown away by the quality, I can hear so many things that I just wasn't able to hear before and as a result I am geekishly carrying my M50's around and getting all of my friends to try them and see if they can tell a difference in an effort to see if anyone else has the same experience I did with my switch to these. Since getting these I have been re-experiencing many of my old favorites, I've found a new love for a lot of videos that include Two Steps from Hell compositions and anything with Jeremy Soule has been reborn and is a pleasure to experience with my ears with examples being Two Steps from Hell - Heart of Courage and Fear Not This Night by Jeremy Soule which were both two songs I enjoyed previously but have come to enjoy much more with a higher quality set of headphones. There are several other things I've noticed in the short time I've had my M50's such as in the game League of Legends there is a noise that occurs when you move your potion from one inventory slot to the other which I was unaware of with my Siberia's, this wasn't the only thing I noticed as several times throughout the course of several league matches I was hearing various noises I had never heard in League of Legends before as they had simply blended in with my previous headphones. Another game example if World of Warcraft which I've played for nearly a decade, I have always found the music rather annoying in the game and have always muted it but since switching to my M50's I have found a new love for it as it's really good at amplifying what is going on around you in a specific area making the experience more enjoyable as a whole. Comfort The Audio-Technica ATH-M50's are comfortable but there is some noticeable clamping when using them which is extremely noticeable when compared to the SteelSeries Sibera V2. I expect that after a while they will eventually break in and the comfort will improve as with all headphone / headsets but for the first little while I am more than expecting a number of headaches caused by the clamping of this product which I will deal with in exchange for the audio quality. The only other comfort related issue I have noticed is that these get rather hot due to the material used on the ear cups and the rather closed design of the M50's and due to these reasons this product isn't amazing in terms of comfort but is more than acceptable and may even become more comfortable as time goes on which if this occurs I will be sure to update this review / thread with any additional feedback I have. They aren't as comfortable as the SteelSeries Sibera V2's but are more comparable to the Razer Electra's which had some clamping which was less of an issue after about 45 - 55 hours of being on my head. In terms of Audio Quality they are leagues better than the Electra's however. Final Thoughts I purchased the M50's with the purpose of replacing my Sibera's with a better product in terms of audio quality and thus far I have been more than impressed by what has been offered by the Audio-Technica M50's and due to this I am more than willing to provide these with my personal recommendation which to the people I know in real life may cause a few upgrades for people in the future. As for everyone else these are a terrific product and I would highly recommend them, I found them on sale for $140 from Amazon.ca (used the TechTips Referral Link ) which for that price I am more than happy to recommend them to people looking for a pair of headphones they can use for music, gaming and watching movies with it's strength lying primarily in audio accuracy / music listening.

Hello all, I've been plagued by this issue for the past year and just decided to do anything about it. I own the Audio Technica ATH-M50's and I get a buzzing/crackling noise in the headphones. I went searching online to find out where the issue could be. Since I was getting some of the issue when I scroll up and down a webpage or switch tabs, etc. there were some people saying that the motherboard had trouble with audio and such. I owned the ASUS M5A99X EVO, if that puts anything in perspective. I just replaced my motherboard and processor to an ASUS Maximus VII Hero. I installed all the drivers in hopes that everything would be fine now. However, I still get this issue and starting experimenting. At first, I just thought that since the motherboard didn't fix the issue, then my headphones connector was going faulty. I moved around the connector in the 3.5mm jack on the back of the motherboard to notice that if I do twist the cable in jack or press up, against gravity, to find that the issue does go away in some aspect, if I position it correctly. This again reaffirmed my issue that the connector was the problem. I again looked into the issue and found other sources leading me to believe the power supply wasn't grounded correctly to the case. This seems to be the most probable case, as I don't see this buzzing/crackling effect connecting to my laptop. However, since this may most likely be my problem... I was wondering if any one would know how to either properly ground the case/power supply? I was planning on upgrading my power supply soon anyway. If I do switch it out... if the problem is the case, for grounding, will there be no point in switching out the power supply? Thanks.

Hey, Im looking for a new headset because i left my razer krakens on the floor while i was vacuuming, and it sucked the cable from 1.5 inches away and broke the ear cup off, right now im using my old original Sony PS3 wireless headset! The headset fields are open ear are preferred for youtube and twitch and when friends come over, i dont want to spend more than $175 Canadian BUT the cheaper the better because i dont have much money for a damn headset, i wanna get a new monitor, and the only computer store i like going to is canadacomputers.com, i dont need a a mic on the headset, i have my blue yeti for a reason, I also am beginning to fall in love with wireless headsets because i can leave and still listen to whats happening, but i will give all those up if i can figure out between the ATH-M50 like Sev has or the Logitech G930 Like spoon had! Thank you for the help it is greatly appreciated! -Muck_Fachine

i've never been an audiophile of any sort, and by that i mean that i never cared about the best sounding headphones or the highest bitrate file but, i broke my headphones some time ago and now that i really really miss having those, i decided to buy a pair of headphones and to spend some money on it if needed, because i can really spend a lot of time listening to music and i like to go full-immersion when i do so so i googled around and i ended up on those ATH-M50, all the reviews i read/watched are very positive about it and i'm just about to buy them, but before doing that i decided to ask here for some tips what do you guys think? are those good headphones? is it a good value for €130? let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to like if you... oh sorry, nevermind

Ok so I have recently taken an interest in good headphones and sound quality and was looking at the ath-m50 by audio technica. I don't know if it's worth going for it since I currently have the 'orion' by Asus which are definately good but I can't tell if they are comparable to the m50s. I am also open to other headphone suggestions at that price point or if it would be a better move to go for a sound card instead and if so which one (I would go for an Asus xonar card but which one?). Thanks

Hi all, I recently found a Sennheiser U 320 Headset for AUD$99, down from AUD$189. It looks like a pretty good price, even though it is a bit of a "gamer-ish" headset. How would this compare to the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s at ~AUD$160 in terms of sound quality, durability and comfort? Thanks.

So Here is my review on the Audtio Technica ATH-M50x So the first thing you might notice is that these have no cable, the original m50's had a fixed cable which could be bought in a coiled or a straight version. The new "x" version comes with 3 detachable cables, one is coiled, one is a short straight one (about the length of apple earbud cables) and finally a long straight one about 3 meters long. It is good enough to put into you soundcard at the back of your pc and give you plenty of room to move. The detachable cabe is actually great. I leave one in my computer, one in my guitar amp (it comes with the 1/4" adapter, though they are standard 3.5mm), and i leave my short one with my headphones. These headphones work fine on mobile and my old ipod shuffle has enough juice to make them decent (not uncomfortable, but loud enough that it sounds great). The earcups are the main complaint of the headphones. The clamping pressure is kind of tight, and these things are rock hard. The deathadder 2013 doesn't compress it at all, and it springs back immediately. If you are planning on buying these, replacement earcups are a must. I believe that anything that works on the original m50 would work on these, This is what the connection to the headset looks like . It is fairly strong and I can attach it and deatach them without takign them off. This makes them a lot easier to fit in a backpack. I wouldn't recommend using the bag it comes with because it probably only protects the headphones from a strong breeze. The headphones are built great, but the bag is made from the same crappy materials used on the earcups. After taking off the earcups, you see the driver cover. If you think it looks like it protrudes out too much, you would be right. The cups are too thin to take your ears away from it, so if you have normal ears they can be uncomfortable. If you have monkey ears it is probably worse. I have heard buying aftermarket earcups fixes this problem for most people. The inside of the headphones look pretty normal like most headphones. The foam they used is very hard, and I don't know if that is a good thing. The screwdriver is to show just how hard the foam is. I am putting a large amount of force on that, and it seemed like it would break if I put any more force on it. I am not going to comment on the sound. Everyone has heard of the sound quality of the m50's and these are just more of the same. If you are looking for gaming headphones these are not them. Buy something with a mic on it because the sound quality isn't that much better than some good gaming headphones. I have the PC350, and though the warranty sucks on them, they are great as gaming headphones. here is the link to the gallery of all of these images plus a bonus one. http://imgur.com/a/ZZz1r

Im using my ATH-M50 headset with my new Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard.. I was ready for the sound to get way higher and the feature to add way more bass to the soundstage. but I was some what disappointed, because I did not feel the money I put in the the soundcard was worth it. But then I saw this feature in the Xonar Essence STX Audio Center When I turned the Headphone Impedance up to "Extra High Gain" or +18dB" (See picture 1) I got the sound I was looking for, even just with 20/100 Volume, but after selecting it I got this warning (See picture 2) The thing im wondering about is it is really damaging my headphones if im not going over 20/100 Volume? Because im really sure my ATH-M50 arent made for this, but I cant go back to the normal setting after it.. Also which headphones do you guys recommend if I want to use the "Extra High Gain" or +18dB" setting?

Yes guys, these very good value headphones are on Massdrop again, which means a low price and international shipping! http://www.massdrop.com/buy/ath-m50?mode=guest_open

Hey guys I have had my eye on a couple of things lately but I cannot afford all of them at once as I am currently not getting a lot of hours at work. Anyways I was wondering which of these three different "options" I should get first, second, and third as I get the money for them. Option 1 - ath-m50 with coiled cable ($100 on Massdrop) + A Monitoring cable so that I can use these or any headphones with my camera $50) http://goo.gl/RvuPNP Option 2 - A new 50mm lens ($50) http://goo.gl/U8hBrN Option 3 - An external audio recorder like the zoom h1 or something around that price point My current gear - Canon Rebel t2i/550D with kit lens, Audio-Technica atr6550 mic, Sony MDR-7506 headphones, recording audio in-camera currently. Also I guess if you found a new mic for around $100-$150 bucks that could be an option 4. Thanks.

I guess that the more I listen i'm becoming a Audiophile... So far i'm running a set of ATH-M50's and i'm not able to get the quality i want with onboard, having said that i'm wondering what suggestions you have. I know i don't want a new set of headphones, i'm looking at a headphone amp but i'm open to idea's. I do have a limited budget but if needed i'm willing to save up. I'd like if possible that the amp could be used on my computer as well as, when away from home, would it be possible to use it with a ipod, and computer? and rare limited use for a soundboard for monitoring. My budget is around 150 on the high end and i live in the U.S. Sorry for the spotty description of what i'm looking for i have many thoughts about this and many questions if you need any additional info leave a post and i'll get back as soon as possible thanks in advance L Edit: I've seen some from this site http://www.mayflowerelectronics.com/headphone-amps.html and was wondering if you have any other ideas, i'm looking at the one there that is both battery and 120V any thoughts?

I'm a audio noob, and I'm looking to pick up some new headphones soon. ATH-M50's look like the top choice for my budget, but I don't love the look of them, but they seem like they could look really good with a new paint job. Does anyone know how easy they are to paint/take apart, or if painting headphones in general is a good idea?

I was deciding between these two headphones for my PC I will probably use them for travel and everyday use as well however my 2 biggest factors are sound quality and comfort, I don't really care about the price difference. THanks!

So, my current headphones just snapped in half. Well, not really, but one of the hinges on my Sony MDR-V55's just broke and while it's still usable, I was looking for a new pair anyways so I decided to blow my money on some GOOD headphones. BUDGET: Around 150 dollars/euros (seems to be about the same, but I'm in The Netherlands, and I buy almost all my stuff from here www.tweakers.net) Genres: Electronic, Rock etc. (Favorite bands/Artists: Radiohead/Atoms for Peace, Oasis/Beady Eye, Goldfish, AdhesiveWombat What I like: A nice bass, without sacrificing too much mids and highs. For comparison: My dad owns the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm, and I really like those. I want it to be kind of an all-purpose headphone (or something like that). Basically, It doesn't need to be super-portable, but when I am traveling (by car/plane/train) I dont want anyone around me be able to hear what I'm listening to. That's what I don't like about the DT990 Pro's. So I guess that I want a pair of closed headphones. Currently on my list: 1. Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 80 Ohm: Sound seems to be kind of similar to the DT990 Pro, which I already know I like. Also the build quality seems to be very good on these 2. Audio Technica ATH-M50: Was my fist pick a while ago, probably the most mentioned set of headphones on this forum, but @MayflowerElectronics has recently been saying (or I think it was him) that there are better options than the ATH-M50s at that price point. It looks like he knows what he's talking about, so then I wasn't sure anymore. Also the hinge kind of worries me... 3. ??? Anything, I'm open for suggestions I already have a microphone. I will be powering them from the onboard sound, but I'll probably buy a Fiio E10 eventually because theres a slight hiss sound when there's no sound is playing Could anything else cause that problem? So that's about it. Thanks in advance, and I gotta say, this is an awesome community!

Hey there everyone I have been using a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50's since December 2013, but have had some trouble using them for more than about an hour, because the earpads have worn down (see here: http://i.imgur.com/7rMabmV.jpg) and cause my ears to hurt after short periods of time. So my question is: is there a way the earpads can be easily replaced with a more comfortable material, and if so, are there any recommendations? Thanks in advance

So I'm rocking a pair of cheap yet effective pair of Sony MDR-zx100w's, are the ATH-m50s really worth the £80 or so? Is there any better ones for around £80? If anybody suggests Beats... I will...

As my first post on the forum i was wondering if anyone knows of any replacement earcups that work with the ATH-M50's. I've had my m50's for about a year and the earcups are all stiff and can get very uncomfortable. Any suggestions?

Hey there everyone, I recently purchased a pair of audiophile grade headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M50's) after the 1000 and 1 recommendations to get a good pair of headphones and a seperate mic, rather than a headset. After about a month of using them daily, I can't really hear any noticeable difference to the earbuds and headsets I've bought in the past, and am a little disappointed considering the £120 price tag. Is there some kind of option I am missing somewhere or something else I need to buy as well? I really don't want to fork over more money just so my headphones can sound the way I would expect them to I've fiddled with the equalizer a little bit, and helped them sound a bit better, but my other headsets and earbuds sound just as good now. My motherboard is in my sig, and I'm not using a soundcard. I'd appreciate any help at all, I'm not trying to hate or cause arguments, I just want to get my money's worth out of it, and I'm seriously considering returning them and getting a headset

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ath-m50-white?mode=guest_open&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Massdrop%20-%20Master&utm_campaign=Theme%202014-03-23&utm_content=Final 4 days till the deal ends.

Hi, all! So I finished building my PC, but my headphones decided to break (my karma...) <_< Therefore I have been looking into some headphones, but I would consider myself an expert at headphones at all. I have been hearing great things about the ATH-M50 though - what do you think about it? Audio-Technica also came out with the new ATH-M50X, but I don't really understand the difference. :huh: Or are there better headphones for around the same price? I have an ASUS Z87-Pro motherboard, so I'm not sure if I need to buy a soundcard. I would use them for gaming (but I don't need a headset, because I have an external microphone) and I mainly listen to EDM, Dubstep, Dance, (Deep) House and those kind of genres... What would you suggest? - Oslo

So I just downloaded THX and saw something called "Crossover Frequency" and it goes from 10Hz to 1000Hz, My headphones says they have a frequency from 15-28000Hz but i don't know nothing about sound.. I just wondering what is the best frequency for my headphones, or what frequenzy i will get the best sound quality from. I sure have to learn more about this myself, but if anyone of you can give me a start with it, it had been awesome

So I just downloaded THX and saw something called "Crossover Frequency" and it goes from 10Hz to 1000Hz, My headphones says they have a frequency from 15-28000Hz but i don't know nothing about sound.. I just wondering what is the best frequency for my headphones, or what frequenzy i will get the best sound quality from. I sure have to learn more about this myself, but if anyone of you can give me a start with it, it had been awesome