Looking for Headphones - Audio Technica M50X?

[jiyeon]

Hi, so recently I've worked my way up to be able to afford the famous Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones which I've been eyeing up for years because of MKBHD.

 

But, I've been thinking about whether these headphones are for me, becuase I feel as if I have a very small use case to utilise the max of these headphones, especially for the £120 pricetag.

 

My use case for headphones/audio devices:

• Music - Spotify & YouTube
• Casual listening - YouTube, movies etc

Desirable headphone features:

• Collapsable/Foldable - Both at the cups and and the band, the M50X does this the best at least from what I've seen
• Full-sized, ear-fitting cups - Oval-shaped cups such as on the M50X so my entire ear is more or less covered
• Comfortable headband - I use headphones for 4-7 hours a day so having a comfortable headband which doesn't hurt my head after a long time is a must
• Comfortable earcups - Soft earcups which don't make my ears hurt after a long time
• Removable cable
• High audo quality sound stage - I want to hear it all and in spectacular quality

 

I feel like there's a pair of headphones out there that has all these above features and fits into my use case which can sway me away from the M50X.

 

But, assuming the M50X is the best most suitable headphones that fit my criteria, is it a worthy investment?

[LukeSavenije]

sounds like it would fit all of it

 

tho i suggest the e50bt from JBL too, as my experience has been great so far

[germgoatz]

There are a lot of people that prefer the M40X over the M50x, I can't explain sound specs very well, but I have a pair, and I love them. 

Spoiler

 

 

[Eastman51]

I would recommend the Sony MDR7506

They don't have a removable cable (and its quite long), nor do they completely fold up, but they are cheaper (~$90 USD).

 

I really like them, and have excellent sound; especially compared to my old $160 Bose, which is kinda sad. 

I run off an Asus Xonar DGX sound card, and listen to Spotify often. Occasionally I'll watch YouTube or a TV show (typically watch YT on my tablet and movies/TV on my HTPC). I also use them while gaming, and they are still decent for this as well. I think they're quite comfortable, I wear them for 4+ hours a day.

 

[SolarNova]

38 minutes ago, seoz said:

Hi, so recently I've worked my way up to be able to afford the famous Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones which I've been eyeing up for years because of MKBHD.

 

But, I've been thinking about whether these headphones are for me, becuase I feel as if I have a very small use case to utilise the max of these headphones, especially for the £120 pricetag.

 

~SNIP~

 

I have a pair of M50s myself, and they are very good, cheaper than the x varient, they are ever so slightly worse in terms of performance but ur unlikely to tell the difference by ear between the two.

That said, they still require a good input srouce to get the most out of them.

When i went from the Asus Xonar D2X sound card, which in itself is better than onbaord sound, to my FiiO X3K in DAC mode, the quality difference is insane, and u can easily tell the difference between youtube source and a lossless sound file.

 

So the TL;DR is, if you dont have a dedicated high quality DAC, dont bother spending that much on a pair of headphones, u wont do them justice, even more so if u never intend on listening to lossless music.

[jiyeon]

32 minutes ago, germgoatz said:

There are a lot of people that prefer the M40X over the M50x, I can't explain sound specs very well, but I have a pair, and I love them. 

I'm really after foldable headphones, so the M40X was never a consideration for me. Besides, I'm already set on spending £100+ on a pair of headphones, so I might as well go all-out and get the M50X.

[Guest]

If you love me, you won't get M50X.

I'll be back in a bit with other suggestions.

[jiyeon]

Just now, SolarNova said:

So the TL;DR is, if you dont have a dedicated high quality DAC, dont bother spending that much on a pair of headphones, u wont do them justice, even more so if u never intend on listening to lossless music.

Reading about @Eastman51's Asus Xonar DGX has me interested actually. I'm fully willing to spend £200 to get the best audio possible.

[PlayStation 2]

I have the Sony MDR-7506 that I use largely for music listening, gaming and recording VHS tapes. If you want headphones that shine without being too brash or too soft in some areas of the sound and are neutral, those are my go-to.

The headband is comfortable enough to me (honestly I felt that it was better than my M30X) and the headphones can be stored in a compact form (they all come with a bag to store the headphones in), but the cord may bother you, especially if you're going to use it with more than a desktop since it's not removable, it's long and it's coiled.

[SolarNova]

7 minutes ago, seoz said:

Reading about @Eastman51's Asus Xonar DGX has me interested actually. I'm fully willing to spend £200 to get the best audio possible.

I highley doubt the DGX will hold a candle to a proper standalone DAC/AMP. Atleast for a good set of headphoens for music use. For gaming and standard PC 5.1 speakers it wil be fine, but for good music listening with good headphones, i'd sugest a external DAC/Amp unit. Cant sugest which one as like i said, i use my FiiO X3K.

 

If u do end up getitng the M50s/x do yourself a favor and also buy some replacment earpads, the stock pleather ones will crack and disintegrate within a year or so, they are not that durable.

 

I bought Shure HPAEC940 pads, they are velour not pleather so wont crack over time, and are much more comfortable. They dont change the sound much if at all, maybe a very very slight reduction in bass, barely noticable though.

[Eastman51]

9 minutes ago, seoz said:

Reading about @Eastman51's Asus Xonar DGX has me interested actually. I'm fully willing to spend £200 to get the best audio possible.

Over motherboard audio (at least on the last two boards I've had), the Xonar DGX has been far superior. I had the Xonar DG prior, but PCI slots are getting rarer on more expensive/higher-end motherboards so I had to switch. Quality seems to be the same for me, main difference is the slot type. Drivers are finicky, you have to get the second most recent one; for some reason the latest drivers aren't compatible with Windows 10.

 

10 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

I have the Sony MDR-7506 that I use largely for music listening, gaming and recording VHS tapes. If you want headphones that shine without being too brash or too soft in some areas of the sound and are neutral, those are my go-to.

The headband is comfortable enough to me (honestly I felt that it was better than my M30X) and the headphones can be stored in a compact form (they all come with a bag to store the headphones in), but the cord may bother you, especially if you're going to use it with more than a desktop since it's not removable, it's long and it's coiled.

I have them as well. I agree with everything you have said, especially the cable.....

The coil doesn't bother me as much as the length and non-removablility.

[PlayStation 2]

1 minute ago, Eastman51 said:

I have them as well. I agree with everything you have said, especially the cable.....

The coil doesn't bother me as much as the length and non-removablility.

I personally don't mind the cable (it honestly doesn't bother me much but I know it will bother most of those who like to use their headphones outside of their desktop) but yeah, that's a huge thing to watch out for.

[Eastman51]

3 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

I personally don't mind the cable (it honestly doesn't bother me much but I know it will bother most of those who like to use their headphones outside of their desktop) but yeah, that's a huge thing to watch out for.

I only use mine at my desktop, but my PC is close enough that the cable's extreme length can cause it to get in the way sometimes. But, its long enough that I can go anywhere in my room without needing to take my headphones off, so that's kinda nice.

[Firewrath9]

16 minutes ago, seoz said:

Reading about @Eastman51's Asus Xonar DGX has me interested actually. I'm fully willing to spend £200 to get the best audio possible.

apparently the NU audio by evga/audionote is better than the xonar.

https://www.pcper.com/reviews/General-Tech/EVGA-Nu-Audio-PCIe-Sound-Card-Review-True-Hi-Fi

although its 250$, its really good, else, I'd get a external DAC/AMP stack, like the schiit audio one. or just a DAC, the m50x aren't hard to run. apparently DT 990s are good, but less features.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/best/by-type/over-ear-around

the ATH-M50x is pretty good, they have a helpful compare tool.

[germgoatz]

50 minutes ago, seoz said:

I'm really after foldable headphones, so the M40X was never a consideration for me. Besides, I'm already set on spending £100+ on a pair of headphones, so I might as well go all-out and get the M50X.

The M40xes do fold?

[Eastman51]

25 minutes ago, Firewrath9 said:

apparently the NU audio by evga/audionote is better than the xonar.

https://www.pcper.com/reviews/General-Tech/EVGA-Nu-Audio-PCIe-Sound-Card-Review-True-Hi-Fi

although its 250$, its really good, else, I'd get a external DAC/AMP stack, like the schiit audio one. or just a DAC, the m50x aren't hard to run. apparently DT 990s are good, but less features.

The Xonar was like $60 for both of mine combined. I'm sure there's better, but the Xonar is cheap.

[Firewrath9]

2 minutes ago, Eastman51 said:

The Xonar was like $60 for both of mine combined. I'm sure there's better, but the Xonar is cheap.

but high-end onboard audio (ALC1220-vb, and some gigabyte borads with ESS Sabre)

get really close...

[Eastman51]

6 minutes ago, Firewrath9 said:

but high-end onboard audio (ALC1220-vb, and some gigabyte borads with ESS Sabre)

get really close...

I've never heard on-board as good as my Xonar, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is. shrugs in expansion cards

[kokakolia]

Are you still shopping for headphones. The NAD Viso HP 50 is an interesting headphone. You can find it on sale for around $100~$150 in some places. It’s an extremely neutral headphone. Comfort is only average however. And the headband looks really stupid. But I’m really enjoying the NAD HP 50. And I only paid $130 Canadian for them.