ATH M50 broke, what headphones should I get?

[Bit8xPr0]

My right earpad broke off, not sure what headphones to get. I just bought Shure earpads too.

[StevenSensei]

Well, what are you looking for in a replacement? Open, Closed, heavy base, neutral sound, on ear, over ear, etc? Let us know what you are looking for in sound and what your budget is like and we can be more helpful. 

[Bit8xPr0]

1 minute ago, Papakuma said:

Well, what are you looking for in a replacement? Open, Closed, heavy base, neutral sound, on ear, over ear, etc? Let us know what you are looking for in sound and what your budget is like and we can be more helpful. 

I don't know, I play Counter Strike GO but I also do YouTube so I don't know if open headphones would leak sound into the microphone. $100-150 preferably. I mean I used the ATH M50s but they were too quiet on my motherboard for some reason, my laptop drove them way louder.

[StevenSensei]

The sound leakage from open headphones will be more than closed but it should not really have an impact on your mic. The M50s not working with your motherboard but with your laptop points to the onboard amp in your PC not being strong enough. You might benefit from an external amp to increase the volume of the headphones. 

 

In general, open headphones have a better sound stage and are more ideal for gaming. They are not good if you plan to listen in a place where you can disturb others (Library, bus, train, etc). 

 

I personally moved from some M50s to a set of Sennheiser headphones that I love, they are open but I love the sound they put out. In your price range you might consider the HD558 or HD598 for an open set of headphones.  

[ApolloEleven]

ATH-AD series, very good, pinpoint positioning for CSGO and when listening to music it feels like you are at a concert because of its open design, M50s have no soundstage, it's for monitoring. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original ATH-AD700 (non-X) is legendary back in the day.

[Aereldor]

The Sennheiser HD 598s are the way to go. The sound leakage won't be enough to interfere with what your microphone picks up, unless you have a habit of listening to music at obscenely loud volumes, in which case, you're going to have problems even with closed-back headphones.

[ApolloEleven]

Use the following link for recommendations:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/3tu9gl/guide_headphones_gaming/ (two sets of list, make sure to read the whole page)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/3ttvhy/guide_headphones_general_music/ 

You will always find the ATH-AD on top of everyone's list.

Sennheisers are just average.

[Bit8xPr0]

2 minutes ago, ApolloEleven said:

Use the following link for recommendations:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/3tu9gl/guide_headphones_gaming/ (two sets of list, make sure to read the whole page)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/3ttvhy/guide_headphones_general_music/ 

You will always find the ATH-AD on top of everyone's list.

Sennheisers are just average.

Only thing is the shape of the earcups, I wouldn't be able to use my earpads

[ApolloEleven]

2 minutes ago, Bit8xPr0 said:

Only thing is the shape of the earcups, I wouldn't be able to use my earpads

Are they velour? Because you will change the sound of open headphones with leather/pleather, this includes the Sennheiser HD5xx series.

[Bit8xPr0]

Just now, ApolloEleven said:

Are they velour? Because you will change the sound of open headphones with leather/pleather, this includes the Sennheiser HD5xx series.

No, they're the 840s http://www.amazon.com/Shure-HPAEC840-Replacement-Cushions-Headphones/dp/B002Z9JWZS/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1458458383&sr=1-2&keywords=shure+ear+pads

[ApolloEleven]

7 minutes ago, Bit8xPr0 said:

No, they're the 840s http://www.amazon.com/Shure-HPAEC840-Replacement-Cushions-Headphones/dp/B002Z9JWZS/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1458458383&sr=1-2&keywords=shure+ear+pads

Despite the shape, an oval-shaped HM5 pad can fit on the round cans of a ATH-AD, if your pads are similar then it may fit.

 

 

 

My ATH-AD700X above with Oval shaped HM5.

[Bit8xPr0]

1 minute ago, ApolloEleven said:

Despite the shape, an oval-shaped HM5 pad can fit on the round cans of a ATH-AD, if those pads are similar then it may fit.

 

 

 

My ATH-AD700X above with Oval shaped HM5.

Hmm, well the drivers are like 16m bigger it says

[ApolloEleven]

3 minutes ago, Bit8xPr0 said:

Hmm, well the drivers are like 16m bigger it says

Hmm, then I guess you should look for Sennheisers, anything from the HD5xx is good for the price.

Though I really recommend the ATH-AD since they are the same price as Sennheiser.

[Bit8xPr0]

7 minutes ago, ApolloEleven said:

Hmm, then I guess you should look for Sennheisers, anything from the HD5xx is good for the price.

Though I really recommend the ATH-AD since they are the same price as Sennheiser.

is it worth it?

[ApolloEleven]

14 minutes ago, Bit8xPr0 said:

is it worth it?

Both headphones are good.

I forgot to mention that they both have different sound signatures.

Sennheiser sound a bit warm, while the ATH-AD has a neutral/bright sound. 

Since you play CSGO, you probably want something that is bright/treble biased to make footsteps and gunshots be more clear and crisp.

For music it is personal preference, a stereotype would be that the HD598 is best suited to pop, rock, jazz. While ATH-AD they are suited to Orchestra, vocals, jazz and classical. But both are fine for gaming and music, ATH-AD just has more of a heritage when it comes to first person shooters.

 

tldr; hd5xx = warm and "rich", ath-ad = "airy", bright and clarity, pick your preference.

 

 

 

[ApolloEleven]

Watch this guy's review on headphones, maybe he can help you decide better than me.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3XdYJjWliOdKuZMNaTiP8Q 

 

EDIT: SHP9500 also good: 

 

[StevenSensei]

50 minutes ago, Bit8xPr0 said:

is it worth it?

If you have the ability to go and listen and try them on that would be best. It's subjective for each person. After listening to a higher end Sennheiser and a higher end ATH series I knew immediately which I liked better. Beyond that you can also tell if they are going to be comfortable for you in the long term. 

 

I know you just bought some replacement pads for your M50s, I would say return them if you can. If you can't, don't let that prevent you from buying something that isn't compatible with them that you like better. There's always ebay?