Audio-Technica ATH-M50S (yes, another review of them)

[Lauen]

Alright, so after a while with my M50's, I figured why not write a review? I got these back in November or something, after a lot of thought. These were recommended by a lot of people, so I got a pair, and I've used them pretty much every day since that. Now, before I start, I just want you to know that the music I listen to is like 96% of the time Metal, varying from Heavy Metal by the likes of Judas Priest, Manowar, Grave Digger, to heavier stuff, like Lamb of God, to power and progressive metal, like Sonata Arctica, Pagan's Mind, Symphony X, Alestorm, Gloryhammer, and some Thrash Metal, mostly just Megadeth (though newer stuff is more heavy metal) and on to a little bit of Extreme Metal like Xerath, Keep of Kalessin, and the occasional video on YouTube, George Kollias drumming and Alex Rüdinger drumming to some songs, and some drumming educational videos from Mike Johnston. I might, very rarely, listen to a tiny bit of dubstep / brostep. but that's very rarely. 

 

pic incoming

 

Alright, now I start off with the build quality. These are built very nicely. It's quite a bit of plastic, but it's still good. They don't feel cheap at least. The cable is pretty solid, it isn't "rubbery" or "bungie-like", it's pretty solid. The connector has a spring-like thing around the end of the connector, that is supposed to help with tight bends and such is pretty cool, but I don't really feel like it's doing much. the connector itself is VERY nicely built, it's encased in some metal, making it pretty hard and solid. There is also a screw-on adapter for 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch jacks, which is also very nicely built. 

 

Alright, for the sound, which is the biggest point about this. I'm chucking in a graph here, just for the sake of it. 

Bass: The bass is solid. for some people it might be too much, for some too little, but for me, it's a very nice bass. it's a little "elevated", but it doesn't ruin anything. it has a nice reach, I can hear bass down to 20 Hz, where it rumbles nicely. I find the bump at about 100 hz to make some things a little.. weird.. for example, some old Pagan's Mind songs use a very "clicky" bass drum sound (it's triggered) and it almost gets annoying to listen to. But if you're not listening to music with those clicky bass drum triggers, I'd say it's a very nice experience. 

 

Mids: Now here is where I really like them: The mids have a slight boost at the lower end (110-120 Hz) which makes low tuned guitars have a beefy, fat sound, and I love it. The mids are also ridiculously detailed (M50's are my first proper headphones btw, if you're not considering my PC360's). Listening to The Pirates of The Caribbean theme medley, live with Epica, is absolutely amazing. String instruments just sound so incredible, it just has that "crispness" which makes the string instruments just soooo amazing. I can't seem to stop praising those detailed mids. let's move on. 

 

Highs: I see those dips in the graph on many headphones, so I suppose it's a normal thing. Now, for highs, the only thing I have to say about them is that they're nicely detailed, but how they react is the amazing thing. When using my PC360's, hihats usually sounded laid-back and smooth, but with the M50's they're on point, they make sure you're listening to them, but they're not harsh, which is gooooood. in some songs by Pagan's Mind, the drummer uses some high-pitched splash cymbals for just "filling holes". Some of them can be a little "piercing" for me, but highs have never really been my focus. 

 

Now, just some things: when I started using these headphones, I was using them with my phone (Nokia Lumia 920) and the soundcard in my PC, which is an ASUS Xonar D2X. It sounded great all the time, but over the holidays I did some tests, and realized my onboard sounds just as good, and actually works with IEM's (the soundcard made next to no sound with my J33i's when I tested them there for some reason that I don't remember) so now my soundcard is just there gathering dust and waiting for me to get some high-impedance headphones so I have a reason for using it. 

Overall, I love the sound of them, but! The soundstage is.. bad. it really does sound like everything is inside your head. For gaming, it's a "if you need closed, you could, but there are better ones". The better ones including DT770. 

 

Alright, comfort: These.. these WERE comfortable when I got them. The pads were soft. It was a little tight at first, but I just stretched them a little before putting them on. The headband is soft, but there is very little padding in general. Over time, the pads got hard. Apparently, if you give them a wipe before and after use, they get softer, but I don't really bother with doing that... But as the pads got harder, I noticed the small pads more. When I wear the M50's, the top of my ears and the earlobes just barely touch the pads, but it's enough for me to get a little sore ears after a normal evening for me, which is usually at least 5 hours. This is the main reason for me buying new headphones, I got some Shure SRH440's and 840 pads in the mail at the time of writing this. 

 

Price: These have an MSRP of about 200 USD. I got mine for 206 USD because Norway is expensive and there are rarely any good offers on audio equipment on any good online shops. They are down at around 100 USD on amazon a lot (atleast what I've heard) and at that price they're alright, but if you're paying full price, it's not that good of a purchase. 

 

Any questions you have, just ask, I'll try to answer. 

[Melchio]

 

Overall, I love the sound of them, but! The soundstage is.. bad. it really does sound like everything is inside your head. For gaming, it's a "if you need closed, you could, but there are better ones". The better ones including DT770. 

 

 

tha's make me sad...i'm trying to find out a new headphones and AT 50 really interest me...but with dolby headphones enabled many forum's user (like you) says that soundstages is too small. Is the different from dt770 so big?!?!

[Lauen]

tha's make me sad...i'm trying to find out a new headphones and AT 50 really interest me...but with dolby headphones enabled many forum's user (like you) says that soundstages is too small. Is the different from dt770 so big?!?!

the DT770's are supposed to be one of the better closed headphones when it comes to soundstage, but I haven't tried them myself. I know the SRH440's I've got do have a better soundstage than the M50's. and I don't use Dolby Headphone, or other "sound enhancers", I just run normal stereo, deactivate all the "enhancements" in the sound control panel and set all the settings I can to "headphone". 

[EmoRarity]

Pads tho. 

[roid]

Hey nice review, I agree with you on mostly everything. I've had my ath-m50s a little over a year now and still really like the durability and quality. The durability and warranty that these headphones have are amazing. I travel a lot and stuff these phones in my carrying bag and takes every beating possible. The only issue I have had with these phones are the stock ear pads. The pads are just horrible, after a few hours wearing the pads puncture my ears to the point I can't wear them more than an hour or so. I bought the Shure HPAEC940 Replacement Velour Ear Pads for SRH940 Headphones (Pair) from Amazon for $20 a few weeks ago and they have made a huge difference. Can wear them as long as I want comfortably. I'd recommend these phones to anyone who travels and needs guaranteed durability, but definatley get different pads for them.

[Nineshadow]

 I got mine for 206 USD 

I can get these refurbished for 300 here. ;_;

[Lauen]

I can get these refurbished for 300 here. ;_;

wow, that's insane!

[Flipside]

Pads tho. 

what pads are those? I might get a pair of ATH-M50s soon and I want them to be comfortable for my daily 12+ hour use.

[EmoRarity]

what pads are those? I might get a pair of ATH-M50s soon and I want them to be comfortable for my daily 12+ hour use.

Don't get M50's, get SRH440's with 840 pads. 

[Lauen]

what pads are those? I might get a pair of ATH-M50s soon and I want them to be comfortable for my daily 12+ hour use.

Do as EmoRarity said. I went from M50's to SRH440's with 840 pads. that's how good they are, and amazing value, but if you must know, Shure 1540 pads.

[Lauen]

Also, when I get my phone back (smashed the screen, been out for fixing for two weeks) I'll be writing a review of the Shure SRH440's, both with and without 840 pads.

[Flipside]

Don't get M50's, get SRH440's with 840 pads. 

What's the difference betweent he 440 and the 840? If it's significant might as well just get the 840's for $200.

[EmoRarity]

What's the difference betweent he 440 and the 840? If it's significant might as well just get the 840's for $200.

Has an eight instead of a four for the first digit. Same differences as with any given line up, refinement. 

Do as EmoRarity said. I went from M50's to SRH440's with 840 pads. that's how good they are, and amazing value, but if you must know, Shure 1540 pads.

Get a pair yet? 

[Lauen]

Get a pair yet? 

I think they put in an order with their dealer to get some, but it might be a while till they get them. I'm just glad I have the 440's in the meantime.