If you do any listening or tracking with headphones, you must check these out! I've tried a lot of phones over the years including some models costing many times what these cost and I have never been as blown away before. They aren't perfect, I wish they were slightly "warmer" sounding, a bit more comfortable (the style and fit is much like the Sony 7506's) and the half coiled cord is beyond stupid, pulls the cable down like a lead weight. But all of this is minor compared to the sound coming out of these babies. Wow. Best bass I've ever heard from a phone, but not overwhelming bass. The clarity is out of this world. I have loved the ATH-M40's for years, but they sound muffled in comparison. For once I really can say I am hearing things in the music I never heard before. Amazing!
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I'm jealous. I have the AKG k271s which are supposed to be really nice but I don't like monitoring that's overly nice and not honest. Like when you ask someone's opinion and they say "great, perfect, I wouldn't change a thing, incredible, stunning!!!" and you feel all confident and then you put something out that's actually garbage. It's sorta like that
I'm going to sell mine for those... they're closed but I was wondering if they're isolated enough to use for mic placement on drums or a guitar amp. Then I would want them twice as much!!
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I thought that I had attained such a precise ear that I could detect my ear's own self noise! My doctor told me it was, in fact, tinnitus.
I had the M50's and just sold them on eBay for a $70 loss. I hated them. I found them to be very uncomfortable. K240 Studio's and Fostex T40's are what I like and 7506's for the talent.
I've had the Japanese version ATH-A700 a couple of years, and I agree they are phenomenal phones. They have offset drivers that fire at the pinna instead of straight in the ear canal, so proper positioning on the head is important.
They do take some break in time, the initial brightness will mellow out, leaving only the exceptional bass and detailed clarity. The only headphones I have ever found that I could actually track bass with.
If you really want to hear them at their ultimate (or any headphone for that matter), pair them up with a crossfeed amp from Headphone.com. Even their $99 amps are incredible. For mixing, add a parametric EQ to match the speaker sound if necessary, and done.
BTW the A700 are the most comfortable phones I've ever used. I also regularly use K271 which are still longtime favorites, but the A-T overall is just more detailed.
That is often the tradeoff. More bass usually requires tighter clamping/sealing to the head = not as comfortable. For me, the A700 has so much quality bass it suits my needs. But good to know it's out there if it ever is needed.
A-T is making some really nice equipment, and for reasonable prices. I think I paid around $120 for the A700.
Just got mine today, only listened to them for a quick song or two. First listen they seems nice but seems like I m having to turn my volume up much higher to get the level I am used to from my Sony 7506's. Anyone else perceive them as quiet head phones? About how long should I expect for a break in period with mostly weekend use?
Just got mine today, only listened to them for a quick song or two. First listen they seems nice but seems like I m having to turn my volume up much higher to get the level I am used to from my Sony 7506's. Anyone else perceive them as quiet head phones? About how long should I expect for a break in period with mostly weekend use?
I have a few pairs and they are particularly easy to push. They crank far beyond any level I'd ever want to listen to or have someone else be subjected to.
Pretty sure there's a version with a straight cord...
I LOVE mine. Never leave home without 'em. My 40s and HD280s are so much less fun, though I do enjoy the HD280s from time to time for certain mixing applications.
But the ATH m50s are my go to. I also find them pretty comfy, though I wouldn't want to wear them for four hours straight. Luckily even long tracking days require listening back, eating lunch, drinking coffee, etc... I've really only ever noticed it on a bus or a plane.
ultimately i prefer it to curly cord, but can see the benefits of c c
when i accidentally step on the straight cord and yank the phones off my head
and when it gets under the wheel of the chair and the phones get yanked off when i stand. both pretty bothersome and also abusive to the phones.
i guess the benefits to the straight cord is that there's not a constant tension from the coil always pulling on your head and the max length is probly longer, both better for traking...
I like my M50s but after around a year with them I still am not totally in love. I find them okay for a lot of purposes but not stellar for any one thing.
They feel and sound good for short periods but I find they fatigue my ears pretty quick and I always want to turn the bass down on my source material as it's just too much. I also use them for DJing and while they have decent isolation, when using one ear on/one ear off they tend to fly off my head. Hopefully that clamping force will eventually relax a bit...
+ 1 Love 'em too... straight cord "S" version here. Tracking and mixing. Excellent closed back sound rejection. They can start to feel a bit tight around the outer edge of my ears after a long period of wear time, but that's always a good indicator for me to take a (probably needed) break as well!
I have been using M50's as my main tracking and late-night mixing phones for a couple of years now, and the honeymoon is over. I A/B'd them last night with my old AKG240s's and I was blown away by how little midrange detail they have. A lot of what I record is in the same room as me as I am tracking, and I need my closed headphones to be as accurate as possible so I can do make good processing decisions on the way in. I was laying down some bass overdubs, and after eq'ing in what seemed like a really helpful boost around 900hz with the 240s's on, I checked the sound on the M50's and the detail was almost totally lost (my speakers confirmed the boost was an improvement in the track). Even the low end, which is light in the 240s's, was tighter and more focused.
Now the 240s's are open-backed, so they don't work for tracking most of the time either. I have some Shure 940's on the way, as they are supposed to offer a lot of midrange detail while still providing a lot of isolation. Yes, they cost twice as much...
I will say the M50's are perfect tracking phones for rhythm section players, as they really focus on the beat without a bunch of competing detail. They are also nice for listening to beat-driven music.
I've had a pair of ATH M-40's for nearly 13 years and they are both pretty ragged at this point but are still very comfortable I was looking at picking up some ATH-M-50's. Lobsterinn, please stop back in and let us know how those Shure 940's work out.
They're uncomfortable (flatten your ears), and the bass is humped like Quasimodo (the nature of closed design).
That being said, they are actually some of the most useful cans out there. If you learn their bass response, they can give you a more translatable mix than several that I've tried at several times the cost.
I love my Senn's, and can wear them all day, but I just don't trust them for decisions on the bottom octave. The AT's are hyped in that range for sure, but at least I'm able to hear what's happening down there. If you have low end mud anywhere in your mix, they'll definitely let you know.
Closed design, reasonable impedence, and unfussy power requirements make them ideal for tracking cans too, so they're really on top of my list of recommendations for home studios or smaller facilities on a budget.
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PRODUCTION GOAL: Blend ridiculously diverse musical influences into a viable pop signature sound that works for top 40 radio, clubs, earbuds, computer speakers, car stereos, submarine galleys, Australian walkabouts, Turkish prisons, skydiving simulators, volcanic craters, anechoic chambers, Martian discotheques, and all other known and unknown playback scenarios in perpetuity throughout the universe. - AINT NOBODY
I've had a pair of ATH M-40's for nearly 13 years and they are both pretty ragged at this point but are still very comfortable I was looking at picking up some ATH-M-50's. Lobsterinn, please stop back in and let us know how those Shure 940's work out.
I got the 940's and have been putting them through the paces with reference mixes and whatnot. They are very very different from the M-50's. The sound stage is wider and more open (similar to my open-back phones) and there is a LOT more midrange detail. Wow. There is less low end for sure, but it is un-hyped and focused (unlike the M-50's), so I feel like I know what is going on down there better. They seem really natural and un-colored top to bottom, but there is a slight focus on the mids / upper-mids. It's like being forced to nail down the most crucial part of the spectrum. They might be a bit too detailed for everyday listening, but I'm loving them for working so far.
I used the 940's on a tracking session last night, for piano and acoustic guitar overdubs. I was going back to the speakers every chance I got, and things are translating well so far. I've rarely felt like I nailed it with the M-50's - usually in the midrange eq or shape of the compressor settings.
If you are looking for tracking phones, or phones for enjoyment listening - especially of beat-driven music - the M-50's are great for the price. For more critical use, I would recommend spending a little more $ and getting something less colored and more detailed.
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