I love mine and find they translate well to speakers. Not a headphone maven, but honestly they are great for my use.

How long do you 'burn in' new microphones for before you record with them?

Mic and phone capsules are so similar in construction that if one needs burn in to sound correct so will the other.

There are a lot of reviews on the internet (including several Youtube vids) that discuss this. A couple of points.

- The M50 is significantly different from the M50x. The M50 headphones do not have the bass emphasis that the M50x has.

- Almost all of the comparison reviews find that the M40x's are much better than the M50x's - for half the price.

Tom

Don't trust those Amazon descriptions

They are closed-back, so disqualify temselves for mixing anyway...

Maybe usable for tracking? Dunno.

I'll stick to my K712s. Best (honest) headphones in the lower price range IMO.

Better for what? I do find the 40s to be better in the studio. Better for mixing and tracking.

But I find the 50's to be much better for general listening outside the studio, much fuller, more lifelike, more like listening to speakers. But horrible in the studio.

Not sure why I still have them.. they hurt my head after long use, the bass is way too forgiving so I always end up adding too much, and they don't seem to translate very well to speakers (not many do). But one thing I have noticed with them is they are very good at telling me when there is an overbearing midrange frequency that my monitors don't catch, so I really only use them now to make sure there's no harsh frequencies.

Psssssh y'all crazy n a mug. Love mine, trust them for all manner of important things, especially sounds during tracking. I honestly think I've seen a pair (besides my own) in every studio I've been in here in Nashville lol. Had the same pair of 50s (non X) for about 6-7 years now. Love them love them love them.

Wow, I thought I was the only one. I am really fond of the m40fs, and still have a pair, but was having hassles with the cable, so I "upgraded" to the m50x, which I have never liked as well. The m50x are "OK", but are less comfortable for extended wear, and they also sound a bit more bass-hyped and less honest IMHO...

...Yeah, love the m40fs. I'm sorry that they were discontinued.

Similar, yes, but not entirely the same. Additionally, many microphones do sound better after an extended session.
You need to burn in ALL headphones and loudspeakers that don't come from the manufacturer already burned in. You can get that advice from every manufacturer. Without doing so, you have no idea what the headphones actually sound like and cannot judge them on anything other than comfort.

well ive had the m50x now for a few days, and I think they sound fantastic. very tight on the head also. when i put them on i feel like im locked in and completely isolated from everything else around me. the bass is fantastic. in comparison to my hd600s the bass is really nice.

they have low impedance though, so i think that people who say they are too bass heavy, are just listening to loudly. you have to really be careful not to turn the gain up too much or else it will give you a headache. but i think this just shows how good the bass definition is

because there is no distortion even if you go really loud, so it makes listen louder and louder, need to pull it back

very nice product, i think i would like to try the 40x though also now, just to see how much flatter it is. it's not the loudness of the bass that is what makes the 50x good, its the definition of it. it sounds amazing and ultra clear.

I have 2 pair of 50's and love them too.
Also have 3 pair of 40's that I use for different things. Had one of those pair now for 13 years? Not bad!

if you are listening to a really overly bass heavy mix, like tons of mixes i listen to are, then yea it will be a headache and not nice. but if you listen to well mixed music, it sounds really good. but seriously, you can really crank these and there is like no distortion at all....so be careful you aren't listening too hot for too long or headache.

im tempted to mix with them because the bass sounds so good, but i wont lol. thats backwards if you think youre going to mix with these, they arent mixing headphones. you mix on something flat, and you make sure you dont push it too hot, and then when you listen on these after, it will sound good. if you push your mix too hot on your mixing heaphones, then it will sound bad on these.

mixing with speaker monitors though, always is the great benchmark. you mix with headphones for an hour, then mix with speakers, and you find the equilibrium. these m50x, you do not mix with them. they are for post-mixing, and maybe well if you dont understand your mixing headphones gainstage then you could use them to actually reference how overly hot you are mixing with your mix headphones.

They are bass heavy and I wouldn't trust them for anything but editing. They are comfortable and look good though.

yea i am shaving 7 dB off the bass EQ, my system EQ, this makes them just about perfect for casual listening i feel

My ATM50's have a new look now. So much of the coating on the headband had flaked off I finally just peeled off the rest of it. There are a lot of hours on these things.

lol those look so beat up. i love the way the head band feels though, it's just got a great feeling to it when you grab it and squeeze. this product is really quite a work of art. (work of engineering i guess)

Had them years ago and they didn't do it for me. I'm using AKG 701 these days with the bass mod and they are clear and open and great for a mix/master check on cans and for editing with a "magnifying glass". Very comfortable too!

What is the bass mod? I had K500's years ago in my long list of headphones I've used. I've found that open phones can sound really good, but cannot not created the punch required to give even a little of the feel of listening to speakers.

With the K701 you simply remove a piece of foil/plastic that is glued on the bass reflex of the Heaphone to dampen the bass. The bass in the standard k701 is a little overdamped. After removing the plastic it has a wonderful bass response while still being an elegant headphone with a super detailed midrange and high end.

I use them and I mostly trust them, but yes, they hurt my head after long use as well.

This helps with the excess bass response btw.
http://www.toneboosters.com/tb-morphit/

I have to nerd out and figure out how to wire a new cable, my end broke and the wire is almost unsolderable as is

My brother's pair got so busted up now there's a screw sticking out side of it to hold the ear cup in the right position. Also the pleather is completely shredded on the headband. And the ear pads were replaced by Shure ones that are a little softer. Still sounds great, though. He uses the hell out of those.

CANS




Now get off your knees

the more i have been using these now, actually, i am not doing any bass adjustment at any more....i think they just need some time to get used to, and now i am definitely enjoying them just flat. amazing!

I think they are good headphones. However the prior model, without the X, are probably more neutral - and those are the ones I use. They are quite good for my purposes