Saturday, February 5, 2011

Audio Technica ATH-M50 Review!

Let me just start off by saying these headphones are amazing for the price, I was pretty shocked at how great everything sounded for such an affordable pair of cans.
  • ~100$
  • Closed-Back Dynamic Design
  • 45mm Neodymium Driver
  • 15 - 28,000 Hz Frequency Response
  • 11' Cable w/ Gold-Plated  3.5mm Jack
  • Comes With Carrying Pouch and Screw on 1/4" jack






Comfort 

The headphones themselves are quite comfortable, and light on the head. Some might find the pressure to they exert to be slightly annoying, but that was not the case for me. The earpads are soft, and easily conform to the contours of my head.
 
What deserves comment though is the size of the earcups themselves – they are quite small in my opinion. Now, I have small ears so for me the m50 are a perfect circumaural fit. But I can easily imagine the m50 being supra-aural for larger eared individuals.


More In-Depth Sound Analysis  

Bass is clear, with good extension, and respectable low end impact. It stays where it’s supposed to, and there is no mid-bass bloat that intrudes into the midrange.  The m50s do have a slight warmth to the sound, but it isn’t anything intrusive or ungainly.
The midrange itself stays in line with the bass. It is neither forward nor recessed. The lack of added warmth leaves it a little dry, but in a good way, unless warmth is what you’re looking for.

Treble is a little recessed relative to the bass and mids. This does not mean that the m50 lack treble extension, not at all. The treble extends as high as I am able to hear. It is just that the treble is slightly less prominent than the mids and bass.

The m50s have pretty good noise isolation, though I wouldn't recommend listening to music at increased volumes in a quiet public setting. 


A Personal Note

I typically listen to music at low volumes, and prefer a V shaped sound. When using the m50 I kept wishing for a little more sub-bass impact, and more treble energy/sparkle. Though I freely admit that the m50 are very proficient technically, especially at their current price point, I could not help but find the m50 to sound borderline boring for my tastes.

Summary 

The Audio Technica m50 represent a great value for those looking for a well isolating closed headphone. They are built about as well as anything out there at the $100 benchmark, and should be comfortable for most people. Technically the m50 is very proficient, and offers a fairly balanced and non-fatiguing sound. But people who are after a little more excitement may find the m50 a little boring.

17 comments:

Veno said...

Heh. Was just looking at these last week on Amazon. Think I'll wait a little longer and check your reviews before I make a decision!

ERRÆL said...

Good review, might pick these up.

Also, I have a request. If you ever get the chance, try these out: http://www.headphone.com/headphones/grado-sr-60i.php

I heard they were amazing.

Bassislv said...

nice one, never heard of this headphone, thanks for the info

Anonymous said...

You seem to really know your stuff bro, i need a good pair of head phones for the sound design part of my animation.


follow me brahs!

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metalpark_73189 said...

Great review dude! Might buys these when I get the chance!

Andrew said...

wow that actually seems like a good deal

Joe said...

Can't wait to see more, really need some great headphones hopefully I'll find em here! Are you doing just computer ones or ones for Xbox as well?

Come At Me Bro said...

I need them!

xazbaschboss said...

I'm thinking of buying some Grado SR80i's for 80 bucks. A good investment?

Tristie said...

Excellent review, I have a friend who's been looking into a normal pair for a while. He always takes my head set. >.< I'll refer him back to you. Thank you.

GADAFINY said...

I want them
http://gadafiny-club.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

ive been looking for a new pair of headphone, i might check these out

.victor//h.d. said...

I think I finally found a blog to help me out!

Garth said...

those looks so awesome, if only i had the cash to buy them

Mike said...

i was actually looking into getting these or beats by dre. what ar eyour thoughts on beats? are these better?

yermolay said...

i have these. they're great and the slight uncomfortable feeling only lasts in the beginning. after some constant wear it's all good.

and though they have been my babies for a few months now but after some browsing i think i want an upgrade

i look forward to your other reviews

:)

Anonymous said...

Nice review! I've been looking for some new headphones.

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