Still works and sounds good after nearly six years. These have been very durable. The case is excellent, in great shape, and really helped keep the headphones in good condition. A thin black faux leather layer has worn off the ear covers, but this didn't alter the function or comfort. My headband still looks okay. I think it fits and adjusts fine. I've never owned headphones that were not uncomfortable after many hours of use. With these, I would say take a break after three or four hours. The sound is good. In comparison to much more expensive headphones that I've owned or used, I firmly believe these are plenty adequate for studio work and music enjoyment. These have had a lot of use. I bought these for studio but I have also been using these for listening to music on my smartphone for years now, with a dongle. Studio headphones may be "flat," but the PowerAmp app has a good EQ and other stereo adjustment features, and paired with a HiFi phone and/or HiFi DAC dongle, this headphone meets my music listening needs. I give this a solid recommendation for studio use and double-duty for an audiophile on a budget. Incidentally, my music collection often sounds a little different than I recollect with this setup, like I'm experiencing a custom mix; which I feel is a bonus.
Holy crap, these things sound amazing. I have been very picky when it comes to sound quality for years, my friends and family call me the "Speaker Diva". These are easily the best sounding headphones I have heard, they are up there with the Bose Quiet Comfort, but not as much noise cancellation. I was searching on amazon for a good case to go with these $170 headphones and I came across a Slappa hard case for around $30. I added both to my cart and the total comes to be a few cents short of $200. Before I click to finalize the order I scroll down the page to see similar products and then I see it. The deal that fits me perfectly. The Headphones and the case... TOGETHER for the exact price of the headphones in my cart. AND IT HAS PRIME SHIPPING! I was more excited than I should have been. I bought it right that second and chose next day shipping. The next day I come home after work and there it is. A gorgeous box sitting on my door step. I tear through the box and get down to business. The first thing I notice is the case, this thing is massive, and I mean massive. It is large enough to easily fit headphones unfolded and has plenty of room in the middle for the three cords. The inside of the case is lined with a material I can only describe as micro-suede (microfiber combined with suede). I put the case off to the side and got down to business. The box these headphones comes in is pretty large. It has beautiful presentation that was clearly thought out. I took the headphones out and went straight to some music. The bass... the bass is amazing, you can literally hold these headphones and feel the vibrate from the bass. The Highs and Lows both sound amazing. They are incredibly clear, you can have these things at full volume and not hurt your ears because the distortion is so minimal. It comes with a warranty card that you have to fill out in order to activate it and I mail it in, and I'm glad I did this, let me explain why. On the case, there is a plastic strap attached to a cardboard tag with the SLAPPA name and logo, and that attached to the zipper slider. Well doing what any lazy person that had no means of cutting it within arms reach, I gave it a hefty tug. It broke on the slider, not the pull tab you hold onto, but the part the pull tab connects to. So there was no way of attaching something else to take the place of it. I shook my head at my own stupidity at how easily this situation could have been avoided, and called it a loss. It was still functional, but just tedious to use, SO DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS ME, GO GET A PAIR OF SCISSORS. Fast forward about a week and I'm going to open my case to listen to some music, and SNAP. The remaining zipper breaks in the exact same way of the first. I'm all upset and just a few hours later I get a call. It is from a "caller id blocked" number, but I'm feeling risky so I decide to answer the call. It is somebody from Audio-Technica calling me, saying they received my warranty card, and are calling to see how I'm liking my new headphones. I tell them they are great, but the case broke at the zippers. The gentleman was very apologetic and said for me to go on Amazon and request a replacement and he will make sure I get a new one personally. I tell him that I was planning to do that and thanks for the great customer service. I'm about to go to work and don't have time to file the request right then, about five minuets later, I get another call from a caller id blocked number. It is the same guy and he tells me to not even worry about going through Amazon, that they are already packing up my replacement as we speak to be shipped out. The new case gets here and as you predicted, I have a pair of scissors at my side this time. The new case seems to be holding up well, I am very pleased with it. Even if I Wasn't pleased with it, I would not speak negatively for the simple reason it was basically free with the headphones. I just would not say anything at all. Again this case is huge, it is bigger than you think trust me. Personally I was not going to make such a big deal over the case breaking because of it size, I was just going to pretend the headphones did not come with a case and go buy the other SLAPPA case that fits the ATH-M50x headphones folded up. Important note, this case does not fit the headphones when you leave the cord attached, so the is a good chance they don't fit the original Audio-Techinca ATH-M50 headphones which have a wire built in that cannot be detached. So they will definitely fit ATH-M50x but probaly not the ATH-M50.
I am still waiting... for the perfect sound.. I used to use Denon DJ HP-1000 before, and it was broken the hinge after using 3 years. I was deeply moved that sounds but it was not last long... I could not listen other devices including 500 bucks of blutooth head phone and so on. I looked for other headphones without blutooth. I have searched so many articles and reviews on the Internet. Audio technica is very famous headphone brand in the world and I decided to buy ATH-M50x because other people said its sound quality is outstanding. It loooks durable with metal hinge, furthermore this seller give us to ultra strong hard case!! I listened this package a month, first day, I disappointed with its sound. I know why it sound poor than my expectation. I listened only one day, most good headphones need 'aging' step. one more important reason is I listened the musics with my iphone... without amplifier... When I was touched with Denon DJ HP-1000, I listened music with my cowon D2+(I lost). I am waiting for finishing aging. I have no more budget for having MP3 player nor amplifier in this year. I am looking forward the real sounds of ATH-M50x. and when I find out the sound, I will describe more. The headphone and case are good enough so far. [Pros] Headphone - *Sounde - On iphone, it sounds not realy touching sounds, but put it on the PC, it sounds remarkable(saperate instruments with clear high, deep base), and I am keeping more aging. I will by a new MP3 player or amplifier after saving money lol. *Durablity - I think it will last long until having those MP3 player or AMP. this headphone is realy durable and has flexible with metal hinge. *Wearing sensation - Very comfortable Case - It is super durable. I don't have to worry about my headphone on the street, bus, metro, rainyday, snowy day... It is ultra durable and enough room to store 3 different code and iphone. [Cons] Headphone - little warm using long time. Case - It is somewhat too big, I think the size of folded M50x is perfect to carry easily ------------------------------------ 2yrs after purchase ------------------------------------ It still works good after 2years I love it but I wish I had a Bluetooth function. I live in CANADA but amazon.ca has not a good receiver.
I am still waiting... for the perfect sound.. I used to use Denon DJ HP-1000 before, and it was broken the hinge after using 3 years. I was deeply moved that sounds but it was not last long... I could not listen other devices including 500 bucks of blutooth head phone and so on. I looked for other headphones without blutooth. I have searched so many articles and reviews on the Internet. Audio technica is very famous headphone brand in the world and I decided to buy ATH-M50x because other people said its sound quality is outstanding. It loooks durable with metal hinge, furthermore this seller give us to ultra strong hard case!! I listened this package a month, first day, I disappointed with its sound. I know why it sound poor than my expectation. I listened only one day, most good headphones need 'aging' step. one more important reason is I listened the musics with my iphone... without amplifier... When I was touched with Denon DJ HP-1000, I listened music with my cowon D2+(I lost). I am waiting for finishing aging. I have no more budget for having MP3 player nor amplifier in this year. I am looking forward the real sounds of ATH-M50x. and when I find out the sound, I will describe more. The headphone and case are good enough so far. [Pros] Headphone - *Sounde - On iphone, it sounds not realy touching sounds, but put it on the PC, it sounds remarkable(saperate instruments with clear high, deep base), and I am keeping more aging. I will by a new MP3 player or amplifier after saving money lol. *Durablity - I think it will last long until having those MP3 player or AMP. this headphone is realy durable and has flexible with metal hinge. *Wearing sensation - Very comfortable Case - It is super durable. I don't have to worry about my headphone on the street, bus, metro, rainyday, snowy day... It is ultra durable and enough room to store 3 different code and iphone. [Cons] Headphone - little warm using long time. Case - It is somewhat too big, I think the size of folded M50x is perfect to carry easily ------------------------------------ 2yrs after purchase ------------------------------------ It still works good after 2years I love it but I wish I had a Bluetooth function. I live in CANADA but amazon.ca has not a good receiver.
I had the ATH-M50's for awhile and they have been phenomenal. They still where working fine just looking a bit haggered after years of use. I did a lot of research when I bought the M50's and they proved to be the best studio monitors I ever owned, outperforming some way more expensive ones I have had. After using them day in and out for years the ear cushions where a but flattened and the drivers where pressing right against my ears. Never the less, they are still working and still sound great. That cannot be said about any other pair of headphones I have owned with so much use. Naturally with so much success on the m50's I pulled the trigger on the m50x's. My first impressions before even putting them on were I loved the now detachable headphone cable, and the cable options they include. The build quality on the old ones were good but these feel even more solid and I thought that would be hard to top but they did it. The Headphone cups are even more comfortable. As for sound, they can now take some more power from the headphone amp. The lows are well slightly but noticeably lower. Mids are a bit more balanced so sound separation is a bit more noticeable and the highs are very noticeably brighter to the point I lowered my high frequencies. Audio-Technica you made a superb product even that much better. I also like that this bundle included a hard case which is handy for travel.
I bought these headphones primarily for gaming to use with my PS4 in combination with an FX Audio amplifier. They deliver well balanced, super clear audio and are quite loud when used with the amp. What is most impressive is the clarity of the base notes. The base, while not super strong (i.e. beats or other bass head headphones) is never muddy even at high volume and will not leave you unsatisfied. In comparison to beats (other pair of headphones I have), the sound signature is more neutral with much clearer and well balanced audio. The sound bleed isn’t that bad either unless you have the volume near full blast. The only time these headphones sound bad is when you are listening to a poor quality audio file. The only draw back to having super clear headphones like this is that anything but the highest quality audio files will drive you mad. Not only do they work great for music but they can also hold their own when it comes to gaming. While they do not offer multiple drivers like high-end gaming headsets do, they still offer impressively immersive surround with the ability to pinpoint the direction of noises in-game. I have been pretty hard pressed to notice that much of a difference in gaming quality between these and my Turtle Neach PX5s which are top of the line gaming headphones. The PX5s may have a bit of an edge in some respects (as they should considering they are 2x as much!) but I haven’t felt like these are a downgrade when it comes to gaming. These are also supremely comfortable headphones and can be worn for a very long time. Out of the box, they might be a bit snug but they “break in” in about a week or so of daily wear. The only thing I noticed was that the tips of my ears got a little sore after the four or five hour mark but that began to become less common after about a month. Build quality is pretty solid as well. The included Slappa case is a must have in my opinion as it enables you to safely store the headphones without having to fold them (the less you have to fold headphones the better in regards to longevity) and has a very soft, almost fur-like interior. Just short of a $300 pair of Bose, these are some of the clearest headphones out there and will not disappoint.
My son is mesmerized with these and cannot believe their quality for music listening. Very well made and comfortable with all the handy cord combinations you could want to connect to a variety of music sources. Handy and well protective case for taking them with you is included. Check the specs on these headphones and you'll see that that they are highly recommended across the internet and are considered a very best buy for very high fidelity at a reasonable cost. The construction of these makes it obvious that they will be a long-lived addition to anyone's music system. As with any speaker, they get better the more they are used and the speaker diaphragms get broken in. Not to indicate that they are not great right out of the box, but they will get better and better through use. Not at all heavy on bass or treble end, they give accurate sound reproduction, which is what you want. Get a pair while they are at a great price!
The only complaint I have is the leather/(pleather?) ear cuffs around the headphones after 3 years, started wearing off, leaving black leather/pleather on my skin around my ears. These are head and shoulders above my Sony headphones (50$) and arctis 3 (70$) that I have purchased, and are well worth the investment, but if you're reading this audio-technica, I love the quality of sound for stereo monitoring music production that I use them for, but please update the material of the earcuff.. 6 years in and it has been progressively wearing off more and more, i.e. Minimal; year 3, moderate wear off. year 4, serious wear off; year 5, lots of wear off; and now year 6 there are speckles of black pleather on my ears/head everytime i use them. I predict year 7 will be meaningless because all the pleather will be gone by then, but thank you audio technica for making such a great set of phones for an affordable cost... Any audiophile, or music lover will be blessed by these, just as I have.... Not even complaining about the pleather, just update that material and you have the greatest bang for buck in headphone history.
Holy crap, these things sound amazing. I have been very picky when it comes to sound quality for years, my friends and family call me the "Speaker Diva". These are easily the best sounding headphones I have heard, they are up there with the Bose Quiet Comfort, but not as much noise cancellation. I was searching on amazon for a good case to go with these $170 headphones and I came across a Slappa hard case for around $30. I added both to my cart and the total comes to be a few cents short of $200. Before I click to finalize the order I scroll down the page to see similar products and then I see it. The deal that fits me perfectly. The Headphones and the case... TOGETHER for the exact price of the headphones in my cart. AND IT HAS PRIME SHIPPING! I was more excited than I should have been. I bought it right that second and chose next day shipping. The next day I come home after work and there it is. A gorgeous box sitting on my door step. I tear through the box and get down to business. The first thing I notice is the case, this thing is massive, and I mean massive. It is large enough to easily fit headphones unfolded and has plenty of room in the middle for the three cords. The inside of the case is lined with a material I can only describe as micro-suede (microfiber combined with suede). I put the case off to the side and got down to business. The box these headphones comes in is pretty large. It has beautiful presentation that was clearly thought out. I took the headphones out and went straight to some music. The bass... the bass is amazing, you can literally hold these headphones and feel the vibrate from the bass. The Highs and Lows both sound amazing. They are incredibly clear, you can have these things at full volume and not hurt your ears because the distortion is so minimal. It comes with a warranty card that you have to fill out in order to activate it and I mail it in, and I'm glad I did this, let me explain why. On the case, there is a plastic strap attached to a cardboard tag with the SLAPPA name and logo, and that attached to the zipper slider. Well doing what any lazy person that had no means of cutting it within arms reach, I gave it a hefty tug. It broke on the slider, not the pull tab you hold onto, but the part the pull tab connects to. So there was no way of attaching something else to take the place of it. I shook my head at my own stupidity at how easily this situation could have been avoided, and called it a loss. It was still functional, but just tedious to use, SO DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS ME, GO GET A PAIR OF SCISSORS. Fast forward about a week and I'm going to open my case to listen to some music, and SNAP. The remaining zipper breaks in the exact same way of the first. I'm all upset and just a few hours later I get a call. It is from a "caller id blocked" number, but I'm feeling risky so I decide to answer the call. It is somebody from Audio-Technica calling me, saying they received my warranty card, and are calling to see how I'm liking my new headphones. I tell them they are great, but the case broke at the zippers. The gentleman was very apologetic and said for me to go on Amazon and request a replacement and he will make sure I get a new one personally. I tell him that I was planning to do that and thanks for the great customer service. I'm about to go to work and don't have time to file the request right then, about five minuets later, I get another call from a caller id blocked number. It is the same guy and he tells me to not even worry about going through Amazon, that they are already packing up my replacement as we speak to be shipped out. The new case gets here and as you predicted, I have a pair of scissors at my side this time. The new case seems to be holding up well, I am very pleased with it. Even if I Wasn't pleased with it, I would not speak negatively for the simple reason it was basically free with the headphones. I just would not say anything at all. Again this case is huge, it is bigger than you think trust me. Personally I was not going to make such a big deal over the case breaking because of it size, I was just going to pretend the headphones did not come with a case and go buy the other SLAPPA case that fits the ATH-M50x headphones folded up. Important note, this case does not fit the headphones when you leave the cord attached, so the is a good chance they don't fit the original Audio-Techinca ATH-M50 headphones which have a wire built in that cannot be detached. So they will definitely fit ATH-M50x but probaly not the ATH-M50.
I bought these headphones primarily for gaming to use with my PS4 in combination with an FX Audio amplifier. They deliver well balanced, super clear audio and are quite loud when used with the amp. What is most impressive is the clarity of the base notes. The base, while not super strong (i.e. beats or other bass head headphones) is never muddy even at high volume and will not leave you unsatisfied. In comparison to beats (other pair of headphones I have), the sound signature is more neutral with much clearer and well balanced audio. The sound bleed isn’t that bad either unless you have the volume near full blast. The only time these headphones sound bad is when you are listening to a poor quality audio file. The only draw back to having super clear headphones like this is that anything but the highest quality audio files will drive you mad. Not only do they work great for music but they can also hold their own when it comes to gaming. While they do not offer multiple drivers like high-end gaming headsets do, they still offer impressively immersive surround with the ability to pinpoint the direction of noises in-game. I have been pretty hard pressed to notice that much of a difference in gaming quality between these and my Turtle Neach PX5s which are top of the line gaming headphones. The PX5s may have a bit of an edge in some respects (as they should considering they are 2x as much!) but I haven’t felt like these are a downgrade when it comes to gaming. These are also supremely comfortable headphones and can be worn for a very long time. Out of the box, they might be a bit snug but they “break in” in about a week or so of daily wear. The only thing I noticed was that the tips of my ears got a little sore after the four or five hour mark but that began to become less common after about a month. Build quality is pretty solid as well. The included Slappa case is a must have in my opinion as it enables you to safely store the headphones without having to fold them (the less you have to fold headphones the better in regards to longevity) and has a very soft, almost fur-like interior. Just short of a $300 pair of Bose, these are some of the clearest headphones out there and will not disappoint.
To preface, keep in mind that these are meant to be used as *studio monitors*, not cans to shake your head silly. I am rating in relation to the price:performance, and will address each subject with pros and cons. Sound (4.5/5): Pros: *Relatively EQ neutral (flat). Shape is slightly V (mids lower than lows/highs), which makes them good for electronic/metal/dance and some rock. *Surprisingly open soundstage given their closed construction. *Very little audio leak, again because of them being closed. *You may further EQ with your device (laptop, phone, etc) and the headphones likely won't miss a step. They're capable of producing a lot more bass/mid than their stock sound leads you to believe, but again, their initial purpose is to produce a flat sound signature so people that work in audio get accurate/"non-biased" sound. Cons: *Highs can get tinny. *When multiple lows near the same frequency appear, it can sound a bit muddy. This is more inherent to the sound itself, and means ambiance may sound odd. Many headphones in higher price ranges separate the sounds very well, but that is /higher price ranges/, so I did not take this into account when rating and simply felt that it should be noted. Comfortableness (3.5/5): Pros: *Super soft pads *Texture of pads is appealing *Very little noticeable "sweat" from the pads in my longest session using them (7 hours, taking them off every 30-60 min). Cons: *Tight (judging from another pair I have used, they do break in well and become more lax) *There could be more padding on the strap. As the headphones break in and become more lax, they rely more on the strap to rest on your head. The padding is not thick enough to prevent the harder edges of the strap from digging on your head. Not killer, but you still feel it. *When wearing them with one cup off of your ear, it pulls them tighter. When turning the cup backwards, the hard plastic does press against my head a bit unpleasantly. It should be noted that the discomfort relies on your head shape. I just happen to have a point on my head that doesn't dig it. *Weight could be seen as an issue, I personally don't mind it. Portability (5/5): Pros: *Good size, I got the package with the Slappa case. The case is big enough for the headphones as well as chords, and a phone/player or small amp. *Good weight. *Do not require an amp to drive them with most devices, meaning you don't need to carry an amp around. Good stuff. *Detachable chord. It is proprietary, but it's still a big plus. Cons: *wat I will not rate aesthetic because you can see the pictures and judge for yourself. I like them, I just wish the color variances weren't at such a premium, because I love the monochrome grey ones. Overall, incredible entry studio headphones, just be sure to take them off now and then. My first few days with them, I would get headaches after a couple hours of wearing them. Either them coming to fit my head better, or myself getting used to them, has changed that, and they're fine now, but I still need to take them off intermittently. Overall: 4.3/5