Audio-Technica ATH-M50XWH Professional Studio Monitor Headphones - White - Perfect for Music Production, DJing & Audio Mixing

This is going to be a long review, so try to hang in there and read to the end, I promise it's worth it!Alright, so chances are, you're looking at buying the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x most likely because of one of three reasons: A friend that has never listened to genuinely good headphones before is telling you that these are way better than Beats by Dre, A YouTuber told you that these are way better than Beats by Dre and most other consumer grade headphones, or because you need a pair of headphones for audio monitoring. I'd say almost 90% of people aren't buying the M50x for that last reason, which is the main problem here. Not so much the headphones themselves, but the reason people are buying them.Countless amounts of people spend the majority of their lives listening to music with headphones and earbuds that are either cheap, tinny sounding trash or overpriced, consumer-grade "fashion cans" with overpowering bass. So it's only natural that when you go from something like that to something like the M50x which has waaaay more detail and clarity, you're going to think they're the bee's knees and that they knock everything else on the shelf at your local electronics store out of the ballpark. And for the most part, that's very true. The M50x have been regarded by many as the "Beats killers." And this is also true, they have better sound quality than even the most expensive Beats headphones, for around half the price. These headphones get compared to Beats quite a lot, if you haven't already figured it out.BUT. There is unnecessary hype surrounding these headphones that has been built up by various people on YouTube who recommend these headphones for everyday use and gaming.So here's the deal, I don't dislike the M50x. I respect the M50x for their original, intended purpose: audio monitoring. If you don't know what monitoring is, in simple terms, it is listening to audio recordings and analyzing them. In order to effectively do this, you need a pair of monitor headphones or monitor speakers that playback music with as much detail as possible.So while these are indeed very good headphones for monitoring, they have several very important flaws that make them impractical for casual listening. I'm going to break things down into 3 main categories: Build, Comfort and Sound.BUILD:Build quality on the M50x is, for the most part, no issue here. The plastic feels sturdy and fairly thick, and the headband is metal, leading to an overall robust-feeling headphone that won't break unless you really try to. They fold up and the ear cups flip all the way backwards, so portability is very good. They also have a detachable cable which is great for portability. The fake leather on the headband and ear pads feel soft, but a bit cheap. Nothing deal-breaking for the price, in my opinion. But later on, the corners cut on the quality of the fake leather will bite you in the back when the pads and/or headband start flaking. The pads can be easily replaced, however. Overall, solid build quality but nothing amazing.COMFORT:If you're anything like me and most audiophiles, you'll refuse to wear a pair of headphones that bother or hurt your ears, no matter how good the sound quality is. The M50x aren't super uncomfortable, but they're nothing close to being the absolute most comfortable. Anyone who says the M50x are "super-comfy" have probably been wearing concrete on their ears until they bought these. For a lot of people, the main reason these are uncomfortable are the cheap, poorly made ear pads. As mentioned in the build quality, they're made of a fake leather, which isn't a big deal. But the padding inside of them is, in my opinion, unacceptable. It's a cheap foam that has very little density to it. The second reason, which can fortunately be fixed for the most part, is the clamping force these have on your ears. When I first used these, the clamp wasn't terrible, but after 30 minutes of listening my ears starting hurting, also due to the bad ear pads. You should be able to fix this by stretching them across the box they came in and letting them sit there overnight, maybe a bit longer. This helped enough to relieve the clamp a fair amount for me.Comfort can be improved a ton by buying different ear pads. However, doing this will affect sound quality, usually for the worst. More on that in the sound section. Overall they aren't exactly comfortable, but these headphones shouldn't be used for long listening sessions anyways. Which leads us to....SOUND:How to describe the sound in simple terms? Clear, detailed, accurate. But also harsh, fatiguing, and narrow. Do these sound better than all Beats by Dre headphones, yes. Not by an unbelievable amount, though. You won't have a life-changing experience just from switching to the M50x if a pair of Beats Studio or Solo were your previous "best" listening experience. Bass is cleaner and less emphasized, which to extreme bass-heads (People who absolutely crave bass in headphones) may be disappointing. But this doesn't mean the bass is bad. Bass does get deep, but it can be a bit "muddy" at times, meaning that it isn't very tight-feeling (I know, these terms might not make much sense! Google them up, you might find a much better explanation than what I can give).Mid-range frequencies (Think vocals and string instruments as well as most wind instruments) are there and can be heard fine, but aren't exactly up at the front of the stage like the bass and highs are. You might have even heard someone already say that the M50x have a recessed mid-range, and this is true.Now the high-end frequencies (Think high-pitched, sibilant vocals and instruments like flutes and cymbals, as well as higher-pitched chords from acoustic guitars). This is where the M50x stop being a casual-listening or "fun" headphone. The highs are upfront and detailed, which can be good for the purpose of monitoring, but they're so heavily emphasized that it makes listening at high volumes uncomfortable and fatiguing. Some people like for headphones to have this even when casually listening, but the majority of people will eventually find it uncomfortable and not very relaxing.Finally the soundstage and imaging (Soundstage: how big the area of the audio sounds. If every sound seems like it's very close to your head and not further away, that's narrow soundstage. If it sounds like you're in a big room or a theater, that's wide soundstage. Imaging: how accurate the placement of sounds are within the soundstage. If you feel like you can hear almost exactly where that sound is coming from, that's great imaging.) Soundstage is almost non-existant. It exists, but it's pretty narrow. Everything sounds right up against your head. However, the imaging is decent. I could usually tell pretty accurately what direction sounds are coming from.So the sound of the M50x is where the fun, casual listening experience gets cut short. Yes, they are very detailed. Yes, the clarity is exceptional. But the highs and sometimes muddy bass, especially the highs, can make relaxed listening very difficult.It boils down to this: The build quality of the M50x is good and they're very portable, but the comfort falls short of other similarly-priced (and even lower priced) headphones and the sound quality is not suitable for listening to music for pure enjoyment. Audio-Technica themselves, for some reason, claim "casual listening" as a selling point for this headphone compared to the other headphones in the M-series, which is silly and goes to show that they're trying to profit from all the unnecessary hype about these headphones. Shun me if you want, but if you do some more research about these, it's blatantly obvious. But once again, like I said, I respect these headphones and they ARE good, just not for the reason people are led to believe.ALTERNATIVES:If you truly want a pair of good, portable pair (most are portable) headphones meant for causal, fun, enjoyable listening, then check out these headphones I've either personally used or have owned myself. There are more out there than these, but here is a short list to get you started. Happy researching!SONY MDR-1A: Great headphones for portable, everyday use. Build quality is excellent, comfort is on-point and they sound warm and relaxing, but definitely not dull or boring. They do however, cost a little bit more than the M50x, nowadays around $200 brand new. The price jump is worth it though.Bose Soundtrue AE2: Good portable headphones, comfort is outstanding, they're lightweight and are easy to forget about when you wear them. Build quality is good and sound is relaxed but can still be fun when the volume is cranked up! As of this review, they are on sale for $100 on Amazon. You can find a used pair for even less. Not on sale they're $180 which is a bit pricey but still in my opinion, worth it.Beyerdynamic DT770 32ohm: An overall great pair of headphones for both casual listening and even professional use. Build quality and comfort are on-point, and sound quality is like the M50x, but honestly, better. However, the cable isn't detachable and they don't fold up, so they aren't exactly portable. These can be found for around $200, sometimes less. Definitely less if you buy them used.Status Audio CB-1: These are basically half the price of the M50x, but have more enjoyable sound (plenty of bass!), and are more comfortable. Build quality is questionable, though, so don't be rough with them. And if you have a very large head, they may not fit snug on your head because of light clamping force.B&O PLAY H6: These are more expensive than the M50x, especially the 2nd generation which start at around $240, but the build is great, they're very comfortable, look fantastic, and have a clear, warm, inviting sound that's fun to listen to.Philips SHP9500: Right now, these only cost around $60 or less, and they're fantastic. Build is good, comfort is fantastic and the sound is spacious and wonderfully pleasant. However, these are OPEN-BACK headphones, which means that sound will leak. If you're listening at normal or loud volumes especially, other people around you will hear your music. But if this isn't a concern or you're going to be using your headphones mostly at home, definitely go ahead and get these.Audio-Technica M40x: This is the little-brother of the M50x that nobody cares about for some reason, even though they're way better suited for casual or fun listening. Build is good like the M50x, comfort is pretty much the same, but changing the pads to something like the Brainwavz HM5 angled leather pads would make them excellent, and doesn't negatively affect the sound (pads other than these may affect the sound). Sound is more neutral than the M50x, the bass and highs aren't emphasized, but they're still great. Also they cost only $100!HIFIMAN Edition S: A comfortable, well-built portable headphone that sounds great, and actually has the ability to switch between being open-back and closed-back (open-backed headphones usually sound better!). Also on sale for $130 right now, a great deal!If you managed to read through all that, thank you for actually taking the time to do so!I owned a black pair of these for 6 years. Used them daily, often times for many hours a day. They were the best pair of headphones I've ever owned, no doubt about it. Yes they are a little expensive for headphones, but between the build quality and the overall product quality they are VERY MUCH worth the price.I've beat these things up (figuratively) through my time owning them. LITERALLY the only problem I ever had was the speaker on one ear going out. AFTER 6 YEARS of owning them.I cannot rave more about how much I love the ATH-M50X's. I'll probably own a pair until I die...This has to be one of the best headphones that I've bought... Period.\\The Sweetcake//I received it on March 14 and my oh my the packaging is exquisite that I don't want to get rid of the product box,open it and you receive 3 interchangeable cables to suit your need whether you want to use the short 1.2 m (3.9') for your Android or smartphone , the coiled cable, 3.0 m (9.8') AND the straight cable 1.2 m - 3.0 m (3.9' - 9.8') for your studio it will provide the cleanest connection from the ATH-M50x jack to whatever device you wanted connected to , I've tried all of the cables for a long duration and they are solid , they muster took great deal making those because each cable feels very thick and durible yet not heavy , that's amazing..The cable option is a plus for me and its a good thing that I heard from the internet that there is a version of the ATH-M50 that you don't need to mod it in order to change its cables .\\The Build Quality//Its a mix between plastic and solidity that you should keep in mind because if this was complete build balls-to-the-wall-style then I don't think Audio Technica would go cheap and seriously this headphone should have cost about 220$ at max , however the feelings of the ear pads and the weight of headphones makes you want to be a little more careful when holding/using it because to me its like holding a white gem (Considering I have choose the white color and its a great color in paint , I don't see those very often) you can swiveling the ear cups 90° if you want to keep one on your ear and the other outside to keep an ear out .\\Comfort//These are one of the most comfortable headphones that I've ever had and that's no exaggeration , I'm a guy who sits on his chair listening to music and I do have the constitution to be sitting for about 24 hours and I can tell you it doesn't hurt , the cups have this hexagon look in detail and it feels like leather , maybe because it actually is from the start and no wonder really .I've moved from the usage and comfort of the Razer Tiamat 7.1 to this ... and you know what ? I'll throw away a Tiamat just for this.\\Sound Quality//Keep in mind this is my first entry to a professional headphone level that's meant for home/pro studio level of use and I'm kinda on the not know it expert of audio in a way but I do know the essentials that I know that in the ends matters .I listen to any kind of music that has great melodies,classical music and the "catchy" factor, from Beethoven "Symphony No.5 In C minor" , Pink Floyds Album "The Darkside Of The Moon" to Andrew - Zircon - Aversa's "Identity Sequence" and Son Lux's "Lanterns"... It was really a trip.The lows were punchy and powerful and have more energy then anything , the mids feels right , clear and smooth and the highs were crisp and not sharp but you know that when a mid and high collides together to sound like an orchestra , I can tell you for sure that this headphone does it right .I didn't mention the bass though , I like my headphones to be bass natural at best and this one brings it up just fine , it gives me that I'm actually there in the field and I close my eyes , I feel like I'm going to another worlds and its just ... Damn, just damn.When I was browsing there was one reviewer in Amazon who mentioned that some details in Pink Floyds tracks from his "The Dark Side Of The Moon" like Money and Time had a lot of details that he couldn't hear but he said that the ATH-M50x brings up life to music , I'd like to stand beside the person who wrote that statement because it is true , not only true but its an amazingly true fact with jaw dropping results .Now keep in mind I hook this up to a dedicated sound card that came with the motherboard for my PC that I use , a SupremeFX X-Fi Audio Card , There is no problems whatsoever .I hooked it up to my Android Galaxy S III with no need for phone amps since this is a 38 ohms in Impedance , sound quality still great .I use the headphone not only for music and for gaming too , It gave me an immerse feeling that I never felt I had before in the Razer Tiamat 7.1 .I also work on mixing and producing music and after closer evaluation I know this is a keeper .\\The Looks//You should look at the pictures and videos , I don't know what to say more then that , it looks like a gem , but then again who cares about the look ? , as long as it delivers what you need .Overall : If you are looking for a professional headphone that kick the sweet spot right in the ear every time for every thing you do digitally , then this is for you .If you are looking for a headphone that looks great , sounds great and looks great all for under 200$ then this is for you .Buy it , you wont regret it .I finally decided on these after comparing them with beyerdynamics dt 770 for months.They are perfect.EQ’ing music is a breeze because all the frequencies are easy to differentiate with these.One reviewer said they needed to turn these right up to hear all the frequencies. I am having the same problem. So loud in fact that I have terrible pain in my ears head and neck and vice like pains around the top of my ears and head for ages after wearing them, and I don't think that's good for me. I have tried to find out why and the shape of the actual over ear cup seems to be the same as my previous headphones (not this brand). However the shape of the headgear overall is different and these feel extremely tight too and lack flexibility where I would like it (ie outwards). I have tried experimenting with some sponge between the ear cups and my head to see if it will cut down the bass, as my bass is not high on the recording and I generally keep it quite low it has not had too much effect but lost some of the mid ranges. Very good for watching the news if you don't feel irritated by them picking up every single movement ie when someone shifts position of their hand brushes against something. I have tried to persevere with these but as soon as I get some cash I am getting a pair the same as my old ones, as I just don't trust the sounds with these. I have no idea how the music is sounding. People commented that my music sounds very clear... but I have no idea how it sounds with these. These suit some people, but they are not the tools for me. And by the way the first parcel arrived completely smashed up, they replaced it but I should have taken that as a warning not to get them.Come sempre nelle mie recensioni premetto che ascolto musica da sempre e suono, quindi ho una buona idea del suono dal vivo e di quello riprodotto.Ho aspettato che le cuffie fossero ben rodate prima di esprimere le mie opinioni.SPECIFICHE:Cuffia chiusa over hearsDrivers neodimio 45mmImpedenza 38 ohmsSensibilità 99 dbRisposta in frequenza 18hz - 28khzPeso 285grCavo rimovibile da 3mt, 1.5mt e a spirale.La m50x è una cuffia notevole, talmente buona e flessibile nella fascia media che dopo infinite recensioni positive si è cominciato a cercare difetti che, per me non ha.Non è perfetta, ma fa tutto bene.È solida e piuttosto comoda, pads spessi e morbidi che isolano piuttosto bene. Cavi rimuovibili, ben tre nella confezione (lungo e corto dritti ed uno a spirale) di buona qualità sonica, li ho provati su altre cuffie con ottimi risultati.Ma come suonano?Sono cuffie di impostazione moderna, con risposta in frequenza leggermente a v, quindi non neutrali.Facilmente pilotabili anche da uno smartphone.I bassi sono pieni, corposi, abbastanza precisi fino ad un volume di tutto rispetto, alzandolo gradualmente vi accorgerete chiaramente del punto in cui prendono vita e dinamica, ma se andrete oltre perderanno di coesione e tenderanno ad impastare il suono, parliamo comunque di volumi sconsigliati per l'udito.Danno soddisfazione con tutti i generi musicali, anche con techno o EDM (consigliatissime per resa/qualità).Una gobba sui medio bassi lega la frequenze inferiori ai medi, leggermente arretrati, che rimangono piacevoli e dettagliati.Voci chiare e ben intellegibili. Anche con gruppi acustici è un piacere ascoltare con queste cuffie. Ottima la resa con il rock.Con classica e la lirica se la cavano più che dignitosamente.Insomma sono divertenti.Gli alti, leggermente enfatizzati, sono ben estesi e contribuiscono a dare dettaglio e trasparenza alla riproduzione senza essere fastidiosi. Quasi totale assenza delle sibilanti. Per qualcuno potrebbero essere un po' affaticanti per ascolti prolungati, ma si tratta comunque di cuffie monitor e questo è il punto fondamentale.Sono state progettate per lavorare sull'ascolto moderno della musica, non per essere neutrali o audiofile e proprio questa impostazione le rende divertenti e flessibili.Il soundstage è accettabile, ci sono cuffie chiuse che fanno di meglio, ma il posizionamento degli strumenti rimane distinguibile e le voci centrate.Nell'orchestra, con incisioni almeno dignitose, si distingue la disposizione degli elementi anche se manca un po' di ampiezza e profondità. Prestazione generale dignitosa, ma non aspettatevi nulla di eccezionale.Sono cuffie che si adattano a tutti gli usi e riescono a riprodurre più o meno bene qualunque genere musicale ad un prezzo che le rende le regine della fascia media.C'è sicuramente di meglio come neutralità, per ascolti di musica specifici, per pulizia o rivelazione del dettaglio, ma rimangono difficili da battere anche per cuffie più costose per le loro caratteristiche generali.Per molti potrebbero essere cuffie definitive unendo divertimento di ascolto ad utilità in studio.Non è un caso che vengano universalmente poste nelle classifiche delle migliori cuffie, anche per il loro prezzo ancora accessibile sono consigliatissime.Ho cercato di dare un'idea più chiara possibile delle caratteristiche di queste cuffie, senza essere troppo tecnico, per aiutare chi come me cerca di investire al meglio il proprio denaro. Se l'avete trovata utile un like è gradito. :-)Sempre ottimo il servizio Amazon.Buona musica a tutti.I wear these for hours at a time mixing my own music at home.They are so comfortable I often forget I'm wearing them.I can detect glitches and flaws in my recordings on these headphones that my excellent Yamaha monitors don't pick up.The detail is brilliant.I'm not into Hip Hop but the bass on rock/jazz rock/punk/fusion and metal is lush.Classical and acoustic sounds are crystal clear.I also take them on long train journeys to enjoy my favourite artists. They are versatile enough for detailed monitoring in your studio - or for just enjoying your favourite bands/sounds and musicians wherever you are.Beautifully packaged, chunky and solid. Good price.Superb product.i bought these cans for a mixture of home and train use. they state quite plainly that they are 'studio' phones so i can't complainabout the bulk, but they are not really for travel in my opinion. so, the quality of sound? excellent for me as they are very compitentin the 'treble' zone; i am not one to be overwhelmed by bass thank you. the high notes are super clear and the bass is there if youwant it. my lack of expertise in making comparisons is very limited, so 4 stars rather than 5 as these are not an expensive itemcompared with many others.i find the cups a little claustrophobic 'cos i have largish ears! and they seem to be a little warm after a while too. there are, however,several cheapish options for more voluminous replacements/upgrades if they don't suit the individual.i have a narrow head and the fit is a little loose for me even when fully closed (the extendability). i wouldn't think that people withwider heads would have a problem as a consequence.no fancy connections/controls, plenty of alternative cables in the box, the quality seems devoted to the sound; i have no problemwith that. recommended.Got these today and their sublime in every way including the price! Love the warmth these headphones bring to the table and they sound a lot richer when they are connected to a FIIO E18 which they are now as I write this review, compared to the HD700 they are a more fun headphone to listen to than the HD700 and would appeal to a wider audience than the HD700's. I know I shouldn't be comparing the two because there is such a difference in price but I think I will be listening more to the audio technica more now, the HD700 have incredible razor edge detail and outstanding separation of instruments, suited well to classical orchestral music , imaging is great on them due to their open backed neutral air design, but the M50x does a mighty job 3 specially for their price , they deliver incredible clear sound and plenty of bass, even though they favour bass I still use the bass boost feature on my fiio e18, I just had to write a review because it would be criminal not to because they are soo good, the AKG K550s are in my opinion more laid back and flat due to their reference sound nature which isn't a bad thing because their designed to be , the AKG K550s doing incredibly open for a pair of headphones than are closed back, sometimes you would wonder if they were on your head, their is more separation in the AKG's than the M50x but marginally , I would still prefer the M50s for regular listening, since I previously owned a pair of M50's I know that they are incredibly well built and are surprisingly comfortable the ATH M50X sound a tad more refined and clearer than its predecessor, so all in all the ATH M50X superior in many ways than its predecessor and are just great !!!!