Your reviews are excellent and based on science unlike the kindergarten schmucks on other channels claiming to know what they're doing. I made my purchase for the ATH-M50xSTS-USB StreamSet as a result of your measured data. Great job, thank you.
Thanks, very much appreciated...channel revenue goes back into making more reviews like this. Sorry it took a few days to get back to you, I have been off with an injury and am slowly catching up... I really like the concept of the 50xSTS, enjoy your new headset!
This is a great, thorough, and in depth review. I'm on my 3rd set. I've been running these headphones for 8 years now. I ran the original ATH-M50's and for my second and third pair, I went with the X's. I have my studio pair, and my daily beater set. As someone who has used these headphones for nearly a decade for mixing, mastering, and even daily use, I have a few long term complaints. These headphones are tight. For long listening and mixing sessions, they cause me a lot of discomfort around the tips of my ears. I do have larger ears though. My original set physically broke long before the headphone speakers were even close to sounding tired and worn. For my studio set, I've noticed a lot of clipping and loss in clarity with their sound after having them for 6 years. I originally thought it was my FiiO amplifier having issues, but upon changing out my amplifier for a Focusrite 6i8, I noticed these issues even more. I used to have a pair of Pioneer headphones from the 1980s that I used up until I bought my AudioTechnicas and they were on-par in audible sound quality when paired with an amplifier with my M50's I replaced them with, except far, FAR older. They are a great, and I mean GREAT budget option, but their longevity is not up to my standards. That being said, if you buy them from a retailer like Guitar Center and get the 10 year warranty for these, it's certainly worth it.
Thanks for sharing your long-term experience with these. We have had a couple of sets in the studio for about 5 years. They get beat up pretty badly but so far haven’t kicked it just yet. I had one set of the 40s that did the clipping thing, but otherwise the ATs have held up reasonably well for the price. I find them uncomfortable for longer sessions as well, but 10 years for the price is a pretty fair value imo…
A great and professional review.! I’ve just bought a pair and like most reviewers have said the band is a little tight and they can get uncomfortable after a period of time which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when mixing and monitoring. Your ears need a rest and reset after constant use and you can’t really make a good judgement listening for too long at one time. The testing actually showed they are fairly accurate to the sound source which is good as so many diss these headphones in reviews. 😁😁😁
My 40x just broke, after 5yrs of everyday use at home (movies, music, gaming). 50x sound quite similar, but the added base is awesome. Very tight and precise.
Five years of daily use with the 40x is great to hear and thanks for sharing that! The 50x do have solid bass response which imo adds considerably to immersion when gaming or watching movies. You should get another five years plus with the 50x. Cheers!
I highly recommend the ATH M50xBT2. You can connect them using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm nonlocking non proprietary cable , and the Bluetooth using LDAC sounds amazing. If you use the cable, you don't need to have them powered at all.
@@tollph3314 They absolutely do not sound worse when wired. I own both and they are the exact same. On Bluetooth it obviously takes a hit but when using the LDAC codec it is exemplary for the format. Great enough to make me say the days of wired for mobile are numbered.
@@Vespyr_ they have different FR they don't sound the same unless they changed it got som FR measurements from newer ones to provide ? Also i was comparing BT version of headphones and m50x they ain't same tuning wise if am not mistaken
Much appreciated and thanks for your input on many videos along the way. I will be doing the random draw over the weekend and will reach out to the winner on Monday (I can't reveal the winner until I have heard from them and validated their eligibility). I plan to do a "1000 subs" video with the announcement and other updates within the next 2 weeks (as soon as I get the winner validated)...stay tuned.
While they have been around a long time, the M50Xs are still one of the best performers in the price range. Not a wonder they are so popular. Glad you enjoyed my review!
Thanks for the great review! It was serendipitous for me to see this today….I just finished mixing/EQing a track with these headphones and I kept having issues with the sibilants. They’d sound fine through the MX-50, but when playing them back on my reference pair (an inexpensive-but-decent pair of in-ears I use all day as an electrician), the sibilants were waay too hot. I had assumed that these cans had a rolled off high-end that was masking the upper end, but based on your tests I’m guessing it’s my in-ears that are the problem. Now, how to get away with wearing MX-50s on a job site 🤔
Glad you enjoyed it! Funny that you mention your in-ears having hot sibilants as I have a pair that do exactly the same thing lol. At first I thought my mixes were too hot in the high frequencies after listening on the in-ears, but after testing across a number of headphones and monitors I found it was only the one pair of in-ears that were the problem. I like doing the log frequency tests as it's about the only way I can think of to do a headphone review that isn't just me saying the usual subjective "i like the... and I found the..." Hopefully it helps everyone out. (Maybe you could say the M50Xs are safer for long term use vs the in-ears on the job site lol...)😀
Thank you for the high-quality and professional review! 🤩This is the best headphone review I've ever seen on UA-cam. I am a newby to mixing and I am a vocalist who record the songs at home. Which headphone would you recommend for an inexperienced mixer? From your video and the commends, I guess ATH M40x would be the best (because it's natural and flat enough), right? Thank you very much!🥰
Thank you and I am glad you are enjoying my reviews! The M40x are a good choice as their natural tone will help you achieve balanced mixes while you learn their sound. The best thing to do when learning new headphones for mixing is to listen to many songs in the same genre you are mixing to get a sense of what they sound like on the headphones. This will give you a reference point to begin with. Many mixers use open-back headphones, but the closed-back M40x also provide good isolation which makes them useful for recording. I hope this helps out! 😄
Superb headphones. I listen casually and love the sound. I’ve owned some thousand pound headphones, whilst I enjoy them, I keep coming back to my M50x. I dont get the poor reviews, to my ears, these are just excellent.
Glad to hear you are enjoying your M50x. Aside from the inevitable positive and negative hype, audio is very subjective due to the physics of our ears. The ear's frequency response and dynamic range can be very different from one listener to the next, so it's a good thing there are so many headphones for everyone to find a set they enjoy.
@@askdrtk thank you very much for this amazing review i found Beyerdynamic DT770 at the same price as Audio Technica ATH M50X 150$ And I am confused between them which one you advise me to buy ? ( i want it for mixing)
Both are about the same for mixing once you learn their sound profiles. That said, if you work in bass heavy genres such as EDM and HipHop I would recommend the M50x, but if you mix a lot of female vocals, the DT770 will provide more detail. Hope this helps out!
@@user-zb9dr9nd7g Depends on your use for them. For me, I like going everywhere with my headphones. They're a part of my style. I keep them in my purse, and walk around school and if I visit a friend I probably already have them on, then I toss them in my pack. For mobility, toughness, and portability, the M50x are perfect. Even better with the Bluetooth version. It's a workhorse you don't have to baby or be worried about twisting the cans in some awkward way. You can throw it into a suitcase without a case and know they'll be ok. If you're getting passionate on the table, they can fall on the floor and be completely fine. They're just a solid headphone for your day to day.
Thanks man. Just the video I have been looking for. About a year ago, I switched from using a headset mic to a real mic, and since my cloud revolver is falling apart after five years, I've been looking at various headphones instead of the headsets that I always used up until now. For once, I wanted to try putting a bit more money in to just step up the sound quality, and after watching this video, I will give these a try for sure. Also, I always find a way to lose my earbuds, so having headphones you can take with you easily is a big upside for me since big gaming headsets aren't rly made for carrying them around. The only question I have is if you would recommend getting an amplifier to get the most out of these, and if so, which one?
I glad to hear my review helped out! The M50x are easy to drive and while there is always some benefit to using a superior headphone amplifier, the difference would not be substantial compared to most audio interfaces. I'm not sure what interface you are using, but in most cases I recommend trying the headphone out first to determine if you are satisfied with the balance of output level and clarity before purchasing a separate amplifier. If you do go with an amplifier, you will want to look at ones where their output impedance is 2.5 to 8 time less than your headphone impedance. The M50x are 38ohm so an amp with impedance between 4 and 15ohm is a good fit. I hope this helps out!
One of the best headphone reviews I've seen. I'm considering buying the ATH M50x-bt2 as my first headphones for personal use (music, movies, UA-cam videos). Are there any other headphones you would recommend at a similar price?
Thanks! The M50x-bt2 are an excellent choice as they are versatile for your use cases, have proven to be both durable and reliable plus their price represents good value for performance imo. An alternative would be the Sennheiser HD 450BT. The ATs have more emphasis in low frequencies (not excessive) compared to the Sennheisers, but neither lacks bass and most importantly for your applications, neither will sound scooped in the mids/vocal range. If your ears are very sensitive to bass I might go with the HD 450BT, but otherwise my first pick for this type of headphone/features is the M50x-bt2. Hope this helps out.
I have a negative point to make about this headset: DURABILITY. (OOPS, seems I have ATH-M40x, they look very similar but have small differences where the earphones hang from.) I've had 2 of these headsets, both broke from the same place! My current one (broke today) is less than 1,5 years old (warranty is still on). The hollow axis that the earphones hang and swivel from, is unfortunately made of plastic. Both times this part broke. I just took the headset off from head, and that was it. If that small part was made of metal, it would (in my case anyway) increase the life expectancy of this product. I'm sure the manufacturer knows this, but they chose to ignore it. It's a shame, cuts very much so the life time of the headset. I'm not gonna buy the same headset again. Can you fix the broken part? I could not. The audio wire goes inside through the axis and it keeps both broken halves in tension. You cannot glue the part without cutting the audio wire even if you had glue that could glue this hard plastic. Cut the audiowire then? You need to have extra wire for it: you can't get them cut wires back together, because of the short distance and tension. After the part breaks, you can keep the headset as your necklace for some time (can't keep on head any more), until the audiowire breaks because of constantly rubbing edges of the plastic parts.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the 40s and I'm glad to hear your most recent set is still on warranty... I have had a few sets of 40s in the studio for a long time and haven't experienced the swivel failure yet, but I do agree that the design should be more robust. Durability is becoming an issue with a number of "modern" headphones. While a completely different design, this brings to mind the numerous reported failures of the swivel mount of the Rode NTH-100. I understand the desire to keep both cost and weight down on headphones, but considering the time it takes to really become comfortable with a set, durability should be a priority imo.
After my Sennheiser HD569's started peeling, I'm looking at either buying some new ones, or exploring new horizons. 1. Would you recommend these over the 40x's for rock/heavy metal/desert, for example ? ( I've seen somewhere that the 40's are better than the 50's in general ). 2. Would you stick with the 569's or look elsewhere ? Thank you and keep up the great work !!!
The 569's are a solid choice for rock, metal, etc - good sound profile and dynamic response, so you won't go wrong replacing them. The 40x's have a profile that is flatter vs the 50x, but the 50x has superior bass extension. I like the midrange of the 40x for rock in particular, but I sometimes find their bass response underwhelming for metal with more demands on the low end. That said, the 50x handle strong transients better than the 40x in my experience, so if you listen at louder volumes, the 50x would be my choice of the two. Hope this helps out!
I perceive the 50x to have a more “powerful” sound vs the 569 if that makes sense lol… The closest analogy I can make is the difference between listening to a a great full range car sound system vs an equally great one with bigger subs and some high-end tweeters. Clarity could be the same, but the “feeling” is different. One other consideration I hadn’t mentioned is that the 50x have considerably less room inside the earcups vs the 569’s. This is not an issue for everyone, but can be important for long sessions. If it’s me and I enjoyed the sound of the 569’s, that’s where I would stay. If you find the low end a bit lacking on the 569, the 50x will give you that but at the expense of some mid-forward clarity that sounds so good on rock. I use HD600 as my primary mixing headphones, not because they’re the best available, but because I know them well and can make good critical listening decisions…(Boring I know, but I’m on my 4th set).
@@askdrtk Thanks ever so much. I might get both, check them out and keep the one I prefer. As said, thanks so much. Your input is so valuable. Keep up the good work 💯👍
I don't really liked these. Very bass boosted, uncomfortable and very tight grip over head. I don't like them at all, they have like V shaped frequency response. I'm glad I had option to return them back. I've got DT880 by beyerdynamic, happy user for 4 years already. They are prefect balanced and I never stumbled across better headphones(within 300$ range). Yes they are not total "subwoofer-ish" like m50x, but the bass is there, is punchy and very enjoyable. That's only downside that a sometime you don't have that sensation of loud an bassy sound. In comparison I've tried DT770, and they are very bass boosted again, mids are on the low side, and highs are in mountains. Terrible I don't understand how they can be so popular, their only advantage is that they are closed. If you want to enjoy endless hours of music, games, and whatnot, buy DT880, super comfy for hours, and the sound is very neutral, respectively close "as is" record recorded.
We've had a couple of pairs of DT880 pro 250s in our studio space for years and I have always found them to have a very natural sound. I use a number of headphones to check mixes alongside my Genelec 8040 monitors and find the 880s to have similar tone to the 8040s for many genres. The m50xs tend to be most popular with those mixing / listening to bass heavy content, especially hip hop as they can really push the low frequencies but vocals do sound scooped to my ears as I found in the spoken word log tests. I also find the DT880 pros to be more accurate to original recordings vs the DT770 pros, again using my Genelecs as reference.
I own both m40x and m50x, but to be honest the m40x sound more balanced. The m50x seems to have an annoying boost around 2k that makes everything sounds harsh. The bass is a little bit better in m50x but if you eq the 40s you'll get very good results as well. Have you noticed this 2k annoying boost? I need your opinion about mixing with 40x vs 50x please.....thank you!!!
Love these reviews! Had these mainly for playing guitar hooked upto my amplifier for silent playing so as not to piss off everyone in the household. Also for recording guitar via my Scarlett 2i2. I just found them way too HOT to wear for any extended period of time!!! My ears would get sweaty and uncomfortable. Is there any headphone you’d recommend for comfort and sound quality on par with these AT M50X’s ? Would appreciate any recommendations… cheers 🍻
Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying my reviews! Closed back headphones are great for many uses including quiet practice, but even with ear pads of different materials to improve comfort, they all suffer to some extent from heat build up. If you are ok with some audio leakage, won’t be loud, but best if you are practicing alone in a room, I would recommend going with an open or semi open-back set for much better comfort during lengthy practice sessions. In a similar price range to the M50x with great sound quality I recommend the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro - they will not disappoint. I am actually releasing reviews on three different open-back headphones over the next two week including the Superlux HD-681 (32 ohm), OneOdio Monitor 80 (250 ohm), and the DT-990 Pro (250 ohm) if you are interested in checking out the difference in sound / build vs price. Hope this helps out…cheers!
@@askdrtk Cool thanks 👍 never even considered the open back or semi open headphones … it definitely helps and I’ll check out those DT990’s ! Looking forward to your review on these and thanks for taking the time … appreciated 👍
Amazing testing! I own Sony wh-ch700 with my digital piano but I'm looking into buying either the m50x to use with my piano or the Bluetooth version to be used wired with the piano and bt with all the rest. Any difference sound wise between the wired and bt2 version? Would they be better for use with my digital piano when compared to my Sony? I know, many questions..Sorry man. Thanks in advance
Those arent really reference headphones, so yes you will hear a difference. Those are meant to sound ''colored'' and not accurate. You may even find that you like the sound of the m50x's better.
@@johnathonready9347 Thanks for your kind reply! I bought the m50xbt2 and what I noticed compared to the Sony wh-ch700 is more presence, more volume, and more definite crisp sound, which I like very much. The only thing is that the ear pads are definitely too small so I had to buy aftermarket ones as my standard-size ears didn't fit. Did they test them on kids when they engineered them?? Anyway, with these new ear pads the driver moved about 1cm away from my ear and the bass is less punchy. For those who intend to buy aftermarket ear pads for the same reason, I suggest to buy max 2cm depth, as 3cm is too far away from the ear. P.S. I subscribed to your channel as I really enjoy your reviews and testing.
Wow, thanks for sharing. I've had a few sets of M50x in the studio for some time and haven't had that issue (common with M20/30x). Glad your XM3s are working out well!
Hi great review, sorry i am new to the world of dedent headphones, ive just brough a high end digiral piano and require some good headphones and im not really sure which ones to get, these have been recommend but do seema bit bass heavy, and what i really need is clarity theough all the notes and accuracy to the keys being played, any help would be most appreciated
Thanks, I’m glad to help. If you need sound isolation, the M40x would be a good choice for piano as they are more natural across the entire frequency range and if isolation is not critical, spending a bit more to move up to the open-back Sennheiser HD600 will provide an excellent representation of your piano’s sound. Other less expensive open-back options would be the Senn. HD560S / HD400 Pro or the AKG K702.
Thank you for the reply, due to where I live I think closed back is the only option, I will check out the 40's, is there any other closed backs u would highly recommend under let's say £200? The piano is a yamaha 255, so it does deserve a special set to get the most out of it
The 40s have what I would call a very neutral sound whereas the 50s are capable of delivering more bass. I prefer the 40s on orchestral and spoken word and the 50s if I need to work with sources that require a lot of bass response. In the end, it depends on the source material you are listening to. If you need or enjoy additional bass response for music such as Hip Hop I would go with the 50s, otherwise the 40s are a very honest set of headphones. Hope this helps out!
Can these be used for discerning mix downs and also for pleasure ? Deciding between these and DT990 Pro 250 ohm - which do you prefer for both accuracy and pleasure ?
For my ears, the 990s are more revealing in the mids when mixing. For pleasure, it comes down to genre for me - 990s for classic rock, alternative, etc and 50s for bass intensive material such as HH and EDM. I also like the 50s for a lot of modern metal. Hope this helps out, Cheers!
@@askdrtkGood info thanks ! My application is monitoring source and 1/4" tape repro while using an eq fx send for compensation. The cans will require accurate but not fatiguing monitoring capability
M50 smooth over vocals. I actually record vocals with Superlux because even though they bleed a tiny bit, if you can make them sound good on them, they will sound good on just about anything else. They are very good at exposing errors.
The m50x are not flat though... Their tuning is grbg. This dude dont know how to judge tuning. Check out other reviews like the headphone show or something.
@@sagi_tech_n_stuff Enjoy making it. I've recorded over 900 songs. And this guy puts music on visual display to demonstrate the accuracy of reproduction. His channel has more than his opinion. He backs it up. Your opinion, on the other hand, has no value.
One more thing: watching this video via my phone, it sounds like the binaural recording of the gameplay segment was in mono. I’m guessing it’s also that way in your upload, because the segment with the music seemed to be in stereo.
Just confirming that it IS in stereo for the music portion, both the Focusrite-direct clip and the binaural clip, but the gameplay clip is not in stereo.
Thought I'd reply separately on this one... You are correct, the music recording is in stereo however it appears I downmixed the gameplay segment to mono in editing...oops, not what I had planned and one of the main reasons I upgraded the binaural mic with MKE 2s! Guess I spent too many hours editing that night...
just a question? i have seen several of your videos, and it seems the focusrite has the most accurate preamps, while your others preamps are widly different. question is, why use an un accuratre preamp for these product test, because if you do your getting the inaccuracy of the preamp PLUS the inaccuracy of the of the headphone which ineffect doubles up the imperfections giving un realistic example of what the head phones? Just curious why you would use other preamps given this be the case?
Just seeing this now, thanks for the question! I have been refining my test setup as an ongoing process. Some of the top considerations I have are repeatability, frequency response, and dynamic range. For repeatability, after much testing, gain structure and headphone positioning turn out to have the greatest impact on measurements. Stepped gain control addresses this on the preamp side which is why I stopped using the Focusrite for these tests. Both the Quantum (digital control) and the current preamps I am using (Camden 500 - stepped gain) address this. I deal with headphone positioning by taking ten measurements (off camera) while repositioning the headphones on the binaural microphone and analyzing variances. Frequency response is impacted more by the microphones and headphone positioning vs the preamp. That said, the Camden 500 preamps are more accurate vs the Focusrite across 30-20000Hz with the Focusrite being more accurate below 30Hz, but the amounts are not significant compared to microphones and headphone positioning. Each capsule in my binaural mic is calibrated to address frequency response, however the weakest link in the test remains positioning of the headphones on the binaural head. This of course is the same as when we put a set of headphones on, it will never be exactly the same, but will be similar. Dynamic range again is of less impact to the test results vs headphone positioning, but I moved to the Quantum and now the Camden 500 preamps with Orion 32+ Gen 3 converters as both setups have considerably more dynamic range vs the Scarlett. I did this primarily for mixing and mastering, but it is an added benefit for headphone tests. Overall, I have found headphone positioning (and fit) influence test results more so than other considerations I have mentioned, but I have attempted to (and am continually working on) addressing as many variables as possible. Like most things in audio, the work is never done, but that is also part of what makes it interesting imo. Thanks again for the great question and I hope this provides some context to my approach. Cheers!
Good question about the binaural head surface and density. In my case, I installed medical grade simulated ears and canals made from silicone in the head. I also coated the inside of the head with an elasto-polymer to dampen resonance and filled the cavity with a prosthetic gelatin to simulate density of a human head. It was quite an interesting experiment testing a variety of materials. I should have recorded video of the project as I have always thought it would be interesting to show the whole process... At this point I believe the hard outer surface of the head (excluding the ears) is the largest variance between a human head skin / hair. Which brings up another issue, even thick sideburns or a beard can impact sealing of the earpads. I have thought about applying a elastomeric coating to the outer surface as I did on the inner to mimic the properties of skin...maybe a future build version... I have seen a few binaural heads that use a softer fabric-like surface for the skin, but I wondered how that might impact the seal around the earpads as well. I believe the fabric like surface likely has advantages when recording a room. On a side note, when building my binaural microphone, I rented a Neuman head to do some audio comparisons. I knew measurements would never be identical, and in fact measurements also changed as I placed headphones on the Neuman several times, but in the end I found measurements on the Neuman and on my binaural mic to have about the same variability based upon headphone placement. From what I have seen, variability is the current state of headphone measurement which is why I don't typically get into all the detailed measurements I actually take (the tech geek part of me can't resist doing them) but rather try to present the delta of coloration vs program material in the videos. A ballistic gel head is a cool idea, would be interesting to see what difference it might make!
@@askdrtk Its nice to know im not the only one who love the deep intricacies of all this. I was gonna say it might be a good idea to rent a neuman, but its pretty cool that you already did. Also i would love to have watched the build video of that head you made, . Just a thought, in rew there is a realtime whitenoise averaging feature. it plays a constant white noise as it is playing you are to move mic with in areas the designated sweet spot . This allows for many samples-[up to over an 100 samples if you want ] from with in that area and sums nullifies those differences , When testing and tuning audio systems with rew I also would get large changes just from moving the mic seemingly an inch. it boggled my mind how it could change so much. , this white noise averaged method more or less solved that problem for me and gave much better usable and tangible results. If you could some how implement this system in your test it should result in better tests results as its summing variations of different placements . personally I actually would love to see the detailed graphs of all the tests you do , when I was initially learning all this i theorized that the whole reason this is such issue in the first place. Is that all rooms except Anechoic chambers have thousands of 3d peak and valley reflection point within in the 3 dimensional space with in that room , based on the size of the room and the current freqeuncy played. in theory this could all be plotted for each freq, but being that the case just a slight movement of 1 inch, and you can go from being in a reflection peak, and another inch your in a reflection valley. As the frequency rises the entire chart constantly changes and the plotted peak valley points move with out the room . 5khz for example has full wavelength of only 2 inches, so where your at in that wavelength and depending on where its colliding with its reflection you can get a 3db +/- Swing of a single reflection collision .[and thats with only a single reflection . its pretty crazy how deep this rabbit hole goes. I strongly suspect this is the reason for all your variations in measurements, in your case its the tiny room of the head phone cup to the surface of the head, but it is still a room none the less. [Ironically This is also why changing different headphone cups can also change the sound so much, as essentially your moving your speakers to a new room. Another thought is building an anechoic chamber of a head in theory the results should be the same regardless of placement if its a truly anechoic chamber with the only variation being the the room of the head cups] Here is that video that explains that Rew average technique that really helped me out, ua-cam.com/video/6RiuwqzjqlQ/v-deo.html If i ever get this YT channel up i would love to be able to collab with you some day .
Amazing review, really good. But these headphones fail in midrange and highs when you played the music. There was no crystal clear shimmer I heard in your reference during the playback of the recording from the headphones.
Glad you enjoyed the review! I agree, the strength on the low and high frequencies tends to submerge the mids (subjective of course as the physics of all our ears are different). The M50x are particularly well suited to bass heavy genres where it can be difficult to mix low frequencies on near fields lacking response below 45Hz imo.
Do you think it’s a worthy upgrading from a ath m40x. I’m used to it’s flat enough frequency response and mine just broke on the plastic and is worn a lot. Do you think it’s flat enough to not have much of a difference for mixing and listening for its price and build design?
The 50s have stronger and deeper bass response and greater extension in the high end vs the 40s with mids being similar. For that reason, moving from the 40s to the 50s can make the 50s sound scooped, but frequency analysis shows the 50s to be very accurate for mixing. I like the 50s for bass heavy genres such as EDM and HH, but prefer the more neutral response of the 40s for ensuring mixes translate well across a variety of playback devices. I use a number of monitors and headphones including the 40s to validate mixes, and if it sounds good on the 40s, it is generally good to go. The 50s can fool you into thinking you need to boost mids, but once you get used to them, you can make great mixes on them. I hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk so your saying that since 50s are able to reproduce bass at lower frequency and is able to produce more bass and highs gave higher frequency range that it makes it seem like a V shape response like other analysis places find? Then the 40s are more flat then to use for validating and mixing and 50s are more attuned for edm like music. Well that helped a lot I might just get a replacement m40x. Have you tried ath m70x, I heard they are neutral like 40’s but sound much better and sound better sound stage like the 50’s.
Yes, the 40s are very good for validating mixes and are more honest vs the 50s imo. I have tried the 70s and if you like the 40s and they work well for you, you will also like the 70s and find your previous work with the 40s translates well to them. Aside from improved soundstage and build quality, the 70s have a wider frequency response which is in part responsible for their superior clarity. At almost 2.5 times the price of the 40s, the value the 70s bring is in superior ability to hear subtleties in your mixes, significantly improved clarity, improved comfort, and added durability.
@@askdrtk ok thanks for the input. I do like the m40’s they sounded great for price just needed a bit more sound stage I felt with the wider frequency range so the m70’s sounds like the better upgrade from a m40’s if you really like the signature it has with it being neutral. I listen to a lot of range of genres and neutral response seems like best all around for it to me. I sometimes randomy mix edm as a hobby for fun not serious since I have other things.
a dozen headphones, and I ranked the atm 50 as the lowest in sound quality. It sat in my drawer for years and finally got rid of them. Sold on a throw-in for another headphones sale.
I’m still waiting to get a set in for review, but from the microphone audio samples I have heard I would say the mic performs as I would expect from an AT20 series capsule. For remote communication use or as a headset for monitoring with an integrated talkback mic, I believe it may be a good choice. For gaming, I have found the M50x to be underwhelming in terms of spatial awareness and I expect the headset to be the same. Just my thoughts at this point, as always I like to test things out before making recommendations.
@@askdrtk thanks for your ideas, i very interesting in your review, other creator mention a different sound signature in this particular headset so is not like a carbon copy to the original ATH M50X
The sound signature of the new headset could be different vs the original headphones. Any time physical changes are made to earcups, it alters the tuning of the headphones that can actually be measured. (That's why I am holding off on an opinion until I have the opportunity to test them.)
If price is not an object I have been impressed with the Audeze LCD-XC, but for less than half the price another great choice is the Shure SRH-1540. I will have reviews on both of these coming...
Just bought a pair of ATH m50x and now I'm listening to the review with them. Gotta say though. Most music is mixed and mastered so loudly. And the dynamics are so shit after all the compression. It's almost like they are throwing every sonic element at full power. It becomes very difficult to appreciate music despite the capability of these headphones. Only songs from the likes of Fleetwood Mac and James Taylor sound good.
I hear you. There is a lot about the loudness wars being a thing of the past because of streaming platform specs, but I can’t say a see that actually happening. Clients, often but not always labels, want masters with minimal dynamic range and loudness above delivery platform’s specs (vinyl is the exception where levels that are too high cause technical problems). With all the great gear available with plenty of dynamic range, it is a shame we don’t take advantage of it… Everything needs to “sound good” on everything, meaning we often master to the least capable playback devices. Love the great sound of FM, JT, Larry Carlton, and more… Cheers!
Hey ...I'm going to buy dt 770 pro 80 ohm .....becoz of mixing and mastering and also becoz of its nice sound stage and comfortable pads ...... So do I need an amp or audio interface for Dt 770 pro 80 ohm version ..... So is it good for mixing and mastering in these ... And most people are saying ....80 ohm have better bass ....and good for other devices too .... And I have a MSI z690 tomahawk wifi motherboard ......so...will these dt 770 pro 80 ohm give good response for mixing and mastering ... without an amp or audio interface
The MSI z690 Tomahawk (very nice board) has their isolated circuit topology which reduces the interference built-in computer audio is subject to. While on-board audio can not be as isolated as an external headphone amplifier/DAC or audio interface, the built-in amplifier on the board will easily power your 80ohm 770s so you should not have to drive the output to hard, which will minimize any interference from the computer components (high powered graphics cards usually introduce the most noise). Using 80ohm headphones is a better choice vs 250ohm when connecting to onboard audio as the board's output and headphone load are better matched allowing for better dynamic response. Your proposed setup should work for what you need.
@@askdrtk Thanks for ur clarification .....I'm definitely going to buy these 80 ohm ....as per the board these have AUDIO BOOST 5 feature it has latest realtek ALC4080 dac and ..these board can take load upto 600ohm as per the site ....... So it seems like a nice deal to me and a money saver ... instead of buying an extra Amp or DAC ...... In future if I upgrade to 250 ..then I will consider of buying them.....and as of now I have Intel integrated GPU ....so there will be no gpu noise. But ....as per ur experience ...how r the mixing on these 80 ohm 770 pro headphones ........I found they have....lot of sound stage and good tight bass ..and neutral mid ...but has some sibilance at high ....... If i mix them good with Proper detailed manner ....will they able to translate well in other listening platforms ???
The 770s are a popular choice for studio use including mixing. They are not what I would consider a fully neutral headphone, but they will definitely get the job done. In my opinion, the most important thing is to learn your monitoring source whether it be headphones or studio monitor speakers. Once you learn their sound profile, you will be able to create mixes that translate well. When you first get a new set of headphones, go ahead and complete a mix. Then listen to the mix on other sources such as in a car, through ear buds, computer speakers, etc. Listen for what sounds good and what doesn't. Go back and adjust your mix as you believe is required and then listen on the other sources again. After you do this for a while you will be able to produce sound that translates well. Another approach is to listen to a mix you have done on your previous headphones or speakers and then listen on your new headphones. Listen for the differences and similarities. Both of these approaches will help you learn your new headphones so you can produce mixes that translate well. Hope this helps out.
I don't notice a difference on my set. Right and left measure within 0.3dB on average using my test rig, but it is difficult to be precise when measuring due to placement / fit on headphones.
M50x are a great choice. Very good sound and build, especially if like are looking for detail (not boomy sounding) in lower frequencies that many headphones lack. They perform above their price imo.
This is surprising. In subjective reviews these phones are often derided for being v-shaped and inaccurate. The open backed R70X might be better for gaming.
Yes, they are often characterized that way, but I have always found that mixes translate well across a variety of genres both to and from the M50x and the measurements did confirm why that is. As you know, tone profile is not linear but rather the result of interaction across the frequency range, so it is often easy to perceive something to be happening (such as the "v") in specific ranges when in fact it is a phenomenon of frequency interaction. (This is why I find this whole topic so interesting). Thanks also for the suggestion on the R70x, I think that would be a great set to bring in for review.
Dieser Kopfhörer ist total überbewertet ich habe den gekauft und nach einer Stunde wieder zurückgeschickt. Die Polsterung ist zu dünn ich bekam nach 1/2 Stunde Rote Ohren total unbequem
Your reviews are excellent and based on science unlike the kindergarten schmucks on other channels claiming to know what they're doing.
I made my purchase for the ATH-M50xSTS-USB StreamSet as a result of your measured data. Great job, thank you.
Thanks, very much appreciated...channel revenue goes back into making more reviews like this. Sorry it took a few days to get back to you, I have been off with an injury and am slowly catching up...
I really like the concept of the 50xSTS, enjoy your new headset!
@@askdrtk He's right. You demonstrate graphically how accurate reproduction is. I don't know anyone else who does that.
This is a great, thorough, and in depth review. I'm on my 3rd set. I've been running these headphones for 8 years now.
I ran the original ATH-M50's and for my second and third pair, I went with the X's. I have my studio pair, and my daily beater set.
As someone who has used these headphones for nearly a decade for mixing, mastering, and even daily use, I have a few long term complaints.
These headphones are tight. For long listening and mixing sessions, they cause me a lot of discomfort around the tips of my ears. I do have larger ears though.
My original set physically broke long before the headphone speakers were even close to sounding tired and worn.
For my studio set, I've noticed a lot of clipping and loss in clarity with their sound after having them for 6 years. I originally thought it was my FiiO amplifier having issues, but upon changing out my amplifier for a Focusrite 6i8, I noticed these issues even more. I used to have a pair of Pioneer headphones from the 1980s that I used up until I bought my AudioTechnicas and they were on-par in audible sound quality when paired with an amplifier with my M50's I replaced them with, except far, FAR older.
They are a great, and I mean GREAT budget option, but their longevity is not up to my standards. That being said, if you buy them from a retailer like Guitar Center and get the 10 year warranty for these, it's certainly worth it.
Thanks for sharing your long-term experience with these. We have had a couple of sets in the studio for about 5 years. They get beat up pretty badly but so far haven’t kicked it just yet. I had one set of the 40s that did the clipping thing, but otherwise the ATs have held up reasonably well for the price. I find them uncomfortable for longer sessions as well, but 10 years for the price is a pretty fair value imo…
A great and professional review.! I’ve just bought a pair and like most reviewers have said the band is a little tight and they can get uncomfortable after a period of time which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when mixing and monitoring. Your ears need a rest and reset after constant use and you can’t really make a good judgement listening for too long at one time. The testing actually showed they are fairly accurate to the sound source which is good as so many diss these headphones in reviews. 😁😁😁
Thanks and I’m glad you enjoyed my review! Great music can definitely be made with them. There have been many great mixes done using the m50x…😀
@@askdrtk 🤗🤗🤗
Awesome review, great test , well done 👍
Great testing. Thx.
My 40x just broke, after 5yrs of everyday use at home (movies, music, gaming). 50x sound quite similar, but the added base is awesome. Very tight and precise.
Five years of daily use with the 40x is great to hear and thanks for sharing that! The 50x do have solid bass response which imo adds considerably to immersion when gaming or watching movies. You should get another five years plus with the 50x. Cheers!
I highly recommend the ATH M50xBT2. You can connect them using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm nonlocking non proprietary cable , and the Bluetooth using LDAC sounds amazing. If you use the cable, you don't need to have them powered at all.
Thanks for the additional info on the BT version!
worse FR they do sound differently and if u care about FR they are worse in that sense
@@tollph3314 They absolutely do not sound worse when wired. I own both and they are the exact same. On Bluetooth it obviously takes a hit but when using the LDAC codec it is exemplary for the format. Great enough to make me say the days of wired for mobile are numbered.
@@Vespyr_ they have different FR they don't sound the same unless they changed it got som FR measurements from newer ones to provide ? Also i was comparing BT version of headphones and m50x they ain't same tuning wise if am not mistaken
@@tollph3314 So you own both sets of headsets man?
Congrats for 1000 subscribers! Happy to finally see it happen. I wonder if that giveaway is still on the table? Keep up the great work!
Much appreciated and thanks for your input on many videos along the way. I will be doing the random draw over the weekend and will reach out to the winner on Monday (I can't reveal the winner until I have heard from them and validated their eligibility). I plan to do a "1000 subs" video with the announcement and other updates within the next 2 weeks (as soon as I get the winner validated)...stay tuned.
Excellent review! Very detailed. I Currently have the x30, might upgrade to these.
Wow, this headphone is great, thank you for your really detailed review ❤️
While they have been around a long time, the M50Xs are still one of the best performers in the price range. Not a wonder they are so popular. Glad you enjoyed my review!
Good video, probably the best one on these headphones I have seen.
Much appreciated, I'm glad you enjoyed my review.
@@askdrtk 😃
It's a great review, made my choice and will be going with Audio technical. I'm hoping BT sounds just as great
Wow, your review is on another level. 😮
I am caught between this and the bluetooth version. I cant find a detailed review that compares both side by side.
Ive had mines over 11 years and are only in need of easy to replace cups, The only studio Headphones I Master and level with
Thanks for sharing your long-term experience with these. M50x have been a standard for so long for a good reason. Cheers!
Exactly what I was looking for. You are excellent. Subscribed
Thank you so much! Awesome review! That was soooo helpful! Bless you
Thanks, I'm glad I could help out!
Thanks for the great review! It was serendipitous for me to see this today….I just finished mixing/EQing a track with these headphones and I kept having issues with the sibilants. They’d sound fine through the MX-50, but when playing them back on my reference pair (an inexpensive-but-decent pair of in-ears I use all day as an electrician), the sibilants were waay too hot.
I had assumed that these cans had a rolled off high-end that was masking the upper end, but based on your tests I’m guessing it’s my in-ears that are the problem. Now, how to get away with wearing MX-50s on a job site 🤔
Glad you enjoyed it! Funny that you mention your in-ears having hot sibilants as I have a pair that do exactly the same thing lol. At first I thought my mixes were too hot in the high frequencies after listening on the in-ears, but after testing across a number of headphones and monitors I found it was only the one pair of in-ears that were the problem. I like doing the log frequency tests as it's about the only way I can think of to do a headphone review that isn't just me saying the usual subjective "i like the... and I found the..." Hopefully it helps everyone out. (Maybe you could say the M50Xs are safer for long term use vs the in-ears on the job site lol...)😀
The log frequency tests are perfect! I’ll definitely be paying attention to your future headphone reviews.
That's a relief. I placed my order half an hour ago 😂
Enjoy your new headphones…Cheers!
Thank you for the high-quality and professional review! 🤩This is the best headphone review I've ever seen on UA-cam. I am a newby to mixing and I am a vocalist who record the songs at home. Which headphone would you recommend for an inexperienced mixer? From your video and the commends, I guess ATH M40x would be the best (because it's natural and flat enough), right? Thank you very much!🥰
Thank you and I am glad you are enjoying my reviews! The M40x are a good choice as their natural tone will help you achieve balanced mixes while you learn their sound. The best thing to do when learning new headphones for mixing is to listen to many songs in the same genre you are mixing to get a sense of what they sound like on the headphones. This will give you a reference point to begin with. Many mixers use open-back headphones, but the closed-back M40x also provide good isolation which makes them useful for recording. I hope this helps out! 😄
@@askdrtk Thank you very much for the detailed recommendation! They are so helpful! 🥰
Superb headphones. I listen casually and love the sound. I’ve owned some thousand pound headphones, whilst I enjoy them, I keep coming back to my M50x. I dont get the poor reviews, to my ears, these are just excellent.
Glad to hear you are enjoying your M50x. Aside from the inevitable positive and negative hype, audio is very subjective due to the physics of our ears. The ear's frequency response and dynamic range can be very different from one listener to the next, so it's a good thing there are so many headphones for everyone to find a set they enjoy.
@@askdrtk
thank you very much for this amazing review
i found Beyerdynamic DT770 at the same price as Audio Technica ATH M50X 150$
And I am confused between them
which one you advise me to buy ? ( i want it for mixing)
Both are about the same for mixing once you learn their sound profiles. That said, if you work in bass heavy genres such as EDM and HipHop I would recommend the M50x, but if you mix a lot of female vocals, the DT770 will provide more detail. Hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk
i produce a heavy bass music
so the m50x is the right choice .
@@user-zb9dr9nd7g Depends on your use for them. For me, I like going everywhere with my headphones. They're a part of my style. I keep them in my purse, and walk around school and if I visit a friend I probably already have them on, then I toss them in my pack. For mobility, toughness, and portability, the M50x are perfect. Even better with the Bluetooth version. It's a workhorse you don't have to baby or be worried about twisting the cans in some awkward way. You can throw it into a suitcase without a case and know they'll be ok. If you're getting passionate on the table, they can fall on the floor and be completely fine. They're just a solid headphone for your day to day.
Thanks man. Just the video I have been looking for. About a year ago, I switched from using a headset mic to a real mic, and since my cloud revolver is falling apart after five years, I've been looking at various headphones instead of the headsets that I always used up until now.
For once, I wanted to try putting a bit more money in to just step up the sound quality, and after watching this video, I will give these a try for sure. Also, I always find a way to lose my earbuds, so having headphones you can take with you easily is a big upside for me since big gaming headsets aren't rly made for carrying them around.
The only question I have is if you would recommend getting an amplifier to get the most out of these, and if so, which one?
I glad to hear my review helped out! The M50x are easy to drive and while there is always some benefit to using a superior headphone amplifier, the difference would not be substantial compared to most audio interfaces. I'm not sure what interface you are using, but in most cases I recommend trying the headphone out first to determine if you are satisfied with the balance of output level and clarity before purchasing a separate amplifier. If you do go with an amplifier, you will want to look at ones where their output impedance is 2.5 to 8 time less than your headphone impedance. The M50x are 38ohm so an amp with impedance between 4 and 15ohm is a good fit. I hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk Thanks so much man. Rly looking forward to trying these out in a few days. Awesome u took the time to educate me!
@@askdrtkvery interesting! I never really looked into amps and i might give this a try!
Great review thanks
Thanks, gad to help out!
Hi, thanks for the video!
Is this good for e-drumming (Roland VAD 507 - td27) or do you recommend another one?
Or maybe the BD 700 pro X a better choi🤔
One of the best headphone reviews I've seen. I'm considering buying the ATH M50x-bt2 as my first headphones for personal use (music, movies, UA-cam videos). Are there any other headphones you would recommend at a similar price?
Thanks! The M50x-bt2 are an excellent choice as they are versatile for your use cases, have proven to be both durable and reliable plus their price represents good value for performance imo. An alternative would be the Sennheiser HD 450BT. The ATs have more emphasis in low frequencies (not excessive) compared to the Sennheisers, but neither lacks bass and most importantly for your applications, neither will sound scooped in the mids/vocal range. If your ears are very sensitive to bass I might go with the HD 450BT, but otherwise my first pick for this type of headphone/features is the M50x-bt2. Hope this helps out.
I have a negative point to make about this headset: DURABILITY. (OOPS, seems I have ATH-M40x, they look very similar but have small differences where the earphones hang from.)
I've had 2 of these headsets, both broke from the same place! My current one (broke today) is less than 1,5 years old (warranty is still on).
The hollow axis that the earphones hang and swivel from, is unfortunately made of plastic. Both times this part broke. I just took the headset off from head, and that was it.
If that small part was made of metal, it would (in my case anyway) increase the life expectancy of this product. I'm sure the manufacturer knows this, but they chose to ignore it. It's a shame, cuts very much so the life time of the headset.
I'm not gonna buy the same headset again.
Can you fix the broken part? I could not. The audio wire goes inside through the axis and it keeps both broken halves in tension. You cannot glue the part without cutting the audio wire even if you had glue that could glue this hard plastic. Cut the audiowire then? You need to have extra wire for it: you can't get them cut wires back together, because of the short distance and tension.
After the part breaks, you can keep the headset as your necklace for some time (can't keep on head any more), until the audiowire breaks because of constantly rubbing edges of the plastic parts.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the 40s and I'm glad to hear your most recent set is still on warranty... I have had a few sets of 40s in the studio for a long time and haven't experienced the swivel failure yet, but I do agree that the design should be more robust. Durability is becoming an issue with a number of "modern" headphones. While a completely different design, this brings to mind the numerous reported failures of the swivel mount of the Rode NTH-100. I understand the desire to keep both cost and weight down on headphones, but considering the time it takes to really become comfortable with a set, durability should be a priority imo.
After my Sennheiser HD569's started peeling, I'm looking at either buying some new ones, or exploring new horizons.
1. Would you recommend these over the 40x's for rock/heavy metal/desert, for example ? ( I've seen somewhere that the 40's are better than the 50's in general ).
2. Would you stick with the 569's or look elsewhere ?
Thank you and keep up the great work !!!
The 569's are a solid choice for rock, metal, etc - good sound profile and dynamic response, so you won't go wrong replacing them. The 40x's have a profile that is flatter vs the 50x, but the 50x has superior bass extension. I like the midrange of the 40x for rock in particular, but I sometimes find their bass response underwhelming for metal with more demands on the low end. That said, the 50x handle strong transients better than the 40x in my experience, so if you listen at louder volumes, the 50x would be my choice of the two. Hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk Thanks so much for your detailed response to my question.
Out of the 569's or the 50X...which would you recommend? Cheers.
I perceive the 50x to have a more “powerful” sound vs the 569 if that makes sense lol… The closest analogy I can make is the difference between listening to a a great full range car sound system vs an equally great one with bigger subs and some high-end tweeters. Clarity could be the same, but the “feeling” is different.
One other consideration I hadn’t mentioned is that the 50x have considerably less room inside the earcups vs the 569’s. This is not an issue for everyone, but can be important for long sessions.
If it’s me and I enjoyed the sound of the 569’s, that’s where I would stay. If you find the low end a bit lacking on the 569, the 50x will give you that but at the expense of some mid-forward clarity that sounds so good on rock. I use HD600 as my primary mixing headphones, not because they’re the best available, but because I know them well and can make good critical listening decisions…(Boring I know, but I’m on my 4th set).
@@askdrtk Thanks ever so much. I might get both, check them out and keep the one I prefer.
As said, thanks so much. Your input is so valuable. Keep up the good work 💯👍
I don't really liked these. Very bass boosted, uncomfortable and very tight grip over head. I don't like them at all, they have like V shaped frequency response. I'm glad I had option to return them back. I've got DT880 by beyerdynamic, happy user for 4 years already. They are prefect balanced and I never stumbled across better headphones(within 300$ range). Yes they are not total "subwoofer-ish" like m50x, but the bass is there, is punchy and very enjoyable. That's only downside that a sometime you don't have that sensation of loud an bassy sound. In comparison I've tried DT770, and they are very bass boosted again, mids are on the low side, and highs are in mountains. Terrible I don't understand how they can be so popular, their only advantage is that they are closed. If you want to enjoy endless hours of music, games, and whatnot, buy DT880, super comfy for hours, and the sound is very neutral, respectively close "as is" record recorded.
We've had a couple of pairs of DT880 pro 250s in our studio space for years and I have always found them to have a very natural sound. I use a number of headphones to check mixes alongside my Genelec 8040 monitors and find the 880s to have similar tone to the 8040s for many genres. The m50xs tend to be most popular with those mixing / listening to bass heavy content, especially hip hop as they can really push the low frequencies but vocals do sound scooped to my ears as I found in the spoken word log tests. I also find the DT880 pros to be more accurate to original recordings vs the DT770 pros, again using my Genelecs as reference.
I own both m40x and m50x, but to be honest the m40x sound more balanced. The m50x seems to have an annoying boost around 2k that makes everything sounds harsh. The bass is a little bit better in m50x but if you eq the 40s you'll get very good results as well. Have you noticed this 2k annoying boost? I need your opinion about mixing with 40x vs 50x please.....thank you!!!
Love these reviews! Had these mainly for playing guitar hooked upto my amplifier for silent playing so as not to piss off everyone in the household. Also for recording guitar via my Scarlett 2i2. I just found them way too HOT to wear for any extended period of time!!! My ears would get sweaty and uncomfortable. Is there any headphone you’d recommend for comfort and sound quality on par with these AT M50X’s ? Would appreciate any recommendations… cheers 🍻
Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying my reviews! Closed back headphones are great for many uses including quiet practice, but even with ear pads of different materials to improve comfort, they all suffer to some extent from heat build up. If you are ok with some audio leakage, won’t be loud, but best if you are practicing alone in a room, I would recommend going with an open or semi open-back set for much better comfort during lengthy practice sessions. In a similar price range to the M50x with great sound quality I recommend the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro - they will not disappoint. I am actually releasing reviews on three different open-back headphones over the next two week including the Superlux HD-681 (32 ohm), OneOdio Monitor 80 (250 ohm), and the DT-990 Pro (250 ohm) if you are interested in checking out the difference in sound / build vs price. Hope this helps out…cheers!
@@askdrtk Cool thanks 👍 never even considered the open back or semi open headphones … it definitely helps and I’ll check out those DT990’s ! Looking forward to your review on these and thanks for taking the time … appreciated 👍
Amazing testing!
I own Sony wh-ch700 with my digital piano but I'm looking into buying either the m50x to use with my piano or the Bluetooth version to be used wired with the piano and bt with all the rest.
Any difference sound wise between the wired and bt2 version?
Would they be better for use with my digital piano when compared to my Sony?
I know, many questions..Sorry man.
Thanks in advance
Those arent really reference headphones, so yes you will hear a difference. Those are meant to sound ''colored'' and not accurate. You may even find that you like the sound of the m50x's better.
@@johnathonready9347 Thanks for your kind reply! I bought the m50xbt2 and what I noticed compared to the Sony wh-ch700 is more presence, more volume, and more definite crisp sound, which I like very much. The only thing is that the ear pads are definitely too small so I had to buy aftermarket ones as my standard-size ears didn't fit. Did they test them on kids when they engineered them?? Anyway, with these new ear pads the driver moved about 1cm away from my ear and the bass is less punchy. For those who intend to buy aftermarket ear pads for the same reason, I suggest to buy max 2cm depth, as 3cm is too far away from the ear. P.S. I subscribed to your channel as I really enjoy your reviews and testing.
This Pac-Man in the background is PERFECT! ❤😁
I have to take a break once in a while… Cheers!
The bass Authoritarian?
My athm50x pads flaked way too quik unlike my Sony 1000XM3 pads that show no signs of flaking years later
Wow, thanks for sharing. I've had a few sets of M50x in the studio for some time and haven't had that issue (common with M20/30x). Glad your XM3s are working out well!
If you had to get one headphones for long term use, which ones would you get?
Was it the part where the earphones hang and swivel from?
Hi great review, sorry i am new to the world of dedent headphones, ive just brough a high end digiral piano and require some good headphones and im not really sure which ones to get, these have been recommend but do seema bit bass heavy, and what i really need is clarity theough all the notes and accuracy to the keys being played, any help would be most appreciated
Thanks, I’m glad to help. If you need sound isolation, the M40x would be a good choice for piano as they are more natural across the entire frequency range and if isolation is not critical, spending a bit more to move up to the open-back Sennheiser HD600 will provide an excellent representation of your piano’s sound. Other less expensive open-back options would be the Senn. HD560S / HD400 Pro or the AKG K702.
Thank you for the reply, due to where I live I think closed back is the only option, I will check out the 40's, is there any other closed backs u would highly recommend under let's say £200? The piano is a yamaha 255, so it does deserve a special set to get the most out of it
thanks for the review..but what would recommend between m40x and m50x?
The 40s have what I would call a very neutral sound whereas the 50s are capable of delivering more bass. I prefer the 40s on orchestral and spoken word and the 50s if I need to work with sources that require a lot of bass response. In the end, it depends on the source material you are listening to. If you need or enjoy additional bass response for music such as Hip Hop I would go with the 50s, otherwise the 40s are a very honest set of headphones. Hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk thanks man..i think i need the m40x..
Can these be used for discerning mix downs and also for pleasure ? Deciding between these and DT990 Pro 250 ohm - which do you prefer for both accuracy and pleasure ?
For my ears, the 990s are more revealing in the mids when mixing. For pleasure, it comes down to genre for me - 990s for classic rock, alternative, etc and 50s for bass intensive material such as HH and EDM. I also like the 50s for a lot of modern metal. Hope this helps out, Cheers!
@@askdrtkGood info thanks ! My application is monitoring source and 1/4" tape repro while using an eq fx send for compensation. The cans will require accurate but not fatiguing monitoring capability
Another great video
As always, much appreciated!
M50 smooth over vocals. I actually record vocals with Superlux because even though they bleed a tiny bit, if you can make them sound good on them, they will sound good on just about anything else. They are very good at exposing errors.
The m50x are not flat though... Their tuning is grbg. This dude dont know how to judge tuning. Check out other reviews like the headphone show or something.
@@sagi_tech_n_stuff The Headphone Show? Those pretentious audiophiles?
@@baronvonlichtenstein well That got stupid fast lol. Enjoy bad content.
@@sagi_tech_n_stuff Enjoy making it. I've recorded over 900 songs. And this guy puts music on visual display to demonstrate the accuracy of reproduction. His channel has more than his opinion. He backs it up. Your opinion, on the other hand, has no value.
@@baronvonlichtenstein Got even dumber congratulations. lol you calling others pretentious is hilarious.
One more thing: watching this video via my phone, it sounds like the binaural recording of the gameplay segment was in mono. I’m guessing it’s also that way in your upload, because the segment with the music seemed to be in stereo.
Just confirming that it IS in stereo for the music portion, both the Focusrite-direct clip and the binaural clip, but the gameplay clip is not in stereo.
Thought I'd reply separately on this one... You are correct, the music recording is in stereo however it appears I downmixed the gameplay segment to mono in editing...oops, not what I had planned and one of the main reasons I upgraded the binaural mic with MKE 2s! Guess I spent too many hours editing that night...
listening to this in audio technica ath m50x
just a question? i have seen several of your videos, and it seems the focusrite has the most accurate preamps, while your others preamps are widly different. question is, why use an un accuratre preamp for these product test, because if you do your getting the inaccuracy of the preamp PLUS the inaccuracy of the of the headphone which ineffect doubles up the imperfections giving un realistic example of what the head phones? Just curious why you would use other preamps given this be the case?
Just seeing this now, thanks for the question! I have been refining my test setup as an ongoing process. Some of the top considerations I have are repeatability, frequency response, and dynamic range.
For repeatability, after much testing, gain structure and headphone positioning turn out to have the greatest impact on measurements. Stepped gain control addresses this on the preamp side which is why I stopped using the Focusrite for these tests. Both the Quantum (digital control) and the current preamps I am using (Camden 500 - stepped gain) address this. I deal with headphone positioning by taking ten measurements (off camera) while repositioning the headphones on the binaural microphone and analyzing variances.
Frequency response is impacted more by the microphones and headphone positioning vs the preamp. That said, the Camden 500 preamps are more accurate vs the Focusrite across 30-20000Hz with the Focusrite being more accurate below 30Hz, but the amounts are not significant compared to microphones and headphone positioning. Each capsule in my binaural mic is calibrated to address frequency response, however the weakest link in the test remains positioning of the headphones on the binaural head. This of course is the same as when we put a set of headphones on, it will never be exactly the same, but will be similar.
Dynamic range again is of less impact to the test results vs headphone positioning, but I moved to the Quantum and now the Camden 500 preamps with Orion 32+ Gen 3 converters as both setups have considerably more dynamic range vs the Scarlett. I did this primarily for mixing and mastering, but it is an added benefit for headphone tests.
Overall, I have found headphone positioning (and fit) influence test results more so than other considerations I have mentioned, but I have attempted to (and am continually working on) addressing as many variables as possible. Like most things in audio, the work is never done, but that is also part of what makes it interesting imo. Thanks again for the great question and I hope this provides some context to my approach. Cheers!
@@askdrtk Thank you very much man, Like you, I like the depth of the technicalities, something that most people seem not care about.
Good question about the binaural head surface and density. In my case, I installed medical grade simulated ears and canals made from silicone in the head. I also coated the inside of the head with an elasto-polymer to dampen resonance and filled the cavity with a prosthetic gelatin to simulate density of a human head. It was quite an interesting experiment testing a variety of materials. I should have recorded video of the project as I have always thought it would be interesting to show the whole process... At this point I believe the hard outer surface of the head (excluding the ears) is the largest variance between a human head skin / hair. Which brings up another issue, even thick sideburns or a beard can impact sealing of the earpads. I have thought about applying a elastomeric coating to the outer surface as I did on the inner to mimic the properties of skin...maybe a future build version... I have seen a few binaural heads that use a softer fabric-like surface for the skin, but I wondered how that might impact the seal around the earpads as well. I believe the fabric like surface likely has advantages when recording a room. On a side note, when building my binaural microphone, I rented a Neuman head to do some audio comparisons. I knew measurements would never be identical, and in fact measurements also changed as I placed headphones on the Neuman several times, but in the end I found measurements on the Neuman and on my binaural mic to have about the same variability based upon headphone placement. From what I have seen, variability is the current state of headphone measurement which is why I don't typically get into all the detailed measurements I actually take (the tech geek part of me can't resist doing them) but rather try to present the delta of coloration vs program material in the videos. A ballistic gel head is a cool idea, would be interesting to see what difference it might make!
@@askdrtk Its nice to know im not the only one who love the deep intricacies of all this. I was gonna say it might be a good idea to rent a neuman, but its pretty cool that you already did. Also i would love to have watched the build video of that head you made, . Just a thought, in rew there is a realtime whitenoise averaging feature. it plays a constant white noise as it is playing you are to move mic with in areas the designated sweet spot . This allows for many samples-[up to over an 100 samples if you want ] from with in that area and sums nullifies those differences , When testing and tuning audio systems with rew I also would get large changes just from moving the mic seemingly an inch. it boggled my mind how it could change so much. , this white noise averaged method more or less solved that problem for me and gave much better usable and tangible results. If you could some how implement this system in your test it should result in better tests results as its summing variations of different placements . personally I actually would love to see the detailed graphs of all the tests you do , when I was initially learning all this i theorized that the whole reason this is such issue in the first place. Is that all rooms except Anechoic chambers have thousands of 3d peak and valley reflection point within in the 3 dimensional space with in that room , based on the size of the room and the current freqeuncy played. in theory this could all be plotted for each freq, but being that the case just a slight movement of 1 inch, and you can go from being in a reflection peak, and another inch your in a reflection valley. As the frequency rises the entire chart constantly changes and the plotted peak valley points move with out the room . 5khz for example has full wavelength of only 2 inches, so where your at in that wavelength and depending on where its colliding with its reflection you can get a 3db +/- Swing of a single reflection collision .[and thats with only a single reflection . its pretty crazy how deep this rabbit hole goes. I strongly suspect this is the reason for all your variations in measurements, in your case its the tiny room of the head phone cup to the surface of the head, but it is still a room none the less. [Ironically This is also why changing different headphone cups can also change the sound so much, as essentially your moving your speakers to a new room.
Another thought is building an anechoic chamber of a head in theory the results should be the same regardless of placement if its a truly anechoic chamber with the only variation being the the room of the head cups]
Here is that video that explains that Rew average technique that really helped me out, ua-cam.com/video/6RiuwqzjqlQ/v-deo.html
If i ever get this YT channel up i would love to be able to collab with you some day .
Amazing review, really good. But these headphones fail in midrange and highs when you played the music. There was no crystal clear shimmer I heard in your reference during the playback of the recording from the headphones.
Glad you enjoyed the review! I agree, the strength on the low and high frequencies tends to submerge the mids (subjective of course as the physics of all our ears are different). The M50x are particularly well suited to bass heavy genres where it can be difficult to mix low frequencies on near fields lacking response below 45Hz imo.
@@askdrtk 🙂👌
Do you think it’s a worthy upgrading from a ath m40x. I’m used to it’s flat enough frequency response and mine just broke on the plastic and is worn a lot. Do you think it’s flat enough to not have much of a difference for mixing and listening for its price and build design?
The 50s have stronger and deeper bass response and greater extension in the high end vs the 40s with mids being similar. For that reason, moving from the 40s to the 50s can make the 50s sound scooped, but frequency analysis shows the 50s to be very accurate for mixing. I like the 50s for bass heavy genres such as EDM and HH, but prefer the more neutral response of the 40s for ensuring mixes translate well across a variety of playback devices. I use a number of monitors and headphones including the 40s to validate mixes, and if it sounds good on the 40s, it is generally good to go. The 50s can fool you into thinking you need to boost mids, but once you get used to them, you can make great mixes on them. I hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk so your saying that since 50s are able to reproduce bass at lower frequency and is able to produce more bass and highs gave higher frequency range that it makes it seem like a V shape response like other analysis places find? Then the 40s are more flat then to use for validating and mixing and 50s are more attuned for edm like music. Well that helped a lot I might just get a replacement m40x. Have you tried ath m70x, I heard they are neutral like 40’s but sound much better and sound better sound stage like the 50’s.
Yes, the 40s are very good for validating mixes and are more honest vs the 50s imo. I have tried the 70s and if you like the 40s and they work well for you, you will also like the 70s and find your previous work with the 40s translates well to them. Aside from improved soundstage and build quality, the 70s have a wider frequency response which is in part responsible for their superior clarity. At almost 2.5 times the price of the 40s, the value the 70s bring is in superior ability to hear subtleties in your mixes, significantly improved clarity, improved comfort, and added durability.
@@askdrtk ok thanks for the input. I do like the m40’s they sounded great for price just needed a bit more sound stage I felt with the wider frequency range so the m70’s sounds like the better upgrade from a m40’s if you really like the signature it has with it being neutral. I listen to a lot of range of genres and neutral response seems like best all around for it to me. I sometimes randomy mix edm as a hobby for fun not serious since I have other things.
fan tas tic :)))) !!!!! many thanks :) veeery profi :)))
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed my review. Cheers!
I'm enjoying with it
a dozen headphones, and I ranked the atm 50 as the lowest in sound quality. It sat in my drawer for years and finally got rid of them. Sold on a throw-in for another headphones sale.
what do you think about the new version ATH M50X-STS?
I’m still waiting to get a set in for review, but from the microphone audio samples I have heard I would say the mic performs as I would expect from an AT20 series capsule. For remote communication use or as a headset for monitoring with an integrated talkback mic, I believe it may be a good choice. For gaming, I have found the M50x to be underwhelming in terms of spatial awareness and I expect the headset to be the same. Just my thoughts at this point, as always I like to test things out before making recommendations.
@@askdrtk thanks for your ideas, i very interesting in your review, other creator mention a different sound signature in this particular headset so is not like a carbon copy to the original ATH M50X
The sound signature of the new headset could be different vs the original headphones. Any time physical changes are made to earcups, it alters the tuning of the headphones that can actually be measured. (That's why I am holding off on an opinion until I have the opportunity to test them.)
what is the most neutral closed haedphones ?
If price is not an object I have been impressed with the Audeze LCD-XC, but for less than half the price another great choice is the Shure SRH-1540. I will have reviews on both of these coming...
@@askdrtk any thoughts on the slate VSX? the linear settings seems to e great , specially for a closed back headphone
I have not tried the VSX yet but I have heard some very positive comments about them. I will hopefully be able to get a set in for a full review.
Just bought a pair of ATH m50x and now I'm listening to the review with them. Gotta say though. Most music is mixed and mastered so loudly. And the dynamics are so shit after all the compression. It's almost like they are throwing every sonic element at full power. It becomes very difficult to appreciate music despite the capability of these headphones. Only songs from the likes of Fleetwood Mac and James Taylor sound good.
I hear you. There is a lot about the loudness wars being a thing of the past because of streaming platform specs, but I can’t say a see that actually happening. Clients, often but not always labels, want masters with minimal dynamic range and loudness above delivery platform’s specs (vinyl is the exception where levels that are too high cause technical problems). With all the great gear available with plenty of dynamic range, it is a shame we don’t take advantage of it… Everything needs to “sound good” on everything, meaning we often master to the least capable playback devices. Love the great sound of FM, JT, Larry Carlton, and more… Cheers!
can i do production and mixing on these?
Yes, they are especially popular for EDM and HH production and mixing as they provide good bass and sub bass extension.
Hey ...I'm going to buy dt 770 pro 80 ohm .....becoz of mixing and mastering and also becoz of its nice sound stage and comfortable pads ......
So do I need an amp or audio interface for Dt 770 pro 80 ohm version .....
So is it good for mixing and mastering in these ...
And most people are saying ....80 ohm have better bass ....and good for other devices too ....
And I have a MSI z690 tomahawk wifi motherboard ......so...will these dt 770 pro 80 ohm give good response for mixing and mastering ... without an amp or audio interface
The MSI z690 Tomahawk (very nice board) has their isolated circuit topology which reduces the interference built-in computer audio is subject to. While on-board audio can not be as isolated as an external headphone amplifier/DAC or audio interface, the built-in amplifier on the board will easily power your 80ohm 770s so you should not have to drive the output to hard, which will minimize any interference from the computer components (high powered graphics cards usually introduce the most noise). Using 80ohm headphones is a better choice vs 250ohm when connecting to onboard audio as the board's output and headphone load are better matched allowing for better dynamic response. Your proposed setup should work for what you need.
@@askdrtk Thanks for ur clarification .....I'm definitely going to buy these 80 ohm ....as per the board these have AUDIO BOOST 5 feature it has latest realtek ALC4080 dac and ..these board can take load upto 600ohm as per the site .......
So it seems like a nice deal to me and a money saver ... instead of buying an extra Amp or DAC ......
In future if I upgrade to 250 ..then I will consider of buying them.....and as of now I have Intel integrated GPU ....so there will be no gpu noise.
But ....as per ur experience ...how r the mixing on these 80 ohm 770 pro headphones ........I found they have....lot of sound stage and good tight bass ..and neutral mid ...but has some sibilance at high .......
If i mix them good with Proper detailed manner ....will they able to translate well in other listening platforms ???
The 770s are a popular choice for studio use including mixing. They are not what I would consider a fully neutral headphone, but they will definitely get the job done. In my opinion, the most important thing is to learn your monitoring source whether it be headphones or studio monitor speakers. Once you learn their sound profile, you will be able to create mixes that translate well.
When you first get a new set of headphones, go ahead and complete a mix. Then listen to the mix on other sources such as in a car, through ear buds, computer speakers, etc. Listen for what sounds good and what doesn't. Go back and adjust your mix as you believe is required and then listen on the other sources again. After you do this for a while you will be able to produce sound that translates well. Another approach is to listen to a mix you have done on your previous headphones or speakers and then listen on your new headphones. Listen for the differences and similarities. Both of these approaches will help you learn your new headphones so you can produce mixes that translate well.
Hope this helps out.
anybody experienced the left side being louder on ATH M50X?
I don't notice a difference on my set. Right and left measure within 0.3dB on average using my test rig, but it is difficult to be precise when measuring due to placement / fit on headphones.
@@askdrtk yeah I dunno, I gave up on M50s
I think these are the ones for me
M50x are a great choice. Very good sound and build, especially if like are looking for detail (not boomy sounding) in lower frequencies that many headphones lack. They perform above their price imo.
This is surprising. In subjective reviews these phones are often derided for being v-shaped and inaccurate. The open backed R70X might be better for gaming.
Yes, they are often characterized that way, but I have always found that mixes translate well across a variety of genres both to and from the M50x and the measurements did confirm why that is. As you know, tone profile is not linear but rather the result of interaction across the frequency range, so it is often easy to perceive something to be happening (such as the "v") in specific ranges when in fact it is a phenomenon of frequency interaction. (This is why I find this whole topic so interesting). Thanks also for the suggestion on the R70x, I think that would be a great set to bring in for review.
Dieser Kopfhörer ist total überbewertet ich habe den gekauft und nach einer Stunde wieder zurückgeschickt. Die Polsterung ist zu dünn ich bekam nach 1/2 Stunde Rote Ohren total unbequem
Sold me on em
Glad to hear my review helped out!