Audio Technica ATH-M50 Questions

mug2k · 25 Aug 2013 at 21:22

Hi

I'm looking to get a new pair of headphones as my Sennheiser HD555's are starting to get a bit tatty and I want a pair of cans with more bass. What are the M50's like for comfort as my HD555's fit around my ears, do the M50's fit around or do they press down on the ears ?. Are they comfortable for 2-3 hours at a time ?

Are the M50's a step up in sound quality ?, as they are nearly double what I paid for the Senn's.

Thanks,

swampy · 25 Aug 2013 at 21:51

Hi
I've never heard the m50s but why not try some better sennheisers..I' have the hd595 and absolutely adore them, tried grados sr60 sr325i and hf-1 and hd650 senns but love the hd595 really fun sound nice and comfy and good soundstage
I find the very good headphones like hd650 you need a good sourse and when playing only mp3s and youtube music the high end headphones don't sound as good or fun..I start to listen to things too much and its gotta be a good recording to really get the best out of them.....my hd595 sound good with everything I play ...There about 8 years old now maybe more!

Sennheiser have the hd598 now (think its called that) I don't like the funky colour tho
Check out the head fi forum
Oh and i had the grado sr80 which I like the most

Kuuwahi · 25 Aug 2013 at 23:09

I would avoid Audio Technica if I'm honest as they are a budget brand.

Sennheiser are a very good brand and they have some of the best quality headphones around.

What will you be using the headphones for ?

mug2k · 25 Aug 2013 at 23:23

Quuwahi said:
I would avoid Audio Technica if I'm honest as they are a budget brand.

Sennheiser are a very good brand and they have some of the best quality headphones around.

What will you be using the headphones for ?

Movies, games and music (most genres)

Kuuwahi · 26 Aug 2013 at 08:46

For music you Would be looking for a good Stereo pair of headphones
For gaming and movies you want surround sound headphones

So what order would their priority be?

I have different headphones for music and gaming / movies purely because they make that much difference haha.

C64 · 26 Aug 2013 at 15:52

Beyer Dynamic DT990 pro would fit the bill

Kreeeee · 26 Aug 2013 at 16:08

Quuwahi said:
For music you Would be looking for a good Stereo pair of headphones
For gaming and movies you want surround sound headphones

Incorrect. A Decent pair of stereo headphones and proper Dolby Surround emulation will destroy 5.1/7.1 headsets in terms of sound quality and positional audio.

Kuuwahi · 26 Aug 2013 at 16:14

Kreeeee said:
Incorrect. A Decent pair of stereo headphones and proper Dolby Surround emulation will destroy 5.1/7.1 headsets in terms of sound quality and positional audio.

What you're saying is emulation is better than true 5.1/7.1 quality ?

For true representation of sound when it comes to listening to music (as ALL music unless 5.1 etc) is mastered down in Stereo it is best to listen to music IN stereo otherwise you giving yourself a pseudo effect.

I personally would rather have a true representation of sound other than an artificial replication of coloured sound.

rids57 · 26 Aug 2013 at 18:13

You're not going to get a true representation of sound in a 5.1/7.1 headset because there isn't physically enough room to mount adequate sized speakers.

Kuuwahi · 26 Aug 2013 at 18:33

rids57 said:
You're not going to get a true representation of sound in a 5.1/7.1 headset because there isn't physically enough room to mount adequate sized speakers.

Correct but you are going to get a truer 5.1/7.1 representation than a stereo headset with emulation, that's what I'm trying to get at.

I currently have a Razer Tiamat 7.1 Analogue Gaming headset and I'm honestly not sure If I like it or not, I dont feel like it has any surround sound haha.

Compared to my Gioteck EX-05 and Turtle beach I use to have I am very let down to say the least.

Marsman · 26 Aug 2013 at 19:27

Quuwahi said:
Correct but you are going to get a truer 5.1/7.1 representation than a stereo headset with emulation, that's what I'm trying to get at....

Not necessarily. It comes down to the individual. Some prefer these multi driver headsets, such as the Tiamat and Kave; others find them to be poor and prefer decent stereo headphones + Dolby Headphone, or Creative's equivalent. Sound is a personal thing, so tastes and preferences vary. Whilst there are fans of each way of getting surround sound via headphones, at the end of the day, it's about what works for the individual.

Kuuwahi · 26 Aug 2013 at 19:42

Sound is very much a personal thing,

All I was trying to state is Stereo regardless of emulation will ONLY being Left & Right.

As there is only 1 speaker / driver in each side of the headphone (Left & Right) the headset is unable to create anything more than a Left & Right signal therefore there will be NO 5.1/7.1 via a stereo setup, the emulation only creates a pseudo 5.1/7.1.

rids57 · 26 Aug 2013 at 20:43

Choice is simple, if the OP is more interested in positional audio, then get a 5.1 or 7.1 headset, if sound quality heads the list then go for some good headphones.

mug2k · 26 Aug 2013 at 20:49

I leaning towards getting a pair of HD558's , very similar to my current headphones but supposedly more bassy. Also I'm looking at buying a Yamaha V673 receiver and it has something similar to dolby headphone so I can get a virtual surround.

rids57 · 26 Aug 2013 at 21:00

For the same price as the M50's you can get the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro (open) or the DT 770 pro (closed). I recently upgraded to the DT 990 pro's from a pair of Sony MDR-V6 and the difference is huge - big, wide soundstage, low bass and plenty of it, tons of detail and they are so insanely comfortable thanks to the huge velour pads. If you need sound isolation these are not for you, it's like wearing a pair of speakers on your head but the sound quality is pretty damned good. The closed back DT 770 pro will obviously cut a lot of the noise down if you don't want to annoy other people but you do lose some of the sound stage as a result.
As you are getting a receiver you wouldn't have any problem driving them because the 250 ohm variants do need to be amped, whether it's through a sound card with a built in headphone amp like the Soundblaster z or the Xonar STX or a discrete amplifier like the Yamaha. You can get an 80 ohm version of the 770 pro which should be a lot easier to drive, though it may not be as "tight" sounding as the higher impedance models.

Kuuwahi · 26 Aug 2013 at 21:02

rids57 said:
Choice is simple, if the OP is more interested in positional audio, then get a 5.1 or 7.1 headset, if sound quality heads the list then go for some good headphones.

true. I'm actually thinking about selling my Razer Tiamat 7.1 analogue headset Fully boxed and only had for a month or so.

synixx · 27 Aug 2013 at 01:05

I have a pair of audio technica ath-m50's and love them. They fit around the ear and are fairly comfortable although can feel a bit heavy after hours of use. Personally I couldn't wear them for more than the length of a short movie. They sound very good compared to my old koss pro dj 100's which were £60. I find they also benefit from a decent amplifier, although not to the same extent as the koss's. I predominantly like rock music but i'm steadily getting into electronic music - in particular dubstep - and the ATH-M50's sound fantastic. I only paid £100 for mine though so with the recent price increases i'm not sure if there are better options out there.

ethan · 27 Aug 2013 at 11:13

Headphone x was recently demonstrated at E3 so I would buy the best quality stereo headset ýou can afford to use with this (when it becomes mainstream). No typical pseudo surround like ýou get from Dolby or Yamaha but 11.1 through a stereo headset. Fantastic codec. I read somewhere that turtle beach have signed up to use the codec from DTS. Ýou should always go for the best quality sound ýou can afford regardless.

Kuuwahi · 27 Aug 2013 at 11:16

ethan said:
Headphone x was recently demonstrated at E3 so I would buy the best quality stereo headset ýou can afford to use with this (when it becomes mainstreaming). No typical pseudo surround like ýou get from Dolby or Yamaha but 11.1 through a stereo headset. Fantastic codec.

You cant get more than a Left & Right Signal in stereo :rolleyes:

...

ethan · 27 Aug 2013 at 11:34

Strictly speaking ýou are correct. But listen to the codec. Everybody who heard it demoed through a basic set of headphones litterally thought they were listen to an 11.1 setup. I've heard it myself but only listening to Man of Steel. Very good and very convincing so far. What are the roll eyes for?