Home > Consumer Reviews > Audio-Technica ATH-M50S Monitor Headphones with Straight Cable

I'll say this first off: I don't record, DJ, or do any mixes with this headphone (no prosumer work). These Audio Technica M50's (straight cable) are used purely for listening to my music. One phrase comes to mind about these cans: O MiE GaWd!

I currently own these and the Beyerdynamic DT-770 pro (80 ohm), and have owned everything under the sun from Bose's headphone offerings; except their noise-canceling variants, although I've heard those as well. The M50's overall are the best sounding period that I've heard yet. They sound so ridiculously good that I can't even imagine if I need, let alone want to hear more expensive offerings.

Highs 5/5 - Imagine a dedicated tweeter per cup. The highs are PERFECT. Sirens, cymbals, piano notes, you name it comes in crystal clear with a pristine pitch. No harshness or fatigue comes with it. No roll-off or sibilance either, even if you crank it up to stratospheric levels.

Mids 5/5 - Like 2 miniaturized, mid-range drivers for your dome piece. When I heard Bose, I thought I HEARD everything, which was very nice. With the M50's, YOU WILL HEAR EVERYTHING. There were hidden voices and notes that even the Bose's missed in songs that I knew by heart. Voices came out clear and articulate. No recessed mid-range here. It's all up in your grill with pleasing authority and with the natural fullness that is to be expected with your tunes.

Lows 5/5 - I wish I could rate this higher. No other headphone (that I've heard) can touch this. Take two, high quality, sealed sub woofers. Shrink them, and somehow stuff them into the M50's. Then listen. Your brain will become grits. Your eyeballs will shake furiously. Your jawbone will uncontrollably vibrate. The bass in this headphone can resurrect the dead (and then some). The bass notes come in with such passion, that you instantly fall in love. It is highly textured, laser-accurate, and tightly controlled with ZERO distortion. There is no need to crank up the EQ on this. You can, but you've been warned. The bass is the best part about the M50. It is FLAWLESS.

Soundstage 4/5 - For a studio monitor, the soundstage is very good. There is a wide sense of space and depth to the sound. Nevertheless, they aren't as open-sounding as others such as the DT-770 pros, which have a closed design as well. This can sometimes take you out of the "scenario" when watching movies or playing games, which is why I use these primarily for music. I use the DT-770 pro's for movies and games, which those excel in this area.

Detail Retrieval 5/5 - Plain and simple, if it's in the audio track, you will hear it with no problem at all. Every nuance, sound, intricate detail, and mouse-fart will have a direct line to your eardrum for your listening pleasure. No complaints.

Value 5/5 - You need a pair (no, not those) of Audio Technica M50's. These are more than worthy to add to your headphone stable. Comfort is also quite excellent. Other studio monitor headphones pinch too tight for me (I also wear glasses), these are just right. Not too loose or constricted. The Beyers beat these in this area though (those are like Serta pillows :).

The cord is terminated into a slick-looking, metal housing, with a flexible end connected to a 1/8" plug, that also can be mated to a screw on 1/4" adapter. In other words, you can plug the M50's into whatever device you want; Ipod, home receiver, amp, etc., right out of the box. Durability is also the best I've seen yet. Can't see these breaking in any way, even if it's in the hands of a toddler.

Audio Technica M50's = A slice of musical heaven with whipped cream.

UPDATE: 4/8/09 - Burn in definitely changes the sound. Other owners have suggested 40 hours of cooking. The headphones sound more distinct, clear, and the instruments have better separation. Even the bass is more lively and the soundstage is more expanded. All said, don't judge yet until you've pumped tunes through them for many hours. Which then, the end result will surely be a smile on your face.

My journey to find "decent" sounding headphones began when I sampled the Bose Triports (both on-ears and over ears) at a local BestBuy store. At the time, I thought WOW!! My $10-$20 earphones/headphones never gave me this kinda clarity and soundstage. Fast-forward, after a little research online and going in stores to try other headphones, I quickly realized that the Bose was "overly priced" considering that there are headphones from AKG, Audio-Technica, Beyerdynamics, and Sennheisers that were just as good if not better but at a fraction of the cost! And so, one day, I fell upon the AT-m50s, and I just went ahead and purchase it on ebay without hearing it first hand.

OMG! I love these at first listen...The looks by the way, is really sexy and even better in person-the manufacturer's pics don't do it justice!

Sounds: Very, very, did I say very?? very versatile sounding headphones...I listen to hiphop, classical, pop, r&b, techo, dance, country, and others and they do a fairly good job.
The highs are crystal clear...
the mids sits well in the mix
the bass, while not "boomy" is very detailed and punchy...which I prefer, because I don't want the bass to overpower any frequency...but then again, don't underestimate the m50s in the bass department because I have heard recordings, that "show" the bass reproduction capabilities of the m50s.
overall, the bass is probably not going to be liked by hip-hop heads or the likes...
I also think that it's noteworthy to mention that the audio-source you are listening to is also important as these are "true" monitor headphones...you will hear a difference and distinguish from 128kbps, 192kbps, to 322kbps recordings! Also bear in mind that these headphones are "monitor" headphones. Thus, they are "flat" or "neutral" sounding, which means that they don't color your sounds, but try to stay 'true' to the original recordings.

Are these the best headphones you can buy? well, considering there are other headphones 10, 20 x's the price, there are 'better' headphones, but for the $$$, these really do shine with the competition (I've compared these with the Beyers Dt770, Bose Triports, AKG K-44, Skull candy ink'd, Sennheiser hd201, and other cheapos)...
sound is also subjective, what sounds 'good' for you, may not be the same for others...so if you can go out to a local music/audio store, I would recommend you do that and try out different headphones and then make your decisions.

I have probably under 50 hours of "burn in" time for these headphones and it's sounding slightly more "detailed" and clear...and i can't imagine how much better these will get after 100 plus hours!
Just buy it! I'm becoming an Audio-Technica fan with this purchase...I have bought more AT headphones because of these m50s...

UPDATE: 5-29-09
After a few more hours of burn in...I'm quite happy to share that the sound quality does change! The bass is slightly more 'punchy'and more 'prevalent' and the mids and high also improved! And, the clarity of these cans are just something to rave about! I actually take back my words 'that the bass may not be liked by 'hiphop heads'....the bass on these will improve with burn in...it's just not 'boomy.' Also note that if you are using these cans with a computer, you can always mess with the equalizer settings to adjust it to your likings.
It's crazy these Audio-Technica's, especially the m50s don't get the 'hype' or 'love' that they deserve, I mean I tried headphone offerings from Beyerdynamics, AKG and others and prefer the m50s over the competition. Like one of the reviewers mentioned, headphones that sound this good already...I'm not sure if I even want to hear other headphone offerings that are 5/10x's the price of these! My only major gripe about the m50s is that the 'leatherette' ear padding's do promote sweaty ears, but they offer great isolation and minimal sound leakage. Also, the headband did tend to press down on my skull a little and it was kinda annoying but after 'wearing them in' for quite some time, they are more comfortable. And remember, "Don't blame these headphones if your poorly encoded mp3s sound bad.' Get ready for a revelation!

After reading all the reviews about these headphones I finally bought myself a pair. Just received them today and they sound great! Sure, after burn in they will sound even better but still, I already appreciate them.
-The guy who gave these headphones two stars must have a huge head or something because the headphones are actually very comfortable! They squeeze on a little bit but that's for a reason and it's surely not a discomfort.
Also there's quite a lot of padding on the top band so ignore the two-star~review.

EdIt- By the way I bought my pair from a certified dealer on Ebay for 104, so just a thought.

I am still burning these headphones in (owned only a few hours), but already I am honestly mad that it took me 23 years to experience music at this level of beauty. I have never written a review on the hundreds of products i've bought over the years.. but I felt obliged to share my experience with these outstanding headphones.

I bought the ATF-M50's to mix with because I read tons of reviews and many were raving about the mixing capabilities of these headphones that surpass most sub $2000 studio monitors. I have them running through a cheap $20 behringer ha400 headphone amp w/ 4 outputs (id recommend and amp for these to get the full effect).

The warmth that you experience from the incredible low end of these headphones is amazing and you really get the full experience intended by the artists, producers, and engineers. NO SOUND IS WASTED, I am hearing detailed instruments/pieces of songs I have never heard before in the years of listening to these songs w/ decent speakers and headphones!

The best part is right now I'm listening to Frank Sinatra like I've never heard him before, but I've tested these babies with pretty much every genre you can think of and it does a brilliant job filling out the music for all types of genres!

I haven't had a chance to mix on them, but have listened to my previous mixes and noticed what needs to be changed- was able to notice right away!

I never want to take these things off!! .. they are comfy too. May just be the best $100 I've spent - I feel bad for anyone who goes through life without this experience!

Holy cow! I don"t know anything about other brands of headphones but when I put these on my head and listen to Bob Seger or Linda Ronstadt, I have these people singing to no one but me. I was a wholesale distributer for audio-technica products in the 1970,s and was impressed with the quality vs cost of their products. Their products still are an outstanding value! Believe me when I say that you absolutely cannot go wrong buying these headphones. What you hear is nothing more than what is there. If you don't think these headphones are the bomb then you need to buy new equipment. The depth and clarity are amazing. Also, amazon.com is one fantastic company to do business with. Bottom line: you can't go wrong with this combination.