My pair came from Amazon's Warehouse Deals, and the condition note said "minor aesthetic damage" to packaging. My purchase price was something like $46 (shipped!), which I thought was too low to resist. I took the gamble.
Upon receipt I scoured the well-packaged (unopened) original box, but I couldn't find the alleged damage; meanwhile the product inside appears brand new and has met my high expectations, living up to the excellent reputation of the ATH-M series.
I bought these after 5+ years of using a beat-up pair of M35's in my volunteer role as FOH Engineer at my church. That pair of M35's was the first pair of professional-caliber headphones I ever put on, and that was a game-changer for me. I read reviews and considered Sony's MDR7506 and Superlux's 668 but settled back on what i have hands-on experience with.
So far, I find that the sound of my M30Xs is a joyous thing to experience, rivaling or perhaps surpassing the old M35's. I am no headphone-phile, but I can tell that a similar contour/EQ philosophy is employed in both sets; dead-flat tone with emphasis in the mids to draw out minute detail in voices and, I find, acoustic instrument character and voicing.
In particular, I have been loving these cans for electronica due to the fantastic middle details. Bass tones are extremely clean and legible; but in contrast to pairs of bass-boosted buds and cans will seem quite subdued. These will certainly and effortlessly expose poor bitrates and/or bad source material.
Things I love:
- Build Quality; in a word, 'Solid'.
- Sound Quality; to my ears, perfection.
- Design Aesthetic; functional, no-nonsense matte black.
Things I do not love (but knew going in):
- Cord is long (yay!) but hard-wired (boo!); non-interchangeable.
Surprises:
- I have huge ears, and the stock pads are too small for me. The cans actually sit on top of the tips of my ears, and after an hour can cause some pretty significant discomfort. The sound is so great that I didn't care, for years- see the update below.
Overall: Two thumbs way up (especially for $46!), and a positive experience with Amazon's Warehouse Deals to boot.
UDPATE after four years: Wow, these just keep rocking. The sound is just incredible, and the build is holding up great. The pads started to crack last year (so that's three years of normal use) and they were always too small for my ears, so I replaced them with these: Brainwavz Replacement Memory Foam Earpads - Suitable For Many Other Large Over The Ear Headphones - AKG, HifiMan, ATH, Philips, Fostex (Black). Beautiful, comfortable, and no noticable depreciation to the majestic sound of these headphones. After four years and trying many rivals, I now believe that these are simply the greatest headphones in the world at their price point,
Thanks for reading!
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From the manufacturer
Features
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Durable designCutting-edge engineering and robust construction |
For studio & field recording useTuned for enhanced detail, with excellent mid-range definition |
Offers excellent sound isolationCircumaural design contours around the ears for sound isolation in loud environments |
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For in the studio and on-the-roadCollapsible for space-saving portability |
Convenient single side cable exit3.0m (9.8’) straight cable for professional applications |
Included accessoriesProtective carrying pouch; 6.3 mm (1/4") screw-on adapter |
Compare with similar items
This Item  Audio-Technica ATH-M30x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Black |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $69.00 | $79.00 | $39.00 | $1,250.00 | -8% $32.99 List: $35.99 | $99.00 |
| Delivery | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Bluetooth 5.0, RF | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | In Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | 3.5mm Jack | usb-c,wireless | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | plug in | 3.5mm Jack |
| noise control | sound isolation | sound isolation | sound isolation | — | sound isolation | — |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm, 4.4 mm | 3.5/6.35 mm Jack | 6.35 mm Jack |
| cable feature | Detachable | Without Cable | Retractable | Detachable | Detachable | Retractable, Detachable |
| control type | — | Volume Control | Volume Control | — | Volume Control | — |
| material | Aluminum | Aluminum | Stainless Steel | Leather | — | Wired |
| model name | ATH-M30x | ATHM20xBT | HDH40 | ATH-AP2000TI | A71 | SRH440A |
Reviews with images
Solid
Great bang for the buck. Bought them on sale during Prime Day too so I think the total was about 80.00. Excellent noise cancelation. I am a dark-electro producer- year 14. ALESKAOFFICIAL on youtube.
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MIGUEL ANGEL ROMERO ALEJANDRO
Vale lo que pagas
Reviewed in Mexico on August 5, 2024Style: HeadphoneVerified Purchase
Lucas Moraes
Satisfeito com o investimento feito
Reviewed in Brazil on April 14, 2022Style: HeadphoneVerified Purchase
Lucas Moraes
Reviewed in Brazil on April 14, 2022
Pela primeira vez fiz um investimento mais elevado em se tratando de um headphone. Sei que os equipamentos da Audio Technica são de alta qualidade e optei, deliberadamente, por comprar um fone desta marca. O produto chegou muito bem protegido e vem acompanhado de uma caixa robusta, com manual e instruções em diferentes idiomas. Antecipo, também, que ele não possui microfone embutido.
O fone contém um adaptador a ser utilizado em mixers e amplificadores em geral o que, para mim, é necessário já que também utilizo o equipamento constantemente no meu receiver. O cabo tem 3m de comprimento, sendo inadequado para quem pretende usar o fone em lugares públicos, como academias e ônibus. Além disso, vem acompanhado de uma bolsa de proteção para que se transporte o fone para outros ambientes sem correr o risco de danificá-lo. Não costumo usar headphone por longos períodos mas, ao que me parece, ele não causa maiores incômodos para quem pretende passar horas e mais horas com o mesmo. O ajuste para a cabeça/orelhas é de fácil manuseio.
Quanto à nitidez do som, percebi um equilíbrio adequado entre graves, médios e agudos, da maneira como desejava. Pude notar algumas nuances sonoras de músicas que, mesmo conhecendo há décadas, nunca tinha reparado, inclusive em fones anteriores da JBL que tive. Talvez para quem tenha a pretensão de utilizá-lo de forma profissional, esse fone não atenda inteiramente às expectativas, embora seja um ótimo equipamento de entrada.
De uma forma geral, portanto, estou extremamente satisfeito com o investimento feito. Para quem deseja um fone de excelente qualidade com pretensões domésticas apenas, trata-se de uma ótima opção.
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Sigge
Mycket bra ljud och bekväma hörlurar
Reviewed in Sweden on June 20, 2024Style: HeadphoneVerified Purchase
Remedis
Suono definito ed equilibrato
Reviewed in Italy on June 12, 2024Style: HeadphoneVerified Purchase
Remedis
Reviewed in Italy on June 12, 2024
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Alberti Loris
Le son, le confort
Reviewed in Belgium on May 25, 2024Style: HeadphoneVerified Purchase
