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Product Description

The adjustable headband is generously padded for ultimate comfort during long mixing sessions. A coiled cable at the left earpiece terminates to a gold-plated mini plug with included screw-on 1/4 inch adapter. Audio-Technica's sophisticated driver technology and superior components deliver exceptional power handling and very high SPL capabilities while maintaining clarity of sound throughout their extended range, with deep, accurate bass and outstanding high-frequency extension. The headphones feature propriety large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems for ultra-efficient signal transfer. With the ATHM50 Headphones, Audio-Technica has achieved an exceptionally accurate response and long-wearing listening comfort.

Product information

Product Dimensions

8.2 x 11.3 x 4.2 inches

Item Weight

15.5 ounces

ASIN

B000ULAP4U

Item model number

ATH-M50C

Customer Reviews

4.4 3,877 ratings

4.4 out of 5 stars

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer

No

Date First Available

October 2, 2001

Manufacturer

audio-technica

Item Weight

15.53 Ounces

Number Of Items

1

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Product Documentation (PDF)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

3,877 global ratings

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Issac M. Roberts

For what they are, a bass heavy DJ Headphone, they do well.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 29, 2015

Verified Purchase

INTRODUCTION: Let me preface this by saying something: these opinions are coming from an audiophile, not just a casual listener. I have owned and modified dozens of different mid-high end headphones ranging from the ATH-M50 and Fostex T50rp to the Sennheiser HD 800 and Audeze LCD series. The scores mentioned here are in comparison to other headphones in the price-range, and NOT overall. The price range that I am putting these into is the $100-$200 range.

The ATH-M50 have a legacy. They are the most commonly recommended entry-level audiophile cans for studio monitoring or casual listening. The good news is, this is a legacy that they deserve. Mostly. For the money and what they are trying to be, they do succeed. However, if you listen to any genres that aren't very fast paced, or like listening to your music very loudly, these probably won't satisfy you permanently. Allow me to explain:

LOWS: Let's start where these headphones shine: the lows. These headphones produce some kickin' bass. If you are a basshead and/or like Hip-Hop/Rap or Electronic music as your main genres, you will LOVE the bass in these headphones. If you're wondering whether or not it's better than Beats, let me just say right now that it is. It's big, boomy, but it doesn't distract from the rest of music. 10/10

MIDS: The mids are almost as good, and really nothing to complain about. The vocals and harmonics sound great, and are never fatiguing. It's a very warm sound, and there isn't much else to say about them. They are very good. 8.5/10

HIGHS: The highs are where I don't like these headphone much. They are very crisp and precise, especially for the price range, but they can also be quite sharp and fatiguing. The main fault of the headphone is the fact that they are designed for people who love bass and loud music, but if you turn the volume up too much, some songs will hurt your ears and make you turn the headphones down. This doesn't always happen, but if you listen to bands like Passion Pit or other past-paced electronic music with a lot of highs, you will not be able to have the headphones as loud as if you were listening to Run The Jewels instead. In my experience, this is one of the most common issues with headphones under $200, and for the money they still have decent highs. However, because of this reason, they are not even close to my go-to headphones for almost any genre. 7.5/10

SOUND STAGE: This is another fault that the headphone has. You can easily tell that they are a closed headphone. Nothing really sounds cramped, but nothing sounds spread out either. If you listen to a lot of classical or orchestral music, you will probably not like these headphones as much as some other models in the price-range such as the AKG Q701, Sennheiser HD 598, or even the Fostex T50rp. 7.5/10

AESTHETICS: These headphones are very stylish. They come in multiple colors now, including red, white, and black. All look as great as they sound. 9.5/10

BUILD QUALITY: This is the second best thing about the headphone. It is extremely sturdy. I have dropped them multiple times, and they are still in near perfect condition despite a few cosmetic blemishes. The earcups swivel around 90 degrees each way, so you can put them around your neck and have the earcups face down on your chest to make it even more comfortable. The cable is very thick and high quality, and the 1/4'' adapter screws on to make it seem like a native 1/4'' cable when you use it. The only issue is the fact that, if you have long hair, it will sometimes snag in headphone. Not a huge issue, but definitely a fault. 9.5/10

COMFORT: Mediocre at best. The included stock earpads are pleather, and get very hot and uncomfortable after around 30 minutes. I strongly recommend picking up a pair of Shure SRH940 Velour earpads if you are planning on using these for anything over an hour, they improve the comfort exponentially and are less than 20 dollars. 7/10 without, and 8.5/10 with the Shure Pads.

AMPED VS UNAMPED: The M50's do not need an amplifier. Like almost all headphones, they will sound better with one, but the M50's only get a 10-15% increase in quality with a high-end amp. At that point, you might as well just get more expensive headphones anyway.

Final Verdict:
Lows: 10/10
Mids: 8.5/10
Highs: 7.5/10
Soundstage: 7.5/10
Aesthetics: 9.5/10
Build Quality: 9.5/10
Comfort:7/10
Average score = 8.5/10 : Very Good

VERDICT: The ATH-M50 is not an end-all audiophile headphone. The bass is fantastic and bassheads should love it. The build quality is great, but the comfort and highs keep it from being my main headphone recommendation. In the price-range, it's still quite the deal, but if you like listening to music loudly for extended periods of time or mainly listen to classical, you might be disappointed.

5 people found this helpful

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Yen

Review from an "ordinary" music lover

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 11, 2011

Verified Purchase

My review is aimed for those that have no prior experience with headphones, are inexperienced in the world of audio electronics or those without trained ears who would like to use these phones for music listening. Just the average consumer.

I want to start off by telling you who I am: I am a 20 year old college student who knows jack-squat about audio. I was looking for the best bang for the buck.
Mids? Highs? Lows? Uh... what? :P I am inexperienced, but I love to listen to music every day. In fact, I can't go a day without my iPod or music from my laptop. I am using these headphones only for music and media from my iPod or laptop.
I have previously owned only earphones (all under $20) and 1 set of actual headphones. I have never been able to get my hands on higher end models from Sony, Audio-technica, Grado, Sennheiser, etc. Therefore, I can only speak from what I have experienced hands on.

That being said, let's get started!

The story:
My headphone hunt started when my first pair of headphones - my Philips SHN9500 - stopped working in one ear cup after 2 years of use. At the time, they were a great bargain ($50 from an auction site, but now for some strange reason, they're $200 on Amazon), so I wasn't too upset about them and decided to move on to something a little more expensive.

Being a college student with no knowledge in audio electronics, I succumbed, or rather, was "brain washed", into seeing only what was commercially presented: Bose and Beats by Dr. Dre (on a lesser level, Skullcandy).

My past experience with Skullcandy earphones was not pleasant. My $17 earphones broke after 3 months of daily usage. From then on, I purchased only $10 earphones and Apple earphones and lived with them. This being the case, when I tried on the Bose AE headphones, I thought they were the best things to happen to my ears. I was previously debating between the Bose AE2 ($150), the Solos by Dr. Dre ($180), and the Studios by Dr. Dre ($300). I tried all three at a store and thought they were amazing. The Beats had the bass the Bose lacked but were too expensive, so I settled for the AE2's.

After purchasing the AE2's and feeling completely jipped on the poor bass, I decided to do more headphone research. That lead me here. I decided to give these a try since they were $30 cheaper than the Bose. I ordered them (the M50S - straight cabled, but was sent the coiled cable, which I realize is more convenient), burned them in for about 40hrs, then compared them to the Bose AE2.

The headphones:
The Bose was returned to the store a week later.

These things are GREAT. The bass that I was missing from the Bose was prominent in these. You can hear it, and sometimes your ears can feel it, but these will most likely not satisfy the extreme bass heads. But the bass is there, it is present. Others were correct in characterizing the bass as "punchy". I can tell if the bass is muddy (bass in Beats, to me, are considered overpowering and muddy), and these headphones do not have that muddiness.
This whole thing with mid's and high's... I can't really distinguish the two, but I did read from an audiophile that these are lacking in the mid's, whatever that means. All I can say is that if there are lyrics to the music, you will notice they are clear. The instruments in the background are also clear and it's easier to pick them up (one thing I'd like to add to this is that these headphones present very clear cut sounds. I never realized how detailed the background was to my music. With these, I can actually pick out and follow a set of instruments (like the piano or strings) with ease. With my Apple earphones, sure, I can hear the background if I focus and try to find it, but trying to find a specific sound is a lot more difficult). If you are like me, you will definitely find no problem with the clarity of the speaking/singing. If your ears are used to the typical earbuds (from Apple or otherwise), these things will blow those out of the water.

These things aren't considered to be "noise canceling", but if you turn the volume up just enough, you won't hear a thing outside of them. My roommate had to tap my shoulder to get my attention and she was only 4 ft away from me. (Of course, if you're on a plane or riding in a car, it would be impossible to get rid of the background noises without active noise cancellation).

There are three cons to these phones, however. 1: comfort. Others have complained that the top headband causes pressure after a few hours of wear. I can see where they're coming from... and straight out of the box, I regretted getting these because they were so darn uncomfortable. But I used the tissue box method during the burn in period to loosen them up. Now, after 1.5 weeks of owning them, the headphones have loosened up and are more comfortable. The pleather is OK... and the padding isn't as nice as the Bose AE2 (the only thing I miss about the Bose AE2: they were amazingly comfortable) but I can wear them for several hours with no problem (other than sweaty ears).
2: Portability. These things are HUGE. I wasn't expecting them to be this large. The case Audio-technica provides is a soft pleather bag case. Being a student, I'm going to be stuffing these in my backpack often so I wanted a hard case. I have my hard case from my Philips and was able to fit the Bose AE2's in them but was unable to fit these behemoths. The M50's ear cups do fold inward towards the headband, so it's a bit compact, but is by no means considered "portable". (I recommend getting the coiled cable. As others have said, the straight cable is VERY long, decreasing the portability). They are also considerably heavier than the Bose.
3: Sound leakage. This can be a problem for me if I want to study in a library. The sound leakage isn't that bad... but if you turn the volume past the 40%-50% mark, others will hear it. However, the Bose and Beats also have major sound leakage that was worse than the M50's.

But the price for the value? Apparently these can be compared to $300 headphones in sound quality. I can't comment on that, but I will say that these are a ton better than the Bose AE2. The sound quality is a lot more crisp and clear. Bass is better, no question. You don't realize how crappy the Bose sound until you get your hands on these. Depending on where you purchase your headphones, you can save $30.
As for the Beats by Dr. Dre, you don't realize just how crappy *those* sound until you get your hands on these. Before trying these, I thought the Beats were awesome. After trying these, I tried the Beats at their demo stand and realized how muddy the spoken/sung words were. The bass was overpowering and the overall sound quality from both the solo's and studio's just didn't compare. You can save a potential $60 (solo's) or a whopping $180 (studio's).

You can't go wrong with investing ~$120 for these headphones. They are definitely worth the money, especially in comparison to the Bose and Beats line. Don't fall into the trap of their advertisements or endorsements. You'll only be wasting your money for a name, not for quality. (It's no wonder Beats and Bose are considered to be jokes in the audiophile community: they're way overpriced).

123 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Lord Voldemort

Audio Technica ATH-M50 - Wow!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

I just wanted to say a big thank you to whoever designed the ATH-M50 headphones. I have been looking for a decent pair of headphones for what feels like my whole life and constantly blinded by the lies that other cheap and expensive brands are better than anything such as 'Beats by Dr. Dre'. The ATH-M50 headphones sit way higher than any other headphone on the market. I only use them to listen to music and am not any kind of sound engineer, I just love music but I cannot listen to it unless it sounds good which is something that Audio Technica have managed to do. The first time I put these headphones on and plugged them into my phone (with a mini headphone amp), I heard parts of songs that I had never heard before. I was amazed to say the least. I couldn't stop listening to music for what turned out to be about 2 hours, but it only felt like 2 minuets!

These headphones are:

Comfortable.
Not too hot on your ears.
Able to wear for long periods of time with no issues.
Well built.
Have a nice 'feel' when holding them, good weight.
Sound excellent!!!
Includes all mid, low, high and whatever sound that the song includes (trust me, they don't miss anything).
Crisp sound.
Stylish.
Reasonable price (against Beats which start at £100 + for the 'cheap' models), basically I didn't feel I needed to sell my kidney to pay for them.
Good noise cancellation.
Limited sound leakage.
Fold up nicely and easily portable.
Not too bulky.
Just amazing.

I don't really have any means to downgrade this product at all, I cannot fault these headphones. I will, and have been recommending anyone who is looking for headphones to purchase something from the Audio Technica range and will continue to.

Thank you again (whoever designed these) for bringing such a beautiful set of headphones to the market.

I would recommend that, if you wish to use these with a mobile phone or something with little power, purchase a mini portable headphone amp such as the FiiO E06. It will make the sound so much better.

Antoine

Awesome Value, Premium Headphones

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

The ATH-M50 really ooze quality, reflecting great attention to detail in their design, build quality and performance.

These studio headphones deliver amazing crisp sound with excellent balance from treble to bass whilst retaining loads of detail. I particularly find the bass sounds so deep and only matched by much more expensive headphones. And be it classical or rock, these drivers will handle anything you throw at them with ease, offering an immersing musical experience in return.

The ATH-M50 are built to last, thanks to the mostly metal, solid build quality. And whilst the single 1.2 m coiled cable is non removable, it is reinforced at both ends.

There are another 2 variants of these headphones. The Audio Technica ATH-M50s sport a fixed straight cable, and the latest Audio Technica ATH-M50X come with 3 high quality detachable cables. They all are "Studio Monitor Professional" headphones and share the high quality design and performance. You can pick any set to suit your needs, and you will not regret it!

I simply love these headphones! And at this price, they definitely don't come any better.

Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

Gavin Vaughan

Read on...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 11, 2012

Verified Purchase

Got these headphones today. I'm just going to mention all the things i was worried about before buying these so other people with the same questions can benefit.

First of these are amazing headphones, I'm no audiophile but i do love my music and do my best to get the best quality anything with my budget. These headphone are bang on, so clear. The best way to describe the sound is just everything is just spot on nothing is to powerful or not powerful enough. As they are Studio Monitors they are super clear.

I've owned a pair of Beats by Dre Solo HD's in the past and i can say these headphones are far better. Granted they may not look as stylish but me myself prefer the look of these than the Beats and the sound is much better and they are much more comfier than the beats too.

Another thing im going to mention was i was worried that these would not be loud enough to use on my iPhone but i can assure you they are loud enough by far and i love my music loud so you can trust me.

Basically all the 5 star reviews you see on here are true and legit, they really are one of the best headphones you can get for ~£120. Put it this way, if they ever break in years to come, i might just buy a new pair instead of going for other headphones.

Hope this review answers some questions.

Gerry P

Audio-Technica ATH M50s

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 29, 2011

Verified Purchase

I was hesitant to upgrade my trusty Sennheiser HD25s after 17 years as they still work fine but fancied a change to see if I could be missing anything. I decided to go for these headphones solely based on the reviews I had read and also the fact that I monitored my last work entirely on these cans so I hoped that the ATs would fit the bill.
The first noticeable difference is their weight and size which is considerable compared to the Sennheisers but instantly comfortable when worn. The build quality is excellent and much stronger than my lightweight predecessors The sound quality is uncoloured, accurate with a very tight but controlled bass and best of all, when monitoring through them and cautiously mastering with them, once I had played my final mix through various hi-fi and monitoring speakers, I did not have to alter much by way of reducing the high end or rolling off some bass in any way at all, so in conclusion the Audio-Technica ATH M50s are the next best thing to having good pair of hi-fi / monitor speakers on your ears!
If you are as particular as I am regarding the quality of your sound, stereo placement etc. then these are the boys for you.

Jehannum

Perfect for home music producers

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

The sound is very clear, Each part of a multi-track recording stands out in relief. There's no mushing together of frequencies. There's no artificially boosted bass. You hear each frequency at a loudness level very close to the way it was mixed in the studio on monitor speakers.

I play guitar and write music. In order to help make good-sounding recordings I wanted headphones that did not favour any particular frequency. Cheap headphones boost bass or other frequencies, which is fine for listening to dance music but not when you are trying to achieve a good balance when recording. On a website with comparison graphs of frequency response the ATH M50 appeared to have the flattest line in its price range. Indeed, the graphs were hardly any different to headphones priced at thousands of pounds. This and the mostly favourable reviews convinced me to buy them.

So far I have used them to mix and master one track. I'd been working on speakers up until that point - not monitor speakers. The headphones clearly revealed that I'd mixed the snare drums slightly too high.

I haven't used them for recreational music listening but I have found them to be perfectly comfortable, although tight-fitting.

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Brand	Audio-Technica
Color	Pink
Form Factor	Over Ear
Special Feature	DJ-Style
Age Range (Description)	Adult,Teen

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Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones

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