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Up front, plain and simple, the Audio-Technica ATH-M30 headphones are a steal for what Amazon is charging. As of this writing, they're a hair over $40.00, and they're worth every penny. Despite all the gushing I'm about to do here, I'm giving these a 4-star review based on the idea that these are a real bargain for the price but you can, for four times the price, buy cans that put these to shame. That's the short version of this review, but if you more details, read on.
For your edification, I'm a 30-year-old male. I've spent a lot of my life listening to different music, from classical to rap to jazz, but I've listened the most to 1970's and 1980's-style guitar-heavy rock (think Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Rush). I also thoroughly enjoy Radiohead and Ben Folds, and I've been going through a dubstep phase of late.
Frankly, I have limited experience in high-quality headphones, but I can tell you what I've stacked these M30's up against in the last few days and how I think they compare:
1) Versus cheap Sansa earbuds that came with a low-end MP3 player: There is no comparison. Not in the same class, not on the same planet, not in the same universe. The earbuds are an utter joke compared the M30's, and it is these very M30's that caused me to throw away my earbuds last night. I refuse to go back to them after listening to the M30's.
2) Versus
Panasonic RPHJE120K In-Ear Headphone, Black
: You might be saying, "but you need ear buds for their form factor in some situations." Not after trying these in-ear headphones, you don't. For around 7 dollars, these are pretty solid. With some EQ to bring up the bass frequencies, these are really nice for the price. I don't think I would ever go back to regular earbuds after hearing these, but, still they sound very "flat" in the mid- and high-frequency ranges and lack brightness, but for what they are I am really impressed with them. Perfect for the treadmill or mowing the lawn (please wear over-hear projection on top of these if you mow in them).
3) Versus
Panasonic RP-HTX7-W1 Stereo Headphones -White
: It starts to get interesting here. I just bought these Panasonic's a couple weeks ago. I was trying to find my first pair of acceptably good headphones because I'd never owned headphones much better than what came with a Sony Discman. I've loved music my whole life, and somehow my cheapness had gotten the best of me; I finally realized it was worth spending more than $10 on a pair of headphones that would sound fuller, reproduce music more accurately, and hopefully last more than a couple months.
I did a lot of research and found the RP-HTX7 had a LOT of VERY positive reviews, so I chose them over the Sennheiser HD202's, which are very highly regarded for the price at just a few dollars less than these Panasonics.
I was concerned that the fashionable look of the RP-HTX7 was at the expense of sound quality, and, sure enough, this was one of the few times Amazon Reviews have failed me. Compared to your standard cheap ear buds, these Panasonics are a good upgrade. With a LOT of added bass from an equalizer, these are actually pretty good. They do have good clarity in the high-mids, but the highest highs are a little on the tinny side. Unfortunately, I don't intend to run EQ on everything I listen to through my headphones, and with no equalizer these Panasonics just have no warmth at all and are very low on the bass side.
The ATH-M30 has a monstrous leg up over the RP-HTX7 in sound quality for an upgrade of less than $10. The M30's have strong bass that hits pretty hard for the price, and with EQ the bass can be made ridiculously strong. There is just a tiny bit of added clarity that the Panasonic's have in the mid-highs over the M30's but it's not enough to detract in this price range.
In terms of comfort, the RP-HTX7 is below average to poor. The ear cover padding is dense and unforgiving and the rubber creates a nearly airtight seal with the side of my head. Within minutes, my ears are hot and sweaty. The M30's immediately feel like a better build, and the padding and fabric are less firm and cooler than the RP-HTX7's.
If you care about the look, consider buying the RP-HTX7. They used to sell for $60-$80 and now they go for around $30; that should tell you something.
But if you truly care about sound quality, you won't buy the Panasonic RP-HTX7. You'll buy something else in the price range that actually sounds good. For about $10 extra, these M30's fit that bill perfectly, but I would try to get my hands on some Sennheiser HD202's first (and hopefully some others, too) for your comparison before you commit to a particular set. Personally, I'll be returning my RP-HTX7's in favor of the M30's.
4) Versus
Beats Studio Over-Ear Headphone (Black)
: To me, this is where it's interesting: $40 Audio-Technica's versus $300 Dre Beats Studio's. A coworker of mine has the Studio's and I've been fortunate enough to try these back and forth against the M30's.
I won't lie to you. The Dre Beats Studio's are better. The Studio's have a cleanness and clarity that the M30's cannot achieve. They're significantly more comfortable, too. They also cost 7 times as much, and the truth is I'd rather have 2 pairs of M30's and $200 in my pocket than 1 pair of Dre Beats Studio's. That said, there are probably better $300 headphones than Dre Beats (e.g., Bose QuietComfort 15's) that would make this a tougher decision, but my point is for around $40 the ATH-M30's do remarkably well.
Overall, the Audio-Technica ATH-M30 is a really reasonable buy for the price. They are the best sounding headphones I now own but also the most expensive. From my research, the next big jump up in quality is the ATH-M50 but at more than triple the price of the M30's I think it's a significant decision.
Cons?
- My head is probably a little above average in width, and the M30's do push against the side of my head with noticeable force; it does create some pressure on the side of my head, and while it's not enough to be painful, I do hope they will loosen up with time. I also can listen to these for an hour or two and my ears don't sweat like with the Panasonic RP-HTX7.
- Not every song sounds terribly clean through these. There is some mud in the mids and mid-highs, especially if you have gobs of bass coming through at the same time. This is one of the things you improve on when you start spending $100+ on a set of cans, and while that day may come for me, I'm not there yet.
- Cord is not removable. They say you get what you pay for, and it's true, but this is a big one. These headphones come with an 11-foot non-interchangeable cord. For my own use, this isn't a huge deal because I just roll up the cord and contain it with a twist tie while I sit at a desk, but for some people I can imagine this would be a significant frustration.
For better or for worse, the Audio-Technica ATH-M30's are the first set of headphones I've owned where I could easily pick out a good quality MP3 rip from a bad one. I'm afraid I'm going to have to re-rip all my 160k MP3's at 256k or go to FLAC. With these headphones, you can pick out all those backing vocals you couldn't hear before, all those accompanying instruments and fine touches you didn't even know were there before. But I can hear the imperfections from bad editing jobs now, too, so choose your poison, I guess.
They say ignorance is bliss, and I can't un-know how good these are for the price, but the fact is that I will never go back to bad headphones again. Good sound quality is something you can appreciate throughout your entire life, and these headphones are more than worth the price of admission.
There is a newer model of this item:
Audio-Technica ATH-M30x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Black
$79.00
(9,908)
Only 17 left in stock - order soon.
$79.00
(9,908)
Only 17 left in stock - order soon.
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Great sound, but not designed for mobile use
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013
I wanted headphones that sound better than $20 earbuds, but I'm not enough of a hard-core audiophile to pay $200 (let alone $2000) for cans. I'm very happy with this choice: they sound great, and are comfortable to wear for hours and hours at work.The main drawback with the headphones is the cord: it's long and the plug is huge. This is okay if you're listening to music sitting on your couch plugged into your receiver. But trying to use them with a mobile device is laughably awkward; I had to wrap up 2m of extra cord, and the plug won't fit into anything that has a case.So a few days ago, I cut the cord down to about 1.5m and soldered on a new plug — one designed to fit into a recessed plug through an iPod or phone case. Now a great set of headphones is a perfect pair of headphones. If you'd like to do the same, there are three thin (30 gauge or so) wires in the cord: the blue one connects to the tip (left channel), the red one connects to the ring (right channel) and the yellow one connects to the sleeve (ground).
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013
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