Product Features and Technical DetailsProduct Features
Technical Details
Product Details
Product DescriptionDesigned especially for professional monitoring and mixing, the Audio Technica ATHM50 Studio Monitor Headphones feature an efficient collapsible design for space-saving portability and storage. Circumaural ear pieces swivel 180 degrees for easy one-ear monitoring and luxuriously padded ear cushions create an outstanding seal for maximum isolation. The adjustable headband is generously padded for ultimate comfort during long mixing sessions. A straight 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.
The most helpful favorable review 68 of 72 people found the following review helpful  Highly regarded with good reason, By Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Audio-Technica ATHM50S Professional Monitor Headphones (Electronics) I've had these headphones for about a week and a half now, and I love 'em. They are not ideal for all listening situations, however. I typically use the M50s with a FiiO E11 Portable Headphone Amplifier connected to my iPad via a FiiO L3 Line Out Dock (LOD) Cable, or connected to my laptop via the cable the E11 comes with (which plugs into the headphones/audio out jacks on computers, MP3 players, iPads and iPhones, etc). This gives me great sound when I listen to various alternative and rock stations through the TuneIn Radio app for iPad or to lossless music on my laptop. But when I watch a movie on my iPad or laptop, I prefer to listen through my Sennheiser HD555 Professional Headphones, because they have a better soundscape than the M50s. Open back headphones, such as the 555s, typically have more spacious soundscapes than closed back headphones such as the M50s. ("Soundscape" refers to perception of distance from the source. If an automobile is approaching from the rear left in a movie scene, with the 555s I can easily discern its location and can hear/"feel" its approach, whereas I do not get such a sense of depth or soundscape with the M50s. But when listening to rock with the 555s, I do not get the sense of immediacy and presence - nor anywhere near as much bass - as I do with the M50s, which is why I'm glad I own both headphones.)I wanted the straight cable version of the M50s because of previous experience with coiled headphones cables becoming stretched out and unsightly over time. The straight cable is 11 feet long, which means that it needs to be folded up and rubber-banded or twist-tied when the M50s are used with a portable music player by someone who is out and about or moving around a lot. I like that the M50 ear pads can be replaced for around $20 a pair (at present, and apparently not through Amazon). I own a pair of Sennheiser HD580s that are now over a decade old, and the ear pads are pretty much worn out, making wearing the 580s very uncomfortable as well as no doubt negatively affecting their audio quality. Replacement ear pads for the 580s cost around $50! (Replacement ear pads for AKG's Quincey Jones Q701 headphones retail for about $35 EACH or $70 a pair!) The M50 headphones are circumaural, meaning that their ear pads cover the ears (as opposed to sitting on the ears like supra-aural headphones), and cover my ears just fine (I'd say that my ears are somewhere between medium and large in size). And I like that the M50s can be folded up and stored and carried in the soft pleather protective pouch they come with. When folded up the M50s and folded up cable could fit, tightly, in a box that is approximately 5" x 7" x 4". My hat size is about 7 5/8 (about 23 7/8 inches), and while the M50s fit me fine and are reasonably comfortable, after an hour or so they begin to feel a tad uncomfortable, meaning that I start to get that "clamping" sensation that headphone wearers talk about. At this point I begin adjusting the headphones a bit. Some folks deal with this kind of problem by putting their headphones over, say, a head-sized speaker cabinet to stretch them out, but I'm reluctant to do that because I take it for granted that my head will cause the M50s to stretch over time, and I wouldn't want to risk pushing them in the direction of becoming not tight enough. And as many reviewers of the M50s note, they get hot after a while (very quickly when I wear them while working out on an exercycle or elliptical, otherwise after about an hour). When wearing them during exercise I need to have a towel, rag, or cloth handy in case I need to wipe sweat off the pads. I'm bald but find the headband reasonably comfortable. I like the M50s for listening to some classical music, whereas there is some classical music that I prefer to listen with the aforementioned Sennheiser HD555s (e.g., opera, which I find benefits from headphones with more spacious soundscapes). If you are in the market for headphones and are considering the M50s, I recommend that you check out Tyll Herstens' positive (he recommends them) YouTube review of the M50s (which is available both on YouTube and at Mr. Herstens' excellent site, Inner Fidelity; there is also a written review at Inner Fidelity). Mr. Herstens has done some serious technical research on the question of headphone burn-in, and you can find his articles on that at Inner Fidelity (once at the site, search for "burn-in" or "break-in"). If you are interested in reviewing technical data and graphs for headphones, including the M50s, check out the "Build A Headphone Graph" section in the "Learning Center" of the HeadRoom site. There you can create and compare graphs for up to four different headphones at a time. Finally, the M50s are marketed as offering "maximum isolation," so how good are they at noise isolation? I wouldn't wear them for noise-cancelling purposes (we don't want to confuse noise-isolating headphones with noise-cancelling headphones; see the Wikipedia entry for noise-cancelling headphones for more information), such as when I ride my lawn tractor. They are too nice for such use, but if I didn't care about that I would still prefer my AblePlanet active noise-cancelling headphones for such use, because they work really well at blocking out loud noise like the sound of a lawn tractor. The M50s are more than adequate for noise-isolation when I use an exercycle or elliptical, and probably do offer the maximum amount of noise-isolation that closed-back headphones which are not active noise-cancelling headphones can offer. ------------------------------------ Just one thing missing..., By Julie Ham (ID, United States) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Audio-Technica ATHM50S Professional Monitor Headphones (Electronics) If these headphones had a 3.5mm jack instead of a hard-wired cord, I would give them 6 stars!!! These headphones are excellent and I would recommend them to anyone. Try them, you won't be disappointed. Very good for the low price., This review is from: Audio-Technica ATHM50S Professional Monitor Headphones (Electronics) waiting for a big discount!!! I hope there can be a discount before next week I come back to my country Best Head Phones I've had, This review is from: Audio-Technica ATHM50S Professional Monitor Headphones (Electronics) These are the best! I really like the clarity of sound and I use these to edit movies with and to listen to music. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful Outstanding for the price, By William J. Melton "buz" (Beaver Dam, AZ USA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Audio-Technica ATHM50S Professional Monitor Headphones (Electronics) My old stereo went out the door when my wife downsized a couple of years back. I really missed my Polk SDA-2A speakers. Been listening to my music set at a flat EQ when I got the Polks. Now with a headphone amp I can do this again. Listening to music files from iTunes, I have made, and Amazon to be sure. And cd's to be able to know if the bass player is using an electric, or stand-up. The headphones get better each time I use them burning them in as I go. Had a fiio E7, now a E17 be sure to use half volume. The headphones will come into there own. Thought they sounded great out of the box. But as I keep using them bass, mids, and highs get better not to mention the soundstage. These things are outstanding. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful These are spectacular., This review is from: Audio-Technica ATHM50S Professional Monitor Headphones (Electronics) I literally can't get enough of these headphones. They're so comfy that even if my music stops, I keep them on because I've forgotten that they're there. The sound is just perfect for both recording and just listening to music while working. Worth the price. Better than the Bose and Sennheiser ones I've worn before.  |
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