audio technica ath m50x vs m40x review

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Review [2024 Buyer’s Guide Included]

Welcome to Blue Buzz Music!

People buy headphones for different reasons. If you need a pair to play games and watch YouTube, there is no need to go for high quality. Who cares if your headphones would be equalized a little too much on one end.

If you use them for music production, professional cybersports, or video editing, investing in a good pair of studio headphones is a smart thing to do.

In this Audio-Technica ATH-M50x review, we’ll go over the main pros and cons and see whether the AT studio headphones are a worthy investment.

Audio-Technica Brand

audio technica brand

Once you earn respect in the audio world and get professionals and amateurs using and recommending your products, you are set.

That can only be done by providing value to the customers.

If you’ve read my guide on how to build a recording studio or studio headphones’ buying guide, you’d know my admiration of Audio-Technica products. Even though not being overly expensive, they provide one of the best products on the market. Moreover, you get outstanding customer support. Some big companies can learn a lesson or two from them.

Anyways, let’s get to the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Review already.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Unboxing

audio technica ath-m50x unboxing

The package comes with a few accessories inside that can come in handy along the way.

First of all, of course, you get the ATH-M50x headphones. How are you supposed to carry them around? Well, Audio-Technica took care of that already. You’ll find a nice carrying pouch to put your headphones into.

In this case, they won’t scratch or get damaged if you put them in your backpack or suitcase when you are on the road.

Also, they include the ¼” to 3.5mm adapter. It’s crucial if you are using an interface to connect your headphones to the PC or laptop. Most portable audio interfaces have ¼” inputs to provide better sound quality. Therefore, it’s a must-have for any person taking sound engineering seriously.

Lastly, you get 3 different audio cables.

Note that all of them have a unique Audio-Technica connector, so you have to be careful not to lose them. If you do, you can buy a simple 2.5mm no-name cable at a store such as BestBuy and Walmart.

Anyways, the first cable that comes with Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is a short 3-foot cable that comes in handy when you don’t want a lot of wiring around. For example, you can just plug it into your phone when taking a walk and avoid unnecessary cable sticking out from your pocket.

The other two are 6-foot cables. The only difference is that one of them is straight and the other one is coiled. Coiled one is supposed to save space when you are in a crowded studio or somewhere busy. Moreover, you don’t have a cable laying around to step or roll your chair on.

If the cable’s too stiff, however, you can have troubles extending it without moving another light piece of equipment, such as a keyboard or interface.

Who are Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones For?

Who are Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones For-

These studio headphones are great, but they aren’t a “one-for-all” solution.

First of all, if you are choosing headphones to buy for when you are taking a train or bus to school or work, ATH-M50x headphones will be a fantastic purchase that will likely satisfy all your needs. Besides the quality sound, they provide outstanding sound isolation, so the only thing you’ll have to worry about is not to miss your bus or train stop to get off.

If you are looking into music production (do you know how to make beats?) and video editing , an idea to buy Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is a smart one as well. Thousands of thousands of YouTubers, beatmakers, and music producers own or used to own a pair of such studio headphones.

Why? That’s a good question!

These headphones went viral on YouTube and Reddit a few years back, so a lot of people decided to try them out. Luckily, the developers’ team didn’t fail their fans’ expectations and over delivered regarding quality for the price.

Even though they weren’t completely neutral (no emphasis on any frequencies), Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones managed to appeal not only to music production professionals but also the general audience.

They emphasize the lower frequency range, which is a slight drawback.

However, unless you are a commercial audio engineer, you should have a problem with that. Moreover, there are a billion workarounds. They are also great for podcasts, “reaction videos,” gaming, and other simple things people do on the daily.

Let’s talk about the build now.

Do Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Have Quality Build?

Do Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Have Quality Build

Even though they are considered the lower end studio headphones, Audio-Technica developers went above and beyond with the build. First of all, they look fantastic. They come in a few colours, so you can pick the one up to your liking, and look unique. Not nearly as recognizable as Beats, they don’t look nearly as flashy or “hype.” You look low-key and professional when wearing them.

ATH-M50x studio headphones are made entirely of plastic, so they are light and are the best fit for long beatmaking, mixing, and mastering sessions, for example.

If you were to pick Beats Pro right after, you’d notice how much heavier the metal build is. To sum up, you lose some of the sturdiness and gain comfort, so you’ll have to choose.

The padding is made of plush, so it should sit well and be comfortable for your ears. The only drawback is the fact that the padding doesn’t let any fresh air in, so you’ll have to take them off once in a while or bear with your sweaty ears.

Lastly, the ear cups rotate 90 degrees, which can make wearing and carrying them around a lot more comfortable. Adjust them up to your liking and enjoy.

How Do Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones Connect?

How Do Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones Connect-

All 3 cables that come with studio headphones have a 3.5 mm jack to plug it into your phone or computer. As mentioned earlier, if you have a portable audio interface such as Focusrite 2i2, for example, or a higher end gear, you may use the ¼” adapter which is also included.

I decided to talk about the connection because Audio-Technica has also released similar ATH-M50XBT headphones with BlueTooth connection, so you don’t have to worry about cables ever again.

However, there is almost always a delay when the device is connected wirelessly. Therefore, they are not recommended for high-precision tasks such as music production (do you know how to make bea and video editing.

Sound Quality of ATH-M50x

Sound Quality of ATH-M50x

A lot of music producers will call them to monitor headphones, mainly because they are branded as such and are purchased for monitoring. However, it’s not entirely accurate. Yes, they can be used for monitoring the sound just like studio monitors.

Moreover, they perform fantastic comparing to a lot of studio headphones in a similar price range.

However, they aren’t entirely neutral like the higher end (and higher price tag) headphones. Similar to Beats, their lower end frequencies are boosted to make the music you listen to “sound better.”

The problem with having specific frequencies boosted is that you can’t equalize tracks properly going only by what your headphones tell you. You may think there is enough bass in the track already, but the truth is that your headphones naturally boost any bass frequencies in the range from around 20 Hz to 40 Hz.

When it comes to mid and higher frequencies, the response is reasonably neutral.

However, some producers have noticed that mids around the vocal range frequencies might be a little recessed, but this depends on how good yours and listeners’ ears are trained.

Lastly, high frequencies treble sounds may escape from the headphones during recording and cause bleeding. Therefore, be aware of turning off the tracks with trebly sounds to prevent unnecessary issues with your recordings at later stages. Other than the small problems described above, you will love the sound of your Audio-Technica ATH-M50x studio headphones.

Should You Buy Audio-Technica ATH-M50x?

There are hundreds if not thousands of studio headphones on the market these days. Some are under $50; others can cost you thousands of dollars. Are ATH-M50x headphones a good bang for the buck? Well, that would be an understatement.

If anything, it’s one of the best bangs for the buck on the entire studio headphones market.
It over-delivers in terms of sound, build quality, design, and comfort.

You can rarely find headphones at $300 that can give you the same sound these bad boys do. With a couple issues such as isolation and bass boost, they should still be on the top of your studio headphones wish-list!

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Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API