Audio-Technica ATH-D40 Reviews

Cindy L.
from Lebanon, IN
October 27, 2011Music Background:
Medical Transcriptionist

Still going strong

I bought my ATH-D40fs headphones over 4 years ago and use them daily for my medical transcription work. They are still going strong! They are very comfortable, and the sound is excellent. They aren't exactly noise-cancelling, but they do drown out quite a bit of exterior noise. I bought them back then for $80, so at $60 now they're a steal.

Johnathan West
from Jonesboro AR
December 16, 2009Music Background:
SInger/sogwriter guitar player Studio pro ducer engineer

AMAZING COMFORTABLE HEADPHONES

I just want to start off saying that if your looking at these headphones and wondering how good they are, stop guessing and just buy..Just got mine in today they are so clear in sound you can here the highs perfectly,the mids are amazing and the bass enhancement is really good. I'm a signer/songwriter and i have a small song writing studio.I spend a lot of time mixing and the fact that they are so comfortable really helps out also,the fact that they are closed helps with noise isolation a lot..If your a beginner just getting into recording or a professional these headphones are the one for you...

Drew
from charlottesville, va
August 26, 2007Music Background:
Recording/Sound Engineer, Musician

WOW! Blown Away

Yea, these things are very comfortable, sharp sound, I mean just sounds great! Block out a good bit of sound and don't leak!
Honestly it doesn't get much better in headphones.
Let me tell you!
I've dropped these, sat on them, lol... I've pulled them up by the chord and many times dont see the chord in my old cramp recording space and step on the chord. OH NO! jack gets pulled out, headphones come off but everythings ok. I'm saving my money. Until you get in to the master's pairs around 400, these are the best for anywhere close to the price! no doubt

WCFM
from Williamstown, MA
October 7, 2006Music Background:
College DJ/Board Member

Phenomenal Value

I'll try to keep this short. We used these headphones along with the monitor (M40fs) version, and Sony 7506's for production/broadcasting.
Pros: Sound/price ratio (unbeatable), comfort (really snug, so it won't go anywhere even when headbanging, soft insides), sound sealing (you can't hear anything softer than normal conversation if you tried), durable wire and plug, one eared listening a piece of cake.
Cons: Parts for the headphones don't seem to be easily available, can get warm inside, 1/4" input means an adapter is necessary for most MP3 players, no apparatus to wind up the REALLY long cord, no folding for those who care about that.
Comparing to the M40fs, the sound is sweeter with great trebles and bass, and it feels like a cushion inside, while the M40 is really flat and has a ring inside instead of the large cushion so it feels more open. Based on the prices, it's easy to pick this over the M40, unless you plan on doing audio engineering.
Comparing to the 7506, there is less treble and more bass, and they feel a bit more bulky, with rounded plastic versus metallic feeling flat sides. The one-ear listening is done differently, with the 7506 flipping and the A-T's twisting, and the cord for the 7506 is coiled (though more delicate). The value comparison is incomparable.

Max P
from Philadelphia, PA
October 31, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist and Performer

exactly what I wanted

These are the first professional-quality phones I've purchased for my own use, but I've used others in the past. The bass-range enhancement gives the sound a feeling of consistency across the frequency range. Amazing clarity. The is especially true for the natural piano sounds I've mainly been using them for so far. I get a more legitimate "grand piano" sound which has more weight and color in the bass. I'm confident that they will work very well for more electronic mastering when I get to that stage as well.

Charly Butcher
from Fort Wayne
September 1, 2011Music Background:
Broadcast

The only thing I use professionally

I use these on my head over 4 hours every day while on the air at WOWO 1190AM. AM audio can be fatiguing over a long time frame and I don't get that with these headphones. I also do production in our recording studios and these give me a very clean and accurate "view" of the work I'm doing, aside from the bass bump, but I'm use to it. My only complaint is that after two years the material covering the pads has come apart... looks like I get another write off

Andy
from Indiana
May 23, 2011Music Background:
Keyboardist, bassist

Good Buy

These headphones, for that price. I bought these about a month ago, looking for a decent pair of headphones that i could practice with at night when everyone was sleeping, and also use them to mix some protools stuff.. The sound is incredible, not too bass heavy (which i like) cause it gives you an accurate mix. I only rated it 4.5 because they do not come with an 1/8 adaptor which is very helpfull. But other than that, you can't go wrong with these headphones. They are very comfortable and isolate the sound quite well... once i get a better budget, i might pick up a few more for the rest of my band.

Rosemarie
from Lansdale, PA
February 3, 2007Music Background:
None

LOVE these HEADPHONES!

I purchased these for personal use because music is my life and I want to hear every nuance of my favorite songs. I want my violin painfully plaintive and my bass profound but not overwhelming. I can't offer any technical jargon but what I can state is that I hear things I've never heard before - Al Stewart never sounded better.

AARON V. HALL
from KIlauea,Kauai,HI ,USA
November 7, 2010Music Background:
Electronic Tech/dj/Audiofile

Stoked, love these headphones!

Great sound and isolation.
Only things that might let them down,ear pieces tend to swivel too easy.
After a year of ownership noticed distortion in right ear,slipped ear pad off to find inner piece of foam gone into break down filling up speaker.
Blew the speaker out and their good to go again,stoked,love these headphones.

Dave Fish
from Melbourne
June 6, 2008Music Background:
hobby farm

a good buy

I my bought my set of ATH-D40s about 9 years ago. They have been all over the world with me and been fixed a half a dozen times. Still produce fantastic bass. Have out lasted all my other head phones and sound better than my speakers. For 60 quid you can't go wrong

mbinridgway
from Pa
August 7, 2007Music Background:
Drummer and guy that owns the sound equipment

Definately a quality product

Spend your money on these! The sound quality is very good. These headphones are well constructed, the 11' cable is nice, and they fit great. They do get a little warm on your mellon after awhile, but then again don't most headphones of this type?

Jon Fairman
from Nashville, TN
December 10, 2008Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer, Recording Engineer

Not worth the money!!!

These were the first pair of headphones I purchased, and did so without listening to them. I figured for $60 they'd have to sound good. I was wrong! It sounds as if you're inside a cardboard box when you listen to these things. I could understand this if they were around $30. But for this price they should sound much better. If you want a good pair of headphones (the industry standard), buy a pair of Sony MDR-7506s. They sound amazing and they're only $40 more than these.

Phil Gould
from Central Iowa
October 7, 2010Music Background:
gigging musician with a modest home studio.

"Flakey" earpiece cover

While these headphones have adequate sound quality for the money, the covering on the earpiece muffs flakes off leaving you with black flecks in your hair. They would have been better off not putting that on and just going with the material underneath, which is what I will wind up with anyway once I've tweezed the remainder off.

Doug
from Amarillo, TX USA
July 1, 2004

Great Headphones for the Price

Great fit, great sound, great value. I've owned two set of headphones that cost twice as much and were nowhere near this good.

First, these fit. They are snug over the top of the head and over the ears. They don't fall off if you look down (or even dance around), nor do they feel like your head is in a vise. They are well-padded and extremely comfortable.

Second, the sound quality is very good. Being a hobby musician who records at home, I mix using headphones sometimes (can't crank up the monitors at all hours) -- and I'm usually disappointed with the sound when I hear it on speakers later. With these headphones, what I hear is pretty much what I get. If you just want a decent set of headphones for your stereo, these would be a good choice for that, as well. I tend to prefer a LOT of bass and very crisp high-ends -- and these headphones can definitely handle it (anything else I've tried in this price range sounds like a ‘50's car radio turned up too loud). They also do a nice job of eliminating outside noise. For all these reasons, I'd think these would make excellent budget headphones for live stage monitoring, although I have not tried them in that setting.

The headphones themselves, the cable, and standard 1/4" jack are well-made and should hold up even if dropped or jerked around a little -- again, not something I've found to be the case with other headphones in this price range.

Because these are closed-back and well-padded, it gets very warm inside after few hours of use. Over time, the padding will naturally have to absorb some perspiration and body oils, and that would be my only concern about this product. I have seen similar material start to peel, crack, or disintegrate around the ear pieces fairly quickly. (I've only had these for a few weeks, and they are fine so far.) Other than that, these headphones are exactly what I wanted and much more than I expected for the price.

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