Audio-Technica ATH-M50S - Pro Studio Headphones w/ Straight Cable Reviews

I bought these headphones as a beginner to mixing about 3 years ago not knowing what to look for in a set of monitoring headphones. Now about 3 years later with the knowledge and experience I've gained , I can definitely say these headphones are phenomenal for the small price you pay.

Most say to never mix solely in headphones, but if that's all you can afford, these are your best friend. All I had to mix with are these headphones and taking my mixes out to other systems, I was pleasantly surprised how well these allowed me to get my mixes where I want them.

THE LOW END IS BEAUTIFUL!
Producing and mixing music that demands a very low sub bass is a dream with these headphones, you can definitely FEEL that sickening sub bass pressure.

A++

Before purchase I did a lot of checking. Read many reviews. The headphones live up to their reputation. Require a short break in period. The sound is detailed, rich and above all else accurate. I am using mine in place of an audiophile headphone that sells around $90. These will do duty in my hi-fi rig as well as any recording duties that come along. Love the clean powerful bass. Very much recommended.

Way beyond my expectations! The low end was so solid I thought I left the subwoofer on.......it wasn't.

I have tried and owned tons of headphones over the years, and these are by far the best you can get in this price range. They are even superior to headphones more than twice the price!! Definitely try these before spending a lot more money on headphones.

I've tried three standard headphones for my studio to date: The Ultrasone, audio-technica ATH-M20, and the Anniversary 50th that I got from Sweetwater and I like the 50th the best. Good sound and nice to have on thy fit sung.

This headset my Audio-Technica has great low end broad and deep while satisfying my need for high end clarity. I'm completely pleased with this headset and its' solid construction.

I wanted to get more expensive headphones cause I thought they would be better boy was I wrong. These sound great and for less than half. They have great bass response and great highs, I can wear them all day and I do, and what I hear is what I get. Honestly these will be the only headphone in the mixing booth.

There are a number of headphones in this price range, so I was unsure which choice to make. The reviews consistently pointed to the ATH-M50 phones, and man were they right! These are super comfortable, they fold up into a compact, stable bundle, but most importantly, they sound FANTASTIC! I use them to run a guitar amp through an attenuator with a phones out jack. The sound is clean, balanced, not ice pick-y like less expensive phones get. Through a stereo, the sonic imaging is simply unbelievable! In this price range, you just can't go wrong.

Want a set of professional quality headphones? this are the ones! Cant go wrong with this item!

After they burn in (few days of music/pink noise) the clarity really comes through. Unlike the Senn 280 it has a nice low end presence. Best in class for the money.

amazing once burnt in. so much better than the beats. everything sounds amazing in these. for 160. i dont have any complaints. thanks sweetwater!

I hadn't ordered headphones in quite a while and needed a good quality sound at a reasonable price. This pair of headphones is over the top in sound quality and comfort. The clarity is absolutely amazing!

WA said it all. But gotta add my 2 cents.
Had problems with the Sony's leaking into vox mix too much.
Didn't want to edit in the mix so had to get some new cans.
Crystal is all I can say, superiour isolation.
Awesome!

I am using this for listen music from my Laptop and this headphones get loud and the sound is clean and balance compere to the Sony MDR V-6 that I also have. They are realy comfy in my head and I been wering them for hours with no trouble. Compere this with the V6 and I think those are more balance.

I have owned several well known headphones in the last 15 years: AKG240s, DT990s, HD280s, Sony 7509s, the ATH-M50s are far more superior in all aspects than all of these former studio workhorses. I`ve been using the ATH-M50s for a year and they have dramatically improved the sound of my mixes.

My advice with all gear is to audition all of it and see for yourself. I`m not a fan of bright sounding headphones like the Sony 7506s or the HD280s. The DT990s sound great but they cannot handle loudness w/o breaking up. The 240s are still a great purchase and I still use them for referencing but again, the ATH-M50s give me everything: balance, loudness, construction, comfort.

These headphones have the best stereo imaging of any headphones I've ever heard. Lately I've been listening to songs and albums that have been in collection for 10 years + and I'm hearing LOADS of sonic information that I've never heard before. It's not just WHERE sounds sit in the stereo image, it's how DETAILED those sounds are in their place. Great for mixing material that you want to create a wide space with.

I've been using a pair of Sennheisers for last few years, and for the money they were pretty good. Compared to those, the ATHM50s are a bit brighter. There is definitely enough high and low shelf information to make a balanced mix, but not so crazy hyped that your mixes translate mid-heavy. Forget about spending $500 on Dre's Beats. These headphones, at way less than half the price, DESTROY the Beats.

ATHM50s are balanced enough to mix with, but bold enough to listen to music with. From the iPod to the multi-million studio, these are a winner. YOU CAN'T LOSE.

These phones truly sound great and are generally tough enough for studio abuse! I gave them 4.5 stars because I have had cable failures on rare occasions, but on the other hand, I realize nothing is completely indestructible. You can use these for critical applications, too. They are very comfortable and provide plenty of isolation but they don't feel cumbersome or heavy. The best all around!

Great headphones for checking the record mix bus feed. Closed backs and good seals work well to isolate the PA and ambient noise. Quick on and off, along with pivoting design lets me only use one ear easily.

These things just rule. I've been using SHR840's, DT770's HD380's, and these things just crush all of them. The only thing that is a bit of a gripe for me is that the cabe isnt detachable. Oh well, big deal. The fact that they crush everything above it's price point makes it worth it to be a little more carful when storing. Get these.

Excellent headphones for the price!

***ATH-M50S sounds great and works with any studio project.
It's loud enough to hear every detail and quality is excellent. I will buy
again from audioTechnica.***

I love the balanced sound with tight bass. It's very comfortable and on budget.

Nice construction and design, great spectrum coverage, especially in the low end. Low impedance means they can be driven from a wide variety of sources at high volume. They can handle extreme levels. I use these in conjunction with AKG-k702s, which I use for clarity and accuracy, and these for bass and high-volume applications. For the price I have no problem gigging with these as well. Great product, very pleased.

Love it! Good even response. Helps a lot when checking and comparing final mix between Near Field Speakers and Headphones.

I own several pairs of the Sony MDR-7506, which are my #1 reference headphone. I love them except they don't isolate outside sounds as well as I'd like for live concert tracking. This lead me to try out some other headphones.

The problem I have with most headphones -- even very expensive "pro" models -- is very uneven midrange, and a ~250 Hz resonance that makes the mid-bass sound muddy. I tried Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm version), Ultrasone models (seriously disappointing), and Shure's $99 cans (truly horrible sounding -- why would they put their name on that??).

Then I alighted upon the ATH-M50S. They are larger than the Sony headphones, more comfortable, more isolating, and sound almost as good!

These headphones are great to listen to, as they have a fuller mid-bass than the Sony (too full for accuracy, but nice to listen to), and a bit more of a relaxed upper-mid. When switching between these and the Sonys, the Sonys started sounding peaky and harsh in the upper mids. The Audio Technicas, to my ears, actually sound better with classical/symphonic material. The sound is very pleasing. When I show a mix off to someone using my MP3 player, I had them these headphones rather than the Sony... It gives them that "wow" factor.

These are a very worthy headphone, with good isolation, a nice, heavy-duty plug and plug adapter... Scratch that, the whole headset is rugged!

Recommended.

Audio Techmica ATH-M50S are great headphones for use by vocalist for original tracking or overdubs.

Not quite as noise cancelling as I thought, though for the price I am still quite satisfied. Real issue is angle of phones to clip. The head clip feels like it's too close to my forehead, just a weird angle. But they do have sharp clear playback sound, so overall is great.

Highs are a bit tinny for my liking.

I was hoping for better and a neutral headphone for mixing ... but these aren't them. They sound good, but too much emphasis on the upper frequency range.

As for comfort, they make my ears hot pretty quick ... not suitable for long durations.

These sound great. However, right after the warranty ran out , they crapped out due to the weak hard wired cable connection to the cup. Headphones of this caliber and price should have a cable that can be easily unplugged and replaced.