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Katz's Corner Episode 10: Mid-Priced Sealed Headphone Survey - Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Audio Technica ATHM50x
The first headphone I picked out of Tyll's box is an Audio Technica ATH M50x. Black in color, compact but still circumaural, it looks more like a utility headphone for a recording studio or carry round than something an audiophile would be attracted to. But good things come in small packages, and besides, I own three pairs of Sony MDR-V5/6 headphones which fold up like these and have served me well over the years.
The flat cord is annoyingly short.... about a yard long. I did find a lot of too-short cords in this bunch, as if the manufacturer is trying to save pennies for no good reason. The only good reason I suppose for a short cord is the convenience of the portable user. Yet a meter and a half, my recommended minimum length, would not be too long for most joggers and so I resent anything shorter than that.
(Editor's Note: Unbeknownst to Bob, I sent all the headphones with their shortest cable. He had no idea that the M50x comes with three cables. They are: detachable 1.2 m - 3.0 m (3.9' - 9.8') coiled cable, detachable 3.0 m (9.8') straight cable and detachable 1.2 m (3.9') straight cable. Sorry about that. This happens a couple times in the article; I'll make note when there is a second, longer cable available.)
Its cable terminates in a 1/8" TRS mini, and I had to supply the adapter, though Tyll may have lost it before sending this phone to me. The best feature of this phone is that the mini TRS socket on the left earphone is locking. You give the plug a 1/4 twist clockwise to lock, so the cord will never come out accidentally. Hooray! I wonder if AT has a longer cord available?
The cans fold up to make a compact phone for travel, which is appropriate for a compact utility phone. I rate the earpad comfort as a C: the earpads are just "ok", not as soft as they look, not terrifically comfy, but I guess that's what we should expect from a bargain headphone (I can often guess the price of a phone from the comfort of its pads). They are all plastic, and despite their light weight, they clamp too strongly on my ears and I would not want to wear these for a long time. I can't wait to find what these cost.
Listening note: Marley's Ghost, There's Religion in Rhythm, 2496, BK Master, from the Spooked album. Recorded and mixed by Daniel Protheroe. This is available on a CD from Sage Arts. Americana music of the highest caliber by one of America's finest traditional bands. More details on this album later in this review.
In use this short cord is really annoying. I can't even roll my chair away from the amp. They're about 1 dB more sensitive than the Audeze. The surprising part about these: Their sound! It's very easy to get used to. There's a bit of a presence boost around 2.5 kHz, but not at all annoying. Dan Wheetman's voice is sonorous and warm as I remember it. They have amazing bottom, bringing out the acoustic bass, probably with a hump (fake bass) around 65 and then a quick drop below that. Overall the sound is entertaining, not disturbing, with impressive microdynamics.
The soundstage is "ok". Extreme top is not too extended, but that's no different to be honest than the Audeze. Overall I'm quite impressed with these phones. If you can find them under $150 I would label these a very good bargain. They are clearly not an audiophile phone but definitely something to carry around that will give you great pleasure. It's no more inaccurate than my Sennheiser HD 280 pros but with different areas of inaccuracy.
The Sennheisers also fold as well as my Sonys, which is why I would call this style "utility phones". Although probably just as inaccurate as the aforementioned Sony or Sennheiser, I prefer these AT's, which have much better punch and clarity. I mean if you're gonna have a response error, let it be in the kick ass department!
Listening note: Stay All Night, Redstick Ramblers. Recorded and mixed by the great Daniel Protheroe at Sage Arts Studios, outside of Seattle. BK Master, 2496. Out of print, may still be available from used record stores. This is Texas Swing at its best! The New Orleans group with fiddle, guitar, vocals, bass and drums is super entertaining.
The lowest acoustic bass note around 60 Hz is definitely exagerrated, confirming the hump I heard with the Marley's Ghost recording. But as I said, this is an entertaining and seductive albeit inaccurate anomaly. I'll bet they'll beat the Beats phones as they are not overbearing, just pleasantly plump. When I look them up we'll know their impedance and sensitivity to see how they might perform on the iPhone.
The presence boost around 2k is even more obvious with this tune and a bit off-putting for an accuracy-freak like me but easy to shirk off and just enjoy the ride. And honestly, I would not kick these out of bed: They have a very high entertainment value (not as much as sex)they are clearly tuned to be euphonic. Good job, AT! Ironically, at this price point (if they're really $150 as I guess) the only thing to fight over is comfort and these are on the low end of that scale. If AT worked to make them more luxurious they could sell into the low end audiophile market.
Listening note: Angelitos Negros, Alejandra Robles, Bob Master, 2496. This CD is going out of print but still available. I play this song to check the deep bass drum, the sonority of her soaring contralto voice and the power and dynamics of the acoustic/electric ensemble. I really, really, really can feel that low bass note in my head, once again confirming the extra bass boost built into these cans.
I would say there's a bit of a smile curve going on as Alejandra's voice is more sibilant than she really is. Her lower midrange is missing body so there is either a dip circa 200 or a boost circa 2k that produces the same subjective effect. Strangely, this curve makes it seem like she's singing a little fast...making this the perfect DJ can :-). And oh, the microdynamics...very impressive, all the low and high percussion are well defined. Am I turning into a hip hop headphone slut?
Bottom line, all the test tracks lead in the same direction: This headphone is very good, even if it is colored, especially if it's priced circa $150. These are obviously not a replacement for $1800 audiophile cans, but they would be amazingly good if the price is really $150. As long as you don't mind the short cord, use an extension or if they have a replacement for the short cord. You can hear all the details, they are not sonically fatiguing, and you can make a lot of gear judgments as they have good resolution and microdynamics. Nothing in the critical midrange is being obscured.
Drum roll: Look at that, I just checked online and I nailed the price: $152 street price at Amazon, marked down from $239 MSRP. Highly attractive price/performance ratio. With a listed 38 ohm impedance and 98 dB sensitivity they should be good for on the road with the mobile phone, DJs and studio junkies. They are labelled "Professional Studio Monitor Headphones", but "professional" in this case means: "easy for a DJ to carry around, and entertainingly inaccurate".
Full InnerFidelity ATH-M50x review.
Product page for Audio Technica ATH M50x
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