ATH-M50X : Excellence and comfort at an affordable price

Having done my research, and consulted several studio musicians and sound technicians, I decided that AudioTechnica were likely to be the best value for money in my budget range (<£100).

I visited my local music store to find that they could only supply ATH-M30x headphones. Armed with my Macbook, I tried them out with a variety of >320kbps MP3s, and WAV file recordings taken with either my Yamaha PocketTrak W24 or the Rode app on my iPhone 5s.

I was suitably impressed by the ATH-M30x headphones, so I decided that buying the ATH-M50x was probably a safe bet. I was right.

My first impression of the ATH-M50x headphones was that the bass was present and clear, but never overdone or 'boomy'. The mid- and treble-range tones were crystal clear, as though I were standing among the instruments or vocalists!

The construction is solid (unlike some headphone sets that are in the same price range), and feels well-built.

The earpad comfort is wonderful. I wear glasses, which often leads to discomfort, but so far these headphones have been a joy to wear for prolonged periods of time (i.e. >4 hours).

Three removable cables come in the box with the headphones. The shortest cable has been perfectly fine for all of my usage so far (mixing / listening on Macbook or listening/monitoring/recording on PocketTrak W24 / iPhone).

The headphones fold away neatly, which puts the earpieces together in a protective contact. The carry bag is thick enough to suggest that it will last a good while, but thin enough to be pliable and soft.

Overall, these headphones are fantastic. Unless you're used to headphones priced much higher than these, you're sure to be pleased if you buy them.