Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

It Works Without An Amplifier

Most well-regarded headphones at this level want amplification. The M50x does not — it is efficient enough to be driven properly from a phone or a laptop, which removes an entire additional purchase and a box on the desk.

For a very large number of people that is the deciding factor. A headphone that sounds like it should from the device you already own is more useful than a better headphone that needs an amplifier you will not buy.

It also means it travels usefully, which is not true of high-impedance studio headphones or planars.

Tuning

The M50x has a noticeable bass emphasis relative to a neutral reference, and a slightly recessed upper midrange. It is a consumer-friendly tuning rather than a flat one, despite being marketed as a monitoring headphone.

That makes it enjoyable with most popular music and less suitable for mixing decisions, where a coloured response leads you to make compensating errors. Anyone buying it for critical mixing work should know it is not neutral.

For listening rather than working, the tuning is well judged — the bass emphasis is present without being overwhelming, and the treble does not have the aggressive peak some studio headphones carry.

Comfort, Clamp And Pads

The clamp force is firm out of the box, which is good for isolation and uncomfortable for many people initially. It relaxes over weeks, and stretching the headband gently over something wide accelerates it.

The stock pads are shallow, which means ears touch the inner surface for many people. That is the most common comfort complaint and the most common modification — deeper aftermarket pads are widely available and change both comfort and sound.

It folds flat and swivels, and comes with detachable cables in several lengths, which is genuinely practical for a headphone intended to be carried.

Against The Alternatives

Against the DT 770, the M50x needs no amplifier and folds; the DT 770 is more comfortable out of the box and more revealing.

Against the HD 600, this isolates and travels and is nowhere near as neutral or as spacious.

Against consumer wireless headphones, this is wired and considerably better sounding for the money, with no battery and no cancellation.

Who Should Not Buy It

Anyone mixing music should buy something neutral, as the bass emphasis here will lead to compensating errors in a mix.

Anyone with larger ears should plan on deeper aftermarket pads, since shallow stock pads are the main comfort complaint.

Anyone wanting active noise cancellation for flights should buy a cancelling headphone; passive isolation here is good but not comparable.

The Verdict

A durable, portable closed headphone that sounds well from a phone, folds for travel, and has detachable cables — a genuinely practical package.

The tuning is consumer rather than neutral despite the monitoring marketing, the clamp is firm initially, and the stock pads are shallow.

Budget for deeper aftermarket pads — they fix the main comfort complaint and most owners end up fitting them anyway.

Cable choice is worth a note because the detachable cables are proprietary rather than a standard connector. Replacements are readily available and they must come from Audio-Technica or a maker of compatible cables, which is a mild restriction against earphones using standard connectors. The upside is that a failed cable costs a few pounds rather than ending the headphone, which is what happens with fixed-cable designs.