Audio-Technica ATH-M50: Burn-in and other questions

[HiFiGuy528]

which AKG? I think the K271 MKII is pretty good.

 

[skyline315]

I've tried pretty much every commonly available studio-grade headphones you can think of up to $200; of all these, the ATH-M50s are the only ones that give a nearly accurate representation of what you're monitoring. The others I auditioned were too colored (Sennheiser), offered poor bass response (AKG) or simply didn't provide enough detail (Beyerdynamic) to be used for actual studio purposes.

With that in mind, I'd blame your source material and/or other hardware for that before I would the headphones. Then again, I suppose it's moot if you're only using these for listening and not actual music making (and yes, I actually use these on studio gear for my own amateur musings).

Like I said, they're not perfect, but at this price point? You'd be hard pressed to find anything that outdoes them in their respective category.

My hardware/source certainly isn't the problem.

But, to be fair, I've gone above the $200 price point. The DT880 are my go-to neutral headphone for now, but they're an open design.

I also prefer the SRH840s (sub $200) which are designed for monitoring. To my ears, this is what you're describing when you talk about the M50s.

I tried the SRH940s, which boast the greatest detail I've ever heard. That said, they were too lean for my liking...the music just doesn't sound "full" enough on these for every day listening, although I did have my share of "wow" moments with them. I imagine these would be near perfection for music production, however, which is what they were designed for.

I also own the Beyerdynamic DT130, which I think would make pretty decent studio phones, although they're very slightly on the warm side of neutral. Although, again, above the $200 price point.