Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Black, Professional Grade, Critically Acclaimed, with Detachable Cable

I have owned these headphones for 6 months. I'm semi-audiophiliac. They've generally been my go to for listening to music. I'm only writing this review because I unlocked the truth i'd been missing out on for 6 months. That's my resume. Here are my thoughts on why you should choose these over budget or more expensive headphones. ( & yes, you should, but read on.) These are great no matter what you plug them into. I'll give them that. You will be generally impressed if you plug them into your iphone, android, mac, etc.. They're pretty darned good. The volume is perfect, the highs are there but tame enough while keeping truth. You won't blow your eardrum tweeter, but the highs are definitely there and serviceable to truthiness of the treble band. The bass is true bass. It's not overly exaggerated; these WILL NOT give you an ear massage, it will however give you pretty close to exact bass. That's actually a fantastic thing, learning to appreciate bass rather than it treating your ears as a trampoline is definitely an enlightenment. I mainly use these with Spotify for my music diet. I'm a premium subscriber which gives me the rights to their high quality streams. These WILL expose bad recordings. Certain punk rock will not sound good as high quality electronic or high end produced modern pop. The ATH-M50x's keep the recording quality obvious, but I would go on to say that they're pretty forgiving at the same time. If you picked up a pair of AT's higher priced cans, you'd probably expose even more, and is that worth it? Ehhhh it's up to you, but these are the sweet spot for the price if you're really looking to find flaws in recording, ya geek. The biggest take away for these cans is this: while plugging them into anything will get you great audio, what they're plugged into matters. They will expose the the truth of the audio output of the device they're plugged into. An Iphone won't sound as good as plugged into a macbook pro which won't sound as good as a pc with a good sound card. I'd been running these on my dell monitors headphone jack, which runs into an nvidia 980ti GPU, which serves up audio through the mentioned audio jack. It was okay. Today I pulled out the long 3.5mm male to 2.5mm male (the connection on the ATH-M50's is 2.5mm fyi) that came with these and decided to plug these into my gaming pc that has a decent realtek soundcard... Oh my lord panty dropping audio blissfulness, the gods have spoken, how the hell did I miss this, hot damn. It awoke the beast. I cannot say more until you try these in a preamp (coworkers recommended) or something that pumps out decent audio. These are a catalyst, you just need the correct crucible to handle it. You pair these babies with the correct output mechanism, and it will be one of the best 100$ range headphones you'll have ever have bought. Sky's the limit, just feed them correctly. Since owning these, I've bought other Audio-Technica audio and recording devices. Have a set of their ATH-CKS55XBT blue tooth headphones : Audio-Technica SOLID BASS Bluetooth wireless stereo headset ATH-CKS55XBT As well as the AT2020 usb microphone: Audio-Technica AT2020USB PLUS Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone It helps to live 3 miles from their main headquarters and warehouse, but my first venture with AT were these headphones bought from Amazon, and I haven't looked back. These can's established brand loyalty in me to AT. They are The Truth.

Donovan · 2016-12-30 · via amazon

Let me start off with a disclaimer that I am rather severely hard of hearing (require good hearing aids to hear well...ish) caused by a bout with bacterial menigitis as a toddler, so take the following review for what you will. General Summary: With these, I can hear/feel bass, I can now (occasionally) hear things I couldn't hear before (eg: cymbals/high-hats on drums) and similar sounds (although my headphones are in the dangrously loud range of 85-90db+ range when I do so). Volume is not an issue with these by any means as I can actually turn them up to be loud enough to hurt my ears and force me to turn it back down (though I rarely ever have it that loud as my hearing is damaged enough as is lol). For music: The bass has will actually vibrate my headphones when turned up despite not having EQ tuned more towards bass (it's pretty flat which is another bonus as it gives you a better baseline for EQ control). I can hear certain things I never could before such as things in the "back of the mix", faint adlibs, subtle sounds such as cymbals and hi-hats on drums. For Gaming: Clarity is incredible and I have slightly more situational awareness when in games (though I still miss some things due to my hearing issues). Volume & sound feels rather "full" to me as well. I rarely ever have volume/sound issues in games with these headphones. For movie/video (youtube, netflix, etc): Outside of really soft speaking/whispering, I have absolutely no issue with hearing everything rather clearly (aside from added effects such as distortions of course, but I can barely understand that to begin with due to hearing). Even with distortions though, I can actually hear and understand it a little better than I have ever been able to with any other headphones I've ever used, personally. My previous headset was a Logitech Artimis which was surprising how good it was and until I got these, the Artimis headsets were the best I've ever used (though gaming focused)... Now? Sorry Logitech, but these are even better, however, with that said. Both are surprisingly affordable for their quality and neither use the dreaded "in-line controls" which always the weakest point and when that goes, the headphones stop working so any headphones without in-line controls will always be viewed far more favorably by me in durability... Speaking of... Durability: I've dropped these countless times (by accident... butterfingered klutz problems lol). Have accidentally "kicked" them, pulled a little too hard when there was not enough cord, and other various, minor mishaps common from daily use and they are still working fine with 0 issues or any actual damage. I have one minor gripe although I think that has more to do with my glasses (or me) than with the headphones and that is that sometimes I can't seem to make them sit comfortably on my head, but rotating the cups a little seems to help though it still takes a few minutes to get used to it again but once I do... They are incredibly comfortable and remain comfortable even after wearing them for 12+ hours a day as I do most things on the PC and at my PC most of the day, so I'm wearing the headphones more often than not. These are durable, powerful, and comfortable. The only drawback for me *personally* has less to do with the headphones and more with hardware/software of my PC which is I wish this came with an app that could read db output so I can be more conscious and careful of my hearing for it is more dangerous (for me). Thus it is more likely to cause damage for me as my starting volume is considerably higher by default due to hearing loss as the 70db range is what I need to hear well enough to follow along (I can *hear* the 60db range, but have severe trouble understanding as it's barely whisper level for me due to hearing). but that's really close to 80db range and I can easily cross over into that (and into the 90s) for long extended listening periods which can damage hearing if done for extended amounts of times. All in all, I highly recommend this product whether your hearing is normal or damaged. I have found no legitimate faults with this product. I would definitely purchase again in the future (doubly so if they create and include an app that can help keep track of db levels to add a layer of hearing protection much like apple does with their air pod ear buds and the hearing section of the health app). I would hope that if they do the app, it is free or at least cheap and affordable (like 5-10 USD at most and not something like 50-100 USD). To the person reading this: I hope this review from someone with hearing impairments was helpful in spite of the fact that I have severe hearing damage. Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day/night.

Paul Jennings · 2022-01-28 · via amazon

I've been using the Audio-Technica ATH-M50XGM in Gun Metal for a while now, and I genuinely have nothing negative to say. The audio quality is exceptional — everything comes through crisp, clear, and well-balanced. Whether I'm mixing tracks, listening to music, or monitoring audio during a session, the sound reproduction is spot-on. The bass is tight, the mids are clean, and the highs are detailed without any harshness. The Gun Metal colorway also looks sleek and professional — a nice change from the standard black version without being flashy. As for the headphones themselves, I've had zero issues since day one. No connectivity problems, no discomfort during long sessions, no rattling or distortion — they just work, every single time. Build quality feels solid and durable, and the collapsible design makes them easy to store and travel with. If you're looking for reliable professional monitor headphones that deliver on sound quality without any headaches, the ATH-M50XGM is an easy recommendation. Highly satisfied with this purchase.

ERIK BYRON GARRETT · 2026-03-13 · via amazon

PREFACE: The last two 5 star reviews I posted on Amazon for two different pair of headphones, they were posted but when I went back to add something, both had been removed by Amazon after posted and said "they went against community standards'. There wasn't anything offensive and they were both 100% positive so I am not sure what went against "community standards", but I am gonna try again with these. We shall see.... I have several pair of open back headphones and only one pair of closed back, which is the Sennheiser HD 280. I wanted a second pair of closed back. I debated between these and the Sony 7506. Rather than ask Amazon's AI which was better (as you never get an answer), I decided to ask Google's AI, as they will state which is the better "all around" of the two. Audio Technica came out hands down in every category. So Audio Technica is was. I should mention I also have the Audio Technica 50X, open back headphones; I ill get to that later. I am not a "true audiophile' like many who post, but I know what I like. I still use my setup fro 1974 which is Sansui receiver/amp, JBL L50 speakers (back when both brands were excellent) and a Technics 1200 table along with two OPPO blu ray/SACD players. Now to the headphones. First, they are powerful and very very loud. I had to turn the volume down to "2" so I didn't go deaf. With all the other headphones I play around "4 or 5". This proved to me that higher "ohms" do not make headphones louder as my other closed back is Sennheiser HD280 and those are 64 ohms, these are only 38 ohms. So that was a lesson learned. Second, they are very well built, comfortable and look great. Third, the sound is very very balanced, even more so than some of my open backs and they have a great sound stage to them, which is not a trait with closed backs but they do. I am hearing things on these I have not heard on any of my other headphones, closed back or open back. Point of reference, the open backs I have are Sennheiser (4 pair), beyerdynamics (1 pair) and Audio Technica (1 pair and it the the 50 X is open back). Why I did my research on these, I was hesitant because the 50X open back , honestly are poor sounding compared to the Sennheiser open backs. The At's have no bass, but these closed backs have incredible bass and treble and neither high, mids or low are overshadowed by the other. As I stated my other closed back is Sennheiser HD280 and I love the way those sound, until now. I have had Sennheisers since 1970 and I am a true fan of the brand, but this particular pair of AT's has just blown me away with its clarity. After becoming use to open back headphones I never though I could ever listen to closed back again, but these have proven me wrong and it pains me to say it sound better than the Sennheiser 280 in all around clarity and depth of the highs-mid-lows. While I am not gonna go closed back headphones purchasing happy as two pair are enough and I see no reason for a third especially with the ATs, I will still continue to purchase open backs but again the AT 50 closed back may sound better than open backs. I am truly love these headphones, especially after my disappointment with the 50X open backs. These are worth the money not only for sound but for durability as they are not all plastic but have metal components. Let's see if this review goes against "community standards"

Thomas · 2026-03-02 · via amazon

After one year and two months of owning these, having them broken in and having myself accustomed to them, I must say, these are one hell of a bang for your buck. They're not perfect, let's start by clarifying that, the soundstage is weaksauce and there's a peak in the treble that really makes the S sound pop out (to which my ears are sensitive, so I can't crank them up that extra 10% volume to reach my sweet spot, but I blast them just under and they're perfectly good there). The padding in the headband is adequate at best. Defects out of the way, time for the worship. SOUND The clarity in these is INSANE and IN-YOUR-FACE, I'd consider them sort of aggressive actually (which I love, but if you like something more mellow you may try going for something like Bose). The bass is SOLID and smoooooooth~ really nice, no distortion whatsoever at any volume I've listened to it in (and I've gone LOUD, deafeningly loud, so if it distorts after that and that's a problem for you, man, your ears must be serious beasts to be able to bear that!). The mids are present, just present, they don't pop out, they're not absent, they're just there, loud and clear. The treble is pretty shiny, on the higher end of things some sounds may come across as a bit metallic though, but nothing particularly bad. The treble side of things does pop out a bit more, but it's just bright enough for you to listen to it crystal clear while being mellow enough for your ears to not hurt. At really high volumes there's the S issue though, as I previously mentioned. You can easily fix that with an EQ, and that's the single peak that has given me any issues at all, the rest of the sounds coming out of these are AMAZING. BUILD AND COMFORT What can I say? I've had them for a year and two months now. I've accidentally dropped them from my desk to the hard, carpetless floor, I've been a jackass to them and never put them in their carrying pouch, as in, NEVER, I just carry them on my neck if I head out to a situation where they may come in handy. I haven't been the most careful of owners, and yet, they're as good as new. No scratches, no loosened parts, no cracks, NOTHING. These are SOLID. If you were to choose one last pair of headphones and head out to Narnia where you won't be buying any new ones any time soon, these would be the ones. What's more, I recently looked for someone who dismantled them online, or straight up broken them, to have a better look at their insides and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the ENTIRE HEADBAND is made out of METAL. As for comfort, they're right there in terms of weight. They're not heavy, they're not particularly lightweight, just light enough to wear them just fine, heavy enough to have a presence on your head. If you have middle sized ears, they will fit just fine within the earpads, no issues, they're comfortable and firm. Your ears will barely if ever touch the drivers, The headband's padding is adequate at best, it could be better. In my experience, they do get tiring for the top of my head after a couple of hours, but nothing a short break can't fix, and I do wear these most of the day. I've bought more headphones within the time I bought these and now, but I always keep coming back to these sooner or later, and that's gotta say something. They've proven themselves to be potentially underpriced and I definitely recommend them. PSA: If the earpads are not good for you, I suggest you be careful when choosing others because the stock pads have this cushiony thick fabric at the drivers that adds a bit of a THUMP to the bass and kills the harsher side of the treble, so the sound WILL change with other earpads if you don't choose carefully. They will sound UNBEARABLY HARSH so choose wisely, the thicker cushiony fabric at the drivers is necessary for these to sound right.

Luis Martinez · 2017-03-06 · via amazon

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