So while I'm not a self-proclaimed audiophile, I do like good sound. And while sound quality does largely come down to personal taste and preference, I do think that for a lot of people these headphones are going to sound great.
To start off, looks and comfort. I think that these headphones look great. The mostly plastic construction feels sturdy and well built. The all black and simple design is something that I personally really appreciate. The headphones are actually quite flexible in terms of the positions the earcups can be in. Which was actually quite disorientating at first because I had a hard time telling the correct orientations for the earphones. The earcups do not rotate 180 degrees as they do on the M50Xs, but this is personally largely a non-issue because they rotate 90 degrees outward, which is what I want. In terms of comfort, I have worn these for a few hours and have not felt any issues personally. Note that I also wear glasses, which was one of my initial concerns. But in terms of comfort, these feel light and I could easily see myself using them for extended periods of time.
Now, for the meat and potatoes of my thoughts, which are of course on the sound quality. I'll reiterate that I'm not really an audiophile. I don't use FLAC files (I do set 320kb MP3 as my standard though). I don't use an external DAC or amp. I have a pair of decent IEMs that I use heavily. But when I was looking for headphones, I was looking for something that wasn't so bass heavy and wanted something with a more balanced sound. And I think that these fit that bill very well.
A word that you will often hear associated with these headphones is the word "flat" (or maybe neutral). And yes, I would agree with that description. What this means is that no particular ranges are overemphasized over others. So unlike a lot of headphones that often favour being bass heavy, these headphones try to give an accurate representation of the recording. Hence these being PROFESSIONAL STUDIO monitors.
But, I want to stress that these being balanced or "flat" sounding headphones does not mean that they are boring by any means! Far from it, I find listening to my music through these give them a fresh new sound I couldn't get with my prior IEMs or Bose on ears. If you're worried about the bass, I personally wouldn't be. It would be an injustice to say that the bass on these is weak. Just because they are not bass heavy, does not by any means mean they are weak. I find that these have just the perfect amount of bass for the track that I'm listening to. It doesn't overpower anything else, but it is most definitely there and sounds great. It's punchy and accurate, which just makes tracks sound fantastic. The mids are also extremely clear, and I find that this is where I am noticing a lot of the details that I couldn't hear in my other headphones. Personally, I find the highs just very slightly too much, but this isn't much of an issue, especially considering it's not tinny at all and are very clear. I wouldn't let this be much of a cause for reservation if you're thinking of buying these. Buying new earpads with slightly thicker foam could help compensate for this as well. But overall, the sound is absolutely fantastic out of the box.
These headphones are also closed back, which does have a couple implications for the sound. You're not going to get the same open sound as with open back headphones, but as a plus, these will leak less sound and are much better at noise isolation. The noise isolation with music on is quite decent, considering it's all passive.
No matter what genre of music I throw at it, from classical, to rock, to EDM to cheesy Jpop idol music, these headphones never fail to make the tracks sound great and true to the recording. I think that one of the questions that people will be thinking about when looking at these is whether or not to buy these or the M50Xs. While I have not tried the M50Xs, I am having a hard time trying to justifying spending an extra $100 CDN for a set of headphones that I actually don't think will would sound much better than these. Apparently the M50Xs are more bass heavy, and do have larger drivers (as well as coming with three cables). But personally, I would try these out first. I feel absolutely no need to move up to the M50Xs. But your mileage may vary. M50Xs are very highly regarded headphones.
These headphones look great, feel great but most importantly, sound absolutely fantastic. At $150, it is a little bit pricey (because Canada). In the States, they are much much cheaper. Having said that, this is not a purchase I regret in any way and I would highly recommend them if you are looking for a good pair of headphones.
| Noise control | Sound Isolation |
|---|---|
| Headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
| Model name | Audio-Technica |
| Connectivity technology | Wired |
| Wireless communication technology | no |
| Special feature | Foldable |
| Included components | Carry Pouch, Audio-Technica Ath-M40X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Screw-On Adapter, Coiled Cable, Straight Cable |
| Age range (description) | Adult |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Specific uses for product | Professional |
| Recommended uses for product | Audio Monitoring |
| Compatible devices | Desktops |
| Control type | Volume Control |
| Cable feature | Detachable |
| Item weight | 236 g |
| Package type | Standard Packaging |
| Product Dimensions | 28.96 x 25.4 x 10.41 cm; 235.87 g |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. |
| Item model number | AUD ATHM40X |
| Colour Name | Black |
| Connector Type | 3.5mm Stereo, 2.5mm, 1/4-inch |
| Material Type | Aluminum |
| Size | ATH-M40X |
| Color Screen | No |
| Linux system requirements | pc |
| Mac system requirements | pc |
| Windows system requirements | pc |
| Unix system requirements | pc |
| Voltage | 240 Volts |
| Item Weight | 236 g |
