I have owned them for over a year now and for sheer clarity, power and across the board range they are phenomenal. These headphones get great reviews and in my opinion they still deserve more credit. Don't even think about those other headphones, believe me. NO BEATS PLEASE !!! Even if you have a won a KBC and have spare cash to spend. Please do yourself a favour, don't buy toys. If you don't like music buy BEATS. I have used them for a long 1 day & noticed everything I listened to was drowned out by that flabby bass signature sound, it was like listening to music with my head in a bucket of water, hideous! When I got the M50's for a third of the price the difference was like night and day. Just put a pair on for 60 seconds and I dare you not to buy them if you love detailed music signature. I can't speak highly enough of them. Top Tip: Always listen personally before buying. The next best in that price bracket I would say are the AKG K240 MKII (55 ohm), exceptional, a close second to the M50's. I listened to all my favourite tracks on these and straight away I felt I haven't even heard'em before. The details, be it the minute strum of guitar strings in Coldplay "The Scientist" or a mellow husky humm of Bryan Adams in "Lets Make a Night" or the high pitched Skrillex electro. Believe me sometime while working it kinda brings a little smile to my face and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand and tickle. Bet, its that good. Bassheads, yes, you all will be a little dissapointed with this but being a studio monitor can, thats expected of it. Its a closed can i.e. people around can't hear what you are listening. Notes: 1. Throw away you MP3s. Get the FLAC/ALAC or play directly from CD/Vinyl for the best sound quality and do justice to them headset. 2. If using a PC please use a soundcard with a integrated headphone AMP. They will refine and hit the cans with power. Thank me later. Worth it. 3. Do not use while riding bikes/car. Very risky of completely missing out of external noise which may lead to accidents. 4. If pairing this with iPod/Mobiles please invest in a portable DAC/Headphone AMP. That will make the crappy MP3s sound better, still I'd suggest lossless/High-Res music if you really are a detail freak like me. There are 2 variations: M50 and M50X. M50s have the long 3m cables (coiled or straight), undetacheable cables. M50X haev short but detacheable cables for on the go use. I havent heard these but I prefer M50's attached, coiled cable as I don't use'em on the go much.

First of all I'm not an audiophile. I was using bose headphones(QC 15 and Mie2) before this and i really liked them, the only downside with bose is that they sound kinda artificial(all of them). After listening to ATH M50x my concept of music has changed. I have been listening to really subtle notes and instruments that too in songs which I had listened for a thousand times in my previous headphones. I would recommend you to buy these headphones in a beat of heart.

Before I put these cans on my head and pressed play, I was sort of flummoxed by how many people described it's sound: neutral. The word always made me think it was bland. Without character. But when you hear it, you will know these cans have character. It's not flamboyant, or in-your-face, or disappointing. It's downright perfection. As an electronic music fan -- from BT, to KoanSOUND, Knife Party and Skrillex -- I was apprehensive when reviews said bass is not 'great'. Thing is, this is one of the most accurate pair of headphones. Any more bass and it would be wrong. Amp it up, and it handles whatever you throw at it with the finesse of ballerina. The mids and hold their own, even when Skrillex's high-pitched voice modulations and continued sub-bass give the drivers a thorough workout. The highs, though, seem ever so slightly on the higher side. And the soundstage is WIDE. You can the virtual location of every instrument, if you were to be listening to an orchestra. The packaging is brilliant, almost makes it an occasion when you unbox it (which it should be, given how this is a cult product). The quality of the three bundled wires is top notch, as are the cans themselves. Pros: Powerful, balanced sound that can be amped to virtually any degree Built like a tank Three interchangeable cables Beats (pun intended) headphones in two price bands above it Cons (nitpicking here, really) Slightly heavy Highs seem a bit too pronounced

I'm writing this review after 10 days of extensive use. I tried it with many songs and most of the genres. This headphone is almost flat. Bass is bit boosted by 2-3db otherwise it is most natural sounding headphone in <12k range. It is more for audiophiles than for bass heads. Please don't even compare it with those noisy and bassy headphones. Response of this headphone is very colorful for classical, jazz, rock, soft, instrumental etc music. There are not many headphones in market which have wider range than this one. I did all the research before buying these. Build quality is very good. They are very comfortable unlike Sennheiser's 4.40 & 4.50 and many others. You may feel them little tight for few days but after that they adjust as per your head size. These are not wireless but you don't get this sound quality with even newer versions of bluetooth technology. Wire goes in only in one side so I haven't faced any issue. It works well with mobiles too. There are 3 wires with varied lengths. Good passive noise cancellation which I felt sufficient for even office use. Soundstage is not as wide as you expect to be in a legendary headphone but all closed back headphones have this negative point. Overall it's one of the best quality headphone in market and no one comes near to it in this range. Noticeable miss is a good box in which you can keep it.

PROS:- 1. Sound quality. Highs are crisp, but not too bright; mids are good; bass is punchy and tight. It is difficult to find *better* sounding headphones in this price segment. 2. Build. They are very solidly built and ergonomics are great. There is no complex suspending system, so there is nothing to break. 3. Very comfortable. These are over the ears (as opposed to on-ear) headphones, so there is no unpleasant pressure. The new ear pads are very soft, and the headband is enveloped in the same soft material. 4. Portability. Both cups rotate horizontally 180°, and they fold vertically, to make the headphone's dimensions quite small and portable-friendly. The supplied pouch comes in handy. 5. Unlike their predecessors, the ATH-M50X arrive with three detachable cables: a long straight one (you can use it to connect to a source that is further away), a short straight one (very handy when connecting to a smartphone, or if your computer is located very near to where you sit), and a medium-length coiled one (for mixed purposes). The insert-and-turn locking system secures the cable to the left cup. 6. No sound leakage. These are closed-back headphones, so you can use them in a room, filled with people, or while commuting, without the need to worry that you might disturb someone. 7. With an impedance of 38 ohms you do not need a headphone amp to drive them. CONS:- 1. Cable connectors are proprietary. But then again you get three cables in the box, so it is unlikely that you will be looking to buy new cables any time soon. 2. At 285 g (10 oz) plus the cable, the ATH-M50X are a little heavier than similar-sized headphones I have owned. But making them lighter would most probably affect build quality. 3. I have watched video reviews, making the argument that the ATH-M50X are not exactly audiophile quality (that is, their response is not as 'flat' and 'neutral', as it should be). This could indeed be the case, as Audio-Technica has other models (like the ATH-A900X), positioned in the higher and more expensive segment, but the latter are not meant to be carried around or enjoyed in the street. In my opinion ATH-M50X have been built to produce enjoyable (rather than analytical) sound. Consider this carefully. CONCLUSION:- When all of the above have been taken into consideration, Audio-Technica ATH-M50X might be the best value for money headphone on the market today. 1. They may not sound as neutral as AKG 702 (but the latter are not portable, there is serious sound leakage, and you cannot drive them adequately with your smartphone). 2. They are not cable-free or as light as the Bluetooth Sony MDR-1BT, but the ATH-M50X sound much better. 3. Audio-Technica ATH-M50X is the overall winner if you are looking for enjoyable full-bodied sound, sturdy build, detachable cables, and a no-nonsense look. You simply cannot go wrong with them!