Summary – ATH-M50x Headphones
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x are an incredible set of headphones that are capable of producing some serious sound output and yet maintain a good balance in sound quality. These headphones pursue better sound quality and ergonomics, resulting in exceptional clarity throughout an extended frequency range, with deep bass response at the low end. The ATH-M50x are equipped with proprietary 45mm large-aperture drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminium wire voice coils. The circumaural design around the ears provides good sound isolation in noisy environments, and is very comfortable to wear with their plush ear pads. If you are looking for some of the best bass headphones that can deliver deep bass and yet maintain a level of balance between the other frequencies, the ATH-M50x will definitely surpass your expectations with its high audio fidelity sound performance.
The Pros & Cons
The Pros. The ATH-M50x produce exceptionally clear sound without any coloration or artificial enhancements. You get very natural and organic sound with the M50x headphones. They also produce a nice bass response that feels tight and punchy but not overwhelming; the bass does not bleed into the midranges which is very good. They are also very sensitive to the audio source which means that they can easily expose flaws in the audio quality of the recording, as well as bring up the best in high quality music soundtracks.
The Cons. The ATH-M50x are slightly bulky headphones and definitely not the type of headphones that are designed to be worn around for portability.
Sound Performance
The ATH-M50x produces very good exceptionally clear sound, and sounds best when connected to a portable DAC. That being said, we were generally impressed with the sound performance of these headphones when plugged into the iphone or Android output. The volume is great, the highs are present and not over exaggerated and sound true to the music. The bass sounds true and goes really deep; you can really hear the low end from these headphones but the bass does not get overpowering and flood into the mids. These headphones are really good at picking up the minute details in the music and sound best when input with high quality audio soundtracks. The ATH-M50x will expose flaws in bad recordings and low quality audio files will not sound as good on these headphones. They will literally expose the truth of the audio output of the device they are connected to.
When we paired these headphones to the FiiO E17 headphone amp, we were quite blown away by the sound performance. The music sounded clean, detailed, crisp and clear, with vocals coming to live and the low end visibly present. The mids were nice and smooth, while the highs did sound harsh at all but rather crisp. These headphones can get very loud and the sound does not distort at low or high volumes. It stays true to the sound of the music and the quality of the music production is top-notch.
Design & Comfort
These best bass headphones are also very comfortable to wear. They feel great when worn over the head and the plush ear cups feel nice and comfy over the ears. The length of the headband can be adjusted depending on your headsize. It takes a couple of hours of continuous listening and wear these over your head before you start to feel a hint of ear fatigue. The headphone is also designed with a 90 degree swivelling earcups for portability and comes with a nice sturdy casing. As these are closed-back headphones, the sound does not leak until you go past the 50% volume; if you are in a room or library, having 50% volume is loud enough and no one would be able to hear you.
The Verdict?
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x are some of the best bass headphones that produce amazing sound quality for a decent price. They have a very good balance between the highs and mids, and produce deep low ends making them especially good to listen to for electronica, pop or rock genres. These best bass headphones perform best when combined with a portable headphone amp for extra power – they are highly sensitive to the music source and will expose any flaws in bad recordings, so be sure to feed these headphones with high quality soundtracks. We were blown away by the audio quality and fidelity to the original sound recording of the ATH-50x, making our music come alive with great precision and sound separation. If you like a good balance between a bass-leaning headphone and clarity and detail in the highs and mids, these headphones are the ones to get.
If you are looking for a set of headphones that can produce extreme bass, be sure to check out our updated list of incredibly bassy headphones now selling at a very good price points.