Customer Video Review Length:: 4:33 Mins

This is my video review from the MKBHD YouTube Channel.

The price/performance ratio is excellent, as with the previous M50s. The removable audio cable is the biggest difference, and the color choices are awesome. Worth checking out, for sure!

Enjoy the video!

A lot of people are wondering what difference these headphones have compared to the ATH-M50 and the simple answer is they went with a don’t fix what’s not broken approach. The sound quality on these headphones remain unchanged from the old ATH-M50 which has superb quality for headphones in it’s price range. What did change however is the removable cable which for some who learned the hard way can break and would require trying to fix them or picking up a whole new set of headphones altogether.

The headphone cushions are also noticeably more comfortable for extended periods of use. As comfortable as the previous model was after extended use I would get this feeling that my head was being suffocated and gripped which would lead to a headache and while I don’t think that feeling can ever be removed these headphones do a great job of prolonging that feeling.

For those asking about the cable connection going into the LEFT headphone, it is a snug connection so you won’t have to worry about the plug coming out.

All in all if you own a pair of ATH-M50’s I wouldn’t go rushing out the door to replace them with these unless removable cables are that big of an issue to you but if you don’t own the M50s this is definitely the way to go since you won’t have to choose between coiled or straight cables when you can have them both.

A real world and practical comparison of Audio Technica ATH-M50 and the new ATH-M50x. This review is for people who haven’t owned the old or the new ones and is contemplating a purchase between the two. I am not a DJ or audiophile, so this review is geared towards common folks who just use headphones for listening to music, videos, audio books, movies in a real world setting using phones, tablets, laptops etc (i.e. not professional equipment).

Price –
M50 – look for deals online and you can find a brand new one for under 0 easily (I bought mine brand new for ) with a deal alert on Slickdeals.
M50x – 9-189. Since they are relatively new there has not been any price reduction or deals yet and won’t be for quite sometime.

Sound quality –
Same as M50, i.e. excellent and the best you can get for this money. Tons of reviews covering this so I’m not going into details.

Sound isolation i.e. noise cancellation –
Same as M50, i.e. very good. These aren’t active noise cancelling, but its good enough for using in airplane, train, library, public transit or any other quiet environment. A very big plus compared to a lot of headphones that leak sound and renders it useless in such environments or in bed at night.

Build quality –
Speaker components – same
Band – same
Padding – uses a slightly better material, but Audio-Technica won’t give out the exact specifications.
Both these are made in Taiwan.

Convenience – (I found this to be a big deal)
Connectors and wires – M50 comes with only 1 attached coiled/straight cable with a 3.5 mm plug and a 1/4″ adapter; M50x comes with 3 cables plus its removable. When I first bought my M50 I didn’t realize that out of the box it won’t really work cell phones or tablets if they’re in a case. They work fine with laptops. The 3.5 mm plug on M50 is not a step-down version, its rather flat and wide, suitable for professional equipment, amplifiers etc. Most cases won’t have such a wide opening and this will prevent it from fitting properly to the 3.5 mm audio out. The headphones will work fine with any cellphone or tablet when its out of the case, but with a case the wide plug just won’t fit in completely. The only way around it is to
a) remove your case,
b) buy another audio 3.5 mm cable/adapter with a step-down design with a female/male connector and use it (which is not ideal since the straight cable is already 3.5 m or 11.5 ft long, even the coiled one is long) or
c) do a mod to make the M50 removable cable. Search on head-fi and you can do it yourself or get it done by a company for .
This is very important. The 3 cables that come with M50x, especially the 1.2 m with step-down plug makes it useful right out of the box for phones and tablets.
In some sense making the removable mod is better since it will provide you with an option of using your choice of 3.5 mm cables, whatever length you want, including the ones with mic attached to it. Read more about it and buy keeping this in mind. The M50x comes with proprietary cables so you can’t use any other off-market cable, at least as of now.

Convenience – fold-able and comes with a case.
Both fold and makes it easy to carry. Comes with a pleather case (looks same barring a logo print on the new one).

Comfort – decent and not as great as an open can with velour pads.
Comfort wise these aren’t the most comfortable headphones, but obviously this depends on your head size, preference wrt velour vs. pleather pads etc. They are pretty tight fitting when they’re new and will flex as you use them and will become more comfortable later. However, the pleather will make your ears warm and after continuous usage of over 2-3 hours you will have to occasionally remove them or readjust them. The new one uses a different material for the ear pads, slightly better and hence M50x is slightly softer and more comfortable.

Final conclusion – these are one of the best headphones you can buy at this range of money (less than 0), considering all the above aspects. If you are technically inclined and comfortable doing the mod definitely get the old M50 on a good deal for under 0 (this is what I actually recommend).