In a world where Beats by Dr. Dre are adorned by every pseudo-DJ on the block, the cans on your dome make a strong statement. Unfortunately, not every music enthusiast is able to drop $300 on a pair of head-huggers. Fear not folks, Audio-Technica is here to help.
The first thing that draws the eye to these puppies is the sleek, slim, and compact design. The earpieces cradle up into the headband for maximum mobility, making it a great choice for on-the-go musicians, DJs, and sound techs. These phones are also adjustable in virtually every way possible – with notches for size, and earpieces that rotate 180 degrees vertically and horizontally. This makes a seal possible even if you have a giraffe head.
Late night in the studio? With thick cushions, you can keep these on for hours in continuous comfort. (Though if you're on take 217 maybe you should give it a rest, Mozart.)
The gold-plated 1/8-inch headphone jack with 1/4-inch screw-on adapter makes a solid, clear connection. This is accented by a neat little spring right where the jack meets the cord, removing the problem of the adapter pinching the cable and wearing out the rubber.
As for the cable itself, you've got about 12-feet to work with. Long cables are great, but to keep you from having to play jump rope, this wire is coiled down to about five feet of manageable copper-clad aluminum.
Headphones like Beats pride themselves on their noise cancelling technology. Really, it's a simple way to add a small feature and $75 to the price. You really don't need any fancy battery-powered noise-cancelling device with the ATH-M50s over your ears. People may be talking around you, or to you, but the only voice you'll hear is the iconic Robert Plant' (if you're into Led Zeppelin that is).
Even with the other positive attributes, the sound quality of these headphones is what puts them above the competition.
Audio-Technica is a company known primarily for its microphones, and since headphones are basically just microphones in reverse, it's a good sign that quality headphones are on the way.
The 45mm neodymium drivers give these headphones deep bass, clean mids, and crisp highs, with a 15 Hz-28 kHz frequency range. However, you might have to ask your dog what that sounds like, since 28 kHz is well over the average hearing range of humans. These high frequencies help to produce a more natural sound, and it makes a difference, especially for singers who plan to use these as monitors in the studio.
These headphones are designed for professional monitoring and mixing, but you don't need to be a musician to appreciate the way they bring your favorite songs to life. With superb high-quality sound that matches up to models over twice the price, there's not an inch of disappointment from a purchase like this.
The only notable con is the carrying bag, which would work much better as a hard case. Other than that, there's really no way to bring them down. For the price, they're the best headphones you can find. Period.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
