People are always asking me for headphone buying advice. Not just friends, but co-workers, strangers over Twitter, and people I meet at parties who learn that I write about audio gear. "Which headphones should I get?"
It all depends, I say, on what you're looking for. Most often, the person needs something they can wear at their desk at work. In that case, there's one model I've always recommend first: The Audio-Technica ATH-M50. And actually, I've been recommending this same headphone for close to ten years. The M50s are the Cadillac of headphones. They are perfect for the office, or for use in any sort of DJing or music production. They're large, but they're comfortable enough to wear all day. They have big 45mm drivers, they provide just the right amount of over-the-ear isolation, they're nearly indestructible, and the sound they produce is widely considered to be the benchmark of headphone performance.
Read reviews at sites like Crutchfield, Head-Fi.org, and Amazon. You'll see them recommended everywhere as one of the best-sounding choices across the board. And it's not just the snooty Internet headphone wonks who love them. Go into any serious recording or mastering studio, and you'll see a pair of ATH-M50s in use or at the ready. That's where I first learned about them, at a friend's recording studio. Then I started noticing them in every other studio I walked into.
Recently, Audio-Technica gave the venerable over-the-ear beasts an upgrade. Now, the model you want, and the one I will recommend to anyone who asks, is the ATH-M50x.
What does that "x" get you? When buying the old model, you had to choose between a coiled cable or a straight cable, and those cables were hard-set into the left earcup. Now, every pair of M50x headphones comes with three cables in the box: the curly cable, the 3-meter straight cable, and a new mobile-friendly 1.2-meter cable. Also, the cables are now detachable. So you can swap modes—use the long cable at your desk, the short one on your commute, and the curly one at your DJ gig at the pizza place.
Aside from the detachable cable, the other updates are minor: The leather padding is a little nicer, and the headphones now come in a few different colors. But the sound profile remains unchanged, and all the features that made the M50 great headphones are still here. And lest you think there's a price-grab motive here, it's important to note that the new ATH-M50x headphones can be had for roughly the same price. MSRP is $239, but they're listed in several online stores for around $150, on par with what ATH-M50s cost before the upgrade.
I've been testing the new model for a few months now, and they met all of my expectations as a decade-long ATH-M50 user. These are technically "studio monitor" headphones, which means they are designed to reproduce music as accurately as possible with minimal flavoring or sweetening. They don't have the brash personality of Beats, V-Modas, or other big, over-the-ear headphones that have been souped up to deliver bone-crunching power. Rather, they're discreet, pleasant, and civilized. They twist and fold, but not much. They aren't small, but if you keep a pair of headphones at your desk, the larger size doesn't matter as much.
They may still be too big (or too pricey) for some. In that case, you should check out the other headphones in Audio-Technica's lineup with a similar sound profile: The $100 M40x with 40mm drivers, and the $70 M30x, which has a non-detachable cable. But the M50x are still best. They have the the biggest drivers, the widest frequency response, and the best over-ear fit.
If you have an old pair of ATH-M50s, should you upgrade? If your headphones are still sounding good, there really isn't much of a reason to buy a new set, especially considering the sound profile is the same. You may gain some extra use out of them with the detachable cables, and in that case, an upgrade makes sense. If your old headset still works fine but has earpads that are worn from use, I recommend these soft velour replacement earpads. They're a treat, and an upgrade that will increase the headphone's lifespan.
