Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Closed-back headphone that became the YouTube and podcast world's default.
If you've watched a YouTube video where someone is wearing studio headphones, there's a roughly 60% chance they were ATH-M50x. The model became a cultural shorthand for "I take audio seriously," helped along by aggressive marketing and a price that hits a sweet spot for hobbyists.
It's a perfectly good headphone. It's also slightly over-praised because of how visible it is.
Specs
Sonic Character
The M50x has an enthusiastic low end and a forward upper-mid lift. Bass-heavy and immediately impressive on demos. The voicing flatters consumer playback — your mix will probably sound less exciting on a flat reference monitor.
The mid-range is reasonably honest. The treble is smoother than the DT 770 — not exactly transparent, but not sharp either.
Where It Earns Its Keep
- Podcasting and content creation. Closed-back, comfortable for hours, and cheap enough to hand out to guests.
- Tracking vocals. The bass shelf doesn't matter when monitoring a click-and-vocal mix; the isolation is good enough.
- Field recording. Lightweight, foldable, and tough enough to take on location.
Where to Pick Something Else
- Mixing. That bass shelf will lie to you. Mixes done on M50x without cross-checking on monitors will be bass-light when played back elsewhere. Open-backs (HD 600, HD 650) are more honest references.
- Critical listening. Flatter, more revealing headphones expose details the M50x smooths.
- Mastering. Don't.
What About the M40x?
The M40x is the M50x's cheaper sibling, and arguably the more honest of the two. Less bass shelf, less upper-mid lift. For mixing, the M40x is genuinely the more useful headphone, though less famous.
Recommendations
The well-known one. Better for tracking and listening than mixing.
View →Flatter, more honest voicing. Better for mixing reference.
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