The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: A Game-Changer in Audiophile Headphones

In an era where wireless headphones are all the rage, it's refreshing to see a pair of wired headphones that still manages to impress. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is a top-of-the-line audiophile headphone that gives those who love great sound plenty of reasons to stay wired. With its impressive design, comfort, and exceptional sound quality, these headphones are a must-have for any music enthusiast.

Design

--------

At first glance, the ATH-M50x may seem like a simple pair of headphones with a minimalist design. However, don't let that fool you - there's a lot going on beneath the surface. The headband, for example, is made of aluminum and features a unique Alcantara padding that ensures a comfortable fit. The earcups are also designed to be lightweight and breathable, making them perfect for long listening sessions. One of the standout features of these headphones is their massive 58mm drivers, which produce an incredible amount of sound.

One thing that sets the ATH-M50x apart from other headphones is its clever use of a whole-baffling unit to house the driver. This design feature allows for a more efficient and accurate sound reproduction, resulting in a deeper and more detailed soundstage. The entire driver, including the circuit, glass fiber baffle, and moving coil, is one piece and designed to work together seamlessly. This results in an incredibly lightweight headphone that weighs only 270 grams, making it perfect for long listening sessions.

Accessories

------------

While the ATH-M50x may not come with a ton of accessories, what it does have is top-notch quality. The headphones come with a carrying case that's almost like luggage, complete with a silver and black design. Inside, you'll find a soft, satin-lined pouch that provides excellent protection for your headphones. Additionally, the ATH-M50x comes with a 3-meter long braided cable with a quarter-inch termination and an A2DC connection. While some may find the cable's small size to be a drawback, it's actually one of its best features - it's designed to be durable and resistant to damage.

One thing worth noting is that the ATH-M50x does not come with a balanced cable option out of the box. However, Audio-Technica offers an optional balanced version that uses a thicker braided cable with a 4-pin connection. This cable is perfect for those who want to experience the full range of the headphones' capabilities.

Impedance and Amplification

---------------------------

One thing that sets the ATH-M50x apart from other headphones is its impressive impedance - 42 ohms, to be exact. While this may not seem like a lot, it's actually one of the highest impedances available in the market today. As such, you'll need a very powerful headphone amp to drive them, which can be a bit of an investment. However, Audio-Technica recommends using a tube amp or preamp stage with a warm tone to really bring out the best in these headphones.

In terms of sound quality, the ATH-M50x is truly exceptional. With their massive drivers and clever design features, they're able to produce an incredibly detailed and expressive soundstage. Every nuance of your music will be exposed, from the subtlest instrumental textures to the most complex synth and guitar tones. The headphones are particularly well-suited for long listening sessions, as they provide a comfortable fit and excellent isolation.

Soundstage

------------

One of the standout features of the ATH-M50x is their massive soundstage. With its clever use of a whole-baffling unit, these headphones are able to create an incredibly immersive audio experience. Every instrument has its own "pocket" in the stereo image, allowing them to breathe and take up space in a way that's truly unique. This makes for some incredible listening experiences, particularly when it comes to instrumental textures and soundscapes.

The ATH-M50x are also extremely well-suited for music genres that require a lot of detail and nuance, such as jazz and classical. With their exceptional soundstage and detailed sound reproduction, they're able to capture the subtleties of each instrument with ease. Additionally, their massive drivers provide an incredible amount of power and low-end extension, making them perfect for bass-heavy music genres like hip-hop and electronic.

Conclusion

----------

The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is a game-changer in the world of audiophile headphones. With its impressive design, comfort, and exceptional sound quality, these headphones are a must-have for any music enthusiast. While they may have a higher price tag than some other options on the market, they're truly worth it. Whether you're a seasoned audiophile or just starting out, the ATH-M50x is an incredible investment that will provide years of enjoyment and musical discovery.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthey were checking out the latest from audio-technica the a th ATX 5000 now these are the flagship headphones from the brand at the top of the aerodynamic series and they cost two thousand dollars still while everyone's talking about wireless headphones these days these awesome audiophile headphones give those who love great sound plenty of reasons to stay wired so let's talk about the design of these headphones not from the outside they look pretty minimalist and almost a little bit basic but we don't want to call them that take that word away because there's a lot going on here there's a lot of complicated stuff beneath just like any really cool simple theory there's a lot of brilliant sort of behind it and that's kind of how we look at these headphones you can see the headband there's not a ton going on it's just this Alcantara padding here and then just really simple lines everything works together so these fit really well along your head and you don't have to move them very much to get them to fit zooming in a little closer there's some really cool little details here along the magnesium components it's not just matte black there's actually a little flecks of silver there for some extra style and then here are some massive pads along these massive 58 millimeter drivers and these are very comfortable and they are - are covered with Alcantara so you can really listen to these all day long with no problems looking closer at the drivers a lot of new headphones especially in the audiophile sector are playing are magnetic or sometimes they're electrostatic drivers but with the twist now you can see this sort of whole baffling unit you can see sort of the back of it but the entire driver including the circuit the glass fiber baffle and the moving coil it's all one piece and that's done so it can be blighter these are actually only 270 grams total a little over 1/2 pound speaking of those 58 millimeter drivers it's hard to miss this huge honeycomb punched shield on the outside now this is meant to help for very even air control but it's also a closed venting system around most of this part here so it's very controlled venting and it makes for a massive soundstage now the ADX 5000 don't come with a ton of accessories but they do come with this nice carrying case it's almost more like luggage actually it's got a little bit of a pink shoe and it's silver and then inside you can see this sort of nice satin aligning really thick padding and it also comes with a nice braided cable 3 meters long plenty of length there a quarter inch termination here and maybe the only real weakness and the entire design here is on this cable now it has an a 2 DC connection and that's fine but it's very small and there's a plastic part here that if you're not careful you could break audio-technica even mentions that they say they'll always keep the cables plugged in unless you are switching cables and that's probably because there's a little bit of a chance that you could break that part there but other than that we love the cable and you can also get another cable along with it if you want a balanced cable this is even thicker braided cable and it does come with the 4 pin connection for a balanced outfit one thing to understand is you want a very powerful headphone amp for the 80 X 5,000 because it has a 420 ohm impedance which is pretty rare these days for new headphones and not only that you'll also want a headphone amp with a bit of warmth we actually suggest getting a tube amp or something with a preamp tube stage because these headphones are a bit on the light side especially in the upper register and that extra warmth can really help with the depth and the power there that said the ATX 5000 are among the most dynamically expressive detailed and straight up magnifying headphones we've ever put on every nuance of your music will be exposed for better or worse and like many of great pairs of Kansas here things you never knew we're happening in your favorite tunes headphones absolutely adore digging up instrumental textures and that's especially true with synth and guitar tone and thanks to that big airy soundstage there's loads of space for all the instruments to inhabit different pockets in the stereo image and for them to breathe sort of take up their own area and that's what really makes these nice for long listening sessions of course a 2,000 dollar price tag puts the 80 X 5,000 in some mighty company but they also stand on their own because of some really cool design traits including they're extremely lightweight and comfy pads which makes them great to listen to all day long now that's not to mention their expressiveness their incredible ability to expose detail and their massive soundstage in other words if you are looking for a new flavor of an epic audiophile headphones you've got to check out audio Technica's ath ATX 5000they were checking out the latest from audio-technica the a th ATX 5000 now these are the flagship headphones from the brand at the top of the aerodynamic series and they cost two thousand dollars still while everyone's talking about wireless headphones these days these awesome audiophile headphones give those who love great sound plenty of reasons to stay wired so let's talk about the design of these headphones not from the outside they look pretty minimalist and almost a little bit basic but we don't want to call them that take that word away because there's a lot going on here there's a lot of complicated stuff beneath just like any really cool simple theory there's a lot of brilliant sort of behind it and that's kind of how we look at these headphones you can see the headband there's not a ton going on it's just this Alcantara padding here and then just really simple lines everything works together so these fit really well along your head and you don't have to move them very much to get them to fit zooming in a little closer there's some really cool little details here along the magnesium components it's not just matte black there's actually a little flecks of silver there for some extra style and then here are some massive pads along these massive 58 millimeter drivers and these are very comfortable and they are - are covered with Alcantara so you can really listen to these all day long with no problems looking closer at the drivers a lot of new headphones especially in the audiophile sector are playing are magnetic or sometimes they're electrostatic drivers but with the twist now you can see this sort of whole baffling unit you can see sort of the back of it but the entire driver including the circuit the glass fiber baffle and the moving coil it's all one piece and that's done so it can be blighter these are actually only 270 grams total a little over 1/2 pound speaking of those 58 millimeter drivers it's hard to miss this huge honeycomb punched shield on the outside now this is meant to help for very even air control but it's also a closed venting system around most of this part here so it's very controlled venting and it makes for a massive soundstage now the ADX 5000 don't come with a ton of accessories but they do come with this nice carrying case it's almost more like luggage actually it's got a little bit of a pink shoe and it's silver and then inside you can see this sort of nice satin aligning really thick padding and it also comes with a nice braided cable 3 meters long plenty of length there a quarter inch termination here and maybe the only real weakness and the entire design here is on this cable now it has an a 2 DC connection and that's fine but it's very small and there's a plastic part here that if you're not careful you could break audio-technica even mentions that they say they'll always keep the cables plugged in unless you are switching cables and that's probably because there's a little bit of a chance that you could break that part there but other than that we love the cable and you can also get another cable along with it if you want a balanced cable this is even thicker braided cable and it does come with the 4 pin connection for a balanced outfit one thing to understand is you want a very powerful headphone amp for the 80 X 5,000 because it has a 420 ohm impedance which is pretty rare these days for new headphones and not only that you'll also want a headphone amp with a bit of warmth we actually suggest getting a tube amp or something with a preamp tube stage because these headphones are a bit on the light side especially in the upper register and that extra warmth can really help with the depth and the power there that said the ATX 5000 are among the most dynamically expressive detailed and straight up magnifying headphones we've ever put on every nuance of your music will be exposed for better or worse and like many of great pairs of Kansas here things you never knew we're happening in your favorite tunes headphones absolutely adore digging up instrumental textures and that's especially true with synth and guitar tone and thanks to that big airy soundstage there's loads of space for all the instruments to inhabit different pockets in the stereo image and for them to breathe sort of take up their own area and that's what really makes these nice for long listening sessions of course a 2,000 dollar price tag puts the 80 X 5,000 in some mighty company but they also stand on their own because of some really cool design traits including they're extremely lightweight and comfy pads which makes them great to listen to all day long now that's not to mention their expressiveness their incredible ability to expose detail and their massive soundstage in other words if you are looking for a new flavor of an epic audiophile headphones you've got to check out audio Technica's ath ATX 5000\n"