Audio Technica ATH-M50x Professional Monitor Headphones

Some headphones earn their reputation through marketing. Others earn it by spending years in studios, DJ booths, edit suites and gig bags around the world. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Monitor Headphones firmly belong in the second camp. Renowned for their powerful, detailed sound and rugged construction, they've become a modern studio staple for recording, monitoring, mixing and everyday listening.

At the heart of the ATH-M50x are Audio-Technica's proprietary 45mm large-aperture dynamic drivers, featuring rare-earth magnets and copper-clad aluminium wire voice coils. The result is excellent clarity across an extended frequency range, backed up by the deep, controlled bass response for which the M50x has become particularly well known. There's plenty of low-end weight, but also the definition needed to hear what's actually happening in a recording.

The closed-back, circumaural design fits around the ears, providing useful passive isolation from outside noise. That's a major advantage when tracking vocals or instruments near open microphones, monitoring in a busy studio, working at front of house, or simply trying to concentrate on the music without the room getting involved.

Then there's the physical design—and this is where the ATH-M50x really earns its professional credentials. The earcups can swivel through 90 degrees, making single-ear monitoring quick and comfortable for DJs and engineers, while the collapsible construction makes them considerably easier to throw into a recording bag when the session is over. Professional-grade earpad and headband materials provide the comfort and durability needed for long working sessions.

Audio-Technica also gives you plenty of cable flexibility. The ATH-M50x comes with three detachable cables: a 1.2m–3m coiled cable, a 3m straight cable and a shorter 1.2m straight cable. A screw-on 6.3mm adaptor and protective carrying pouch are also included, so you're covered for everything from an audio interface or mixing console to portable equipment.

With a 38-ohm impedance, the ATH-M50x is straightforward to drive from a broad range of studio and personal audio equipment, while its 15Hz–28kHz frequency response gives you plenty of bandwidth for detailed monitoring. They're equally convincing for tracking a guitar part, checking a mix, cueing the next track behind the decks or disappearing into an album after everyone else has gone home.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Monitor Headphones have become a familiar sight in studios for good reason. They're tough, comfortable, portable and unapologetically enjoyable to listen to—a proper working pair of headphones that won't spend much time sitting in their pouch.

Features

• Critically acclaimed sonic performance praised by top audio engineers and pro audio reviewers

• Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils

• Exceptional clarity throughout an extended frequency range, with deep, accurate bass response

• Circumaural design contours around the ears for excellent sound isolation in loud environments

• 90° swiveling earcups for easy, one-ear monitoring

• Professional-grade earpad and headband material delivers more durability and comfort

• Detachable cable (3 cables included)

Specifications

• Type - Closed-back dynamic

• Driver Diameter - 45 mm

• Magnet - Neodymium

• Voice Coil - CCAW (Copper-clad aluminum wire)

• Frequency Response - 15 - 28,000 Hz

• Maximum Input Power - 1,600 mW at 1 kHz

• Sensitivity - 99 dB

• Impedance - 38 ohms

• Weight - 285 g (10 oz), without cable and connector

• Cable - Interchangeable cables: detachable 1.2 m - 3.0 m (3.9' - 9.8') coiled cable, detachable 3.0 m (9.8') straight cable and detachable 1.2 m (3.9') straight cable

• Accessories Included - Protective carrying pouch, 6.3 mm (1/4") screw-on adapter