Audio-Technica M40x Professional Studio Headphones for studio recording, creators, DJs, podcasts and everyday listening Black

Product Information

Because the Audio-Technica headphones are nice and snug, they essentially “seal” around the ear and keep noise from leaking.

As a side note, I’m always kind of amazed when various sites say that a headphone has bad sound leak while they’re playing them at 90 or 100 decibels. High-pitched incidental sounds (6-8kHz) like the clang of dishware or the cry of a baby are one-sixteenth as loud as they’d sound without the headphones. I’m not too worried about the ear cups since it’s easy to replace them with aftermarket ear cup pads. The second layer of foam is in there to help tune the sound signature AKA smooth out the treble, and has the added benefit of making them a little easier on your ears, which will almost certainly bump into the foam.In the past, I didn’t care if the sound of my headphones wasn’t top-notch as long as they were comfortable.

Because of this, the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x headphones are great for a myriad of uses: watching movies, listening to music, gaming, listening to ASMR, recording audio. If you’re a producer who is just starting out and you need a dependable and portable pair of working headphones, you’re running a recording studio and need to have a good tracking workhorse that won’t kill your budget, or you’re a listener curious about what “flat” sound is like, then this is a great product. If you love what I do here and want to support the blog and channel in a more personal way, check me out on Patreon and discover all the value I have to offer you.If you’re trying to determine whether your own headphone tastes lean towards bass or treble, spending some time with these is a good way to figure that out without spending too much. Even despite clearly being targeted at consumers, the bass on the 50x is done very tastefully; there’s a 5dB boost across 20 – 200Hz and it sounds excellent regardless of what some audiophile snobs tell you. Even with that said, I don’t feel like these are V-shaped, but I definitely wouldn’t rely on them for mixing as my primary headphones. Great detailed reproduction over all frequency content with smooth clear higs and full deep lows without being overwhelming. The biggest difference once again is that spot that sits right between the mids/highs around 4k which sound more forward on the M50x.

I didn’t make it happen overnight, I had to learn a few techniques to silence drums and keep the noise down. The coiled cable has a nice long bit of straight cable before the coil, meaning the weight of the coil can sit on your desk and not slide around or hang down off the edge. I’ve heard that people can run into issues with the hinges wearing out over time if they collapse them a lot, so I don’t tend to fold either of them up unless I really need to for some reason.Out of the box, the phones sounded to have a somewhat v-shape, but this has smoothed out significantly with use.

As far as the high end goes, both offer good presence there but the M50X sounds a little bit more forward in the lower part of the high end, and can sometimes feel like too much to me when the volume is really cranked up, depending on what you’re listening to. You sacrifice some comfort, cable selection, flashy design, soundstage, and any real sense of fun to get there. While not all EQ apps let you adjust so precisely to the chart above, if you follow this a bit, you should be able to get within the ballpark of our studio curve. Because the sounds used in ASMR are so quiet and unique, a good pair of headphones makes a recognizable difference in the quality of an ASMRtist’s sounds.

Everyone else might want to at least consider other options, especially depending on your particular tastes in sound. Aside from the other Audio-Technica headsets mentioned above, the AKG K371 is a fine, more stylish alternative to the ATH-M40x. Stu is determined to help you make sound decisions, and strives to deliver the best and most in depth content on the internet! The sound is clear, with maybe some emphasis on the middle side of the sound range ,voice and acoustic guitar sounds very defined and clean.