Buying a pair of headphones on a budget can get tricky fast. It’s easy to find a cheap pair of wired or wireless headphones, though quality is often flaky. Usually, choosing a pair of wired over-ears is an excellent way to score excellent-sounding headphones on a tight budget. By picking a wired pair over a wireless one, the right headphones can last longer, because there’s fewer complex components and no battery to worry about.
There isn’t a shortage of ultra-budget wired headphones on the market, even today. Sony’s ZX series on-ear headphones retail for $25 and provide the basics, while Audio Technica’s ATH-AVC200 offer slightly better sound for $40. However, both of those options leave a bit to be desired, and I’ve found Audio Technica’s ATH-M50x headphones to strike a beautiful balance between performance and value. I bought these headphones a decade ago, and they’re still going strong. They turned out to be a great $160 investment, and they’re even cheaper today on the used market.
Audio Technica’s ATH-M50x are studio monitors with stellar sound
Their sound isn’t neutral and can be a bit bright, though
Audio Technica’s ATH-M50x headphones are a hot topic in the audiophile community, mostly because they became overrated in the beginning. Contrary to popular belief, these headphones don’t have a flat frequency response curve, and they’re certainly not the best-sounding wired option. The good news is that the ways ATH-M50x deviate from a standard curve match common target curves. These are frequency response curves that the average listener finds more enjoyable, even if they are not the most accurate reproduction of the music.
I agree with frequent criticisms of the ATH-M50x headphones — they’re slightly muddy in the bass range, and overemphasized highs can make the audio sound brighter than usual. The sound signature out of the box sounds best with jazz, alternative, and some pop music, with genres like R&B, hip-hop, and rap sounding better with manual EQ tuning.
Powering the audio are 45mm large-aperture drivers with copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils. These are dynamic drivers, rather than planar drivers. The Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones are closed-back by design, which is superb for passive sound isolation. To sum up, I quite like the ATH-M50x sound signature, as there’s plenty of detail, especially in the mid-to-high range.
If money is no object, my go-to headphone recommendation for audiophiles is the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. I had the Audio Technica ATH-M50x for nine years before upgrading to the HD 600, but it’s worth noting that the latter are $340 more expensive at full price. You can always find better headphones if you’re willing to spend more; the ATH-M50x value proposition is simply impressive at its price point.
This is the one headphone model every audiophile should actually own
The Sennheiser HD 600 have been around for nearly three decades, and they’re ubiquitous for a reason — these are balanced, value-friendly open backs.
ATH-M50x are easy to drive and great for beginners
With a modest impedance and frequency response, you can go without a DAC
When using wired headphones, consider how much power a pair of over-ear headphones requires to play your favorite songs. Demanding headphones might not reach high volumes or sound as sharp when plugged into your device’s 3.5mm headphone jack. The aforementioned Sennheiser HD 600 headphones prefer a dedicated digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for the best experience, for example. By comparison, the Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones work great with any device, making them a great choice for beginners.
The Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones have an impedance of 38 ohms and a sensitivity of 99 decibels, which is excellent for basic cans. In headphones, impedance measures the electrical resistance to power, while sensitivity considers how efficiently that power can be converted into volume. To use wired headphones with common mobile devices, like smartphones and media players, you want an impedance that’s fewer than 50 ohms and a sensitivity hovering around 100 decibels. The Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones are nearly a perfect match for the requirements of great DAC-optional headphones.
You can repair and upgrade ATH-M50x over time
It’s easy to keep these headphones up and running for the long haul
A few common criticisms of the Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones are that they sit tight against your head, and the build quality isn’t great. I’d say both of those are valid pain points, but after 10 years of use, neither stand out as dealbreakers to me. You’ll see in the photos throughout this article that my pair of ATH-M50x headphones has been through the wringer, with a peeling headband and fraying ear cushions. However, I’ll also note that headphones need to last a long time to show this level of cosmetic wear. A comparable pair of wireless over-ear headphones would’ve had a degraded battery about half a decade ago, and probably would have been recycled already.
As a result, I can’t be too mad that my Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones look worn. After all, they are worn. The important part is that the ATH-M50x sound just as good today as they did a decade ago when I originally purchased them, and I don’t see any reason why they won’t last another decade. Crucially, these headphones are designed with repairability and modularity in mind.
The ear pads are easy to replace, and swapping them for a pair of foam cushions can improve comfort and put an end to peeling. The cables are modular, and you get three of them in the box. If one stops working or breaks, simply swap to a new one without needing a new pair. The headband is repairable, although the process is difficult and requires soldering. A third-party headband sleeve can solve that problem, too.
In other words, Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones are built to last, even if they won’t look brand new after a few years. At $160 new or about half the price on the used market, it’s hard to beat the value proposition here. Spread out over my decade of use, these headphones cost me about $16 a year, and I’m still using them. I haven’t gotten a better value out of any other pair of headphones, and certainly not from a flashy new wireless pair.
- Carrying case
-
Protective carrying pouch
- Frequency range
-
15 – 28,000 Hz
- Driver size
-
45mm
- Audio jack
-
3.5mm (6.3mm adapter included)
Audio Technica’s ATH-M50x are professional-grade studio monitors powered by 45mm large-aperture drivers. The headphones feature a bright sound signature with a subdued bass range, and come with three detachable cables in the box.
