Audio Technica ATH-M50 or ATH-A900X?

[ID.]

I'm looking for some closed back headphones that provide some isolation/don't leak much sound. I thought I was set to buy the M50s but I can get the A900X for about 20 pounds more. Hard to audition them properly, and I've only listened briefly in store with my iPod Nano playing compressed files (128).

M50 - So much detail, great energy amazing bass impact, but sounded a bit harsh and artificial and I'm not sure how much of that is due to the 'phones and how much is due to the source.

A900X - Not as detailed, but warmer smoother and fuller bodied which sounds more natural and "real". Isolation not as good. Take up more space.

The thing is, I plan to mainly use the cans with a DAC/amp and might be using them with losless files a lot of the time, which makes me worried that the A900X might be too smooth. Unfortunately I can't trial either of them with the DAC/amp I plan to use.

Any thoughts on either or both of these headphones would be greatly appreciated. They both have aspects I love, but buying both probably isn't an option. I will try to take in my iPod classic and portable a different, portable, amp, to try and get a better idea, but in the meantime I thought I'd see whether anyone could share their experiences or opinions.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Personally, the A900X over the neutral, flat sound of the M50.

 

[ID.]

Thanks. I gave in to impulse and ordered the 900X. Despite being a sucker for detail, the 900X had plenty of detail whilst sounding more realistic and I just couldn't get that sound out of my head. There seem to be plenty of reviews on Headfi, but no official reviews, so I'll try to post my impressions once I've had them for a while.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice one. Interested to hear your impressions.

 

[Anonymous]

Did you ever buy some?

 

[ID.]

I did, but then I went away for a couple of weeks, so haven't had too much time to burn them in/listen.

First impressions are good, but I want to do some more serious listening and compare them to my Grado 80i and Sennheisers.

I'll try to write up my impressions of the sound when I've done some more listening and comparing, but TBH I've started to think I could sell on my Grados and Senns and be happy with these. I tend to do most of my listening on my main system rather than headphones anyway because I prefer the soundstaging and imaging it provides, but sometimes one has to use 'phones.

 

[ID.]

Did some listening compared to my Sennheiser 595 and Grado 80i.

In general I enjoy the Audio Technica's more. They have great separation and detail without it being in your face and while keeping the music as an immersive coherent whole. I think that they are the most detailed of the 3 headphones, but while the detail in the Grados seems to be all about the leading edge the Audio Technicas have that information while giving a more full bodied and texturally nuanced sound. To me, it sounds very natural and things just sound right.

The bass is good, with great detail and texture, but a little on the loose side, especially compared to the two open backed headphones. I enjoy the real slam it provides and I don't think it impinges on the mid range too much, but others might not agree. There are certainly bassier headphones out there, and they are no Beats in terms of bass. I'm not sure how much of the character of the Audio Technicas is due to them being closed back. I get the impression that the bass is helped by having closed enclosures.

Because of the bass I'd urge people to try before you buy (unless you are looking for something bassy).

 

[ETh_m50]

:type: :type: It's a little hard to make a choice ,but I prefer the M50,though these two are very similar.MAYbe you can try the m50 ,it's just amazing. ath-m50-headphones

 

[ID.]

Made the decision ages ago.

Nice when someone resurrects one's old posts for the purpose of spam.