Audio-Technica M50 at $160, worth it?

[Vip_blast]

I got a deal for the stated headphones, are they worth the purchase? Any personal experience with these? Or do you guys have something better to suggest?

Thank you very much.

[CrowdAds]

[kredig]

probably. just check some reviews.
what are you experiences with full sized cans? if you do not have much experiences and your DAP has a good output you will have an ear-orgasm :P

[Vip_blast]

I just got the Clip Zip. I would use it with either that, or my HTC Desire. It's true, I don't have much experience, and I don't know anything about the theory concerning sound, but here's a sound quality review of my phone:
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_desire-review-468p8.php

Is it suitable?

I found one good review on YouTube, and some nice reviews online, but I thought it would be nice to ask here, maybe I'm missing a better alternative.

I've rarely used headphones, never bought one before, that's my first time getting one. Previously I've only use normal earphones and in-ear ones.

[Syndrome]

The ATH-M50's are great headphones IMO. I haven't heard anything in their price range that is better. But 160 is the standard price right now. I'd shop around and see if I could get the price down a little.

[kredig]

if you want to spend $150 for headphones then go for them.
the output of the zip should be fine. i can use my shure srh 440 on the zip (where the impendance is higher) and the volume is alright.

[Vip_blast]

The $160 include USPS Express Mail International shipping to my country, Mauritius. It's the one with coiled cable.

[skip252]

I had the chance to borrow the M50 for a very enjoyable weekend a few months ago. I traded my Senn HD 280 to a neighbor and we gave each other our opinions. I mostly used my Clip+ and he used his Touch and iPhone. We both agreed the Senn aren't bad but the M50 are a big step up in sound quality. The M50 are just a lot more fun to listen to.

The bass on the M50 is much better but the mids don't get hidden by the increased bass. The comfort is better than both my Sony V6 and the Senn HD 280. I'm not in the market for another set of studio monitors but if I start shopping the M50 will be at the top of the list.

The ATH M50 became very popular a while back. Unfortunately that popularity generated lots of fakes. If you check on headphone sites you'll see some very long "Are these fake?" threads. I've seen some pics of very convincing fakes. The way to be sure you're getting the real item is to go to the Audio Technica site and check to see if the dealer is listed on their site as authorized.

You have to cross check both the name and the location because some of the fakers names are very close to authorized dealers. If the name and the location don't match the info on the AT site I wouldn't buy from that dealer.

[Syndrome]

Not sure what your base price is before the shipping. But here's a pretty good deal on them.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Audio-Te...D=qzbfbt3xmfol

$130 with free shipping with coupon code LEAP12

[kredig]

that's what it says in my country:

We're sorry, but the product that you are searching for is sold out at this time, or is no longer available. For more information please contact customer service.

but for me were also 159€ shown. quite expensive

[Syndrome]

Heres this link. Not sure if it will work, but this puts the price at 126.10 for me. I had zzounds price match it.

http://www.zzounds.com/redeempm--281...339f7a7001839f

[skip252]

The OP is in located in Mauritius. Looking a zZounds shipping policies I don't think they ship there.

[Vip_blast]

That's the one I found:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370590982165...84.m1438.l2649

You think it's fake?

zZounds and Guitar Center do not ship to my country.

[chengdude]

private listings + iffy feedback + my opinion = Avoid.

[skip252]

The AT listing of Audio Technica authorized dealers is here http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/si...a8b/index.html

Check the name and location against that. If they match up you should be OK for authenticity. I check if a seller has had positive feedback across a long period of time and if they have a reasonable return policy.

99%+ positive feedback doesn't mean there's never any problems. It means the seller reacts appropriately when there is a problem. I say "when" because if you do enough business something always goes wrong sooner or later. The dealers that take care of the problems and maintain positive feedback are the ones you want to deal with.

If they don't accept returns, don't buy from them, period. A well run business that is selling quality product builds the loss from returns into their pricing structure. The buyer frequently has to pay shipping cost and there may be a restocking fee. The shipping both ways should be trackable and insured. The restocking fee is usually around 15%.

Any deviation from those guidelines and I wouldn't do business with that vendor. Even if all that is in place something could still go wrong. My experience has been if all of that isn't in place the odds of there being a problem that won't get dealt with properly jump significantly.

[Vip_blast]

Okay I'm dropping the idea. Thanks alot guys for your help.

[IDvsEGO]

the ebay seller linked to is an authorized reseller, has good ratings and accepts returns. they just have a restocking fee if its opened. that isnt uncommon. at first glance I don't see any reason why you would drop the idea. Skip was giving you the data to do your own fact checking, he wasnt doing it for you. I did though because I was curios why you dropped the idea.

[Vip_blast]

Upon reading the seller reviews, I notice that his responses to negative cases are rather fishy. He does not deny the facts brought forward by the unsatisfied customers, e.g. some say that he never shipped the product after a month of wait, and he plainly agrees and just provides a refund. That does not really attract me. Also, I may be getting the headphone from a family member in Europe, that's why I left the Ebay idea.

I really appreciate your help and sharing of knowledge, but I was not focusing on the price or the purchase, but more on the headphone itself, whether it's a good one or if I could get something better for that price.

[IDvsEGO]

Originally Posted by Vip_blast

Upon reading the seller reviews, I notice that his responses to negative cases are rather fishy. He does not deny the facts brought forward by the unsatisfied customers, e.g. some say that he never shipped the product after a month of wait, and he plainly agrees and just provides a refund.

yeah, that would turn me off too. I didn't read any of the reviews, just went based on percentages.

[Ballog]

Hey Vip Blast.
I'm from Mauritius - nice to know there are other audio geek in our small island.
I got my ATH-M50 (coiled) from the US more than 2 years ago.
They were 130 USD (shipped) from a reliable eBay seller.
I didn't like the coiled cable so I modded my set with removable cable (like Beats phones).
At the I bought mine there was no fakes yet also price was generally cheaper everywhere.
If you need more details you can contact me : mailto: ballog**********