Audio-Technica ATH-M50x review: wired monitoring headphones beyond noise cancellation

A pair of wired headphones with no battery, no app and no noise cancelling should be a hard sell. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x keeps selling anyway, and I think I can see why. It does one thing, it plugs straight into the gear people already own, and its most fragile part can be swapped. It is also more hyped than it deserves, and a good owner review will tell you that too.

The owner voices below come from a handful of forum posts and reviews, so read them as examples.

Product image from the Amazon listing.

This is about the cabled ATH-M50x. The M50xBT and BT2 are Bluetooth models and a different purchase.

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What You Actually Get

Markertek’s spec sheet lists a closed-back design with 45mm drivers, 38 ohms of impedance, 99dB of sensitivity and a weight of 10 ounces without the cable. In the box are three detachable cables: a coiled one, a long straight one at 9.8 feet, and a short straight one at 3.9 feet. You also get a screw-on 1/4-inch adapter and a soft pouch.

Those cables are the main difference from the older ATH-M50, and owners noticed. One owner on Level1Techs called the detachable cable “VERY useful” in 2014. Another, in a long 2014 owner review, wrote that “Adding detachable cable extends the longevity of the headphone.” I agree with that one. On most wired headphones, the cable is what fails first. Here, a dead cable is a small repair, and it does not mean a new pair.

For a Mac, setup is easy. A 38-ohm headphone with that sensitivity should not need a separate amp, so a MacBook’s jack should drive it. You pick the short straight cable for a desk and the long one for a studio. An iPhone has no headphone jack, so you would need a small adapter. Nothing here needs charging, pairing or an update, and I find that part of the charm.

Against Noise Cancelling Headphones

Here is the comparison most buyers are really making. If you already own a Bluetooth pair with active noise cancelling, these will feel like a step backward on a plane or a train. There is no ANC at all. The closed cups block some sound passively, and that is all you get. There is also no microphone and no volume control on the cable, which For The Sound lists among its cons. Taking a call means pulling them off.

What you gain is a direct wired link with no delay and no compression from Bluetooth. That matters if you edit video or record audio, because the sound lines up with what you see. It also means no battery to die in the middle of a session. For editing, I would pick a wired pair like this every time. For commuting, I would not. A person who does both may well end up owning two pairs of headphones.

Product image from the Amazon listing.

The Sound Is Fun, and That Is the Debate

Audio-Technica sells these as studio monitors, so people expect a neutral sound. That is where the argument starts.

Early owners were happy. The 2014 owner review described a “well balanced warm sound with a great bass response” and said the sound was “less veiled” than the older M50. A Level1Techs owner heard a fairly flat response, with bass “slightly more boomy but tight” and “very strong clear treble.”

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For The Sound disagrees. It describes a V-shaped tuning, which means raised bass and treble. It says highs can sound piercing and lows can sound muddy, that rock, hip-hop and pop suit it, and that classical music can sound thin. Its list of cons includes “Overhyped” and “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

I think both views can be true. Raised bass and bright treble are exciting on the music most people play, and that is what a casual listener calls great sound. A person who mixes for a living wants to hear flaws, and any pleasant boost can hide them. Some writers rate the Sony MDR-7506 as more revealing, though brighter and harder on the ears over time, and the M50x as fuller in the bass. Opinion on which is better for mixing is split. So if you edit dialog, or if you mix at home for fun, the M50x is fine. If mixing is your income, check your work on speakers and treat these as one reference among several.

Comfort Divides Heads

Clamp force is the comfort complaint you will hear most, and even there, owners disagree. For The Sound says the headband pressure is lower than on the old M50, so you can wear them longer, but that they can still feel hard on the ears and head after a couple of hours, and warm and sticky in hot rooms.

On Level1Techs, an M50 owner found the older model “really tight” at first and said it loosened after several months. An M50x owner had the opposite problem, finding the clamp too weak at the smallest headband size, and noted that smaller heads may struggle. The same owner called the M50x pads “super fluffy soft.” The 2014 reviewer found the redesigned pads to be “much softer pleather with a thicker padding feel” than the older ones.

My reading is that a new pair may press hard for a few weeks, and that long sessions will need a break. If you wear glasses or have a small head, buy from a seller who takes returns.

Product image from the Amazon listing.

How They Age

This is where the pleather bill arrives. Some owners report needing new pads after a few years of daily use, and one found the fit much improved afterward. Others describe black flakes coming off the earcups and the headband, or a headband that has gone dry and started to crack. I can’t say how many owners end up there. Pleather usually wears this way though, and people in hot climates or with long daily sessions should expect it.

Pads are the easy half. Replacement pads are widely sold, from Audio-Technica and from others, though third-party pads can change the sound, according to one owner. The headband is a different matter, and a slip-on cover is the cheap answer for peeling.

The core of the headphone seems tough. A Level1Techs owner called the durability of a brother’s older M50 “outstanding,” saying it still worked “good as new.” That is the older model and a single report, but the M50x was built from the same design. I would budget for pads every few years and expect the rest to last.

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One note on cables: the 2014 reviewer tried an aftermarket silver-plated cable and said it brightened the sound but added microphonics, meaning you hear noise when the cable rubs. The stock cables are fine, so I would not spend extra.

Buy Them for the Desk, Not the Commute

I think the M50x is the right choice for someone who wants one reliable wired pair for video editing, podcast work or plain music at a Mac, and who enjoys a lively sound. The replaceable cable and the lack of a battery give it a long life, and in my view that matters more than the hype.

Skip it if you want silence on a train, since you need ANC for that. Skip it if you take calls all day, as there is no mic. And if you need strict neutral sound for professional mixing, try other options first, because the owner debate above is real.

For a wired desk setup, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is one I would recommend, as long as you accept new ear pads somewhere down the line. This is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.