Where should I start with this review? Maybe from the design? Maybe from the comfort? Or should I talk about the pristine sound quality? I wanna say everything since the beginning, but that's not how a review works... or is it? Well, if you want the shortest version possible of this review, here it is: If you need a new pair of amazing headphones, look no further!
With that is out of the way, lets continue with the more in-depth look at the overall greatness of the new Audio-Technica's M50X. Now I guess since you are here, you already know about the Audio-Technica brand and their M-series headphones, so I am just going to skip their backstory; and for the people who aren't I'll just say that they know how to make badass audio equipments and headphones.
In my life I have tried many brands of headphones. I've tried everything from extremely bad Beats and Bose chinese knockoffs to cheap Logitech and Skullcandy ones to "hipster" Beats Solo & Studio, the Razer Tiamat and the insanely expensive Beats Pro. However having tried at least once all of the mentioned headphones doesn't make me a sound expert or anything like that. I am just a guy who loves to listen to music and play games with the highest sound quality possible.
And as soon as I started using the M50x I understood that I have been missing out, big time. A sound quality so f*cking good that constantly gives me goosebumps and something else (:P) from time to time. I have heard sounds that weren't there before while playing some my favorite songs. I have experienced a level of bass that I didn't know existed while listening to Electro Posé's songs. I ascended to a higher plane of existence while listening to Enya and Enigma. The Audio-Technica M50x's made all of this possible for me...
Explaining in words how insanely good they sound it's just not possible. I could spend hours trying to explain how perfectly balanced the whole spectrum sounds and feels where the lows are rich and deep, the mids feel perfectly balanced and the highs are smooth, detailed and easy on the ear no matter the level. If I say that the bass feels neither too jarring nor too overpowering, but just right, does it make any sense to you? Sure, there is a technical side of explaining things that I am not really equipped to talk about and even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to truly explain it in an understandable way.
But do you understand me if I say that the sound coming out from the headphone is f*cking glorious and pretty epic? Sure you do, you know me by now and my way of describing things. We are mainly a gaming website, that covers the latest games and tech products related to them so the Audio-Technica M50x fits perfectly within Duuro. Sure, these were not made for gaming specifically since the "M" in the M50x stands for Monitor cause these headphones are designed to be used inside a recording studio plugged into all sorts of amplifiers, which btw I don't really understand what are for, to give the best representation of true sound possible. But the way this headphones are constructed makes them perfect for every situation.
It doesn't matter if you listen to music using your iPhone, iPad, Android device, or your laptop, the sound quality is going to be superb every time. Heck, it sounds awesome even when you use an old school 80's Sony tape cassette Walkman as long as it has a 3.5mm jack port. Also the three cables that come with the headphones specifically the 1.2m-3m coiled, the 3m straight and the 1.2m straight one make them a very flexible headphones. Along with the three cables, there is also a slick leather-like carry on pouch and a 6.5mm screw jack so you can use it with any amp.
Now before I jump to how the headphones are perfect for gaming, I have to talk a bit about the design, build quality and comfort for the perfect segway that's coming ahead. So the M50x comes in three different colors: Black, White and the Blue/Orange Limited Edition, the one that we got. Each and everyone of them looks beautiful, but I have to say that the limited edition is probably the best looking of the three. The combination of the dark blue with the orange/copper-y color is a treat for the eyes, especially on the sides where the copper metal ring and the dark blue Audio-Technica embossed logo meet. It only adds to the already premium look, even though the main material is just a hard plastic.
Speaking of the plastic, the overall build quality is great. Usually with when plastic is involved, every time you move the ear cups or swivel them you hear a scary creaking noise as if something would just break. That does not happen with the M50x, every bit of motion, swiveling and rotating is smooth. The range of motion is another thing worth mentioning as the earpieces both flip over 180º or can pivot 90º so each earpiece can be folded to fit inside the bag, the top band can bend flat and when combined with the relatively big expansion of the headphones can accommodate even the largest human head possible. The headphones look and are sturdy, as I accidentally dropped mine one too many times and the only "damage" was a small bit of paint coming off. Now being studio monitor headphones, these are designed to be worn for long hours without tiring you out.
And that last sentence serves as a perfect segway to why this headphone is perfect for gaming. Usually when you play a game lets say Destiny, if you are a "hardcore gamer", you go for at least 4-5 hours sessions without moving from your chair or couch. Having a heavy and uncomfortable headphone or headset can make that experience terrible. I've been there, for quite some time I used a pair of Skullcandy headphones and that was horrible until I got a pair of Apple Earpods. Now the Earpods are fantastic, practically weightless on the ear, can't really say anything bad about them except from the always on mic. English is not my native language and when I speak it, I feel well, odd.
The M50x fixes that "problem" for me while offering an unparalleled level of comfort and sound quality. The ear pieces are positioned in a slight angle which looks kinda weird at first, but makes total sense once you wear the headphones. This angle along with the oval shape of the ear cups perfectly encapsulate the ears in such a way that you won't actually feel them while offering great sound isolation or noise cancellation in loud environments. Also the top band and ear pads are extremely well thought out with high quality materials and soft plushy padding that make the headphones feel practically weightless during long gameplay sessions. I have been playing Destiny like crazy for the past couple of weeks, for 8 hours straight the longest and I didn't feel tired or anything. The Audio-Technica M50x combined with PS4, Xbox One or PC are just a match made in heaven.
Since the consoles or better say the controllers have built in 3.5mm jack ports (XOne needs a adapter, though), plugging in the M50x is a fast and easy process. Going back to Destiny, hearing the High Lord Fixer or The Ice Breaker firing and is just f*cking amazing. Hearing them while fighting off level 28 enemies with bullets coming from every direction while a fantastic piece of the OST plays in the background is an entire new thing. I can say the same while playing Hotline Miami, a game with simple sound effects, but badass OST, or how great each and every gun on Battlefield 4 sounds like. The clarity and quality of the sound that comes out the headphones is just incredible and to think that it is coming via wireless from PS4 to Dualshock 4 and through cable to the M50x. When you connect the DS4 to the M50x using the short 1.2m cable, you basically create a wireless "circuit" that does not bound you to the chair. So I have to ask, what the point of buying expensive gaming headsets like Turtle Beach or Astro that need long cables to connect to the USB ports directly to the PS4 or Xbox One and cannot be used for anything else? Just think about it...
Summing up everything in a sentence: The Audio-Technica M50x are probably the best headphones money can buy. They look extremely cool especially the Blue one we got, they are the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, super sturdy with a top-notch build quality. The sound quality is pretty much unparalleled to any other headphones I've tried, although the Beats Pro and a pair of Bose (I don't remember which model) were pretty good too. They work with pretty much anything, from mobile devices, PCs, laptops and are perfect for the new gen consoles, PS4 and Xbox One. Two minor cons I have with the M50x is that during some hot days my ears would get sweaty and that a cable with a volume rocker/microphone built in would be really nice (maybe we'll get something like that in the future). Other than that, this are probably the best headphones you can get right now. And the best of all, they are quite cheap for the insane quality they offer, as you can get them for under 200$.
Don't believe me? Check them yourself by clicking over Audio-Technica official site or you can buy them directly here.
Audio-Technica also offers a ton of other high quality audio equipment, that if you are into that sorts of things, you definitely need to check them out.
