ATH-R50X Open-Back Headphones

I’ve been using the Audio-Technica ATH‑M50x for a while now, and they’ve impressed me so much that I felt compelled to write a review. These headphones strike a really nice balance between fun and accurate. The bass is tight and punchy without being boomy, the mids are clear so vocals and instruments sound natural, and the highs have good detail without getting harsh or piercing. I can switch from music to podcasts to movies and never feel like I’m missing anything. Comfort is excellent for longer sessions. The ear pads seal well without clamping too hard, and the headband feels solid but not heavy. I can wear them for a couple of hours at a time without hot spots or fatigue. The build quality is also reassuring: lots of plastic, but it feels sturdy, and the folding design makes them easy to toss in a bag. One thing I really like is the removable cable system. Being able to swap cables (or replace one if it ever fails) is a big plus, and the included cables cover most situations—at home, on the go, or at a desk. Overall, these are easy to recommend if you want a step up from basic consumer headphones. They’re reliable, comfortable, and genuinely enjoyable to listen to, whether you’re casually listening or doing more focused work like light mixing or content creation.

Comfort wise they are very light with relatively light clamp force. The yokes have a decent range of adjustment and click into place. The cups swivel up down, side to side to apply even pressure, but they apply more pressure to the back of your ear because there is a spring that pushes it. They create a great seal and the earcups are big and deep enough for my ears to not touch anything. The build quality is great as it/s mostly metal. The cups are made of plastic but the grill and headband is metal. I replaced the stock cable with a Youkamoo HD598 cable. You can use most 2.5mm rotation lock cables afaik. The stock cable is fine as its flexible and come in two length as well as having a 1/4" adapter, but they hold memory. Even after a couple days of use, they still are wavy because they were wrapped tightly in the box. I'm using them on PC with a CX31993 dongle, I only need about 20% windows volume to get loud volume out of these. They take EQ great too, because of the 1.6w maximum power and low distortion. They sound relatively bright which I love. They have a nice lower treble energy and presents vocals amazingly. The soundstage is decently wide and imaging is fine. The sub-bass rolls off which is a nice touch personally, because I am quite bass sensitive. You could easily EQ the bass to your liking. Overall, I think these are great headphones for the price. The soundstage and comfort is leagues ahead of a lot of headphones in this price range.

I've owned both the M30x and M40x. Both excellent headphones. I decided to try an open back model, and went with the R50x. Everything I liked about the last 2 headphones, but better. Everything is just better. The ONLY downside I can pinpoint is due to them being open back, sound bleeds in and out much easier, but if you're wearing open back studio reference headphones, I would expect you to be in a listening environment that compliments that. Don't buy open back headphones and expect active noise cancellation on a wireless pair of closed back headphones (what is with some of the people leaving these negative reviews who buy first, and get angry later when they realized after not reading anything about the product, and why does Amazon allow those reviews to stay up? People like Desiree shouldn't be allowed to buy anything for themselves. If you want a laugh, check out their review and their other reviews on their profile lmao) I digress, if you want the classic, clean referential sound stage that Audio Technica is known for, but you don't wanna jump to the R70xa just yet, *this* is for you. I'd argue the overwhelming majority of people wouldn't ever need to purchase the R70xas since these are incredible for the price. The comfort, build quality, and soundstage are fantastic for the price point. The really nice thing about AT headphones is you don't even really *need* a DAC, amplifier, or even equalizer to enjoy them, but if you have a DAC that you EQ through, then absolutely use it. I know some people complain about the bass on these being a bit quiet, but that has always been the case in my experience with reference headphones, including Sennheiser, but I think everyone should give EQing a good pair of headphones a shot. You can slightly bump up the bass in the software of your choosing on both mobile and PC, and I do recommend that if you feel the bass is too low. Whenever people who have never had a "quality" pair of headphones ask me for recommendations, I always immediately answer with Audio Technica, and everyone who has ever followed my advice has been pleased. If you're reading this, I think between the two giants of reference soundstages AT is superior, but you can't go wrong with either of them, especially these. Do yourself a favor and just buy it, let your ears get used to the sound and once they do, its hard not to want to use Audio Technica headphones whenever you can. Fantastic headphones.

I use these for playing piano. Fantastic sound quality. Light and comfortable enough for long sessions. Build quality feels better than others in the same class. Highly recommend.

The sound is clean and open, the bridge is simple and sturdy. Every material is well spend. Good for productive work. The ear pad is also super comfortable. Since it is so simple, you can bend it to your head size easy, easy recommendation for people having large head. might not be luxury

I wanted another pair of open back headphones and having the Sennheiser 490 and 599, both open backs, along with the closed back 280, I thought I would try a non-German made product. This left me with two options AT or the major Japanese brand that I am adversely against purchasing...I won't even purchase music or movies from the two American brands they own, so Audio Technica it was. These are very light in weight but not light in sound. They fit comfortably on my head and ears. I have never had an issue with headphone cup sizes as many comment; I guess I have "common" size ears. As a comparison I will write about these and The Sennheiser 599 as they are comparable in price and both opened back. I find they both have a very "spacial" sound stage with the 599 perhaps being a bit broader. They both are 50 ohm. They both are clear and accurate with the 599 being a bit "warmer" in sound at the R50x does sound a bit "colder" or more analytical, ideal for critical listening but not so much for enjoying the actual music. Not a note, no matter how soft, is missed with the 599 as opposed to the R50x in which I do not hear all the instruments, especially percussions, which is odd because all the reviews state they excel in that area. Not to say I don't hear all percussions just on the 599 they sound a bit more detailed. These are minor differences which do not bother me. The major difference is bass. The 599 drives the bass, yet not so much it hurts the ears, but the bass is definitely present and noticeable without drowning out the highs and mids. The 50x virtually has no base and as I have learned after using headphones for 55+ years, adjusting the bass on my amplifier/tuner/receiver makes no difference. These are all "preset" levels by the manufacturer. I guess that is why I have never had to adjust any of my Sennheisers as all the models I have or had, from the lower end 280, to the higher end 490 and of course the 599 sound perfect. This is not to say the 50x doesn't sound great, they do and if I had nothing to compare them to I would give them five stars. However, I do have something to compare them to, the 599 and at a $10 price difference (Amazon), I must give them four stars...solely because of the non descript flat base sound. The 50x is much more sterile sounding, great for professional use, while the 599 is much warmer and fuller, far better for home stereo use to enjoy the music. Both have a dynamic sound stage, both fit comfortably and both are exceptional for the price. I'm glad I purchased these and will alternate their use with my 599 unless I want far more detail and even a warmer sound than the 599, that will be the 490. Again, at the price being almost identical, my first choice would be the 599 for what I use them for as opposed to the 50x, BUT, I do like the 50x and will keep them and use them. Just a matter of preference. I do think the 50x has a "cooler" look to them.

I bought these headphones mostly for gaming. Specifically, gaming on the Nintendo switch 2. I wanted a pair of headphones to listen to the Nintendo music and get lost in the atmosphere of games like Octopath Traveler, and Zelda. Let me tell you, these are the best headphones, especially for the money, that I have ever purchased. I am comparing these to Turtle Beach and Astro headphones specifically. The sound is very clear the music and vocals pop out far more than the other headphones I have used in the past. These headphones do not have noise cancellation which I actually have grown to prefer for gaming so I still have awareness of what is going on around me (kids, dogs and wife). If you were like me and looking for a more immersive casual gaming experience than you will not be displeased with these. They are light weight, extremely comfortable for longer gaming sessions, and come in at a good price point for the product you are getting. I would definitly buy this again. The only negative is it does not come with a mic but there are aftermarket mic attachments made for these headphones on Amazon so it was an easy work around.

I moved in May from an apartment that had nobody above or below me to a new place with neighbors above and below. I sometimes like to crank the music up while writing and I've been feeling self-conscious that I might be bothering someone so I started looking into open back headphones. I've never used open backs before but I read a bunch of good information. I'm really glad I went with these Audio Technica's as I currently use ATH-M50x's and love them! However with closed back headphones I can't do extended sessions as both the closed-in feeling and the heat build up can get uncomfortable. There are not a lot of open backs that have good bass response and these showed a heavier bass response than most others. With open backs you'll never get the same response as with closed backs but these come really close. If you already use m50x's you'll transition right over with no issue, they have a very very similar sound profile. I put a FabFilter EQ on the master bus with a bass boost to give it the little bit of missing bass oomph and now they sound perfect! With these they are so light and open that you can literally forget you're wearing them. I don't get warm at all wearing them, I don't feel boxed in like with closed backs, and I can crank them without bothering any of my neighbors while I write music. Another aspect of open backs that I read about was a wider soundstage and oh boy they sure do have an amazing stereo soundstage. They sound wider for sure than my closed backs. Basically to sum it up it's like having studio monitors right on your ears that you can crank without disturbing your neighbors/family members/etc. They obviously do not replace closed back headphones as you need those for tracking vocals and such so there's no bleed into the microphone and for mixing reference I think closed backs are still more essential. But for what I needed them for they are doing the job so well I couldn't be happier.

Makes me wonder why I spent so much on Grado woodies and SE models! Simply wonderful. Beautiful looking as well - very AT aesthetic. Most comfortable headphones I have to boot. If I have to give a con the 5hz upper mids lift is a little overdone as reviews point out. Classical is my go to genre. So, whenever a harpsichord as an example comes into the mix it's at the fore and a very smidgen too 'sparkly'. I'm picking her, for the price it's pretty faultless, and some may actually love the con I've described. I'd advise a good Geekria hard case as an added investment.

Más claro que el agua con un bajo no invasivo, pero a la vez profundos, y ligeros, recomendados 👍🏻

my $40 wireless earbuds sound better than this. its like a kids toy. No low end, very muddy. The soundstage is really flat for open-back headphones. Also the detachable cable is proprietary. not much to like here. I did try them on a few different DACs so fairly sure its the headphones sounding bad.

I’ve been running this through a HyperX mic, and the sound is fantastic. Music is rich, voice clarity is excellent, and the ultra-lightweight build makes it feel like you’re wearing nothing at all. I was initially skeptical about the "rear cant" earcup design, but it works surprisingly well — even with glasses. No pressure points on the arms or the top of the head, and the lightweight feel makes back-to-back meetings or long gaming sessions a breeze. The open-back design does bleed sound (as expected), but nothing excessive at normal volumes. On the plus side, it keeps your ears fresh and avoids the "ear fatigue" closed-back designs often cause. I can’t recommend this strongly enough for a dedicated at-home or private office setup — ideal for all-day online meetings or marathon gaming sessions.

Estremamente comode e leggere da indossare. Nessun affaticamento per ascolti prolungati. Con l’impedenza di 50 Ohm, garantiscono un segnale potente su qualsiasi fonte. Ottimi dettagli e separazione delle voci e strumenti che risultano puliti e naturali, con ampio palcoscenico. Sono aperte, quindi nessun isolamento. Il jack trs da 2,5 mm ha un innesto proprietario con blocco a rotazione, cavi da 3m + 1,2m. Consigliate.