please answer only if you have actually used both. i am trying to decide which one to purchase. i will use them for critical listening as well as tracking/mixing. i already know the pitfalls of mixing in headphones and understand the problems of mixing with closed back cans.

while researching the beyerdynamics dt770, i ran across this review:

I have the m50x and the 250ohm version of the dt770, so i'll give you my impressions with the 250ohm version in mind. I've heard the 80ohm a few times, they're very similar sounding, a bit more bass impact and a bit less aggressive in the highs, but the overall sound signature is 99% the same.
the 770 and m50 are very very similar sounding headphones. i'll try to break down the key differences.
bass - I'd give the nod to the m50x. the bass impact is greater on the 770, but the quality of the bass is superior by a very very small margin on the m50. mainly the level of detail is greater on the m50. it's not a huge difference though. I find the 770 bass to be just a bit too hard hitting. it's excited, but fatiguing. both headphones with an amp control bass fairly well for their price. they both can get muddy sounding at times though.
mids - 770 clear winner here in my opinion. though both headphones have recessed mids, the 770's are less recessed, in my opinion. again the m50 is more detailed, but I find the 770 mids more balanced, albeit grainy sounding. neither headphone do mids well though.
highs - m50 clear winner here. the highs on the 770 can get very harsh, less so on the m50. again, m50 seems to have a super slight lead in the detail level. it's highs are a tad smoother and more refined. the highs on the 770 are it's weakest area, in my opinion.
overall impressions - though the m50 has better technical abilities when broken down, I just have more fun listening to the 770. but the margin is super slim, please keep that in mind. they're both V shaped sound signatures with emphasized lows/highs, and scooped out mids. for my main genre, rock, I just get more engaged listening to the 770. I also get more fatigued as well due to it's heavy bass signature. despite many arguments to the contrary, I'm a big proponent of amping both these headphones. the main benefit is a tightening of the bass. both headphones exhibit tighter and more controlled bass under amp. they get less boomy/muddy as well. for me, that pays huge dividends in reduced fatigue. heavy and muddy bass fatigues me rather quickly, so anything that can tighten the bass of any headphone is a must.
non-sound thoughts:
the m50x version with it's detachable cables is a really nice feature. it's only moderately comfortable though. I don't hate my m50, but I don't love it either, from a comfort perspective. the pleather ear pads are horrible in comparison so the velour goodness of the 770. the 770 as a whole is just so much more comfortable to wear. it also isolates better as well. you'll hear less outside noise with the 770, and less of what your listening to will leak out for others to hear. both isolate good, but the 770 in my opinion is a clear winner here. both are well built and very durable. the m50 is more portable with it's detachable cables and folding design. the 770 is a more classy looking headphone, but also a bigger one as well.
easy of use - m50 huge winner here. its only 32ohm and sounds good plugged into just about anything. you get great volume and very decent sound dynamics even unamped. the 770 on the other hand really needs an amp to sound it's best. if you don't amp your headphones, get the m50, it will sound better.
as I've said, they're very similar headphones, you really cant go wrong either way.

does this sound accurate to you? i think maybe the reviewer did not have the pro version of the dt770 because he implies that the dt770 does not have detachable cable.

anyway, if you have used both, i would value your input.

 

Have no any harshness on my 770 pro 250 ohm. The best ~200bucks hps on the market

 

Nuff said. Not a comparison with the 770, but the performance of the with the 40x cannot be beat. The 50x actually performs worse than the 40x.

 

both of those model are not designed for critical listening, the ath m50x has more bass like beats is for dj monitoring, dt770pro is classic studio headphone model but it cant change the cable, a good headphone must need a high end audio cable otherwise it will give you worse sound

 

@realitybytez I am not going to answer your question but would give you a suggestion for a better set of closed back that will cost just a little bit more:
Focal Spirit Professional Closed-back Reference Studio Headphones @$199

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SpiritPro--focal-spirit-professional-closed-back-reference-studio-headphones?mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=3248788137&rkg_id=0&product_id=SpiritPro&campaigntype=shopping&campaign=aaShopping - Core - Studio & Recording&adgroup=Studio & Recording - Studio Monitors&placement=google&adpos=1o1&creative=213185928374&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu_jYBRD8ARIsAC3EGCKWeruawMBl9LLDkSciL9b5_JRcO7Oq7WUflU71hQPt0XDVz7XOThAaAkerEALw_wcB

You are not going to regret it. By the way, a couple of months ago they were selling for $350-$400.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 11, 2018

interesting, but kind of odd that you didn't link to this video:

 

Don't buy either. Certainly not proper mixing headphones...

 

i did actually consider those - but then i started digging deeper into the reviews and while everyone seemed to love the audio quality, i saw a lot of complaints about the build quality and how they literally fell apart after a few months. i think that's why the price has dropped so far.

 

I'm currently using the ath R70x, I"m quite liking them.

 

I didn't because the review was so polarizing. Listening to the test, the 40x was so mind-blowingly accurate, I literally could not hear the difference between it and the source recording. Better than the 50x, that much was clear. that point, the 770 really don't matter anymore because they are more expensive and they truly couldn't get better, IMO. They could be better, but the differences are less than negligible. Hearing is believing.

 

okay, so i got a little bit of a chuckle out of your response. yes, i am sure that i could find something a little better in the $350-$1,000 price range. but i'm not at all interested in spending that much. i'm not a professional engineer. i'm a casual hobbyist looking for something in the $100 to $200 (max including tax) price range. beyerdynamics and audio technica both claim those models to be suitable for what i want to use them, and literally dozens of reviewers back them up on that. but i'm open to alternative suggestions in my price range.

 

i really wish that i could justify the expense because those would be my choice as well.

 

that's interesting because i also listened to their ath-20x vs ath-30x vs ath-40x vs ath-50x video, and i thought the ath-50x sounded just slightly more accurate than the ath-40x. but i will admit that i am not a professional engineer and i may have overlooked something.

 

I will tell you this. We have several pairs, one is 4 years old, another is 3 years old and a couple of newer ones. They get used every day and we never had any problems. What we get is a lot of WOW! They sound good! Look at them as a one time investment. At this price range they are tops. The price dropped had nothing to do with built quality. Even at $400 they were a top choice. Focal is coming out with newer models ( super expensive). Bottom line, since you are going to be the one using them if you take proper care of them they will last you.

 

I own both the 770 and m50x as well as many others HD650, HD600, HD598, HD558, K702

Both of those headphones sound amazing, but I wound up using the 770s for tracking, and the m50x for monitoring. I don't like the fact that the 770 ear muff cloth can get dirty, but they are comfortable. They also do not have a detachable cable. m50x comes with 3 detachable cables!

I found the 770 a bit boomy, but in this price range, there are compromises you must adjust to with all headphones.

Get either one and start tracking and mixing.

 

I wouldn't put much value on the review you quoted, many points of his seem way off from my personal experiences and those of most of the audiophile community. That being said, we all hear and perceive sound differently...

TL;DR:
- Try them out!!!
- If you have to choose between M50 and DT770, go for the Beyers DT770 (better build, comfort and sound signature)
- I suggest open-back headphones
- You'll likely need an amp
- Screw third-party cables. If you want to try, build one yourself.

_______________________________________________________

My first question to you is: what do you plan on using as your source?
- Most pro headphones require amps to be adequately powered and to bring out their qualities. Obviously in this case the M50s wouldn't need to be powered whereas the DT770s would require a small amp. In the grand scheme of things though, you can find some insane deals on used quality gear or you can simply fork out 40-70$ for a small budget amp which will provide a significant boost to your headphones. Zeos has a reddit forum for used audio gear and you could really find a great deal on there! My suggestion here is to look for a decent solid-state amp that is fairly neutral and provides the required peak power at the resistance of your headphones. Schiit audio is great for these, as is Fiio.

My second question to you: Did you consider open back headphone? Is it possible for you to use them in your work environment?
- To put you in perspective, my first real pair of headphones were the M50s. I thought the world of them when I got them, but with time the signature and response of closed-back headphones just completely turned me off from working with them. They have their applications when moving about with transit or in a busy place, but there's a reason most high-end cans are open-back. Therefore my suggestion to you would be to consider this option.

With all this being said, I'll lay out my suggestions here. Up to you to make what you want of them.

- First and most important one is: FIND A WAY TO TRY THESE OUT. Way too many people order without trying the cans beforehand and end up disappointed. Only you know what sound signature you're looking for. Reading what other people perceive to be the sound of a can will just not translate into what you hear.

- If you absolutely have to choose between the M50 and the DT770, the Beyers win hands down. Fundamentally, they are both similar in that they have a V shaped sound and a serious lack of mids. The main issue with the M50 is that the resonant peaks are completely in the wrong spots and make them incredibly fatiguing and misguiding for mixing. This is compounded by the fact that the driver is WAY too close to your ears and the pads are simply the worst ones I've used. The 770s in contrast offer a much wider soundstage, however, they can be a bit shrill in the highs because they extend so far and the bass, while extending much lower than the M50s can be a bit much on songs that already have too much sub-bass (you'll have a similar bloat issue with the M50s anyways). The M50s will hit a bit harder on certain songs because of that 80-120hz bump, but the quality on the 770s is much better overall. Build quality is no contest either, my DT770s have been used twice as much as my M50s over the years, yet the M50s are in the trash and the 770s are still mint. Comfort wise is the same scenario, I couldn't wear the M50s longer than an hour whereas I can work nearly all day with the Beyers.

- Don't bother with cables, biggest waste of time and money ever. 50% or less of people say they can hear a difference, the other 50% can't hear anything different and empircally, the differences are less than 2% accross the board in terms of the impact of the can's frequency response. (Usually takes >2% for the human ear to pickup on the difference)

- Finally, for your budget and if you're ready to consider open-back headphones, then I suggest Sennheiser HD6XX/600/650, Beyerdynamic DT880s (DT990s if you like V-shape sound) or AKG K712. These will all require small amps to power them but they are among the cream of the crop for versatile, warm and relatively neutral headphones (Minus the 990s, those are like open 770s). I guarantee you will thank yourself (and maybe me!) down the road with these!

 

I own both, and I agree with @bluerover

I can say the ATH-50X do sound very nice and detailed at almost all frequencies, the problem for me became the "clamp" like
headband on the 50x.. I loaded up someone's project at my usual settings but it came out much louder than expected
and blasted my ears with not a bit of pressure escape around those cups.. I decided not to use them anymore,
they were just generally uncomfortable to wear, not based on how they sound I admit...
perhaps if you modify the headband I could say go ahead..and they are somewhat cheaper

The DT770 Pro are dreamy comfy...and sound fantastic as well. Also you can replace the earpads when they get worn...

https://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-926660-velour-silver-grey/dp/B0016MMYKA

Between the two, I would go for the Beyerdynamic's again... even the review sounds a little like the differences between
the 2 are quite small, and almost come down to a matter of taste...

right now.. I am using the MDR-7506, and I just love them..
probably not the "top spec" response cans, but they just suit my "taste"...

hope this helps.. cheers..

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 11, 2018

Everyone has a different perspective on headphones, and this might sound a bit obvious, but why don't you purchase both from amazon, then send back the pair you don't want?


Just double check with them to see if they will do that. I looked to see if these fall into items that are non-returnable (unless damaged) but I didn't see any reason why not

 

i have a native instruments audio kontrol 1. not the greatest audio interface in the world, but it works well for me and it does have a built-in headphone amp that handles impedence up to 800.

so here are my issues with open backs. first - i am primarily a vocalist, and my voice sounds best at relatively low volumes. i rely heavily on monitoring through headphones for recording vocals. i'm concerned about bleed. second issue is that my listening environment - while not noisy, does experience periodic interruptive noises like a jet flying over at fairly low level (takeoffs and landings), a nearby fire station and a nearby ambulance base. closed backs have worked well for me. but i was giving some consideration to the beyerdynamic dt880s because they are semi-open (whatever that means).

yeah, i noticed that right away in the video that i linked above. i really didn't like the way the high frequencies sounded. in fact, i had pretty much decided on the m50x until your post and herr durr's post. comfort is a legitimate issue if i'm going to be working on a mix for a few hours.

i guess i'm going to have to give it some more thought.


thank you to everyone who responded. i appreciate all of the input.

 

is there a big difference between the comfort of the 50x and the 40x i wonder? just ran across this "review". don't waste your time watching the whole thing, just the part i've cued up.