By aspect — in detail
Reviewers broadly agree on the shape and split on how to feel about it: a bass-boosted, treble-lifted V/U-shape with somewhat scooped mids — a fun, consumer-leaning voicing, not a neutral one. The argument is one of degree and taste: some hear a mild, even scoop that sits close to a pleasant consumer target, others a pronounced V that's coloured and best kept for monitoring rather than critical hi-fi listening. (The valence of that split lives in the bass, treble and value aspects below.)
“The 50x opts for a 5dB shelf across most of the low end, so let’s address the elephant in the room first: this is NOT a neutral-sounding headphone.”
Home Studio Basics
“Quite suited for monitoring but a bit too U-shaped for hifi music reproduction.”
DIY-Audio-Heaven (solderdude)
Measured
Objectively a V/U tuning: elevated mid-bass (a ~150 Hz hump per ASR, a ~5 dB low-end shelf per Home Studio Basics), a lower-mid dip (~300–425 Hz), a dip around 3 kHz, and an elevated upper treble/air region. SoundGuys is the dissenter on bass quantity — it reads the low end as 'subdued' only because its target curve is itself bass-heavy.
Almost everyone agrees there's a lot of it and that it digs deep; they split on whether it's any good. One camp hears a punchy, deep, satisfying low end that's a treat for bass-forward genres; the other hears a bloated, woolly mid-bass that isn't tight and bleeds into the music. The split tracks something physical — the bass is elevated through the mid-bass with measurable distortion when pushed, and the sub-bass depends heavily on getting a good seal.
Measured
Extends very low (DIY-Audio-Heaven measures bass down to ~10 Hz) but is lifted ~80–200 Hz, with 3rd-harmonic bass distortion the clearest objective knock (~1% at 90 dB rising to ~3% at 97 dB). ASR calls the ~150 Hz hump 'a glaring fault.' How much sub-bass you actually get depends on the earpad seal — SoundGuys sees it roll off below ~40 Hz, and oratory1990 notes 'little subbass due to earpad fit.'
Where it splits
Punchy, deep and satisfying — prominent yet articulate, and a treat for bass-forward genres.47%
“The low bass, meanwhile, is more prominent than on many studio phones, yet still pretty articulate.”
Sound On Sound (Sam Inglis)
Bloated and woolly — an elevated mid-bass that isn't tight.53%
“The bass is somewhat elevated and a bit on the ‘woolly’ side as in ‘not tight’.”
DIY-Audio-Heaven (solderdude)
The midrange leans mildly recessed — a lower-mid dip and a ~3 kHz dip are in every measurement — and a fair few listeners describe it as scooped or 'hollow,' especially with guitars and male vocals. A minority (and the brand's defenders) hear clean, natural vocals with no obvious peaks, so the disagreement is really about how much that gentle scoop bothers you.
“Mids have a neutral/forward character with a bit of a ‘hollow’ sound to it. Clarity is good.”
DIY-Audio-Heaven (solderdude)
“Moving into the mid-range, we have a very good response with no glaring peaks or cuts, which helps vocals and instruments stand out naturally and organically.”
Home Studio Basics
Measured
Measurements show a lower-mid under-emphasis (~300–425 Hz) and a dip around 3 kHz (SoundGuys, ASR), consistent with the scooped, occasionally 'hollow' character a minority dislike.
The defining, most-argued axis. One camp hears the top end as sharp, grainy, sibilant and fatiguing — the source of the 'treble murder' reputation among treble-sensitive listeners; the other hears it as restrained, non-splashy and non-fatiguing, and notes the M50x actually tamed the brighter original M50. Tellingly, the measurements themselves disagree, which is why this comes down to your ears, your music and your specific unit.
Measured
The rigs genuinely disagree: ASR measures a couple of peaks between 4 and 6 kHz it found 'annoying,' while DIY-Audio-Heaven reads 3–9 kHz as not really elevated (no sibilance) with the lift instead up in the 10–20 kHz 'air' region. SoundGuys sees a notch at 6 kHz.
⚠ vs. listeners — Because the peaks sit in a region that shifts with earpad seal, ear anatomy and the measurement rig, 'piercing/fatiguing' and 'restrained/fine' can both be true reports of the same headphone. Treble-sensitive listeners and bright recordings push toward the first verdict; a small EQ cut, pad swap or warmer source pushes toward the second.
Where it splits· split roughly even
Sharp, grainy and fatiguing — peaky treble that many reach to EQ out.
“I found the treble a bit annoying so dialed in two small filters for the two peaks we saw in frequency response.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
Restrained and non-fatiguing — no real sibilance or sharpness.
“From 3kHz to 9kHz the response is not really elevated so no sibilance nor sharpness.”
DIY-Audio-Heaven (solderdude)
Typical closed-back, and not a selling point: most describe it as small, intimate and 'in your head,' with several calling the stage microscopic. A minority — notably the brand's defenders — find it surprisingly spacious for a sealed design, but width and air are clearly limited.
“Spatial qualities were low with sound on each side of the ear.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
“For a closed-back model, these deliver quite the experience.”
Home Studio Basics
Measured
A small, sealed enclosure caps width and air; the most positive readings come from enthusiast impressions rather than measurement-grounded ones.
Lightly covered and mostly a knock when raised: critics report instruments jumbling together and weak placement, while studio-leaning reviewers find hard-panned instruments come through cleanly enough for checking a mix. Not a strength, not a disaster.
“The hard-panned instruments come through pleasantly and distinctly.”
SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)
“Bloated bass, zero soundstage and horrendous imaging.”
Reddit r/headphones
Reads as resolving for the money — the quality its fans point to most — though skeptics argue a lot of the perceived 'detail' rides on the bright upper treble rather than true resolution, and it isn't as revealing as a good open-back. Cleaning up the bass bloat (or EQ) is repeatedly said to free up more of it.
“The resolution was immaculate.”
Home Studio Basics
“Getting rid of the bloat in upper bass let more of the detail in music to be heard.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
Measured
Distortion is impressively low from the midrange up (ASR), but DIY-Audio-Heaven flags the upper-treble lift as 'fake detail' — an impression of resolution from brightness rather than genuine top-end retrieval.
Easy to drive and effectively unflappable: low impedance and high sensitivity mean it plays loud and clean from a phone, and reviewers couldn't find its distortion limits even at painful volume. A minority counter that it doesn't 'scale' with better amplification — but it doesn't need one to perform.
“Power handling was superb with me not be able to find the limits of the headphone as noted earlier.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
Measured
~36–38 Ω and high sensitivity (DIY-Audio-Heaven measures 100 dB/mW, 115 dB/V; ASR rates it among the most sensitive closed-backs it has tested), so it reaches high SPL from almost anything with very low distortion above the bass.
Genuinely split, and it tracks your anatomy. One camp finds it light and comfortable for long stretches; the other finds the shallow pads and firm clamp press on the ears, run hot, and 'dig into your earlobes' over time — with glasses, larger ears and long sessions pushing people toward the second camp. Deeper aftermarket pads are the standard fix (though they change the bass).
Measured
Light (~283–295 g) with a medium clamp (DIY-Audio-Heaven measures ~4 N), but the pads are shallow (~16 mm front, ~19–20 mm rear) so for many ears the driver baffle presses on the ear, the vinyl pads trap heat, and glasses-wearers fare worse (SoundGuys). oratory1990 notes the earpads are 'a little small.'
Where it splits
Light and comfortable — fine for prolonged use.42%
“Lightweight and comfortable enough for prolonged use, offering useful levels of isolation from external sound, and competitively priced, they tick all the important boxes.”
Sound On Sound (Sam Inglis)
Shallow pads and a firm clamp that press on the ears and run hot.58%
“Room for the ears is not plentiful. The depth is just under 20mm in the rear.”
DIY-Audio-Heaven (solderdude)
Two things sit side by side. There's near-universal agreement on one flaw — the faux-leather earpads and headband flake and crack within a couple of years (the pads are cheap to replace, the headband less so) — and the move to a detachable (if proprietary) cable is widely welcomed. Past that, opinion splits: one camp calls the foldable, metal-reinforced chassis tank-like, the other calls it cheap, creaky plastic that can crack.
Measured
Foldable, metal-reinforced where it matters, with a now-detachable cable (a locking proprietary connector, with three cables in the box) — but the faux-leather pads and headband peel and crack within ~2–3 years across sources (the original M50's fixed cable was the headline fix in the X). SoundGuys flags the proprietary connector as the build's main annoyance.
Where it splits
Tough and foldable — mostly plastic, but metal where it counts.55%
“Built of mostly plastic, but the ATH-M50x has metal where it counts.”
SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)
Feels cheap — unremarkable, creaky plastic.45%
“There is no feeling of fanciness here which goes with the cost of the unit.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
Decent for a closed-back and a point in its favour for tracking and noisy rooms — most call it acceptable to good — but it does little against low-frequency rumble, so it's no commuter's isolator. Seal- and pad-dependent, as ever.
“Attenuation of outside noises is decent.”
DIY-Audio-Heaven (solderdude)
“In the lows you receive no isolation, meaning bassy droning sounds from your environment will still reach your ears.”
SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)
Measured
SoundGuys measures roughly 10 dB of attenuation at 700 Hz rising to ~33–38 dB up high, but next to nothing in the low end — good against voices and hiss, weak against rumble.
The core of the 'overrated' debate. One camp says it's strong value — durable, versatile, and a genuine bargain on sale — and the tens of thousands of high owner ratings back that up. The other says that at full price it's been outclassed by newer rivals (Beyerdynamic DT 770, AKG K371, Sony MDR-7506), and that much of its fame is now legacy. Most agree the 'overrated' tag is more about years of over-recommendation and backlash than a fault in the headphone.
Measured
MSRP around $149–169 and frequently $100–130 on sale; owner aggregates are high and large (Amazon 4.7/5 from ~27.7k, Sweetwater 4.5/5, Best Buy 4.7/5). The dissent is comparative — reviewers repeatedly name the DT 770, AKG K371 and Sony MDR-7506 as stiffer competition than existed when the M50x launched.
Where it splits
Strong value — a durable, versatile all-rounder, especially at sale prices.52%
“Find it at the right price and you won't regret it for the good sound, but these days it's an awkward sibling.”
SoundGuys (Jasper Lastoria)
Outclassed at full price — newer rivals do more for the money.48%
“Now the pendulum is reaching equilibrium and it is easy to see that they're not bad, but not great either; specially in comparison with newer stuff like the K371 and K361”
Reddit r/headphones