Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones
- Cutting-edge engineering and robust construction
- 40 mm drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils
- Circumaural design contours around the ears for excellent sound isolation in loud environments
- 90° swiveling earcups for easy, one-ear monitoring
- Professional-grade earpad and headband material delivers more durability and comfort. Removable cable
The M-Series ATH-M40x professional monitor headphones are tuned flat for incredibly accurate audio monitoring across an extended frequency range. Your studio experience is enhanced with superior sound isolation and swiveling earcups for convenient one-ear monitoring. Engineered with pro-grade materials and robust construction, the M40x excels in professional studio tracking and mixing, as well as DJ monitoring.
List Price: $ 139.00
Price:
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I WAS BLOWN AWAY!,
Ok, lets start – this review is purely based on audio and built quality. If you are about fashion and fancy names, than look elsewhere.
Last 15 days I was camping in MediaMarkt and Saturn (Deutschland) with one mission only – to decide which headphones to buy.
My budget what 300 euros. I have long experience with professional audio equipment, but very low or zero about headphones for listening and enjoying music.
I own Bose QC 15 and I like them very much, until today.
Music I have used for testing was various – from heavy bass based house, rock, vocal, live concerts, jazz, etc … you name it, I tried it all really, and mostly from mobile devices – Samsung S4, LG Nexus 4, BlackBerry Bold 9770, Apple Shuffle and Nano.
Also, I was using devices in the store, to compare it. All music whas in mp3 format, 320 kbps, ripped from original CD’s, audio quality aint something amazing, but still good.
I’ve definitely learned one thing – in a world of a high quality headphones, you REALLY REALLY DO NOT get what you paid for.
I was amazed how expensive h.phones can have poor sound. Ofc, at the end, it all comes Individually what kind of sound you like.
I have looked all the possible reviews, tests, advice’s by professional audio testers, and so on. It can help, but also can be confusing sometimes.
Simple – Audio Technica M40X simply and easily outperformed 90% of the headphones in these stores. Remaining 10% are debatable, and questionable. I am talking about balanced and neutral sound, and they are all about balance, with a very, very balanced price, if not damn cheap for what you get.
Many h.phones are designed with lower impedance so mobile devices can run them easily, with louder sound. Majority have tweaked sound, for commercial, every day use. Accent on a heavier and punchier bass is everywhere, and on most of the models I’ve tried.
So you must be clear with yourself – what you like and want, what kind of music you listen mostly, mobility, quality, etc …
Atm, I am testing them with “Greyhound” by Swedish House Mafia = bass is very, very good, deep, precise, and punchy. Almost perfect, exactly the way I like. Trebles are beautiful – crisp and crystal clear, middles and lows are marginally a little bit lower but mostly because I am trying to be very critical with them. Vocals are amazing, acoustic guitar and jazz sounds simply – brilliant. Some things with my Bose QC 15 are definitely can not be heard without amplifier and higher volume.
While we are talking about Bose, I have tried them all – QC 25 sounded very nice, but bass was over-dominating the whole sound experience and AT 40x had crispier, clearer sound stage. Active noise canceling is where Bose shines, but I’ve never liked that technology, I did always felt some sort of claustrophobic having them over my head.
At the end, my narrow choice was Sennheiser Momentum on ear. They are on special price at 139 euros in Saturn, and I have to admit I was very close to buy them. They look beautiful and sound was really classy. Bass was all over you, but very well controlled and balanced and the whole sound stage were impressive. More I was listening, I was getting more in love with them. But somehow M40X sounded the way I like more, plus Momentum is on ear headphones, and comfort was my main concern. They were very comfortable but still I started to feel some pressure over my ears after less than hour. But they sounded damn good.
M40X build quality is very solid, I have seen many models with double the price tag and they did not have this quality. They are built to last, by all means. Comfort is where Audio Technica have improved a lot on all “X” models and they are light and feel great. Included cables looks like they are literally indestructible – top quality. I was wearing them for over 5 hours and still enjoying.
At the end, and in my humble opinion I got this experience:
Audio Technica m50x – big brother, a bit pricier, have overall better sound with a little bit heavier bass, but still M40X have more neutral, better sound (at least to me)
Sennheiser HD 518 = good, but not that good, same price range so no reason at all to buy them
Sennheiser HD 558 = very good, overall experience is great, but M40X outperformed them, especially on highes.
Sennheiser Momemtum over ear = hefty price tag, but I really could not find how and where they are better. More I was listening, I got more determined to avoid them. Your call, but price versus quality ratio is not justified by all means, differences between them and M40X were marginal.
Sennheiser Momentum on ear = my next favorite. Deep, heavy, beautifully funny bass with great overall sound stage. Cool look.
Beats = Avoid, avoid, avoid. Please, do yourself a favor and save money, all of them are all about bass, bass, bass and after 2 minutes you felt like your brain will explode…
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|Best pair of headphones you’ll get for the price range, no doubt,
Before the review itself, I’d like to add a PROS & CONS in case you don’t want to read the whole thing:
+ New design, a bit more minimalist. Matte finish.
+ Little smaller than the M50/M50x.
+ Practically the same sound as the M50/M50x.
+ 40g lighter than the M50/M50x but feels a lot lighter when wearing them.
+ Softer cushions, making them quite comfortable.
+ Cheaper than both the M50 ($20-30 difference) and the M50x ($70 difference).
– The only thing someone might consider as a con would be that the M40x’s earcups only rotate 90° instead of 180° like the M50/M50x. Personally, it’s irrelevant for me.
Onto the review and wall of text:
As far as design goes, they’re pretty much like the old M50s, with a couple of minor tweaks, for example on the earcups you’ll just find the A-T logo, instead of the model name and brand. I guess the main differences would be that the M40x is slighty smaller and its earcups won’t rotate 180°, but only 90° and for me, that’s no problem. Overall, I’d say they look much better than the rest A-T models.
The sound is unbelievable, the difference between them and the M50s is almost unnoticeable because they nearly have the same specifications. I also recorded myself when hearing music in various distances because I saw one review stating that the sound leaked badly, but that wasn’t the case. I could only hear my music really low when I put the recorder literally next to the headphones.
Now the game changer for me, feel and weight. According to Audio-Technica’s webpage, the M40x weight 240g against the M50’s 285g; it doesn’t seem like a big difference on paper, but these really feel A LOT lighter making them much more comfortable than the latter by miles. Additionally, the ear cushions appear to be much softer than the previous models, which makes them again much more comfortable, especially after prolongued use.
These are also cheaper than the M50/M50x, duh, so this will get you the best bang for your buck definitely.
Bottom line, if you’re looking for a couple of balanced high quality headphones that won’t drain your whole paycheck, do yourself a favor and order the Audio-Technica M40x. You won’t regret it!
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|Professional Sound in Non-Professional Phones,
The Goods: You get a set of collapsable (I guess they take up less space) studio cans, a coiled gold-plated headphone cable, a straight gold-plated headphone cable with 1/4″ gold-plated adapter, and a soft bag for storage. Sorry, no AT bumper sticker in this kit.
First Impression: They’re light! I don’t have my Sennheisers next to me to directly compare, but man, these things are crazy light. Almost suspiciously light… Cables snap in nicely, and the bag is perfect for keeping the dust off, nothing more. Also, this material on the cups and head band are SOFT. Seems softer than a kitten, without the smell. I like it.
The Sound: As you can imagine, they’re great. The highs are very crisp, and like any AT headphones, there is a break-in period. They should warm out a bit, and lose the high-end harshness in a week of use. The lows are not as clear as they could be, but clearer than the muddled lows on my Sennheisers. Mids are great. Clarity at volume is really good.
Only complaint, they don’t seal out background sounds like my other cans did. They seem open, instead of closed. These are definitely not as effectively in loud spaces for listening.
As monitors, they’re very neutral for sub-$100 phones. Slight warmth toward the low, with sharp highs that will break in. Voice sounds natural, especially solo vocals singing, which is what I need them mostly for.
The Feel: I don’t know how to say this. The plastic doesn’t feel cheap, it’s just very, very lightweight. The phones are so much more comfortable to wear being this light. If you wear glasses, you will notice a HUGE difference when wearing them. They aren’t heavy or tight, meaning they’re not clamping your head, pressing the frames behind your ears.
Yet, the way the cups swivel, and click, sounds and feels cheap. I feel like I could definitely break these. I have a year warranty, and I’ll refer back with updates. My other Audio Technica gear, is SOLID stuff. My microphones and turntable feel like they could be dropped from an airliner. The band and pivots inside are stainless steel, so the phones should hold up well. I’m just not feeling it every time I pick them up and flex them over my head.
The cables are also lightweight, but will no doubt hold up.
The Verdict: For under $100, headphones that sound this good, with replaceable cables for different situations, that don’t weigh anything on you; are well worth it. 4 stars for being loose with this material, and not sealing out background noise like they should.
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