Audio-Technica M30x Professional Monitor Headphones Black

I am very particular when it comes to sound quality, wanting tight bass, controlled treble and natural mid tones. Basically reference sounds from speakers and headphones that are rich yet natural, with the minimum of colouration.But of course these things can come at great cost, in fact the sky is the limit for the audiophile.So what of these "cans"? Well my previous wired headphones, as opposed to the very popular wireless Bluetooth headphones (to which I have two very good pairs I might add), the leatherette had broken up and the foams are starting to breakdown, after 5 years. It was time to decide just to get new cushions for the Sony's or bite the bullet and get a new set of wired headphones, and wired was important. But which Brand?Well I liked my Sony's but at times the wire was too short. Beats? No thank you, I have tried them and they are (for me) bass heavy and flabby at that. I am sure some like the sound from them, but not me. Personally I think you are paying a lot for the name, when there are better options at a lower price. No, lets investigate.The sound is very natural. Well pitched mid range, a lovely tight, rich bass, no muddyness here, and clear trebles.Various sources were used, from CD's to Spotify and you tube etc. Not tried them on vinyl yet.One thing to beware of though it the quality of the source, On a couple of reproduction songs the treble sounded a bit too zingy. Not the fault of the headphones, but the source itself. Try with a good source and they shine.Example track is the very demanding "March of the Celts" by Enya, at 1 min 46 Seconds. There is is a bass note that demands perfect reproduction, and these shine with it. Not perfect but oh so close. Another track I played the quality was that good, you could hear the hand of the pianist hit the piano, something I have not heard before.There will be better headphones out there, but from a cost point of view these get very close to perfection, nay, these have a sound quality of cans many times the cost.If you want exceptional headphones and you are are on a budget, you really should consider these. They really are that good.

I got these for privately monitoring my home music productions and guitar practice, plus listening to my record collection, instead of using my reference speakers and annoying family and neighbours!I'm really impressed at this price by the clarity across the tonal frequencies separating musical instruments that these headphones achieve. I'm listening to 'A Show of Hands' by Rush at the moment and it sounds crystal clear: I can hear the synthesisers, bass, guitar, drums, cymbals, and vocals without any distortion or mushiness at the the lower or higher frequencies.The cable length of 3 metres suits my needs and it feels good quality material and well secured at the jack and headphone ends. They feel comfortable after an hour's wear, and I think I will get a lot of use out of these for home use.

After owning these headphones for nearly two years they are still going strong.Pros: They have amazing sound; the lows are not overpowering, the mids stand out and the highs are crispy. I personally don't like headphone which add a load of bass, for my needs these guys are great because the bass is still there but it doesn't come at the cost of losing the mids and the highs.They are ideal for a range of uses; mixing, editing videos, travel and general listening. I have been using these guys for anything and everything, they are good at all of them, the neutral profile of audio-technica headphones makes them super diverse.For the price the build quality has impressed, lasting for almost two years without any troubles and I have not been genital with them, apart from always having them in the case that they came with, which doesn't offer amazing protection, they function and the sound quality has not been diminished.The amount of sound that leaks from these guys is minimal, they are close back after all. Even on full volume on a computer or through an amplifier (not a phone, full volume on a phone is about 2/3 to 3/4 of the sound that these guys can pump out) the sound leaking is not significant but since they can get stupidly loud that isn't too surprising.The comfort, the first 4 hours. They are very comfortable and fit to my head brilliantly. They are light enough for you not really notice them at all but still have a little weight to them to remind you they are there, which I like. The padding is good on the top band and the ear padding is great. The pressure is just right to not hurt your ears and still block out enough sound so you don't have to turn up the volume too high, important on flights.Cons: As for the cons, these are minor and not something I focus on or particularly care about but I thought I would include them so you guys have an idea of the full picture.The comfort, the other side of 4 hours. After about the 4 hour mark of continual use of these headphones your ears will be feeling a bit squished but this rarely happens to me since I am not using them for that much time without having a 10 minute break from usage before this point. Plane travel is the main time where this happens, however after a small break I can get back to listening and not have a problem.The cable is long, 3 meters (roughly 9.8ft) of it. Now some people may love this, but for me it was a case of having a circle of cable towards the end taped up with the right amount cable free. The cable is not inter-changeable like on the ATH-50mx and ATH-40mx but the quality of the cable is great and the 3.5mm jack is strong.Overall these headphones have been great, the cons that I have listed are minor to me compared to the pros. The sound is great, they can get loud when you want them to be loud but are also great on low volume. They can handle all types of music, from EDM to classical and everything in between, voice recordings and other work as well. Build quality is an issue for some I have seen but not for me.Happy listening. Bye now.