Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Studio Monitor Headphone, Black, with Cutting Edge Engineering, 90 Degree Swiveling

10 reviews for Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Studio Monitor Headphone, Black, with Cutting Edge Engineering, 90 Degree Swiveling

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Homegrown Handyman – January 9, 2019

   
   I’ve owned these about nine months now. I’m a huge audio nerd, and I love these headphones!Quick points:- frequency response is incredible.- you won’t need a DAC — they’re very sensitive (efficient).- sub-bass is present, if a little quiet, but- they can take MASSIVE amounts of sub-bass if EQ’d- great for people who are sensitive to treble- they’re really comfortable — I can wear them for hours, with glasses- their floppiness takes some getting used to- they isolate sound pretty well- you’ll want to buy a different cable (there’s an awesome 1.2m braided one on Amazon for $12)They sound /so/ flat. (“flat” here refers to a graph of their frequency response, where a “flatter” graph gives a sound that’s de-emphasized across the frequency spectrum — it doesn’t make some notes too loud and others too soft, just reproduces them exactly as they were recorded.) They respond to EQ really well, but I don’t feel the need to use EQ on any part of the range besides sub-bass (and only for trap, future bass, etc.). Of course, their response isn’t the most even and flat (according to professional measurements I’ve found), but it’s really, really great. What is emphasized makes detail (2kHz to 6kHz) just a little more present, without being harsh. To my ears, a lot of headphones in this price range and higher sound too harsh because they emphasize treble too much. I had that concern with these at first, but for my ears, they’re right on the edge without going overboard — just about perfect.You can practically use them as speakers with a mobile device — they’re that sensitive. You definitely don’t /need/ to use a DAC with these.I love sub-bass. I listen to a lot of trap, future bass, and misc. edm where the subbass really needs to speak. These headphones start to roll off around 70Hz, but not so drastically to where these styles aren’t enjoyable without an EQ. I could go without EQ on these headphones, but I don’t. What’s great about these is that you can throw all the sub-bass boost you want at them and they still perform superbly. I use as much as +25dB at 31Hz (on a 29-band EQ) and they handle it excellently. In that regard, I give in before they do. I recommend AIMP if you’re on Android so you can dial in the bass just how you want it, if you’re into that sort of thing.With other types of music and with podcasts, audiobooks, etc, I don’t even think to use EQ with these headphones. Acoustic instruments never sounded so good before, or so true-to-life. And with podcasts, you can really hear the differences in the different microphones people use; it’s incredible.They’re really comfortable for me. I have a large head and I wear glasses half the time, and even while wearing glasses, I can wear these headphones for hours at a time with minimal fatigue. The earpads and headband are nice and soft, and the earpads reach all the way around large ears. My partner has a small head and seems to find them comfortable, though they can slide around a bit on their head. When I’m moving around a lot, I find I need to really tighten them up to get them to grip when I tilt my head down. This became a non-issue for me as I got accustomed to them.Due to the flexible nature of the design, they are especially floppy. You really can’t pick them up quite like normal headphones, and putting them on is necessarily a two-handed affair. The first time I picked these up at a demo, they seemed to abandon my hands. You can’t pick them up by one earcup and slip them on one-handed. I find I have to grab both cups or both ends of the headband and then put them on. But that’s intentional. Sometimes you want to just pick up one ear and listen for just a second, like when you’re trying to dial in something in a recording. For that purpose, the rest of the headphones fall to the side out of the way, and it’s very convenient. I was actually frustrated by this at first, but after using them for some time in several different scenarios, I’m glad for the flexibility.Other design notes: they seem durable and they’ve never appeared to even start breaking. I am gentle with my equipment, and I kept from forcing the hinges when the headphones would flop out of my hands for the first week I used them. I absolutely love that they fold up. This is eminently convenient for putting them in bags and taking them places.The sound isolation is pretty good. Even on airplanes I’ve found that I don’t have to turn the volume up too much. They easily block out conversations and even that one guy who doesn’t know he talks too loudly. Adding bass seems to help this.The cable situation is pretty bad. It’s kind of weird to include two giant studio-length cables with headphones that will also be bought by average consumers. That being said, I bought a compatible braided cable on Amazon for $12, and it’s awesome. It locks into the headphones, it’s just the right length for everyday use, and it seems really durable. You’ll probably want to buy one if you ever move your headphones from your desk.I really love these headphones, and I highly recommend them for all purposes.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Amazon Customer – September 13, 2023

   
   Bought these to use for music production when it’s late and my girl doesn’t want me making too much noise in the studio. I always dive way too deep researching gear before making a purchase and I’m glad I did for these. I was looking for headphones that have a flat frequency response so that I can get the most out of my mix downs. These are great headphones! Clear and transparent response at a great price. I prefer these to the next tier up (m50’s) and they are a better price!

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   David B. – April 10, 2023

   
   For a set of head phones for the specific application these units are priced well and are excellent. There are a few caveats, however. Build quality is very good, no creaky plastics or weak connectors. These headphones are as acoustically flat as a pancake, as a set of monitor headphones should be. Don’t expect soaring highs or bass heavy bias, as that is not the application for these. The acoustic signature is wide and accurate. Even though these headphones have a 32 ohm impedance, you will still need a headphone amp to get the best sound reproduction from them. I would recommend something like the Fossi Dac-q4 rev 2, a portable Fiio, or a mini tube hybrid with some Burr Brown DAC’s, also Moukey also builds some decent stuff to give these cans a run for their money. The caveats are as follows…Proprietary audio connector at the cable jack on the headset, this cannot be easily changed. Break in on these cans is somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 hours to develop their flat response. Finally, the closed back design with snug head pressure is going to be modified for long term use, especially if you have a big head as I do. BrainWavz makes an excellent pair of angled pad replacements for like 22 bucks. For a sub 120 dollar set of cans for monitor playback is what you are seeking, these would be a instant buy. Just be aware of the additional cost involved with more comfortable pads and an inexpensive amp to truly make them sing. If you can catch them on discount coupon as i did, and order the upgrades. You should get an excellent set of cans that approach 500 dollar sound for about 200 bucks. Hook them up, turn them on a long playlist and check back in 3 days. If you want over hot bass or screaming treble, you are not gonna get it here. If you want glass flat acoustics, accuracy, super wide staging, and excellent super stereo cross fading, this would be an excellent set for a beginner editor or an experienced professional on a budget. Hope you find this review helpful and if you decide to pull the trigger, enjoy the excellent cans.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Nate C – September 16, 2023

   
   Could be a little more comfortable on the ears all day. Maybe bigger to cover the ears.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Juan Saavedra – August 30, 2023

   
   Exelentes audífonos, los uso para practicar con el piano o con el multiefectos y estudiar con el bajo y la guitarra eléctrica, tambien super recomendados para producir música en el home estudio, buenos para mezcla y masterización.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Roger Fitzpatrick – June 30, 2023

   
   I love these. Best pair of headphones I’ve ever owned. Sad I lost my first pair so I had to buy another set and even bought the exact same model. Being able to hear the distinctions between the lows, mids, and highs when mixing or creating music make these some of the best out there in my opinion. I would definitely recommend these to anyone. Even just for listening to music on they’re worth it. The bass comes through crisp and clean and does not take away from the rest of the music like other pairs can do. Also it coming with the two different cords makes it nice as well and then being able to put everything inside the pouch it comes with makes it so you can keep things organized. I do know I am just one person and everyone has their own preferences but I would definitely recommend giving these a shot if your in the market.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Bonnie Boe – August 10, 2023

   
   This was exactly what my son wanted, and let’s be honest, I’d he’s listening through great headphones, I’m not listening Day and night along with him!! These seem to have a great noise canceling ability because I have to go tap His shoulder when he had them on in order to get his attention. LOL LOL. Successful birthday gift as exactly like his older brothers!

8. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   José Emilio López Piña – September 22, 2021

   Review amateur para bajistas amateurs
   Para mí, tocar bajo eléctrico es un hobby y carezco de formación musical, pero de pronto se me hizo difícil encontrar opiniones de este gremio para estos auriculares. *Aclaración: El escuchar cosas es relativo, todos tenemos diferentes capacidades auditivas. Con 29 años y unos 4 de bajista amateur (sin formación musical), aquí les van mis comentarios:InstrumentoMe interesaban estos audífonos por 2 razones:1) practicar mi bajo y que se escuchara bien y 2) para poder usar mi interface U-Phoria umc22, por lo cual el plug que tiene era clave. Se escucha bien limpio, la onda de “sonar como home-studio” es alcanzable jaja!Me preocupaba bastante como sonaría mi bajo. Es mi hobby tocar, y no me considero bueno, tengo algunos años tocando pero aún me es sumamente difícil sacar canciones a oído. Me encantan las notas graves de las cuerdas 4 y 5 y me intimidaba que no fueran a sonar bien, pero no, suena bastante bien. Pienso que probablemente si los hubiera podido probar antes me hubiera ido por los m50x, pero siendo mis primeros audífonos y por el precio creo que fue una buena decisión, aún así jamas he escuchado con los m50X pero seguramente suenan un poco más y quizás mejor estas notas más graves, de las cuales soy fan.MúsicaTraía todo el hype cuando llegaron y si fue extraño los primeros minutos y las primeras canciones.Coincido con algunos otros comentarios que te cambia la manera de escuchar. Aclaro que no tengo DAC y la música que por lo pronto he escuchado han sido música mp3 de dudosa procedencia y de plataformas como YouTube y Amazón Music (es decir, tampoco me he esforzado por conseguir música en alta definición de origen como FLAC y Hi-Fi).Yo suelo/solía escuchar mi música por medio del amplificador de mi bajo (aclaro que este amplificador no puede modular los bajos o medios en la música, únicamente modula para el instrumento); sin embargo por el subwoofer que tiene por lo regular las canciones suenan muy bien en términos de bajo. Alcanzas a escucharlo pero sin distorsionar la música ni hacer vibrar las ventanas de tus habitaciones. Sin embargo al ser un amplificador era una sola bocina, una única fuente de sonido, sonido mono digamos. Y cuando me puse estos audífonos al fin comencé a notar el trabajo que hacen de poner ciertos instrumentos o sonidos en un lado, no se como se dice apropiadamente, pero comienzas a percibir la espacialidad en la música, que tiene como lugar (entre instrumentos) y que se mueve en distintas direcciones. Honestamente unas canciones si he sentido falta de bajo (a diferencia de cuando las escucho desde el amplificador) por lo que creo que si los hubiera podido probar antes probablemente me iría por los m50x, sin embargo por el precio, creo que fue un buen PRIMER paso en el mundo de los audífonos de gama media, nunca había tenido nada que sobrepasara los audífonos in-ear de trescientos pesos o los que vienen con los celulares.Mis géneros musicales son bastante amplios, escucho desde rock progresivo, black metal, reggae, ska, lofi, hasta los sountracks de como de Saint Seiya de Seiji Yokoyama (ampliamente recomendados del IV en adelante) suenan hermoso; (yo no sé ustedes, pero yo entré mas crezco, más me gusta explorar, por aquellos que la juegan a los true y no salieron de ahí; estos no son tus audífonos definitivamente).Coincide la llegada de estos audífonos con la salida del disco de Cultura Profética instrumental y esta genial, termine de escuchar el disco muy satisfecho, me gusto más que la versión original, me permitió probar los audífonos y pues asombrado de la genialidad de los arreglos de este disco, canciones como creo en tu carne, efecto domino o llevarte allí suenan perfecto, reverbs, delays y sintetizadores suenan excelente.El Dark Side Of the Moon suena 1000/10Comodidad.Me preocupaba este aspecto por otros reviews, yo tengo cabeza grande (tamaño de gorra 7 5/8 mas o menos) pero orejas relativamente pequeñas. Debo decir que los primeros días se me hicieron cómodos pero si después de unas horas me dolían, pero igual que otros, descansando un par de minutos al ir al baño, por agua, estirar las piernas o atender otras cosas, es mas que suficiente para aguantar otro largo round del hobby de tocar o escuchar.Me pesa un poco aún comprar otros pads, así que creo que lo haré hasta que vea que comiencen a desgastar un poco (todos implican un gasto de al menos $500-600,). 3 días después pensé —> NO VOY A AGUANTAR. Hoy, (5 meses después), tengo que decir que son unas cuantas semanas de tortura, pero ahora puedo estar todo el día con estos audífonos sin tener esos dolores que tenía al principio.ConclusiónSi puedes, prueba entre los M40x y M50x, yo quizás ahora me iría por otra marca, pero no me arrepiento de nada, por el hecho de que no todos tenemos las mismas capacidades ni el mismo poder adquisitivo, así que evalúa que tanto provecho le sacarías y/o que tanto amas dichos hobbies. Para tocar mi bajo de 5 cuerdas, han funcionado de maravilla.

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   OmarFZ – August 10, 2023

   Mucho mejor de lo que pensé
   Honestamente tenía pocas expectativas de estos audífonos porque según yo las firmas equilibradas no me gustaban porque les faltan graves y les sobran agudos. Qué equivocado había estado todo este tiempo. Estos Audio Technica M40x suenan muy muy bien. Desde que los escuché la primera vez me di cuenta de algo que extrañaba de mis otros audífonos: el ataque de los bombos y los bajos eléctricos ¿cómo explicarlo? Tengo otros audífonos que suenan bien (Sennhesier HD 599 y Etymotic ER2XR) pero si los comparo con los M40x las notas graves tienen más cuerpo en los M40x, el sonido de la batería es más natural, la pegada suena con más detalle. Los agudos son más “cristalinos” sin llegar a molestar para nada. Los he disfrutado mucho estos días, aclaro que yo no me dedico a nada relacionado con la producción musical o audiovisual, simplemente los ocupa para escuchar mi música con un reproductor Fiio M6 o con mi teléfono.