Brick & Mortar store for ATH-M40X headphones

Donal64

Donal64

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Been reading all over the place about the Audio Technica ATH-M40X headphones , and the M50X , but can find no brick & mortar stores that carry them. If they are as highly regarded as they seem, looks like they would be available locally. Are they available anywhere that you can actually touch them, or demo them?
 
Thanks,
I had checked Guitar Center's website and had the impression they were available for shipping only. Looks like there are two stores in range that have them available for pickup today. Maybe I'll take a drive later.
 
Hope you manage to find some. It seame's like it's getting really difficult to find a actual shop to try anything befor you buy now day's.
 
Just bought a pair of the ATH-M50x from Sam Ash, the Guitar Center across the street had them too, and the M40s. My M50xs are getting exchanged, the imbalance is distracting me so I am going to try another pair. Left side seems much stronger, especially down low.
 
Oh, and when I bought the M50x they were on sale at Guitar Center for $129. Last weekend. Other than the imbalance I like the sound a lot.
 
I also recently bought a pair of Grado SR80e, which I also like (I am a sucker for quality items made in the USA). They just don't have the low end the M50x do, so they are both suitable for different types of music. I am not sure which pair I prefer quite yet, but the ATH-M50x surprised me for sure, especially when used with my vinyl set-up. I like both so much I am keeping both. I was looking into the Sony MDR-7506 as well but when comparing in the store they sounded too flat for my tastes, and the non-removable cable was a deal killer, as I needed a long cable for my stereo setups. I also had a pair of Beats Studio Wireless (I know not much to compare to these two but posting for reference) and a pair of Harmon Kardons that I hated.
 
VinylDan1 said:
I also recently bought a pair of Grado SR80e, which I also like (I am a sucker for quality items made in the USA). They just don't have the low end the M50x do, so they are both suitable for different types of music. I am not sure which pair I prefer quite yet, but the ATH-M50x surprised me for sure, especially when used with my vinyl set-up. I like both so much I am keeping both. I was looking into the Sony MDR-7506 as well but when comparing in the store they sounded too flat for my tastes, and the non-removable cable was a deal killer, as I needed a long cable for my stereo setups. I also had a pair of Beats Studio Wireless (I know not much to compare to these two but posting for reference) and a pair of Harmon Kardons that I hated.
Click to expand...

I have a pair of really inexpensive sennheisers, another pair of sennheisers that's prolly a step or two above those , and a cheap pair of Amazon basics that I use when exercising. I've been thinking about those MDR-7506s for some time. Few days ago, on youtube, a guy did a comparison with the M40X, MDR-7506 and Sennheiser HD 280.
 
Well, I went to a Guitar Center and a Sam Ash to check out the M40X. Had a hard time manipulating the headphones. Don't know what the problem was. When grasping the headphones, seemed like the ear piece wanted to go in a different direction or something. My cousin, who had gone with me , had the same problem, as did the salesperson. About like trying to put a snake on your head. Sounded ok. I thought the M30X sounded as good. The M50X, I thought sounded better, as far as liking the sound. Had no problem handling the M50X. Had a similar experience with the M40 X at Sam Ash. Wound up ordering the Sony MDR-7506 from BH Photo for $79. They are the ones I've been thinking about getting for such a long time. They should arrive tomorrow.
 
No offense, but I cannot understand how you had an issue putting them on. The M50x should work the same way as the other two as well. They swivel in all directions for studio/DJ use (putting one cup off to the side of your ear). I'm pretty sure the Sony's do the same thing. I was considering the MDR-7506 but liked the sound of the M50x better(the Sony's sounded lifeless), plus I liked the interchangeable cord.
 
VinylDan1 said:
No offense, but I cannot understand how you had an issue putting them on. The M50x should work the same way as the other two as well. They swivel in all directions for studio/DJ use (putting one cup off to the side of your ear). I'm pretty sure the Sony's do the same thing. I was considering the MDR-7506 but liked the sound of the M50x better(the Sony's sounded lifeless), plus I liked the interchangeable cord.
Click to expand...

I am definitely not offended. If it had been just myself that found the M40X awkward, I may have been more tempted to figure out what was going on, but it wasn't just me, and I lost interest in them. There was no difficulty with the M50X, and they are supposed to be pretty much the same headphone. I pointed this out to the salesperson. I liked the M50X, but not enough to spring for the extra bucks. When I get the Sony's broke in and learn their sound, I may revisit the headphone quest. I tried a couple in the $150+ range that sounded pretty good.

VinylDan1 said:
Did you try the Sony's? My Guitar Center had them.
Click to expand...

Yes, I did try the Sony's. I thought they were close to the M40X, with maybe a little edge in favor of the M40X. Later, when I was browsing the internet, I saw the Sony's were on sale and decided to pull the trigger on them. They've been around for a long time and the reviews are rock solid.
 
Cool. Best of luck with them. I've been off the deep end with headphones lately, I got the ATs, a pair of Grado SR80e, and just joined the Massdrop x Sennheiser 6xx drop.........
 
Oh yeah. The Sony's arrived a few minutes ago. In A/B with my better pair of Sennheisers, it's no contest. The Sonys take it hands down. The Sennheisers sound muffled in comparison. Listening to John Denver's Greatest Hits. Yep. It's a good thing.
 
Stopped by Guitar Center and checked out headphones again. The ATH-M40X sounded better than I remember. I was impressed. Listened to some others. Was kinda surprised when I listened to AKG-K240 and AKG-K52. The K52s sounded pretty good to me, and when I listened to the K240s they sounded muted, not nearly as loud as the K52s. Had to turn the volume up to hear them well enough to listen. I was surprised at the K240s, seems I read where many people hold them in high regard. I wondered what I was missing.
 
Q701s are my main headphones. I have a pair of K240s that I occasionally use for chamber music.

I will say that using a phone/MP3 player/receiver seemingly gets the M40x/M50 sounding about 98% as good as with a cheap dedicated headphpne amp such as a Schiit Magni whereas I'd say a phone or typical receiver makes the K240s about 40% as good as with the Magni.

Bottom line, the M40/50 sound VERY different than the K240s. Both have their fans - and I'm a fan of both for different purposes - but I'd expect most folks will have a strong preference for one or the other. They are just too different.
 
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