AUDIO TECHNICA M40X (ATH-M40X) REVIEW – THE SMALLER THEY ARE, THE BIGGER THEY PUNCH.

 

The smaller they are, the bigger they punch.

They don’t come with that case, I bought them. 🙂

 

Quicklinks:


Audio Technica Review –

I have had my M40x’s for the past two years. They have been my daily driver and have served me well over the time I’ve had them.

Initial contact I was amazed at the sound quality and build of the M40x’s. I love the detachable cable, however, is prone to snagging. At first, I found the M40x’s clamped down hard on my head and was a little painful, but about three weeks in this was fine.

The contents of the M40x’s are:

1x Headphone

1x Curly Cable (Shorter)

1x Long Cable (3m??)

1x PU Leather Pouch

1x Airplane headphone jack adapter.

Sound: The M40x’s have a 40mm driver which isn’t particularly bad in any sense. Two years ago stepping up to these guys from previous low-mid range Senhissers I was amazed. They do exactly what they say they are “Studio Monitor Headphones”. I’ve listened to just about everything from FLAC, MP3, YT Videos etc and can defiantly say the M40x’s are not weak in this area what so ever. On the lows the M40x’s did pretty well, it gives a good balance on the bass. There isn’t enough bass to blow off your ears, but there isn’t so little bass that you are disappointed. It sits just about in the middle, however, do keep in mind that the M40x’s does have a smaller driver. This adds a few inconsistencies to the bass but it isn’t that significant.

The mid-range is amazing, being clear and easy to listen. I found this particularly good when listening to my recordings or other live audio sources. This is where the M40x’s excelled they are studio monitor cans and they do exactly what they say and nothing less.

The high range is pretty good and it delivers what they set out to do. The highs can get a little tiring at times but they aren’t piercing.

Noise leakage is minimal and being closed back headphones they do a fine job.


Build: Overall the build quality is extremely high and the durability is amazing. However, on the top of the headband, there is a bit of sag and wrinkles. This is due to the PU leather and also my lack of care by rubbing them with leather polish. The ear cups (pads) have worn out, started to become flat and was pealing. I had to replace these original earpads with a new set I had found online. But remeber this is after about two and a half years of constant up to 8+ use every day. Having dropped the M40x’s a few times it defiantly stands the test of time. The snagging is a bit irritating with the detachable cable (but that’s because I’m lazy). However, the detachable cable is a bonus because if anything goes wrong with the cable you don’t have to waste your time soldering a new jack on, you just buy a new cable. Simple and easy.

Design and Functionality: The design is quite good on the M40x’s. The ear cups swivel in a 180 motion which is good, but I’d would have loved them to swivel in a 360 motion so I can hang them around my neck with the logo facing up. The headphones fold in which sounds nice and look good. This adds to its extreme portability. The detachable cable is nice to have to, as there are one curly smaller cable and one (I believe) 3m cable which is handy to swap between. They fit nicely on my head, however, are not particularly breathable after about 2 hours of use.
 
Pricing: I had bought the M40x’s, on a note that my previous Sennheiser had broken and the amazing recommendations these cans were receiving. Particularly in NZ (New Zealand), these cans are about ( – (NZD)), I had bought mine from on special at (NZD) with a discount from a nice chap to (NZD) (An Absolute steal) at Noel Leeming. In NZ the best price to performance (realistically) is going to be at – . So you are going to need to wait for a discount in NZ.
 
Overseas (or USA specifically) In the US it’s a bit different from the M40x’s being about USD, which is a damn good price. If you’re in the US and looking for a new set of cans, I would HIGHLY recommend getting the M40x’s because of the price they are at. They are far cheaper than the big brother M50x that have a slightly better low-end signature then the flatter M40x.
 
For the consumer: Now you average consumer both not producer and prosumer I come to you. Do you really need to spend this much? My answer is YES. These headphones literally sound amazing and last forever. The detachable cable allows for seamless changes between cables and ensures that you can continue to use these headphones for a long time. They are defiantly a worthwhile investment and give you a massive bang for your buck. They are better than almost any other headphone in the mid-high end headphone bracket and are FAR cheaper than any other in terms of price to performance. I highly recommend these headphones to anyone who is looking to step up their audio game or are looking for strong sturdy headphones that are going to last them for a while! Without breaking the bank. 🙂
 
 
Overall:
  • Sound Quality: 8/10
  • Build Quality: 7/10
  • Packaging: 9.5/10
  • Value for Money: 10/10 (On Special in NZ or anytime in the US)
  • Design: 7/10
  • Total Overall: 41.5/50 = 0.83 x 100 = 83% / 100%

    NEW^ GOOD SPECIAL^ USED^

    -YS

     

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