Preping for ATH-M50

[_Blake]

I just order my first pair of quality headphones (ATH-M50) . I am pumped for them to arrive, but before they do I wanted to ask some questions:

-Any audio software that I should get?

-I don't currently have a sound card, should I think about geting one or will it not make a big enough difference?

 

[ssddx]

what do you mean audio software? like winamp, winmedia, itunes... that sort of thing? use whatever you are comfortable using. there isnt any need to really switch and there isnt any audio headphone break in software or anything you need to buy or download. just use them for a few days.

virtual surround software if you play games may be worthwhile... some soundcards come with that.

what motherboard? you could use the onboard sound however depending on what kind of integrated you have getting a soundcard may be a good idea. if you get one that is meant for headphones (with a 1/4 jack on the back like the asus xonar model for headphones) it will also have a bigger amp so you can get some more performance out of the m50s.

 

[_Blake]

what do you mean audio software? like winamp, winmedia, itunes... that sort of thing? use whatever you are comfortable using. there isnt any need to really switch and there isnt any audio headphone break in software or anything you need to buy or download. just use them for a few days.

virtual surround software if you play games may be worthwhile... some soundcards come with that.

what motherboard? you could use the onboard sound however depending on what kind of integrated you have getting a soundcard may be a good idea. if you get one that is meant for headphones (with a 1/4 jack on the back like the asus xonar model for headphones) it will also have a bigger amp so you can get some more performance out of the m50s.

I have this mobo.
What virtual surround software would you recommend, I used Razer software for a while, but I did not like how it was working.
And what kind of price range am I looking at for sound cards with a 1/4 jack?

 

[ssddx]

honestly i've never used the virtual surround since i've never had need so i'm not partial to any of them. both the creative titanium and asus xonar soundcards have it though. creative tends to not have product updates though which is why asus is the number one pick.

a card with a 1/4 jack? probably looking at $150. its not required though at all. the end unscrews on the m50 to reveal a 3.5mm you can use with any soundcard. xonar cards can be had for $50-80 easily enough and are better than what is onboard. also they come with software so you should be able to get virtual SS (not sure if its available on all cards though).

personally... unless you are a complete audiophile with cash to blow... i'd just get a normal soundcard not a 1/4 jack one.

 

[_Blake]

honestly i've never used the virtual surround since i've never had need so i'm not partial to any of them. both the creative titanium and asus xonar soundcards have it though. creative tends to not have product updates though which is why asus is the number one pick.

a card with a 1/4 jack? probably looking at $150. its not required though at all. the end unscrews on the m50 to reveal a 3.5mm you can use with any soundcard. xonar cards can be had for $50-80 easily enough and are better than what is onboard. also they come with software so you should be able to get virtual SS (not sure if its available on all cards though).

personally... unless you are a complete audiophile with cash to blow... i'd just get a normal soundcard not a 1/4 jack one.

I'm by no stretch of the imagination an audiophile. How much of a difference will I get out of using a sound card?

 

[ssddx]

honestly that depends on how bad your current soundcard "sounds like" to you.

i would wait until the m50s arrive.... then try them out for a few days. the m50s are much better than most junk headphones so you may notice subtleties in songs but you might also notice hiss or humm from distortion. i know i cannot listen to anything lower quality than 192kbps anymore because of it. anyways... play the highest quality sound recordings you can get ahold of and see if you hear any sort of distortion.

if not... dont bother getting a soundcard as your current one is fine (unless of course you wanted the virtual surround software they have)

if you do notice hissing, crackling, humming or other distortion then you will want a soundcard to get rid of that.

between a low end soundcard and onboard sound... provided the mobo doesnt have distortion like i mentioned? not a huge improvement really.
with a high end soundcard? clearer sound but nothing to write home about unless you're an audiophile.

of course if you want the virtual SS software asus has on the xonar... that pretty much means getting one. on the plus side its going to at least be a bit better sounding than any onboard and it wont break the bank.

if you dont care about virtual ss.... just go by the tests to see if you hear distortion and then make your decision after.

 

[_Blake]

Alright, thanks for your time+help. Will try yo update you when they come. (not that you care all that much)

 

[ssddx]

i have a pair of m50s myself...

always interesting to see what other people think of them.

 

[_Blake]

i have a pair of m50s myself...

always interesting to see what other people think of them.

99% of people like them, but the 1% that doesn't seem very outspoken.
How do you like yours?

 

[ssddx]

they sound great i cannot listen to low quality files anymore because i can hear the difference.. build quality is also good and while plastic they dont seem like they will break anytime soon and i used to carry them in a knapsack. i like how i can use them with my phone, ipod laptop and computer but can also use them with my receiver amped with a 1/4 plug.

i'm a bit dissapointed that the pleather is starting to crack (this is common on all pleather pads on most headphones out there) but replacement pads are relatively inexpensive and considering i listened to them almost every day at work it was bound to happen. since they are closed headphones they can get a little hot after a few hours so i normally take them off for a few minutes to let my ears cool (however this is true with any closed headphones...thats the price you pay for soud isolation). again... not a fault in the least.

the cable is a bit long but its better to have that then a coiled cable (i really dislike coiled cables) and i just wrap up the excess in a little pile on the desk. the long cable does come in nice if you want to lean back in your chair while listening to music on the pc. you can take a nap without worrying about the cable stretching tight.

i pad about full retail price for mine. kind of an impulse buy. i could have saved $60 by going online. completely worth retail. a real steal if you get them for cheap.

as i said before... for the price you cant beat them.

as far as the 1% who dont like them.... most of them try to compare to higher end headphones and say they arent as good ($150 compared to $400 headphones or some dumb argument like that), complain about them being plastic (most headphones are plastic), complain about a so called lack of middle ranged response (and after having them for years i still havent noticed such a thing), complain about the long cable (but its not really a negative), complain about the pleather (but most headphones use pleather), complain they make your ears hot (but all closed headphones do) or that they do not fit the shape of their ears and are uncomfortable (we all have different shaped ears/heads so perhaps the m50 wasnt for them).

most of it is just bickering without any real sense. you see it alot on the internet.

 

[_Blake]

Where do you get music from?
I believe Itunes has an option for "Apple Lossless" which I believe is a higher quality. But It would be awesome if I could use a different music provider b/c in the near future I hope to upgrade my phone. For the moment my sights are set on the Note3.

 

[ssddx]

i use tuneinradio for internet streaming radio channels. the paid app (on android) allows recordings.

i really havent bought much music lately but when i do it is either on physical cd media, through itunes, through amazonmp3 or from free (legally free) file downloads on the web.

amazonmp3 doesnt have as high a quality as itunes and also has a much more limited selection however it isnt bad. mostly i just listen to my favorite channels on internet radio