Audio Technica Ath M40x Vs M50x (Which One Should You Buy?)

The year 2022 has come to an end but the fight to dominate the headphone industry is still an interesting topic to watch and talk about. Earlier companies launched their headphones to compete with other brands but things have changed nowadays.

Brands are now releasing headphones that are usually upgraded versions of the predecessor and thus leading to competition between these headphones from the same company.

We have already discussed the Mpow H19 vs H19 IPO which belongs to the same company. Now we’re going to discuss an in-depth comparison of the headphones from Audio Technica.

In this article, we are going to compare Audio Technica ATH-M40x vs M50x headphones. Which one suits your needs and current trends? Find out the answer below. 

Let’s start with the build quality and design:

Build Quality & Design

Both of these headphones share a big portion of similarities when it comes to build quality and design. As they belong to the same company and thus it will be harder for you to distinguish them if they are displayed side by side.

Audio Technica ATH-M40X and M50x are made up of high-quality materials like heavy-duty plastic and aluminum. These materials add up in making them solid and robust. They come with aluminum headband extenders that ensure flexibility with less impact on the weight of the headphones.

ATH-M40X weighs around 240 grams whereas the subsequent version i.e ATH-M50X weighs 285 grams. Thus the M40x is comparatively lighter than the M50x.

While testing, we found that they had great padded earcups with ample space to allow breathability. Thus you can use these headphones i.e Audio Technica ATH-M50X and M40x for long hours.

Earcups in the ATH-M40x can swivel 90 degrees while in M50x, it is 180 degrees. Thus M50x is comparatively giving you more flexibility and Comfortability.

So, looking at the above specifications and our testing, we found the M50x to be more reliable and a better performer in this build quality and design segment.

Audio Technica ATH-M40X vs M50x: Sound Quality

When it comes to sound quality, the story is quite different and worth watching closely. They share many similarities in the build quality and design but it would be wonderful to watch out for how they managed to deliver different sound qualities.

The sound quality of Audio Technica ATH-M50X is a little bassy and perfectly suited when played on upper frequency. The highs and mids are balanced with the overall sound. M50x can be used for general music-listening purposes.

On the other hand, the sound quality of Audio Technica ATH-M40X is somewhat neutral and thus suits all song genres. M40x doesn’t add manual bass and thus delivers the exact frequency. It sounds the same as when it was recorded in the studio, thus ideal for listening to soft music, monitoring and mixing.

Both of these headphones don’t have a “Noise cancellation feature” thus they struggle to eliminate external noise like vehicle honks, and plane engine noise while used as headphones for flying. ANC as an extra addition to these headphones would be a game changer to them.

So if you love neutral frequency response headphones then go for Audio Technica ATH-M40X and if you need little bass-emphasized headphones for mixing and tracking, go for the M50x.

Other Essential Features

We have already discussed the build quality, design, and sound quality of both of these headphones. Now we are going to discuss other essential features that help in distinguishing these headphones clearly.

Both ATH-M40X and M50x are wired headphones and come with detachable cables that make them convenient to store. The Audio Technica M50X headphones come with 3 cables – Two straight and one coiled cable. All of them are perfectly sized (sized 1m and 3-3 meters). Whereas, the Technica M40x has 2 cables – 1 straight and the other coiled. But they are too long and thus you will feel annoyed.

Now talking about impedance, the Audio Technica ATH-M50X has a higher impedance i.e 38 ohms with a frequency response ranging from 15000-24000 Hz. Whereas the impedance of M40x is 35 ohms with the same frequency response range.

Also, the M50x has a 45 mm large apertured driver whereas the M40x has a 40 mm apertured driver. Both the headphones are closed back and have a circumaural design.

The company hasn’t provided a hard case with any of these headphones. So, you need to purchase one separately if you travel regularly. Also, the carry bag is not durable enough, so it is recommended to buy a better one from the market.

So, in this category of “essential features”, the Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones are better and comparatively more feature-loaded than the M40x.

Pros and Cons: Audio Technica ATH-M40X vs M50x

Now, look at the pros and cons of these headphones to find out the perfect match for you.

ATH-M40x Pros & Cons

ATH-M50X Pros & Cons

Audio Technica ATH-M40x vs M50x: Side By Side Key Differences

Now we have already shown you the pros and cons of both headphones in the tabular format. Now let’s have a look at the table below to find out the side-by-side key differences in an easy-to-table.

Features	Technica ATH-M40X	Technica ATH-M50X
Build Quality	Heavy-duty plastic & aluminum	Heavy-duty plastic & aluminum
Sound Quality	Quite Neutral	Bass emphasized
Impedance	35 ohms	38 ohms
Frequency response	15-25000 Hz	15-25000 Hz
Weight	250g	280g
Swiveling earcups	90 degrees	180 degrees
ANC	Not present	Not present
Driver Size	40mm	45mm

Conclusion

Although these headphones belong to the same company – Audio Technica, share many features and look alike but they are feature-wise quite different. After weeks of research and testing, we found the Audio Technica ATH-M50X to be a better performer as they are more flexible, and have better bass and overall sound quality. So, it is wiser to go for Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones.