7 found helpful, 1 found unhelpful.
Pretty good sound, super-comfy, good value in sealed cans
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by Derek K. Miller
1/18/2006 3:21:23 PM
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Musical Experience:
Pro musician since '89, home recorder and podcaster
Style of music:
Instrumental rock, podcasts
Hometown
Vancouver, Canada
The ATH-M20s were recommended to me by the salesperson at a local large music store when I was purchasing a small podcasting setup that included a condenser mic and USB audio interface. For the price they are very good sealed headphones that provide reasonable isolation from outside noise (and isolation to those around you from your music).
They are remarkably comfortable cans, with medium-sized ear cups and very soft padding there and on the headband. If your ears are large, the cups might just fit around them, so the seal may not be as good as with some other models. But they're also less likely to make your head sweaty in a warm environment. Similarly, if you have a large head, you'll need to extend the ear cups all the way down, and if your head is extremely large, you might need a different set since they won't go far enough.
They seem reasonably durable, with a sturdy one-sided coiled connector cable. However, the exposed cables between the headband and ear cups look like they could get snagged and break. While more comfortable and lighter than my Sennheiser HD 280s (which are at least twice the price), they M20s are not as solid, and also do not fold up for travel.
As for sound, it's pretty good, but not spectacular. Again, compared to my well-reviewed Sennheisers, with the M20s there is a bit more bass yet not as much top-end clarity. They sound good, but muddier than both higher-end sealed headphones or similarly priced open cans like the Sennheiser PX100 or Koss PortaPro models, which is a consequence of the sealed design.
These would be good DJ, podcasting, vocalist, or general listening headphones, especially for the price, if you like the slightly bass-heavy sound. They'd also work well on an airliner if you, like me, don't like the sound of noise-canceling models. I think you could wear them for a long time comfortably.
I wouldn't use them as sound engineering reference cans because I don't think the sound is "honest" enough to make adjustments, but for that you probably need to spend more money on higher-end Senn, AKG, or Ultrasone headphones. Good value!
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