Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Monitor Headphones Review

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Monitoring headphones with the rich sounds and features. Suitable for professional monitoring or DJ. With the removable wire, and you get 2 cable within the box: straight & spiral. Can be folded and include with the carrying pouch, It's easy to travel with.

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The straight cable

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The spiral cable

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Georgeus pouch

Clear sound

These headphones offer very clear sound, some of the best we’ve had it terms of headphones at their price. They are ideal for ‘sound monitoring in the studio’, but as we’ve said before: why can’t you use it anywhere else as well? Why we call their sound as so ‘clear’ is because of the even emphasis put into all frequencies – the lows, mids and highs. In contrast, some popular headphones put more effort into lower frequencies to the low pass frequencies, such as putting two tubes into the lower channels (examples include the Beats by Dre that are specially called ‘bass’). The 40x has even frequencies throughout.

Very comfortable

The headband and ear pads are very soft (a bit softer than the previous M40). You won’t feel that typical prolonged-headphone pain that sometimes occurs (one of the worst feelings ever). They fit very well and the headphones are neither too light nor too firm. We’ve worn our pair for 4-5 hours at a time in the studio and haven’t felt pain like we have with other headphones in the market.

Highly durable

The M40x series have been made from pro-grade materials that are highly durable, thus making the headphones last longer than other monitoring headphones. Not that it has anything to do with it, but they are made in Japan and aren’t those flimsy knockoffs you sometimes find on eBay or Alibaba.

Ideal for monitoring

They come with swiveling ear cups that make one-ear monitoring more convenient. They can be used in all kinds of professional monitoring or even daily use activities as we’ve said. The reason monitoring is mentioned so frequently with these is because of the even frequency span as we’ve spoken about before.

Affordable

The headphones are priced ~$100, making them highly affordable compared to other monitoring headphones available in the market. Some of the competitors in the studio headphone realm go up to $300!

Traveling

The swivel and folding capabilities of the ATH-M40x make them ideal for traveling, not to mention the interchangeable cables to avoid tangling as well. They are also 40 grams lighter than the M50x.

Main features of the ATH-M40X headphones

-Robust construction and cutting-edge engineering
-Drivers (40 mm) equipped with rare earth magnets
-Voice coil made of high quality aluminium wire (copper-clad)
-Around-the-ear design that offer excellent isolation of sound in loud or noisy environments
-Offer enhanced one-ear monitoring with swiveling ear cups (90°)
-Headband and ear pad made from professional grade materials offering higher comfort and durability
-Collapsible, space-saving and highly portable
-Comes with detachable cables
-Ideal for DJ monitoring, professional sound mixing and studio tracking

Specs of the ATH-M40x headphones

-Type – Dynamic closed-back
-Magnet – Neodymium
-Driver Diameter – 40 mm
-Frequency Response – 15 to 24,000 Hz
-Sensitivity – 98 dB
-Voice Coil – (CCAW) Copper-clad Aluminium Wire
-Impedance – 35 ohms
-Input Power (Maximum) – 1,600 MW (at 1 kHz)
-Cable – Comes with 2 cables which are interchangeable; detachable coiled cable (1.2 m to 3.0 m or 3.9 inches to 9.8 inches) and detachable straight cable (3 m or 9.8 inches)
-Accessories – Carrying pouch (cloth-like) and screw-on adapter (6.3 mm or 0.25 inches)
-Weight – 240 g or 8.5 oz (without the connector and cable)