I actually did do a bit of a write-up yesterday but in the middle of it, PC glitched and I lost it. Will fill in some quick notes:
Frans: I find the same thing with the IE's I have tried. They just seem to lack extension. Instruments such as cymbals, violins and so on just are not reproduced properly (On the ones I have tried) and the IM50's were no exception to this.
Ian: Agreed, I just wanted them for portable use which was their purpose. Drop weight off my bags when I travel. But with these… I just do not think they are going to cut it. I may be a bit spoiled with decent circumaural’s. I purchased off ebay from Japan. The sellers name is hiroyukis2007.
www.ebay.com/itm/Audio-technica-DUAL-symphonic-drivers-inner-ear-monitor-headphone-ATH-IM50-BK-/301206036898?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item46214761a2On the IM50 specifically…- Bass and mid-bass were not bad and only showed presence when called for in the music. There was for sure a bit of thickness in the bass and mid bass region but it did not sound as drastic as say the IM70 measurements lend to be. Music with bass was better than I imagined it would be coming from a small IEM but I would not be so bold as to say they are for bassheads. In this respect, they are similar to the M50.
- Comfort was not great or bad compared to other iem’s. I do like the memory wire over the back of the ear as they do not get pulled out as easy when being active.
- Build quality was fantastic for an affordable little unit. Detachable cable and such.
- They did sound decent and non-fatiguing on certain types of music such as rock and metal, even rap but I did find the lack of extension bothersome.
- Overall they sound like a great set of speakers in which someone placed a sheet over them. As stated previously, cymbals, violins and certain instruments lack detail and beauty that is well resolved with a good circumaural.
- Vocals were decent but just not quite right. Female vocals were a bit weighty and male vocals thick. Details within the vocals were not impressive as if there was a FR ripple right smack in the middle of the vocal range.
- Some people were stating they managed to cram an M50 into an IE. Even though the M50 is not spectacular (love hate sort of headphone) the M50 is much, much better than these all around.
- Complain, complain… complain… I know I know. These were just not for me. I do wonder if changing out the filter material would help at all or changing the silicone tips but not sure if I have already lost total interest in IE’s once again. The hype had me hopeful.