Iron triangle ATH-M50xBL headset evaluation

The iron triangle's monitor headphones are very different from the high-end HiFi positioning products such as AD and W series, but they have left a good impression. In the double 11th, we purchased the current version of M50 in Jingdong, namely M50x. The blue limited edition is M50xBL.M50x black and white ordinary version is about 1100 yuan, and M50xBL is more expensive, it is 1399 yuan. We specially look for the M50s to borrow this headset to carry out Today's evaluation comparison.

When it comes to the Iron Triangle M50, we don't know if there are any older series before the M50s, but the M50x is currently being sold. It is divided into white, black and blue limited editions, the models are M50x WHBKBL. Last year We have evaluated the M50s, which is different from the models currently sold. In the promotion of the M50 last year, of course, we must talk about this model has always been loved by professional monitoring applications, such as "China Good Voice" using this headset as a monitor. There are commercial propaganda ingredients, but it is true that the M50s have had a place in the professional field in the past.

If you are an enthusiast, you should be familiar with the recording of Stockfish [Tiger Fish]. Nowadays, almost all the vocal records that have a fever can go to the "Tiger Fish" to adjust the sound. The DMM-CD of the tiger fish is also big. There is a new specification for HiFi CDs that replaces the JVC XRCD process, but these seem to be less and less noticed because of the poorer sales of CD record entities. In the M50s we talked about the vocal recordings of tiger fish. The quality is really high, and the monitor headphones they use are the Iron Triangle M50s. Later, it was discovered that the official website of the tiger fish has a special channel on Youtube to show their work. It is indeed using the M50s. Here we are not trying to put this headset" Amway "for everyone, but through these little knowledge, let everyone have a little interest in HiFi and CD records, and if possible, support genuine music.

The production process of DMM-CD, as well as some recorded videos of tiger fish, are also forwarded in domestic video websites. Interested in searching and browsing, it is worth seeing.

Closer to home, and is there any difference between M50x and M50s? This is what we care about, even if the performance of the M50s we heard before is no better, this product has no sales [second-hand channel is also very rare], the iron triangle has already M50 series Upgraded to the x suffix generation.

From the appearance point of view, although this is the M50xBL in our hand, but compared with the M50s, the appearance style should be no different in size, including the foldable head frame, the unit bracket that is turned 180 degrees inward, and the connection structure of the bracket. There is no difference between the screws and the screws. The M50xBL adopts a single-sided connection. The original machine provides three different wires. The interface uses a 3.5mm connector, but the special lock is added after the rotation.

As a monitor positioning, the headset must use a closed structure [no leakage can interfere with the recording], the headset uses a 45mm diameter unit, the official indicator impedance is 38 ohms, the sensitivity is 99dB, which are exactly the same as the M50s. As for wearing In terms of comfort, in order to ensure adequate sound insulation, the inward pressure is slightly larger, but the comfort is still good [may be winter, not as hot as the August evaluation?] For details on product use, you can refer to M50s Introduction of the time. We go directly to the topic, how does it sound?

Since the M50s has been used for a very long time, we have also stepped up the downtime of the M50xBL. From the time of purchase to the present, we have been running for 24 hours in about 50 days, and the downtime is about 1000 hours. I hope that when compared with the M50s, don't become a bottleneck. After all, the same two models, the first two generations, the difference may be very small. The main contrast of this test is the previously evaluated M50s, in addition to the AKG K702, and before The Beyerdynamic DT990 and other headphones are being evaluated soon. The audio sources include the Music State MD30 decoder, the Monitor 06 MX sound card, the HP11 amp and the HiFiMan EF6 amp.

Overall impression : From the subjective sense of hearing, the sound style and details of the M50x and M50s are quite different, which even gives us some small disappointment, but it is not unexpected. For the traditional professional and mid-to-high-end market For the earphone products, the life cycle is very long. The same model may have different sound details in different periods, let alone different models. Compared with the M50s, the M50x is more introverted and neutral, and seems to be modern aesthetic and monitoring. The style is closer, but the M50s' original IF features have become less. Its rich mid-range is the most appreciated part of the M50s. This change makes people feel a little regret.

High-frequency performance : Compared with the M50s, the overall sound of the M50x becomes more introverted and neutral, and the high-frequency sound is more compact, but the resolution and transient performance are better, and the sound density is also enhanced. This style makes the original The high frequency of the M50s is even softer, while the high frequency of the M50x is slightly transparent and more solid. From the perspective of listening to music, even with the warm sound source and amp, the M50s has a higher frequency than the M50x. The high frequency is more acceptable and the sound is softer [in fact, compared to the higher end of the open headphones, the M50s high frequency is not soft and meticulous], while the M50x is slightly stiff, with a neutral style source such as Lotoo PawGold, that high There are some real "white boils" in the frequency, and it is slightly dry. Perhaps as a monitor, the M50x brings better resolution and transients, and even the dynamics are slightly improved, but in the performance of the string, the string Musical instruments may benefit more. The performance of acoustic guitars is more in line with modern aesthetics, sharp and crisp; while the performance of instruments such as violins is slightly stiff, M50s perform better.

Mid-range performance : The vocal performance of the M50s is quite "tiger fish". If you have heard their recordings, you will understand the meaning of this sentence. The M50s's mid-range is slightly rich, and the intermediate frequency style is in closed headphones. It's more stretchy and softer. On a slightly better source [06 MX level], you can show good dynamics. Listening to mature male voice with M50s will have rich mid-low frequency details and good image. And the sound level, but the performance of the female voice is relatively soft, the resolution is good. But unfortunately, the M50x has changed.

The overall sound style of the M50x is restrained, and the most affected is in the intermediate frequency. The form of the vocals is obviously smaller than a large circle, the sound becomes very compact and restrained, and the overall dynamics also declines. The advantage is that the sound seems to be more balanced. Straightforward, the level of the middle and high frequency part is more clear, and the control is better under the big dynamic. But this style is actually worse than the M50s, if the original style sounds like a tiger fish, now The style can only be as light as water. Of course, it is more solid than the AKG's light style. The change also makes it sound clean in the performance of the symphony or instrumental performance. A lot, but it will be slightly stiff.

Low frequency performance : The same as the mid-frequency trend, the M50x's mid-low frequency becomes very restrained, and the sense of volume is also significantly reduced. This is also the obvious difference between the M50x and the M50s. The compact sound can really bring better control under large dynamics. Good transients, and relatively good levels. But it also reduces the more comfortable listening in softer styles, especially for medium and low frequencies, this difference may be a little bit on the test data, but The subjective influence is very similar to two very different headphones.

With different audio sources : In the M50s evaluation, we found that many messages said that this headset seems to need amps to have a good performance. It may be that we wrote more in the evaluation of the amp under the better performance. In fact, in 06 MX Or on a better player, the M50s are easier to drive than the AKG K240 series, and have higher quality than the horizontal headphones such as Aurvana Live!, the M50x is the same.

to sum up

The performance of the Iron Triangle M50xBL is slightly regrettable. Perhaps for the monitoring work, the M50x has a more beautiful indicator than the previous M50s, the sound is more balanced, the transient response is obviously better, the sound is cleaner and easier to control. But for ordinary User music appreciation, M50x should be regarded as a relatively obvious "regression", this regression may not be technical, but the style is not good. Unfortunately, the M50s headphones have been delisted, and the M50x from the subjective performance There is no place for color. If the price of M50s is less than 1,000 yuan, it has good competitiveness, but compared with the traditional 2000 yuan high-end headphones [such as Beyerdynamic DT990], there is still a certain gap, but it must Compared with a few hundred yuan entry-level headphones, there are obvious advantages. AKG K701, K601 and so on have fallen to about 1,000 yuan in the past two months, M50x is not dominant in style, and is not competitive enough.