Dont buy audio-technica phones

[bewildered]

i got ATH-M40fs's studio monitors and here is my list of grievances, for the benefit of the community:

they barely stay on my head, and i dont have a small head

the drivers have shitted out after only 6 months of periodic use, maybe 4-6 times a month. the sound in the left phone has gone out, so i have to repeatedly hit them to get the sound to come partially back on.

they dont even block the sound of my computer fans, so the constant whirring of fans accompanies every listening session.

i should have gone with the sienhausers(sp?), their equivalents. And as i have always went for the cheapest of equals, i begin to see that a few extra dollars can really go a long way. Made in USA or Germany from now on.

[scrubs]

Sorry you've had a bad experience. I have 2 pairs of the ATH-M40fs and some ATH-M30's as well. I've never had a problem with mine, despite stepping on the cord almost daily, dropping them frequently, getting the cord caught in my desk, which cut the cable housing, etc. - basically, your standard abuse. All still working like a charm.

[notCardio]

ATH-M40fs. They haven't gotten the use and abuse of most people's I'm sure, but I have carried them around quite a bit. They stay on my head just fine, but I'm pretty much just sitting and listening, so it's not like I'm playing drums or moving mics all over while wearing them. And I didn't buy them based on price, either. I think you just got a bum set.

[TheDewd]

I am not surprised at all.

Audio-Technica makes GREAT high-end phones available only in Japan (or through specialized web sites), but those ATH available widely in North America are crap. I don't understand why people would recommend them. A much better buy is the Sony 7506 or 7509 and the AKG K271.

[Zaphod B]

I've owned a pair of ATH-M30s for a few months now. I have encountered no manufacturing quality issues; they work just fine in spite of being abused regularly.

[LemonTree]

I've owned 2 sets of the ATH-M40fs one pair for almost 2 years and a second pair I bought about 8 months ago because I was so pleased with the first pair.

They are in use daily, have been used and abused in my studio on everything from vocals to crazy drummers

NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEM

Some things you might want to get checked by a professional

The size and shape of your head

your hearing

Your computer fans.....I have to get down on my knees and put my ear against the case to hear my Zalman CPU fan and the 120mm acoustifan intake and 2 x 80mm acoustifan exhaust fans

Your temper...especialy if you resort to "bashing them against the desk" on a regular basis.

Seriously, I'd recomend these to anyone. They are comfortable, well fitting, hard wearing, cheap and have a lot of bottom end compared to some more expensive cans out there.

[Fishmed]

I have a pair of ATH-M3X I use for listening to music here ate work, and they do a great job blocking out all other noises.

[Fishmed]

Originally Posted by LemonTree

Your computer fans.....I have to get down on my knees and put my ear against the case to hear my Zalman CPU fan and the 120mm acoustifan intake and 2 x 80mm acoustifan exhaust fans

Where did you get your fans at?

[notCardio]

Originally Posted by Fishmed_Returns

I have a pair of ATH-M3X I use for listening to music here ate work, and they do a great job blocking out all other noises.

How much were they, and what kind of noises are they good at blocking?

[LemonTree]

Originally Posted by Fishmed_Returns

Where did you get your fans at?

could have been dabs.com or aria.com...was a while ago

[Dogman]

I have the ATH M20, and they seem to be working fine for me. I've had them over a year, and use them a few times a week. They have been dropped, and left lying around, and no problems at the momoent...Seem to block background noise pretty good for a free set.

[Brad_C]

I have Audio-Technica's and they are amazing, I just hate it when once person gets some faulty gear and it automatically becomes don't buy it, its crap. Like dude did you ever think it could be a shotty product, just that one.

[flamin-gitaur]

I also have been using the M40fs with no problems.

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by flamin-gitaur

I also have been using the M40fs with no problems.

Same here, like them a lot.

[Middleman]

Love mine. No complaints.

[bewildered]

Originally Posted by LemonTree

I've owned 2 sets of the ATH-M40fs one pair for almost 2 years and a second pair I bought about 8 months ago because I was so pleased with the first pair.

They are in use daily, have been used and abused in my studio on everything from vocals to crazy drummers

NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEM

Some things you might want to get checked by a professional

The size and shape of your head

your hearing

Your computer fans.....I have to get down on my knees and put my ear against the case to hear my Zalman CPU fan and the 120mm acoustifan intake and 2 x 80mm acoustifan exhaust fans

Your temper...especialy if you resort to "bashing them against the desk" on a regular basis.

Seriously, I'd recomend these to anyone. They are comfortable, well fitting, hard wearing, cheap and have a lot of bottom end compared to some more
expensive cans out there.

Thats it, i have a shrunken head and my hearing goes in and out in one ear. No, audio technica, at least the US version, is garbage. I mean, you never hear of anything being manufactured in australia as a mark of quality.

And how can machine manufactured items be randomly good or bad? that doesnt make any sense

[TheGuitarMan]

Originally Posted by bewildered

i should have gone with the sienhausers(sp?), their equivalents.

Sennheiser.

The better models are all open back, though.

[LemonTree]

Originally Posted by bewildered

I mean, you never hear of anything being manufactured in australia as a mark of quality.

RODE mic's spring to mind

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Originally Posted by bewildered

I mean, you never hear of anything being manufactured in australia as a mark of quality.

Sebatron? Milo bars?

[jonnyc]

Originally Posted by bewildered

Thats it, i have a shrunken head and my hearing goes in and out in one ear. No, audio technica, at least the US version, is garbage. I mean, you never hear of anything being manufactured in australia as a mark of quality.

And how can machine manufactured items be randomly good or bad? that doesnt make any sense

Listen man you had one set of bad phones and now you want to consider the whole company crap. I guess when I got my tv home and it didn't work I should've gotten on a website to tell everyone how much that company sucks and how terrible their products are. I didn't though, I simply went back to the store and got the same tv again, 5 years later it still works. I also own 6 pair of audio technica headphones which all get heavily abused on a regular basis and all of them work perfect. Not one person has complained about them falling off their heads, drummers included, and I for one have a huge head(almost a size 8) and I have no problems keeping them on my head. I just think its really idiotic to say a company sucks when you've owned one of their products thats failed. And BTW if this is the way you're going to react to stuff breaking then your in for a long life of being pissed off at companies because electronics break, some may take forever but they'll all break someday in some way.

Oh and Rode and Sebatron are both known for quality and they're both Australian.

[darrvid]

Consider me a happy ATH-m40fs user as well. They don't stay on my head very well, but if the trade off is a tighter fit, I'd rather go with the comfort they have.

Machine made products by nature have bad eggs. Probably more so than hand crafted goods because there's less quality control, espically with electronics. What really shows what a company is made of, is what they do to help those who get the bad eggs. Have you tried contacting AT? What kind of warranty do the phones have? Check that out, because from the posts here I'm sure the ones you got aren't par for their products.

[Downside Studio]

my experience in running a pro studio is that AT is a company that deliveres a big bang for the buck. Actually, the '40' headphone is the only model that my studiomusicians weren't able to break within a couple of months.

[omtayslick]

Just another happy M40fs user reporting in. AT's a good company. I've been happy with all of their gear that I have used. Good performance for the price.

[boingoman]

Eight years of hard live use, well over a thousand gigs in all weather, same pair.

[mzocoh]

2 Pairs of M40fs's

2 Pairs of M30's

2 Pairs of M20's

And 6 pairs of headphones that have never failed me
and that I would recommend (and do) to anyone
looking for a durable, great sounding & comfortable
pair (especially the M40s - I often forget they are on
when I'm using them).