Audio-Technica ATH-M20X Professional Monitor Headphones Black

Update - my main pair of headphones has finally seen its last day and here I am, as promised when I did this review, repurchasing these. I was secretly looking forward to mine failing I have to admit.Really comfortable to wear for long periods. The cord is a good length and they feel pretty robust and fairly light too.They fit well on different sized heads as you can easily adjust them and the sound quality is great too.I ended up returning them because I had lost my main pair and ended up locating them again so I no longer required these. However, if my main pair ever fails me this will be my go to for purchase again as I really enjoyed my time with them. There’s a lot of clarity in the sound which is exactly what I need when field recording. I also enjoyed the comfortability whilst recording for long sessions too.I’ve also had issues with headphones in the past always dropping off my head which is really frustrating. This wasn’t a problem with these at all. I’d highly recommend them and I’m sure I’ll be purchasing them again in the future once my current headphones fail eventually.I also think the price is really reasonable for these. What you get for the price is great.

Pros:Excellent sound quality. Difference between this model and the 50 model is hard to notice.Comfortable ear cups: I have small but pokey out ears and these cups are comfortable for me to wear for 2 hours or more.Long cable: more than enough cable for most use cases, and it comes with the full size jack plug adapter.Noise suppression: they’re not noise cancelling headphones but they do a brilliant job of suppressing the background noises with just the padded ear cups.Cons: the only little thing I can pick with these is that the construction materials feel a bit cheap, but it doesn’t effect the sound quality at all, and won’t make you feel like you bought a cheap product as the sound quality outweighs it heavily.Great to buy if you’re moving up from those cheaper headphones and want something that gives an accurate representation of the audio you’re working with.Good bass representation, clarity between frequencies, the high end seems the slightest bit lacking, but overall the sound quality is very good and very close to the 50 model.

Ive had these for 3 years and they're still going without any issue, which is a suprise because the plastic brakets are composed of cheap plastic. I think its stronger than it feels, which makes you careful with them beyond what is necesary.The leather is of poor quality, but the cups are still comfortable and the headband hasnt torn on me yet, though there is some cracking of the leather which will be the ultimate downfall of my pair (probably in another 2-3 years). More expensive headphones have very soft cups, which is nicer around the ears but sometimes becomes hot so its a bit of a tradoff. I start feeling these afte 2 hours and they become pretty uncomfortable after 5-6 hours. They are very light though, which is a bonus for some. The sound quality is good for the price, and the head band design is a good one which is very robust and smooth.All in all they are a good design, with poor quality materials and sensible priorities on sound quality and head band design. An ideal tradeoff for budget headphones, but they arent that budget anymore considering they used to be £30. Im happy with the purchase, and now these will be spares for me. I bought a more expensive pair, but only because I wanted a mic inbuilt.If you want to use these for being outside with and walking whilst listening, I dont advise these headphones. The cable is too long for it, and they are not strong enough for it. They are more suited for at home, on a PC or Laptop. Also, you might want more noise cancelling in that case.

I upgraded to these from a pair of Sennheiser HD206s that lasted me well before the cable eventually broke. I was apprehensive at the higher price and thought that I should just buy the same pair again but honestly I am glad that I decided to pay extra for these. Seriously, these headphones feel like they should cost £200 instead of £40, and if you can get one in a sale go for it.I'm not an audiophile but these are by far the best budget headphones I've ever bought. The range, bass and fidelity feel nothing but premium. The headphones don't feel like they cater to just one aspect like bass that alot of other cheaper headphones do. They've got a very balanced sound to them, especially once you've broken them in. I don't know what more I can say other than I'm genuinely blown away by the sound quality. When Audio Technica says 'Premium', they do not disappoint.The build-quality is also amazing. They feel solid and are made of a higher-quality plastic than most headphones, this also makes the headphones look great aesthetically as well. The headband and adjustment points are very sturdy and I don't doubt they would last over 2 years without degrading. The band and ear-cups are also very comfortable, even when the thing is worn tightly, and they feel of a similar high quality. The cable is very thick and well-insulated, it is difficult for it to be bent or twisted and it does a good job of protecting the cable. I doubt that the cable will break first unless you don't take care of it. The 6.5mm adapter also feels very high quality, as does the 3.5 connector, so I doubt any issues would arise from that.The noise cancelling is also very good, since the headphones hang tighter to the head than most (but without being uncomfortable, mind.) If you were to look for purpose-built noise-cancelling headphones you'd find better but honestly these are completely fine. I could only notice sound-leakage at extremely high volumes (80%-90%) but If you were to use these headphones at that volume you'd probably go deaf. They've very loud and you don't need a very high volume for them to shine through (I normally found that with the HD206 I had to bump up volume an extra 20%)So overall, these are a very good set of headphones that are an absolute steal at the price (LIke seriously I think AT might be selling this at a loss they're that good) Unless you're a serious audiophile I bet these would do just fine for most music enthusiasts and even casual listeners.