ATH-M50 Headphone Rebuild, Cable Mod, FRESH ear-pads & a hand sewn headband đ§”đ§
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 11. 09. 2024
- #218 - Audio Technica ATH-M50 Repair and rebuild with a removable cable and new headband reusing some materials already on hand. Worn-out ear pads and chunks of fake leather stuck to your head are insufferable when you're trying to work with your headphones. Today we revive an old set of ATH-m50s that have been lying around unused since the M50x model was introduced, let's see if we can make them usable again with a SoundTools gear bag repurposed for a headband and a removable cable. #repair #reuse
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Goo Gone - amzn.to/32HK8ZN
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I love repairing my broken stuff , it's so rewarding . I like the custom tweeks
To learn how to fix things, just attempt fixes on things you plan to throw away. This is how you learn techniques. I sometimes dismantle stuff i just know i cant fix, just to see how its assembled. Learned a lot that way. Pays off eventually with a nice fux of your favorite thing.
"Headphones are one of my favorite things." - instant like! :)
Be mindful of the aftermarket ear cushions, they tend to be much thicker and move the speakers away from your head enough to greatly effect sound quality.
Yeah, hugely dropped the bass for me
got the same cheap ear pads by mistake. they are more comfortable and can be used for longer with less sweat, but unfortunately the fabric allows more sound to escape compared to faux leather and distance from speaker to head just destroys the sound. bought replacement parts from Audio Technica themselves and even though they wear out faster, sound is just as it should be
Recently I purchased used M50 and restore it. They are working and looking just fine! Reuse and repair!
great video!
That's great to hear, thanks for the message Wypad!
Indeed, headphones are an extremely personal matter.
I use Beyerdynamic DT 250 Pro for live sound and Sennheiser 250 Linear II for everything else.
Those Beyerdynamic DT 250 Pro are from 2004 and still do not need to change anything, with only discoloration on the ear pads, which are now with a pleasant brownish appearance and for what I predict they will stay like that for many years. No fake leather here.
I still use the Sennheiser 250 Linear II - luckily I bought several pairs in 2005 - and after all the plastic parts died, I made a decision that until today I did not regret, which was to install some of Sennheiser's capsules in some old Realistic NOVA 20 headphones, properly insulated . Nice!
The ear pads of these Realistic NOVA 20 are original and do not require replacement, since they are made of very good quality fake leather. Or so it seems to me because they are apparently indestructible. Aesthetics? Not really⊠Dimensions⊠who cares? The sound�exactly what I like!
And my Tinnitus thank me for this care.
What I wish for everyone who uses headphones professionally is to have at least the luck I have had with headphones since 2004.
Stay safe!
Greetings from Portugal
Macedo Pinto
My ATH M40x one of the driver is dead. Glad that I could find the replacement and resoldering it and it works perfectly now. This bad boy been serving me since late 2016 lol
That's awesome to hear you were able to get them fixed! It's incredible how much stuff ends up in the landfill because a simple fix wasn't attempted. Thanks for the message!
Love my ATs, glad to see others share the passion! But real talk, how many times did you poke yourself with the needle? Knowing how I am with a needle and thread that's all I kept thinking...
I managed to stick the needle into my leg at one point & my fingertips are numb typing on my phone now... learned some good lessons for next time though đ
I needed this video more than ever
If you fix up a pair, send in a photo so we can check them out too! Thanks for the message & good luck!
Great repair. Anything kept out of a landfill is a win. For closing up tight seams I use the âHensonâ stitch. The jack installation is a nice touch.
My stitching looks ridiculous, once I get feeling back in my fingertips, Iâve got some practicing to do. Thanks for the tip!
Pretty good job. I think I'm going to replace my head band with some car headliner leather. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Clint, I hope you do it & show us how it turns out! You've got a cool channel by the way, thanks for checking out my video.
How are the cloth pads with perforated leather inside? I recently got pleather pads with little more width and depth. The harshness from close drivers went away and sound stage improved but the extra little volume inside allows the bass to build up, I like the rumble of the sub bass but low mids also got boosted a little that it masks the higher frequencies. I'd be pleased to learn which pads tame the harshness, increase the sound stage while also letting bass breathe through while retaining its power and impact.
I have several pair of MDR7506's and my go to pair has been modified with a 3 pin mini XLR jack on the ear cup and then they are compatible with any of the AKG style mini XLR to 3.5mm cables, most of which use the screw on 1/4" adapter like the original Sony. A set of velour ear pads also makes them comfy.
I love the mini XLR connectors. After the last few TA5 adapter cables I made for my Lectro PDRs though, Iâm not in a huge rush to solder more of them. Velour ear pads are the best imho, Ultrasone PRO900 & Beyer DT900 are both sooooo comfortable.
I need change cable, now i know that is not so hard to do. Thx
appreciate this video. thank you for your time.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video.
Mine are falling apart too. The problem I have is, I want a pair of replacement earpads that don't change the sound of the headphones.
Just bought these and so far they sound the same to me.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0822VFT9C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Brainwavz Audio just came out with these as well.
www.brainwavzaudio.com/collections/prostock-designed-for-ath-m-series-headphones
For those who have the same issue here is a *potential* solution:
Brainwavz Audio
PROSTOCK ATH M50X & M SERIES REPLACMENT EARPADS - CUSTOM DESGINED SHAPE WITH MEMORY FOAM - PU - DARK RED
Not sure I'd attempt the detachable cable, but now I'm very tempted to figure out a way to refresh my crumbling white M50s that I can't even pick up off the shelf without leaving a trail of specs behind.
You should totally do it, don't let them go to waste just because of that crappy material!
I just used a heated knife to carve out carefully some of the headphone cylinder plastic part near the port so i could use any 2.5 mm aux cable.
That's a great way to do it! Thanks for the message.
many AKG headphones have the two metal overhead loops with the "hammock" that cushions your head, makes an easy repair and those two metal loops are actually the headphone signal conductors too!
Iâve always enjoyed AKG headphones, are they doing anything that folds down more these days though?
@@DcSoundOp not to my knowledge - low marks for mobility lol. Head hammock design very comfortable tho
Awesome đŻ
I'm about to do some work on one off my fav head fones as well the over head Bridge part was built in the most ridiculous way I've never seen so many parts?đźđ€Ź it was built in away where you would get only 5 months wear then ...Broken, the best headphones are the ones that have a sold steel frame right across the bridge, Marley head phones are good for this, anywho kool video cheers for sharingđ your headphones look alot better now Grey is a good choseđđŒ
Hey, thanks for the message. Let me know how it goes with the repairs on your headphones, it's been fun seeing the fixes other people have done since I put this video out. Good luck!
super dope rebuild!
Appreciate it!
Thank you for the ideas đ€Ż
way to save money but mate, that's a workload for me haha nice one, cheers!
Thanks đ
it's nice to see someone rebuild headphones instead of banishing them to the closet realm to collect dust for eternity.
I found my M50x's at a garage sale for like, $1.75. (third-world country it's more like $5 here than $1.75 in the US, it was the end of the day and the old man would accept small amounts of money if it meant getting rid of the junk electronics he had)
That's a crazy good deal even for a pair that needed to be fixed! Thanks for the message!
Nice refurb project. Not sure I'd want the frankenstein stitched seam (or any seam), resting on my scalp. I locate the seam to the edge of the headband
That's a great idea!
Got DT700 pro x.. expected it will be best.. And I was wrong. So muddy.. returned in same day. So looks like need some mods and old m50 will be ok for next 10years
In my experience, people either love Beyerdynamic's approach to not pushing the clarity as much, or it feels wrong. If you're comfortable with the top end on the M50, the M50x or Sony's 7506 on the extreme end (as I am), it can take some getting used to swapping to something like the DT700 or 770. Always good to keep your M50's going though! Thanks for the message.
Stock pads are paining. If this not sounds good with aftermarket it's not a good headphone.
I wonder if there's a stuff to apply on the headband to prevent flaking, moisturizer or something ?
That's an interesting idea. I'd bet there is a car care product out there that works on this type of manufactured material, not sure if it would prolong the life or just make it look really good though.
thank you for sharing this! awesome video. this has inspired me to do the same
You can do it!
Just found this video and its awesome! I wish the camera angle was above with the soldering parts :(
It's just super simple soldering in this case. I honestly can't stand the armchair soldering police on CZcams anymore, so I really don't show it up close. I think they're the same mouth breathers who comment 'HoLY CoMB FilTERinG' on every sound system photo that they don't understand online. Anyway, check out BigClive, BenHeck, Mr. Calson's Lab or Dave at the EEVBlog channels here on YT for good soldering fun.
I can understand that!! I am learning soldering so I like watching it when I can haha. But this was such a cool video!!!!! Thanks for sharing. I hope to mod my headphones and color them pink so this video really helped.
You should absolutely mod yours to make them pink! For headphones, I always take a photo of the wires before disconnecting them, just to be sure you know how to put them back. The wires are so thin that you really only need to touch the soldering iron to the connection for a second or two and they will come free. It's a great project to start with & I hope you'll send a photo of yours when they're done so I can see them! Thank for watching.
amazing man
Thanks!
I want to tweak mine as well. Just scared I might break it.
As long as you are careful and don't force anything, it's not that easy to break stuff on a project like this. Just take your time! Thanks for watching!
I want a pair of those!
My fingers have almost recovered from stitching that headband... I don't think I'll be going into production on these anytime soon.
indestructible
awesome!
Thank you! Cheers!
Did you find a replacment ear pads? Compared to the original earpads or the Beyerdynamic ones, which sounds better?
I've had my ATH-M50x for almost 5 years now, and recently started using them while running or cooking with high heat so the headband foam has a . . . . funky smell to it. I'm wondering if I can just simply remove all the old foam, clean that down, and wrap a pre-bought headband cover directly over the plastic. I'm worried it'll be too thin or uncomfortable without the original foam or adding new foam. Is it better to wrap the cover over the old foam, keeping the "funky" stuff, or remove it all and just have the original plastic with a new headband cover? Thank you!
If something smells funky, don't ever just cover it up. That goes for headphones, houses, boats and anything else in life you come across that stinks. Without any foam at all, it will be pretty uncomfortable in my opinion, but you can get sticky backed foam anywhere (Walmart sells it in the crafts section) and it's super easy to build it back up to something comfy.
@@DcSoundOp That's good life advice! I'll give the sticky backed foam a shot. Thanks again!
@@jananchan420 Let me know how it goes, I'd love to see how it turns out for you.
Hey, where did you get the plug-in cord style? I have a pair of ATH-M50's and I keep snagging the cord on things, and the right earpiece no longer has sound. I figure adding the plug-in type of cord will at least alleviate the issue by pulling out instead of severing the speaker's connection. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hey, thanks for the message. If you're looking for the 3.5mm jack, these are what I used - amzn.to/3NMU6Bd - let me know if your question was about something else though. Thanks again.
This is awesome. But, doesn't it cost more to repair and to replace?
Not at all, a pair of ear pads and a new headband cover is hardly any cost to fix a $150 set of headphones.
@@DcSoundOp ok. They look great by the way.
just did the 3.5mm port mod on my set and now I have no audio :( any idea why it might be? I'm fairly certain I soldered the wires in the right places.
Thereâs not much else that can go wrong besides the wiring not being correct. Did you double check everything & make sure the cable you are using is wired as you expect it to be?
why put the stitching right ontop of your head, should have left that flat and stitched at the back side
pretty much because that's where the seam fell if I wanted the Soundtools logo to be in the right spot....
Thank you very much for this great HOW-TO video. But, I have one question: How do you know that your Headphone Drivers (the internal speakers inside the headphone of these MD50x) are still performing at optimal levels? I mean...I can recall a few times that I really blasted the volume on these things. ALSO, I live in a very humid climate. So, might the humidity adversely affect this sound quality?.... The other thing is that, somehow, and I do not know how, the headband has become bent out of round, and is sort of not symmetrical as it once was. And, I am afraid to use force to try to bend it back. What to do, if you have any advice.
Hey thanks for the question. As far as humidity goes, and exposure to moisture or salty air near water, there isn't going to be a ton you can do to stop that from causing issues with electronics other than drying things out the best you can between uses. The same goes for taking care of them otherwise, they can handle some pretty loud stuff, but if you think you've damaged them, I would first compare them to a good set, so you can to see if they are different. A proper test rig will run you around $300 to actually measure them - www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/ears-headphone-jig - so if this is something you want to get into in detail, that's totally possible.
Just found a pair in a 2nd Hand store in Japan for $10.
Wow thatâs a great deal! Let me know how it goes if you do repairs. Thanks for watching the video!
@@DcSoundOp apparently in Japan 2nd stores if a item shows damage or is missing assescories they discount it pretty deeply. Has the typical vinyl coming off
Are you able to share the image of wiring before anything was modded?
I forgot to take a photo before rewiring
There is only one photo of the wiring on the blog post about this video - www.dcsoundop.com/headphone-repairs/ - I'll have a dig through the archive and see if there are others that were saved. Thanks for the message.
@@DcSoundOp thank you
I am confused, which cable goes to which pin on the jack socket? Mine has 3 pins sticking out
Headphone jacks are wired Tip = Left | Ring = Right | Sleeve = Common
As good as the job is you canât beat
wireless technology
I use AirPod Pros most of the day honestly, but for video editing the latency involved with wirelss is a no-go. You can't tell what's in sync editing with bluetooth headphones, so wired headphones will be relevant for a long time to come still for editors & musicians. Thanks for the message!
Do you know if you can replace m50 ear pads with m50x size ear pads?
Yes, they are the same đđŒ
@@DcSoundOp thanks!
Hello, very good video, I want to make that modification too, but I wanted to know, do you think you can modify them so that it uses balanced cable, take my like and I subscribe good content
bro
Yes, absolutely you could. Assuming you have a balanced headphone amp & are up for the cost for not much tangible return, you could for sure. Iâd probably use a mini-Xlr of some flavor if it had to be done. Thanks for the message!
@@DcSoundOp So if you can modify the m50 so that you can hear balanced audio that would be something incredible! please do it
â@@DcSoundOp Another thing, what pads do you recommend that grip the bass well and do not bother as much as the originals
What are those things on the keyboard?
Here you go, there's a whole video about it! - czcams.com/video/whENG4qQjqU/video.html Thanks for asking Peppe!
Mhhh... Any pad other then the original will change the sound, usually for the worst. Stick with the original, they're called just HP-EP, but beware of cheap lookalike copies; they fit and sound good also on the 7506! I solved the headband issue with a padded cover with zip closure I've found on "the bay", the size is perfect, can be taken off to wash with shampoo and it's streachy enough for a bit of extra padding if needed; it fits also on Denon D2000 and E-MU Teak. But first I removed the old flacking pleather on the headband with duct tape: stick and pull hard like a brazilian wax, no crumbs all over the place, no black goo under your fingernails... fast and clean. I also had the old "non x" version and modded it with a removable cable, but used a nice screw lock jack, the Sennheiser lavalier mic style. The other eaging part that affects sound is a foam plug in the back of the driver, right in the center of the magnet hole, if it crumbles after 15 or so years, sound will change for the worst, just replace on both sides with a small foam nugget, also on new replacement drivers is not present so, in case of replacement, a new pair of twin plugs is needed to achieve a decent balanced sound (the 7506 has the same foam plug and gets old in the same way).
I've written this response dozens of times now it seems in the comments here... but for live work the ear pads don't matter even the tiniest bit. These are ten year old headphones used for soloing and spot checking issues on live stages. Thanks for the message & for checking out the video.
@@DcSoundOp Yep, It makes sense in your scenario.
I dropped my headphones can that affect sound quality?
It certainly could if you dropped them hard enough, but most headphones like the ATH-M50 are pretty robust. Are they doing anything since being dropped that is making you think they are broken? Thanks for the message.
@@DcSoundOp I cant tell for sure if the sound quality got worse maybe a little. And my ears for some reason hurt or have pressure when using them since then but idk if thats just a placebo.
@@DcSoundOp I have the ATH M40X. And it was a really hard drop from my table cause I stepped on my cable by accident.
@@DcSoundOp The stereo field kinda sounds muddy or the sound is like its in a bubble or something. But again I cant tell if thats a placebo or really the case.
I can't say for sure about the M40, but a fall from a table wouldn't cause any issues with any of the AT models I've used over the years. You can certainly have issues if the cable gets pulled hard enough by stepping on it or tripping on it. However, that would usually result in an intermittent cutting out or scratchy sound, not what you are describing.
Theoretically anything is possible though from being dropped if they landed just the wrong way. Are they still under warranty?
Earpads change the tuning so apart from looks you must also answer if you like the sound.
Different ear pads fuck up the tuning on M50s.
I'm not sure how many times this has been said now, but screwing up 'the tuning' on a ten year old set of headphones used for live sound soloing is not even remotely a reality. If absolute accuracy is so essential that you're nit-picking ear-pads, I'd hope you choose to mix on a higher quality set in the first place. Ideally something that wasn't discontinued back in 2014.
I hope that Dave Rat see's this video.
At the rate views are going lately, I'd be happy if anyone sees it.
You forgot to mention that it now sounds like crap besause of those cusions.
Dude these headphones are like 10 years old and have been on hundreds of live jobs cranked up for hours on end - theyâre for spot checking and soloing channels on the fly not critical listening in controlled environments. If anything these pads help with that.
dont change earpads to thirdparty earpads it will sound different
For live work it doesn't matter even the tiniest bit. These are ten year old headphones used for soloing and spot checking issues on live stages.
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
Cable mod?
Did you watch the video?
@@DcSoundOp yes, that was just when I statted bro)