Background

I've owned my DT 770 Pro 80ohm's for years. Like 6 years. I main them with my PC and have used them with two different audio interfaces but never with a proper amp setup.

My Pioneer HDJ-X5's are (were) my DJing/commuting headphones. They're decent - I got them about 8 months ago for £55. They got a bit scratched up in my bag one time, and I have no idea how. Unfortunately they hurt my ears - more on this later.

Got the M50x's today to replace the X5's due to the comfort issue. I've owned them less than 4 hours.

Also - I wear glasses, have decent-size ears, and a pretty damn large head. I also have a cartilage piercing in which I have circular horseshoe jewellery in at the moment (which automatically makes 9/10 things uncomfortable including beanies).

Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro (80 ohm Limited Edition)

I'm not kidding when I say these are my absolute favourite headphones to date, and apparently they're even better if you use an amp (they do a 32ohm version which does not need an amp though and a high impedence version which definitely needs an amp). I got them about 6 years ago (or more) for £80, open-box. I've used them every single day for hours on end since then, for gaming, music production, listening to music/videos...everything.

The one thing I refuse to use them for is DJing. They're way too big and clunky, the ears don't turn and don't move forward and back very much either.

Durability

They literally look and feel brand new - I'm not exaggerating. I've abused these things by putting them down literally anywhere I find a space, including my floor (and they've been dropped a handful of times too). I even slung them into my rucksack along with a bunch of other stuff and they survived without issue. If anything did break, parts are supposedly replacable, though it seems they're difficult to find, but I haven't looked too hard because I haven't had to!

Comfort

I can't fault these. The earcups are MASSIVE, with plenty of (velour) padding. My ears get quite warm in them after only 0.5-1 hours usage but they don't become uncomfortable until about 2.5-3 hours in without adjustments. After a while, they do tend to clamp down around the ears, especially on the piercing and somehow under the ears. I will say though, when I wear a straight bar I haven't noticed them affect the piercing at all.

Sound

Bear in mind I haven't ever used these, or any headphones, with a dedicated amp. I've used them with my phone (very quiet and kinda tinny), my M-Audio M-Track Duo audio interface (32ohm), and an older audio interface which had a 50ohm output. They sounded great with my old interface, but they still sound pretty good with my current one. I cannot use them with my phone, they're far too quiet.

People aren't kidding when they say these have a very flat a mostly flat sound with slight boosts to bass (if you power them properly) and treble. They sound fantastic, and are absolutely stellar for producing music and listening to music because you can pull out all the little details without exaggeration. This would be even better if they were driven with a proper amp but even without it, the 80ohm does well.

The soundstage is fantastic. Nice and wide without sounding distant. Makes them a good choice for video games IMO as you can identify where everything is coming from. It sounds like they are "around" your ears rather than "on" your ears. It's fantastic.

Isolation is good too. Not great for closed-backs, but decent. I tend to miss knocks on my door if I'm wearing them and listening to something, but if I'm wearing them without listening to something, I will hear most of the activity around me.

Overall

Can't fault them. They're brilliant, which is why they have been my mains for years and will continue to be my mains until they completely break and die. And even then, I'll try to repair them, because they are fantastic.

Pioneer HDJ-X5

I got these about 8 months ago, originally purely for DJing because my DT770's were too clunky to sling on/off and I just couldn't deal with it. Paid £55, would probably pay the £90 new, wouldn't pay more.

Durability

I literally throw these in my bag once a week with two laptops and an SSD, and so far the only damage is a few light scratches on the plastic. They don't feel like they'd break anytime soon, they're pretty solid. They're built for DJing so I'd expect that from them, even if they are Pioneer.

Comfort

This is where they fall - hard. They are on-ear, not over-ear, but the earcups are the perfect size to not fit on your ears properly. You can either wear them pressing down above the top of your ear (this is how I wear them), or pressing down on the top of your ear (extremely uncomfortable), but not in between.

I notice them constantly and cannot keep them on without adjusting for more than ~15 mins. They're not comfortable headphones unless you have miniature ears.

Sound

They sound fun. Bass and treble are pumped way up which really helps with beatmatching when DJing, but they're absolute crap (as expected) for critical listening (eg music production). They are also extremely loud. I can drive them very hard only with my phone, and when plugged into my Traktor S4 I can't even turn up past 1/4 without my ears hurting - but they don't distort, they're just too loud for me at that point. Nice to have the option though.

Soundstage is good. Haven't got any complaints. They sound like headphones - not directly in your earholes, but also not really distant.

Sound isolation is on-par with the M50x's. Slightly worse than my DT 770's. You can hear everything around you but it's muffled.

Overall

Good for DJing if you're slinging them on/off a lot, great for beatmatching due to the pronounced highs/bass. Crap for commuting.

Audio Technica ATH-M50x (Gunmetal Edition)

I don't think the "GM" in the name actually changes anything except the price. Hopefully, at least.

I just got these. I've been wearing them for 30 minutes straight after a quick practice DJ session. I will update once I've been using them a while.

Durability

Eh. They feel fairly solid, but also a bit plasticky. I really can't comment on them much at the moment as I've only owned them a couple hours. I don't think they will break any time soon, although they feel nowhere near as solid as the DT 770's.

Comfort

I read so many complaints about the comfort of these across Reddit. To me, they're fine. And I was spoilt by the 770's so that "fine" means a lot.

After >30 mins of constant wear: They do tend to clamp down slightly (I will be using the book trick to spread them out a little more). They also press down a bit on the top of your head as the padding here is very thin, but a quick adjustment has fixed that for me so far. But they aren't uncomfortable and they are way more comfortable than the X5's.

I like the earpads. They're pleather, feel kinda tacky but not too bad. I think velour pads would be nicer but I'm not too fussed about getting them anytime soon. They get a bit warm after 30 mins, I can see them getting uncomfortably warm after about 1.5-2 hours.

The earpads are thick enough to keep the drivers off your ears but still squishy enough to be comfortable, even with glasses. My ears fit perfectly within the gaps, but if yours were bigger I reckon they could quite easily hurt after a short while. I have decently-big ears but they're sort of just-above-average I think. If you have small ears these will feel wonderful.

The headband padding is extremely thin, as I mentioned. It will almost certainly hurt after a while.

Sound

My fingers are getting tired so main points below. The sound is "pretty good". DT770's are better, Pioneers... about on par but a wider soundstage. Boosted bass, slightly boosted treble. Listened to this song on them just now and they go as loud as the Pioneers do.

Fairly fun sound, ruined a little by a narrow soundstage. The sound sounds like it's coming directly from headphones on my ears. Maybe I was spoiled by the 770's, but these sound very narrow.

Haven't tried gaming yet, will update.

I should also note that on first impression the highs do sound a little repressed compared to my others, but I need to do more listening to confirm.

Overall

I think these are gonna be good for commuting with. They're also good for DJing as they have fairly flexible cups, they're fairly light, and they have the bass/treble boost making them good for beatmatching. They'll be better than the Pioneers for music production on-the-go, but the DT 770's are still superior.

TL;DR

• For longevity, sound accuracy, sound quality, comfort, and soundstage, get the DT 770 Pro's.
• For looks, sound "fun"-ness, anti-clunky-ness, and general music listening, get the M50x's.
• For durability, purely DJing - slinging them on/off all the time - get the HDJ-X5's.

TL;DR 2: Get the DT770's unless you care about looks.