Over-Ear Headphones · owner-verdict comparison
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Grado SR80x: what real owners say Real owners rate these about evenly: 55% of 663 Audio-Technica ATH-M50x owners recommend it, vs 60% of 55 for the Grado SR80x.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
55%of 663 owners recommend
55% recommend · 16% neutral · 29% don't
Owners praise
Excellent sound quality for the price Built like a tank, lasts for years Comfortable for long listening sessions Owners complain about
Bloated bass that muddies the mids Too-tight clamping force, uncomfortable for long sessions Earpads and headband flake and peel Full owner report → What Audio-Technica ATH-M50x owners say “I can absolutely recommend these, even today.” “Just got these in too, love the detachable cable.” “the M50x isn't even good for monitoring”— @DJScopeSOFM on
YouTube What Grado SR80x owners say “SR80x (120€ new) was my first audiophile headphone over two years ago. They were so good that within a week I returned them to upgrade to SR225x” “Grado SR80s were my first decent pair of headphones too, and I still love them - still have them and listen to them something like 15 years later.” “Using chinese components. And a lot of glue... You'd think with all that American Engineering, we could not use Glue, and instead use... maybe screws?” The web's most robust real-owner review aggregator — real opinions from people who actually own the product, every verdict sourced, nothing paid.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links here are affiliate links — if you buy through one we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our scores, rankings, or which products we cover.
© 2026 ownersreview — independent, ad-free, sourced