Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs Precision Studiophones Monitor Headphones
Get superior audiophile sound and transparency with Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones.
Overall User Ratings (based on 105 ratings)
Submitted January 26, 2011 by a customer from aol.com
"Serious Studio Phones At A Less Than Studio Price."
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One of my keepers. Will try to find and buy more so I can have them later in life. Did that with my guitar picks 28 years ago, now I need to with these.
Sound
For the money, these are the most accurate sounding headphones I know of. I use these in the studio for tracking and mixing. If I am unable to use regular monitors, these seem to be the closest phones I have used to the sound of the monitors. Basically flat with no bass coloration. They do make a pair with enhanced bass, but I would not mix with those.Bang for the buck is great.
Features
Good basic phones. Downside is they do not come with an adapter and are 1/4" out of the box. These are primarily used in pro audio, so I can see why they don't include it, but 5.00 at Radio Shack fixes that issue.
Ease of Use
Easy to use, good long term wear with little fatigue.
Quality
Well put together with quality parts. Should last for a long time.
Value
Well worth the price. I have used phones costing 6 times this and not been happy with the results. For studio and general use these are great. Bear in mind they do not "enhance" the sound, just give you the raw basics of what it sounds like, pretty much to a T.
Manufacturer Support
Have bought other AT products,and used their support for service. Overall great company to deal with in terms of talking to real humans, and quick turnaroud time on repairs.
The Wow Factor
No frills, shiny colors or boxes. Just your basic nerdy headphone looking headphones, but they do their job better than any imported sleek, bright pair I have heard yet,
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
All Hired Gun
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Submitted October 16, 2006 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Great low-proced headphones!"
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the only real drawback is the bass response being hot, but as long as you're aware of it, these are geat headphones.
Sound
Pretty decent. Bass response is pretty high, so be careful if you're mixing with them. Otherwise, they're very transparent.
Features
I like the swivel ears and the one-sided cable. Very ergonomic--you can wear them for hours with minimal discomfort.
Ease of Use
Ummm, they're headphones. Not much to discuss.
Quality
So far so good. The construction seems solid and the components all seem to be good.
Value
Great cans for the price!
Manufacturer Support
Haven't contacted support. Haven't had a need to
Musical Background:
Active musician, home studio owner
Musical Style:
Rock, Ambient/Experimental
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Submitted January 28, 2011 by a customer from att.net
"Buy it!!!"
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Sound
The sound is well balanced. Sound very good. I play drums and this almost cancels those out!
Features
Plug and play. Very confortable.
Ease of Use
Well they are headphones........but, like said before. I play drums and have to wear a hat or beanie to keep them in place. For this fact I rated an 8
Quality
Very well made for this price range...very comfortable. No background noise.
Value
Would by from these guys again. Hard to find more balance for the price!
Manufacturer Support
Haven't needed it!
The Wow Factor
Black, not too bulky, and has the cord on just one side (left).
Musical Background:
Active musician
Musical Style:
anything but dance crap and hippitty hop
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Submitted September 10, 2008 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Off tha Chainz for the Price!"
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i've been satisfied with this product for a very long time. i am looking to replace them with something better though. i guess because i am about to start producing more people for alot more money and i just wanna make sure i give them the best possible sound quality. i am also looking for new studio monitor speakers, even though the ones i got are great too.
Sound
These sound real nice. I'm a hip-hop/r&b producer and everyone around my area tells me that my vocal production is the best. these things help me out alot when i can't turn on the big studio monitors (for whatever reason) I'll mix with these things late at night and when i can turn my big speakers up in the morning, i listen on those and it sounds perfect.
Features
I didn't like that they swiveled so much so i super glued one side to stay still and not swivel. so it's all good.
Ease of Use
plug em up... they'll work.
Quality
these things are great. i've had mine for almost 5 years and i can get pretty ruff with them sometimes. sometimes i'll sit on them.. or have them on the floor and kick em on accident. i always drop em... all the time... these things are still working real nice. the only thing is all the little black plastic pleather looking stuff has came off of them. there alright though.
Value
there definitely worth price... but i've had these for a long time, i think i'm gonna put out a lil more money and get some more expensive. hopefully they'll be better than these... even tho these are great.
Manufacturer Support
dont need any
The Wow Factor
these things are great, but alot of other headphones look better to me... as far as looks go.
Musical Background:
I'm a producer and hip-hop artist. I've had 5 tracks on the radio in regular rotation within the past 3 years. Also I'm about to
Musical Style:
Hip hop and R&B
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Submitted June 23, 2003 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Affordable headphones with a broad range and even sound..."
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Exellent accounting for sound quality, craftsmenship, and price.
Sound
Very good sound quality. The headphones produce a very even sound across the board. The only thing ive noticed is that they have a little drop in bass as fequencys get really low.
Quality
Overall good. The phones have a 180 degress swivel which is not needed for most recording uses. The swivel point could be more sturdy, otherwise nothing else.
Value
Very good for the price.
Manufacturer Support
I haven't needed support, so thats good.
The Wow Factor
I bought it didn't I...
Musical Style:
radiohead and pink floyd
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Submitted March 13, 2008 by a customer from bellsouth.net
"Great headphones for the price."
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I bought 2 pair initially, if they break I will replace them.
Sound
I have several brands of headphones from expensive to cheap. These have the most accurate sound of all/
Features
No Accessories. I had a choice of connectors and chose 1/4 inch.
Ease of Use
Put 'em over your ears and plug them in. If you can't do that intuitively, you have no business using headphones.
Quality
Well made and of course they are plastic. I don't need the swivel feature but it isn't a negative.
Value
Great price for a great product.
Manufacturer Support
Never needed support.
The Wow Factor
Sex appeal. Nonsense.
Musical Background:
Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
Inspirational, Western Music
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Submitted January 24, 2011 by a customer from hotmail.com
"This 'Sounds' like great value!!"
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I think I should have these for a couple years at least. I assume the foam padding and covering will wear out long before the speakers do.
Sound
Great sound and excellent frequency range.
Features
I really like the fact that each side of the headphones turn so it's very easy to monitor with only one headphone speaker up to the ear.
Ease of Use
Very easy to use, simply plug in the jack.
Quality
For the price, I'd say it's made quite well and should last a while. The covering over the cushioned ear pieces and headband seem kind of thin, so I wouldn't recommend being too rough with them.
Value
If you're looking for some monitor headphones but don't want to pay more for more professional ones, these are a great value.
Musical Background:
In a band
Musical Style:
Punk
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Submitted June 4, 2009 by a customer from bigfoot.com
"Can't pick on the sound so I pick on the Frame; I wish it was less complicated and thus more durable."
Using the headset was no problem but I still don't like the Frame, the padding fabric gets dirty but there's no way to remove it to wash and looks bulky and uneven. I will replace my headphones with the same because I can use it for hours without being fatigue and the price make it a very good value.
Sound
I have to use ATH M40fs most of the time while editing and mixing multitrack arrangement. When this mix goes through the speakers the mix is not much different from what you hear in the headphoned. I'm using them for ?10 years and they sound like the first day but the frame gave up - the swivel makes it a week point and I had no use for it.
Quality
If not for the Swivel part of the Frame, my ATH M40fs would serve me still without gaffa tape and wires! That's my only complain - the Frame. To this day I'm happy with the sound and will buy the same model again.
Value
Respectable studio phones cost ~300.-
ATH M40fs cost one third of this.
The Wow Factor
The cans itself have a solid look - bakelite type but the traditional looking frame didn't match.
Musical Background:
pro bass player, arranger, programmer-midi, recording engineer
Musical Style:
funk, pop, rock, country rock, blues, shuffle, jazz/grove/funk
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Submitted June 24, 2009 by a customer from hotmail.com
"These phones are pro gear, you won't be disappointed."
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I've had a pair of these for years and they are excellent phones. Don't underestimate them because of their budget price! They are worth every penny (even double). At this price, they can't be beat.
If you watch the The Rolling Stones 'Licks' tour DVD set, you will see everyone wearing these in the studio on the documentary disc (I figured because they sound good and can take a lot of abuse).
I've even done rough mixes with these and they have been very accurate.
The only negative I have is that the plastic 'leatherette' covering on the headband and ear covers does not last too long, but they are field replaceable and easy to get parts from AT
The Wow Factor
I'm about to buy some more.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Blues, Rock, Accoustic.
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Submitted October 18, 2004 by a customer from dmv.com
"Functional product."
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I'm always looking to update if something will improve my music.
Sound
No noticeable defects.
Features
These are great for the money. I currently have no use for the swivel feature but you can wrap some tape around them if you don't like the cups flopping around.
Quality
Good. It doesn't have that feeling of Corinthian leather but the construction is functional.
Value
Great. I'm a cheapskate.
ps:
Q: What do you call a single musician?
A: Homeless.
Manufacturer Support
n/a
The Wow Factor
No sex appeal but I don't want to mate with them.
Musical Background:
play a lot
Musical Style:
no rock, country, blue grass
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Submitted May 19, 2006 by a customer from gmail.com
"Great headphones for the price!"
Hopefully a long time. I like the way they sound. If they last a while without much distorting, I'd probably buy another pair if anything happens to them ...(maybe I should've bought 2 pair!)
Sound
They sound crisp, clear. The overall reproduction is great no matter what type of music I threw at them and no matter what I used them for.
Features
I did have to get a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter for them, but who cares. Cord could be a few feet longer, that's about it. The cushions are comfortable and well placed.
Ease of Use
Plugged them in and went to town. The things feel like that are part of my head (but maybe that's because I've used them so much since I got them, they have molded to my melon.)
Quality
They feel sturdy enough, maybe not to use as a hammer, but since I just got them, we shall see.
Value
Great value for the price. I've listened to more expensive headphones that were not as comfortable or sound as good, so..
Manufacturer Support
haven't had to deal with the company so I can't say this pertains.
The Wow Factor
Typical headphones, just a good value/buy.
Musical Background:
semiactive
Musical Style:
metal, rock
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Submitted January 17, 2008 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Good for anyone with ears."
I'd get another pair if these break.
Sound
These things sound great. I've had mine for over ayear now and they still seem to amaze me. I've tride other cans and they always over hype the lowend. These are very accurate. Very good for the price.
Features
...just a set of Cans....nothings else needed.
Could fit tighter on small heads. (Like mine)
Ease of Use
Well....You plug them in. They work!
Quality
The swivel seems to be getting looser after a year of hard use. Everything else is good!
Value
Less than $90.00 and worth $200.00 to me.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't needed.
The Wow Factor
Not very stylish. But they're just headphones. Their function outways their fit.
Musical Background:
musician
Musical Style:
many
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Submitted March 16, 2006 by a customer from sbcglobal.net
"A good investment for any level of artist."
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Overall I'm happy with this purchase and plan on wearing them untill they die.
Sound
Sounds very good, instantly noticed lots of imperfections (like static,)could see thet being confused with lack of quality. NOT TRUE!! I record alot and need precise playback. I would buy them again.
Features
Very long cord, nice for studio use. Cord is on 1 side only, also a plus.
Ease of Use
Well, didn't take long to figure out.
Quality
Very good quality, I tripped over the cord, it ripped'm out of the jack and they didn't even briuse. Also very comfortable.
Value
For sure worth the price.
Manufacturer Support
I'll just give them the bennifit of the doubt.
The Wow Factor
Ooooo soft and sexy!
Musical Background:
hip-hop artist and producer
Musical Style:
Hip-hop, rock, reggae, and punk
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Submitted April 30, 2012 by joseph Mahoney in Philadelphia Pa, PA
"GREAT CANS FOR MIXING!"
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wow. Im really impressed no the details of these headphones produced. Im hearing my mixes for REAL. Great price too!
Musical Background:
Engineer/musician
Musical Style:
Multi cultural Gospel and Indie Rock
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Submitted January 7, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Why, oh why use such inferior material on such a great set of cans?"
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Sound
Sounds great. For the $$, they're superb.
Features
Great long cable - nice change from other units.
Ease of Use
Plug-n-wear. No volume or tone control knobs to mess with (or go bad).
Quality
THIS is why I'm reviewing this product at all. I'd like to know the name of the person who decided that A-T should purchase and/or manufacture ear pads covered with the flimsiest, thinnest, most worthless material I've ever seen on a headphone. Do they believe they're doing their company a favor? Their customers? Not.
Value
For the price, these can't be beat. Too bad the earpad lining transforms them from "economical" to "cheap"
Manufacturer Support
A-T site has no clear, easily-accessible information on how to get replacement pads and/or actually replace them.
The Wow Factor
I will get another pair of these if/when they ever fail.
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Classic/Country Rock, Pop, Film, Games
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Submitted July 15, 2007 by a customer from rubywillow.net
"Consider the price, and you won't be disappointed."
I've had these headphones for over a year now. I'm very satisfied with them.
Sound
Some of the reviews here seem to indicate these headphones aren't any good. Well, I would have to disagree. Granted, they aren't as good as your $500 headphones, but that's not what these are intended for. These are good, solid headphones for a great price.
That said, these cans sound "pretty good". I don't mix on them - I don't mix on any headphones. But for a decent price, I get really good sound.
Features
They are headphones - your basic 1/4" plug with a straight, long cord going to one ear. I like that. Some people seem to be complaining about the swivel ear feature. I don't find it a problem.
Ease of Use
Not much to say here... Plug-em-in.
Quality
Again, a decent product for the price. I treat my equipment pretty well, so I think they will last. In a studio with typical abuse, they might not fare so well.
Value
Again, a very good product, considering the price. These sound every bit as good (or better) than cans a twice the price.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't had a need for support
The Wow Factor
I'm getting a couple more.
Musical Background:
Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
All kinds
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Submitted April 10, 2005 by a customer from mac.com
"Great Sound Great Price"
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Sound
As advertised, extremely flat frequency response. An excellent bargain at the prince.
Quality
Seems to be of high quality construction. All necessary parts are field replaceable. Comfortable to wear. Doesnt bother my glasses.
Value
yes, compared to other advertised 'studio monitor phones' at much higher prices, this is a bargain. No need to spend $200
Musical Background:
Hobbyist musician & home recorder
Musical Style:
Rock Pop Jazz Country Bluegrass
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Submitted August 20, 2006 by AndroidVageta
"I'd pay three times the price for the sound quality!"
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The best pair of phones for the price. Period. Even some more expensive sets from other companies simply dont compair. If mine ever broke (which I dont see happening) I would not hesitate for one second about buying another pair...well I take that back, I might get a higher end pair of Audio-Technicas next time ;-)
Sound
Sound is perfect. You hear me? Perfect. By far the most realistic sound producers Ive ever heard. Every little high pitched note to the low frequency bass, everything that the sound producers added you hear.
Features
The swivel feature is a plus if you use it. Personally I feel its just a pair of headphones. What are good features? Headband, cord, plug? What you get from any pair of headphones you get here. Cord length is a plus, Im able to sit back on my bed and watch movies on my computer (cord is about 8 feet long).
Ease of Use
Again, its a pair of headphones, you plug them into your source and your done.
Quality
The cord and plug are very solid well made pieces. Headphones are solid and arent as "cheap feeling" as Ive seen people say in other reviews. But on that note, I feel as though some solid metal parts could replace some plastic parts that would give them a much more solid feel. But overall, its what I would expect from just a pair of headphones, after all I didnt pay $400 for them!
Value
Ive tried other headphones in the same price range (Sony, Panasonic) and they just simply do not have the clarity of these Audio-Technicas. Period. If you are looking in the sub $100 price range, you cannot go wrong. Whether youre using them for gaming, music, movies, it does any sound you throw at them justice.
Manufacturer Support
Its very good. Had some static in one side (turned out to be an issue with my sound card in my PC) and their support was extremely fast emailing me back with very good recommendations on what I do. Definitely good service!
The Wow Factor
Like I said above, no matter what you plan on using them for you cant go wrong on the sound quality. Construction could be alittle bit more solid, but mine so far have been dropped multiple times as well as gone cross country with me on many a trip and even though a few scratches here and there they still work just as well as they did the first day I got them.
Musical Background:
Avid music listener, PC gamer
Musical Style:
Alternative rock, electronic, trance, classical
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Submitted October 21, 2009 by a customer from mail.com
"Look elsewhere"
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I bought these to replace an older pair of AKG K340s. Needless to say, that was a mistake. I was instantly shocked to hear how crisp and trebly the sound on these was. I got used to them for awhile, but now I've got some new AKGs. Those are worth the extra money:>)
Sound
Sound is too bright and punchy. Not good for accurate representation or for long listening.
Features
Like the swivel ear pads. They're pretty soft & comfortable.
Quality
No problems so far, had them for about a year.
Value
Not a great value. I'd expect to pay about $40.
Musical Background:
home studio
Musical Style:
acoustic, rock, electronic
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Submitted December 27, 2008
"Great value and excellent sound"
At this price point, you can't expect anything more, it delivers more than many other competitors in this price range.
Sound
The sound quality is really, really good. As a musician and producer, I mostly use monitors to mix, but when going to phones want something neutral that doesn't colour the sound too much. My Sony 7506's are almost worn out and the ATHM40fs compares very favourably with those. The only better ones I've heard are 600 dollar Sennheiser HD650s and not by much !
Features
Just plug it in and play. I don't use minijacks in anything except mp3 players and I use lightweight headphones for that. No volume control.
Ease of Use
Just plug and play and enjoy.
Quality
The quality is really sturdy and no problems with it at all so far.
Value
The full retail price of around 150 dollars is worth paying, but I got them in a sale for almost half of that, so they were excellent value.
The Wow Factor
Looks and feels good.
Musical Background:
active musician, recording engineer
Musical Style:
various
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Submitted August 22, 2007 by a customer from gmail.com
"Outstanding headphones for monitoring audio in video editing."
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My application is in video editing. Needed a clean evaluation of the SmartSound and Scorefitter generated music and a clean way of evaluation voice over narration.
This product is so far head and shoulders above anything else I've tried I feel it was exactly what I was looking for. If anything should happen to this headphone set I will look to replace it with another just like it.
Sound
Exactly as advertised. Extended response not overly enhanced on either end of the frequency response. With most headphones seeming to overemphasize the bass I needed something with a far more neutral but clean response.
Features
No accessories included.
Ease of Use
Plug 'n use
Quality
Seems to be made very well. The swivel is unnecessary but I can live with it.
Value
I consider it well worth what I paid for it here.
Manufacturer Support
No need yet
The Wow Factor
Basic black works for me.
Musical Background:
None
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Submitted February 12, 2007
"Not accurate, but sounds crystal clear."
Sound
Sound great, too great. Not very accurate.
Features
NA
Ease of Use
NA
Quality
I haven't broke em yet but I'm always scarred I will. Bit flimsy.
Manufacturer Support
NA
The Wow Factor
This is not gonna help anyone mixing.
Musical Background:
Engineer
Musical Style:
HipHop
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Submitted October 19, 2006
"Don't buy it."
Sound
The sound isn't all that clear, for someone who has been in the music business for almost 20years, I can notice alot of glitches that some can't, I think this headphone is suitable for a small homestudio, not even a homestudio, maybe someone editing some kind of home video or something.
Features
WEll it's a headphone...
Quality
I didn't like the quality.
Value
I mean for that price you can't get any better but it's still not good, I wouldnt advise it unless your just starting out and don't care for a professional sound experience.
Manufacturer Support
Didn't need it
The Wow Factor
I don't want it...at all
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Submitted February 28, 2005
"Great sounding Headphones!"
Im happy with them.
Sound
Out of the box they had a little midboost and lack of bass in some music. after two months of use the midboost is gone and the bass is deep and punchy, there is a lot of detail too.
overall they sound very good.
Quality
the swivel feature is too loose and somtimes it can be annoying.
other than that the phones are very comfortable to my ears and i can
wear them for hours.
Value
great for the money
Musical Background:
Lead Guitar in a rock band, Home Recording
Musical Style:
Progressive Rock/Metal, Classical music.
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Submitted February 28, 2005
"Great Headphones!"
they sound great and they are comfortable.
Sound
Out of the box they sound good but there was a little midboost and lack of bass in some music.
After two months of use they sound great no midboost and the bass is
punchy and deep.
Features
no 1/4 adapter
Quality
the swivel feature is a little annoying because its too loose.
other than that the headphones are very comfortable to my ears
and i can use them for hours.
Musical Background:
Lead Guitar in a band, Home Recording.
Musical Style:
progressive rock/metal, classical.
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