Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Monitor Headphones with 9.8' Coiled and Straight Interchangeable Cables

2025-07-12T20:00:00

I bought these headphones for the second time. and they broke again in the same place where the joint connects headphones to the frame. Plastic frame makes squeaky noises when moved. Sound quality is very good, with sounds at lower end of the spectrum clearly distinguishable. I have used the first pair for 2 years and the second one for almost 2 years before they broke.

Retrip

Originally posted at

2025-07-11T20:00:00

Generally one of the pairs of headphones ever. I absolutely loved the audio quality they provided, but the construction of the headphones leaves much to be desired. Both hinges on my headphones have now given out due to their cheap plastic design, and while i was able to replace one I couldn't reroute the wire correctly due to being unable to re-solder the wire, which has lead to audio flicker/failure in the right ear, and now that the other hinge has broken just from putting on the headphones I am basically forced to buy a new pair of headphones. Annoying and frustrating.

Kassandra

Originally posted at

2025-01-12T19:00:00

I love the flat response, and how it sounds like I'm in the room rehearsing with the band when listening through these headphones. I love the cable it came with, as the phone cord style looped cable can stretch for me when standing, and is out of the way when sitting. I also love the locking cable system, and the screw on 1/4" adapter. I worry that the proprietary connector may pose an issue in the future if it breaks, because it's so small and fragile looking. So far so good though. These headphones blow some of the $300+ headphones I've tried out of the water. My only gripe is that there weren't any bigger sized ear pads in the box. I have total satellite ears, so they are a little snug in there, so I'll be getting different pads soon. They feel fine on my skin, just are a little small. 11/10.

Tyler

Originally posted at

2025-01-03T19:00:00

No, I'm not canning my review to your standards. These headphones started decomposing after 3 years of light use, and are now completely unusable due to decomposition of materials on ear pads and headband. They leave thin plastic particles on everything, including your ears! AT "repair" services offered to "refurbish" them for more than half the new price. Sorry, but I'll be spending my headphone dollar elsewhere next time!

Bite m.

Originally posted at

2024-05-03T20:00:00

Left a 4-star review ~20 days ago touting the longevity of my M40's being 4 years with daily use and gentle abuse before they finally snapped (literally). I return with glowing praise for the folks at AudioTechnica's repair shop/Service Center in Ohio! I only asked for the rotator wrist components (the part that broke, which looking at reviews of all of AT's headsets seems to be the #1 common issue) to be replaced when I sent it in. The price of repair was ~1/3rd less than getting an entirely new set (I'll let you calc out the math on that one), and folks! People! My comrades in soundwave appreciation arms! Not only did the team repair what was broken, but they essentially did a full refurb on my sweet sweet M40's, and sent her back to my loving embrace with an extra/new cable and caddy bag! Clean, new headband and earpads! Their comms were quick, clean, and professional and I am going to be insufferable about how happy I am with this experience for weeks to come. G-d help my friends on Discord who have to listen to me. The only thing I can be sad about is having to break in the headband tension all over again, but if that means another four years of crisp, well-isolated, balanced, thrumming tunes and radio broadcast with my first-ever "big boy" headphones, then so be it!

Jesse A.

Originally posted at

2024-04-24T20:00:00

Ive used this product daily for over 3 years, on average 5 hrs of use while working, my global audio of pc is set to 10 of 100 and I can hear everything crisp. For gaming i go up to around 30 to be more surrounding aware.

Oranje

Originally posted at

2024-04-12T20:00:00

I have had my M40's for approx. four years now (purchased a few months before COVID came into full swing) and used/worn them for extended periods on a daily basis. The left rotator/'wrist' of the earpiece cracked ~4-5 months ago and has now broken after being dropped off of a desk onto carpeted flooring. The crack was strictly from average use/pulling the headset apart to put on/wear over time. The audio output of these has always been clean, balanced, and well-isolated. I will be looking into getting mine repaired if it costs less than replacing them entirely, seeing as the electronics and headband are still perfectly fine and intact. (Granted, the smooth pleather covering has worn away pretty considerably over time, but that's to be expected.)

Jesse

Originally posted at

2024-01-02T19:00:00

I've used these headphones for the past 7 years through personal use, college, work, and grad school. They just now finally broke on me, and the only thing I've done is to replace the cloth on the earmuffs and the band that sits on your head. I've taken good care of these headphones, but the fact they lasted this long is a testament to their quality. Hopefully, they haven't changed how these are made. I will get another one when I have the means to do so. RIP to my faithful audio companion.

DJ

Originally posted at

2022-12-23T19:00:00

I've used these headphones for the past 6 years, and I must admit I've enjoyed them. As my first foray into decent headphones, they served me well and helped me get used to a more balanced (but still bassy) sound. My biggest qualms with it are the earcups and headband, which degrade rather quickly (I've replaced them with 3rd party earcups) if not cleaned frequently, something that can be difficult to keep up when traveling for weeks on end. Despite the amount of plastic used, they are decently built with a good range of adjustment for different heads. They're comfortable and I've used them for 12+ hours straight without feeling any discomfort. After six great years with them, I've finally been forced to move on after one of the hinges broke. As much as I've enjoyed them, my tastes have changed since I first got them and I'll be moving on to another pair of headphones, though I would still recommend them - just grab a hard case and you should be set for years.

Ian

Originally posted at

2021-05-04T20:00:00

Most irritating is the squeaking of the plastic you can hear in your head as you move about the studio. Price can't be beat. Will be replacing with the the 60s

AvalonRon

Originally posted at

2021-01-11T19:00:00

Accurate sound (much more accurate than M50x which sounds brighter that I dislike), accurate (at least for me), and flat which may be boring and underwhelming because this won't give punchy basses.

Haryo

Originally posted at

2020-11-11T19:00:00

I love the m50s(x and non-x) to the moon and back. In my opinion they blow some way more expensive studio headies straight out of the water. Not the m40x though. I thouroughly dislike the sonic properties of it. Especially for doing Rock/Metal stuff they are basically useless because the low end ist huge, flubby and undefined. I hate the m40x as much as i love the m50x. also for 15 bucks i should get a pair of replacement ear pads not a single (!) one. sadly i can't recommend these headphones to anyone really.

Nek

Originally posted at

2020-09-18T20:00:00

I've had these headphones for 3,5+ years and I've loved them the whole time. Only now are the cables showing signs of breaking after all those years, so I've begun to look into a new pair (or a cable). The biggest noticeable bad thing was the ear pads and leather wearing off. Note though that at this point I must have used them for at the very least a year and a half before any signs of it happening. I used the headphones religiously almost daily, so something like that isn't so surprising imo. The only other thing I found annoying and actually was a bigger issue to me personally, was how long the cable is. It's super long. For some people that might be useful, but to me who is right next to my pc, phone, etc all the time, it was wasted extra cable that just waiting to get tangled. However, my overall experience with these headphones is widely positive. I hadn't used headphones more expensive than 30€ before these, and I was blown away by the sound quality. I cannot even imagine going back to those same cheap headphones. (Btw, I managed to break headphones like that within a year so either I grew up and learned how to treat my stuff better, or these are actually noticeable more durable) I learned to appreciate actual high quality audio files and they felt really good for mixing. I am by no means a professional with music making, but I do enjoy mixing as a hobby. By design I always really liked these headphones too, they fit on my head perfectly and there are options to change the size too. I love how you can rotate the pads and curl them up, it was just a nice extra feature. They do make a distinguishable noise when you rotate them though? I don't see it as a negative point however and I think it's funny I could recognize the sound of my own headphones even in my dreams. The ear pads rarely got too hot either, and overall, aside from the leather wearing of, they're very great. Great headphones, would recommend!

Pipsa

Originally posted at

2020-09-04T20:00:00

they worked great until one day I was taking them off and they broke.

matt

Originally posted at

2020-07-24T11:39:52

One of the best on the market as a producer and former Audio Visual sales associate I have always been a fan of Audio Technica gear ,in these headphones I believe they continue to live up to the grand A.T reputation and provide great acoustic quality sound to the listener at an affordable consumer friendly price once again Bravo Audio Technica and ty Adorama

RICHARD S.

2019-12-26T11:35:57

I've used M40's in My Studio for years and love the Neutral & Flat sound. The M40x's carry that over with added flexibility of detachable short & long cables. Best bang-for-buck Professional Headphones you can buy IMO. Highly Recommend for anyone who needs accurate un-hyped portable audio reference monitors.

Eric C.

2019-07-06T23:00:41

Great quality, comfortable on ears, I only wish it came with a shorter cord

Mark R.

2019-06-26T12:25:03

Pleasantly surprised. Very natural sounding. Frequency response seems even across spectrum. No harsh highs. No muddy lows. I use professionally as on-air and for production mixing. Seems less fatiguing after wearing for a long day. Appreciate the detachable cords.

WILLIAM E.

2019-06-12T20:00:00

Wish I had bought something else that was faster. I thought the Alienware was a step up. wish I had over clocking on CPU. Gave fair rating only because Dell fixed it.

gmachine78

Originally posted at

2019-04-02T20:00:00

Love the sound quality, hate the hardware design. Initially, I loved everything about them. However, after using them for almost 2 years. I've noticed some flaws. The sound quality is excellent, there's no doubt about it. Sharp, clean and deep bass. Even after 2 years the sound is still as at was when I first purchased. The only thing I don't like is the flimsy design, when it comes to manoeuvrability. It just feels cheap and doesn't match the high quality sound. The overall look of the headphones is nice. I like the matte black finish. It's just not the most durable material.

wraith

Originally posted at

2019-01-10T19:00:00

i've owned these headphones for over 2 years now and they are amazing, still great sound, still comfortable, although the earpads are starting to wear out. not a single sign of them starting to break, and i'm using them everyday, even traveled with them for a time. all on all for the price some of the best headphones you can get

Joran

Originally posted at

2018-12-24T19:00:00

First and foremost, the sound quality of these fellas is stellar. While there are better headphones out there, this produces a beautiful sound balance with a comfortable range. I'm a huge fan of the multiple/interchangeable cords as different situations call for different connections, and it's relatively easy to switch them out without compromising the connection strength. I mostly use these for gaming, as they are fantastic for strategic gameplay that requires sound detection almost as much as visual. I've also listened to loads of music, as I am very familiar with music production and performance. I've never done any producing myself, so I can't give any insight into mastering and such, but I've had these headphones for almost two years and they have yet to fail me. Well, almost. These are studio headphones and are not necessarily designed for use with a smartphone. Thus, I quickly broke the driver in my pocket. That being said (and with phones promoting wireless connections more and more) you probably won't need to use these for that and it was more than easy to find a replacement online. Overall, these are a comfortable, quality pair of studios that will certainly last through anything from hours of gaming to producing records.

SmilingWorm

Originally posted at

2018-08-07T20:00:00

Things that are great about it 1. They are extremely comfortable 2. Durability 3. Foldable Things that are bad about it is 1. It comes with only 2 cables

Coolguy960

Originally posted at

2018-06-23T20:00:00

I use it for casual music listening and gaming, tested it out with Deezer Flac while it was avaiable and it held up great. Sound is flat and can be tuned with an equaliser to your liking afterwards, which is great. The only downside are the earpads, I had to replace mine with a more comfortable set. The clamp was a bit too tight as well but I manually loosened it a bit. Great product overall.

Donkey K.

Originally posted at

2018-05-28T20:00:00

I've already sent this product back for repair twice and I think I broke it for the third time. Normal usage, never dropped it, still damaged in the same spot. The overall shipping cost almost reached the value of the headphone: I'm done.

Erw

Originally posted at

2017-12-21T19:00:00

I've had these headphones for about a year and a half. I use them daily for several hours at a time, but I tend to leave them at the office and don't travel with them often so the potential of them breaking is probably lessened than most users. Regardless though, they're incredibly comfortable and have really great clarity. I'd strongly recommend them to anybody looking for decent headphones who doesn't want to break the bank.

Matt

Originally posted at

2017-07-26T15:44:56

I produce audio clips and music on a variety of instruments including a synthesizer which sound variation is huge, crisp, note responding headphones

PETER S.

2017-02-28T06:54:01

I would give these a 5 star rating if they didn't break from a flawed design and became useless. They do have great sound for their inexpensive price. But . . . where the ear pieces swivel, the plastic has way too much stress on it (poor engineering) and will crack and break off in time, rendering them useless. With mine, one side broke off completely and the other side is cracked in the same identical spot. If I could still use them, it too would break off soon. How long were they cracked before one of them broke off, I don't know, as I never suspected them to do so and wasn't checking for cracks in the plastic. If I had seen the cracks before the one side broke off, there isn't anything I could have done to prevent it anyway. I never dropped them, nor abused them, and always hung them on a hook to protect them, as I really loved them until they broke. Audio Technica's Customer service was very quick to respond to my request to buy the broken parts, but wanted me to ship them to them for repair. With MY cost for 'return' shipping, plus their repair cost, I might as well go for a new pair and keep the broken one for spare parts. That said, I would not buy these again however, as I would not want to go through the disappointment again of the plastic breaking into two pieces. If I didn't use them much, they might have lasted forever, but as I use them on a daily basis in the studio, it was just a matter of time before the plastic cracks, breaks off, and they no longer can be used. A perfect example of "a chain being only as strong as its weakest link". Audio Technica will kindly offer to repair them, though spending the time to fix the poor engineering might be time better spent. As I really liked them before they broke, I had recommended them to several of my sound engineering buddies as a good inexpensive investment. Hopefully they didn't buy them, as I don't want to be responsible when their's eventually snap into two pieces like mine sadly did.Write your review here. It must be at least 10 characters long. Consider whether you would recommend this product and what you like or dislike about it.

Sleezy B.

2017-01-09T12:53:26

I have enough adapters also a weather proof sack for on the go usage!!

Keyonta R.

2017-01-01T00:30:51

I have been using these headphones for a little over a year. I use them everyday, and each time I use them I smile on the inside, because they are so unbelievable great. I don't know how I could live without them now, and feel its one of the best things I have every owned. Just wish I bought them sooner. PS: even with all the use they look brand new.

CHARLES C.