samsamsam

Got a brand new pair of cans. Retail price is S$160 but I got it slightly cheaper because of some strings I pulled (...ahem).
This model (ATH-M50) has been nominated as one of the products for this years Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. See this link:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/happenings/8dc4c50fdc92378a/index.html

The manufacturer's review for this item can be found here:
http://www.audio-technica.com.sg/products/headphones/ath-m50

For the price I paid, it had to be better than my S$80 Sony MDR-EX85 which I already found pretty good. The sound quality was pretty good with very good mids and highs clarity, although the bass seems rather flat and lack a punch; but not being a bass-head, it was ok for me.

Its real huge and I wouldn't want to be using them on the bus or train. But trying them out walking back from the bus station to my PC, the cables were well insulated unlike the fish-string thin cables my Sony has, with no noticeable interference with the mp3 player in FM radio mode.
Audio Technica headphones is famous for its comfort. You can almost live with them (because they are not waterproof, you got to take them out during showers, of course to some thats an optional activity). The other shortcomming I see is the weak pastic-y hinges the pads are connected to the headband. After a few twists and drops, this would probably be the first thing to break.

Its a plus that the phones can be folded in to be stored, saving space. I was also surprised that my tiny Muvo Tx could power the humongous divers (45mm) just as easily as my tiny Sony (13.5mm); but I didnt use it long enough to notice if my battery would drain 3x as fast as normal headphones.

Well, heck care, it sounds good and I'm happy with it now. Time will tell if its like wine or a Proton car. The former gets better with aging, the latter goes from wow to below average in 3 days.

I'm giving it a Sam's rating of 4.5 white mice out of 5.