Hi there. Long time poster here but haven't been online for quite some time and forgot the password for the other account. Also I've been away from listening to audiophile gear, and the last IEM I had was a Monoprice which is the king of budget IEMs or so people say. If you haven't heard it, try one now, for under RM100 hardly anything can beat it.
The ATH IM50 is my first Audio Technica product, and I chose it to mark my re-entry into portable audiophile.
Anyway as usual when it comes to reviews, some basic specs:
Driver: 2x 8.8mm dynamic "Dual Symphonic" drivers
Impedance: 10 Ohm
Cable length: 1.2m, removable
Colour: Black or White (mine's white)
Accessories: Carry pouch, S/M/L silicone eartips
Build: Plastic
As you can see it has the bare essentials, nothing fancy, but the IEM is well packaged. The build quality is fantastic. Though plastic and feels a bit like a toy, there is nothing loose anywhere. No silly gaps, no creaking, nothing loose not even the connector for the removable cable. It's sole purpose is to allow removal only when the time comes for necessary replacement. I tried to take it of but it was too tight so I just left it in fear of breaking it. I couldn't grip the IEM and jack tight enough, but if I could grab the cable end a bit, probably, but only when the cable starts to deteriorate and it's time to replace them anyway would I do it. Others have tried from what I've read and they all report tight cable, so it's not a fault. The bit connecting to the IEM is made up of memory cable, that stiff bit that you can mould to the shape of your ear. At first I find it awkward but as soon as I got it over and around my ear, putting on and taking of after that is a breeze. Again, this IEM is SOLID.
As the lowest and cheapest in Audio Technica's new line of IEMs, I held some reservations into how it would sound. With that I was caught off guard.
Some interesting fact about the "Dual Symphonic" arrangement, it's two dynamics (presumably one is tuned to favour a certain freq. range) working synchronously (no crossover) and one is placed in front of the other. Logic says it's the wrong thing to do, but somehow they pulled it off. First thing I notice is that it sounds quite full, yet spacious. It doesn't dig deep at the bass, but it made sure to present whatever it has as best as it can. There is some rumble if you give it the right music, not the fastest but good nonetheless, almost behaves like it would from a monitor...unless if you crank up the volume, then things can start to sound overwhelming. Mids is nicely bodied. I never felt that voices were too thin or a bit too forward, and high mids are not fatiguing.
Treble is where things aren't so interesting. It's not very...realistic? My favourite IEM for treble is believe it or not, the Monoprice 9927, the one I had a short time ago before I sold it to my friend for RM10. Cymbals sound oh so real! And not to mention guitar strums and cellos. Treble with the IM50 is in no way crude, at most I would say pleasant, at the very least I would say it's listenable. It is not piercing so that's good. This IEM is still very new but I am hard pressed to find significant changes over the 20+ hours I've listened to it. I can live with the treble because the rest of the spectrum more than compensates.
I like how the IM50 is able to dissect the music to some degree yet still be fun to listen to. I think it's the whole point of the IEM, it's freaking fun to listen to. The rumble of the bass intro in Muse's Hysteria, full-bodied cellos from Apocalyptica's Fisheye, and lush vocals of Norah Jones.
It's not the best IEM, but for its price I can't think of another. I will soon be comparing this to a Shure SE215-SPE. I don't know what to expect, I don't know how close. I don't know if I'll sell one in favour of the other or to keep both. Hopefully next week I will have my answers.
Audio Technica ATH-IM50, Actually pretty good.