I was in Tucson over the summer. I always go take part in the Potluck Audio Conference that my buddy Craig Schumacher puts on. It’s a great hang full of good information by other audio folks and musicians. I strongly urge all of you to go next year! I stopped by the Audio Technica booth to check out some headphones while I was there. They sell a hell of a lot of headphones these days I learned! WIth the success of Beats by Dre, they have come up with a competitor that is winning many people over called the ATH-M50x. They cost $239.00 list and Amazon is selling them for $169.00. They are cool but I did find the low-end to be too exaggerated for me plus I didn’t want to spend that much. In keeping with my goals you’ll read about in further posts, I found the lower priced ATH-M40x that lists for $139.00 and sell for $99.00  at Amazon not only priced better, but they also sound way more balanced to me. The midrange was clear and the bass didn’t sound bloated to me. These were headphones I could feel comfortable using as a reference when I mix. Super comfortable and being that they are closed ear means that I could listen to music around others and not disturb.  Long story short,  I ordered  a pair. Cannot wait to get them. I’ll report back with my final thoughts.