For a long time I was looking to buy the m50x, until I tried it. Granted I didn't get to use it much and there was a lot of noise around. The thing that irked me was what I considered a bit of a bulky build and the sound didn't floor me as I was expecting after the kind of things I was reading about them. Again though I dont feel that I was able to give them a proper try. Still though I ended up looking around for other headphones first before deciding.
I stumbled upon the PSB-M4U2 at a store without having ever read or heard of them and for one reason or another on that particular day I just fell in love with their sound and comfort. I asked about the difference between the M4U2 and and M4U1 and was told that the original sound on both of them is identical, and that the only difference on M4U2 is the integrated amp switch, the noise cancellation switch, and the colors to choose from of the actual headphones.
I bought the PSB-M4U2 and really love them. I don't know enough about the m50x to really compare them, but I can say that the PSB was better sounding to me than anything else I'd tried up until that point. I'd say the PSB are slightly heavier than a lot headphones I'd tried and a tad bulky as well, and plasticky, but smoother feeling than the m50x hard knobby plastic rigid feel imo. I'd say too that the ear pads are just alot more comfortable on the PSB, but with possibly more clamping force than the m50x. The clamping force does loosen up quite a bit though after a month or so of use. I have read on Head-fi threads dedicated to the PSB that quite a few people got cracks in the headband of the PSB, were sent replacement pairs, and that PSB took the issue very seriously and addressed it in further production of the M4U2 and M4U1.
They have a remarkably good soundstage for a closed back headphone with amazing detail and imaging. You can really place quite well where the instruments are in that soundstage. Great clarity too and extremely well balanced between highs mids and lows to create a pleasing sound that is neither fatiguing nor lacking in bass.
Plus the already built in amp, which can be clicked on and off at will, really gives the sound a lot boost that on some recordings makes all the difference in the world.
Also they have a headphone cable port on both ears which allows for anyone sitting next to you to plug whatever headphones they have right into your headphones and you can listen together to what ever you've got playing from your source.
I think the m50x goes for around 170USD, PSB-M4U1 for 299USD and the PSB-M4U2 for 399.
I got my PSB-M4U2 at a place that allowed me to pay in installments on a payment plan which made the price tag easier to cope with, but, for sound this rich and so well balanced with such comfort, I would have actually still chose them even if they were considerably more expensive.
There are countless reviews online throughout dozens of sites and a few forums, and a few on youtube that are positively gushing about the PSB headphone sound, designed by Paul Barton, a man who has plenty of online material explaining his decades of study in sound science where he worked very closely with some real pioneers and legends of speaker production, and explaining his understanding of what is required in order for headphones to sound their very best.
Here's another type of review, a bit more practical, from a site that compared 4 models from audiophile-level brands (AKGk550, Denon-D7100, SennheiserHD598, PSB-M4U1) where the PSB won.
Http
/www.homecinemachoice.com/news/article/headphones-grouptest/15781
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