I think that the paradox that some  people miss, is that  you feel more the bass of hd800,

when the treble is tamed. So obviously some source are taming more treble than other,

but  I  don't think that strictly speaking  that sources that tame treble can be called "transparent" .

 

Regarding the bass impact, the hd800 definitely  can be quite "showy" and interesting .

I  was impressed while listening for instance to claude von stroke , chimps ;

but taming treble with an eq helps.

 

 

 

And regarding "visceral bass", I have in mind this, and the intended ambiance fail

a bit on the hd800:

 

The HD800 shine with Ambient music like Lustmord, IMO. Great, great stuff. What do you think it's missing on the HD800?

That Lustmord track is your test for bass? You need to find new music... (extrabigmehdi)

 

Even with the TH900 and HE6 that doesn't have much sub-bass. Find some proper organ music like Frank mentioned. There's also a lot of electronic music these days that really show off the low-end.

Edited by Shahrose - 2/3/13 at 11:10am

Hitting bass on this song 

 

Here are 2 of my go-to bass tests. Both hit low low. So low that cheaper headphones can't quite get there. Even cheaper subs.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8YRg_LK_PU 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0

 

EDIT: That James Blake track on vinyl is what I used to pick my new speakers bass wise. I told my dealer it was my bass test and since it doesn't come in until later he looked at me like I was crazy. It dropped and he said 'Oh, there it is. Damn.'

 

Edited by MorbidToaster - 2/3/13 at 11:35am

 I  really liked the example of James Blake , "Limit to your voice." I  can't deny  I  heard some sub bass.

 

Regarding Lustmord, it's an extreme example, let me explain.

The artists use actually very low bass, in fact infra-sounds, that goes below the threshold of hearing (and this,

according to the artist himself).

But I  think you can't really understand that music without feeling it :

it's all the difference between the thought "it's a work  of art", and "there's something deep and disturbing".

I  found that the with hd800, that it sounded "distant", and not so convincing.

 

Sorry for the nitpicking. But the James Blake example was great.

That is what Lustmord does but I don't think it's the HD800. It's probably partially YouTube and partially the fact that those techniques (IMO) don't come across very well at all on headphones. 

 

There is absolutely something that makes you feel uncomfortable and uneasy when listening to Lustmord on good speakers, and that's it. I've never been as moved by his work on headphones at all. 

 

Limit To Your Love is a real workout for those low frequencies partially just on extension and also because it changes so quickly. It's a good 'speed' test as well.

 

I couldn't find any examples, but the most impressive bass I get from the HD800 tends to be watching TV episodes or movies on my computer. Occasionally there will be an explosion or strong impact that literally makes me look over my shoulder to the window to see if it was real or not, as if something blew up in front of my house. That is why I say the HD800 has no problem with bass extension or definition.

The album Enamoured by Bella Sonus is decent for synthetic bass. For natural stuff, I stick to organ music, but that provides bursts rather than drones of constant bass.

Edited by Frank I - 2/3/13 at 3:33pm

Well, the srh940 took me by surprise. But since the effect I'm asking is too particular, I guess it's normal if it doesn't work on the hd800.

I think the best bass tests are from the latest "Dark Knight Rises OST" by maestro Zimmer. Some of the tracks over there, especially the ones with the Bane motiffs have deep bass with cellos and to a degree, synths.

Lowest note of a cello is only 65Hz, not exactly a bass powerhouse.

 

This is not electronic music, so I wouldn't expect anything lower than 65hz, Max.

I'm confused. An organ goes as low as 8Hz. A tuba goes to 16Hz. A standard string bass as low as 41Hz. These are all non-electronic and go into actual sub-bass frequency range (lower than 60Hz).

Here's a good reference: http://www.contrabass.com/pages/frequency.html
Edited by Maxvla - 2/3/13 at 4:46pm