HD 448 with amp?

not sure. I'll be getting an amp.. (I keep procrastinating) for my Sennheiser HD438.
A couple of people who have had experience amping the HD438 says that the sound improves with amping,

but some say that 32ohms is too low, and there is no need for an amp.

I have a question. I bought the 448s a couple weeks ago on a recommendation from this site. I love the detail in the mid and high freqs, but the bass is virtually non-existent. I've got about 30 hours of burn-in so far. Do I just need more burn-in, or is this as bassy as it's going to get?

 

Now, mind you, I'm not a "bass-head," but I do love a full, well-rounded sound. I'm a guitar player, so i love rich, warm notes, punchy treble and a bit of a growling bass, but not so much that it overpowers the tune. When I'm listening to music, it's either through an iPod Nano, or on a laptop.

 

Would the right headphone amp be the difference maker here, or not that much? Should I look at something else? I've been trying to compare the Shure 240s and 440s. It seems like the 240s are, "decent for the price," and the 440s are "fantastic!" However, it also seems like the 440s are more of a studio can. Which leads me to another question: Are studio cans suitable for personal use as well? Would love an opinion on that question as well.

 

Thanks!

The HD448 is really lacking in bass, imo but the bass is definitely not non-existent.
Try playing some bass heavy songs, and let the burn-in go on for a little longer.

Maybe your ears will get accustomed to the lack of bass :o

 

I don't think an amp will do much to increase the bass on the cans, but if you have

a little extra money, Gary's PA2V2 goes for only 60 USD. I'm getting one of my HD438s.

 

If you want to, you can try eqing.

Thanks for the input, koolkat. I'm going to try some more burn-in time. 

 

Also, any opinion on my other question? i.e. are studio cans good/not as good for personal listening? Forgive my ignorance, but I'm under the impression that a studio can, while more articulate, will likely not be driven enough by an iPod or computer, or a device of that kind, and, therefore; would need an amp. Any thoughts on this?

I don't have experience with studio cans so I can't give good advice on this

but if I had to guess, yes they need an amp to power the headphones. 

 

A general guide is to look out for the impedance of the headphones.

Usually headphones with higher impedances need to be paired with an amp.

 

:)

if these are the same as the 428's (and if i remember correctly they are as far as the driver aleast). you can open up the caseing and there is some mesh that covers three holes, what's been discovered is that if you completely seal one, and mesh over one more but leave one open. it opens up the sound stage (and if you know what to look for moves the head stage forward a little bit) and improves the bass impact. if you do a dime mod (quarter is to big for me....) on the 428 (assuming, again that they are the same, esentialy). it brings the bass "in" and makes the sound more detailed... (to my ears atleast... i would recoment you confirm this with a more experienced member because what i've just said is based on the assumption that the 448 is basicaly the same as the 428s

 

Hey, this is off topic, but I've actually been trying to find someone who owns the 438s. I was wondering if you feel comfortable wearing them in public, and if you have, do people give you weird looks for wearing tire rims on your ears? ;)        

 

Thanks.

If you want to save some money, and since the 448s aren't that high end anyways, just get the Fiio e5. It makes a difference, and has a nice bass boost feature (I hear 448s lack in bass).

I don't get weird stares. The hd438s aren't that ugly and tbh it's annoying when people ask that. if you're a nerd kid, you're going to get beat down no matter how nice your clothes are or how shiny your new watch is, lol. But mostly people dont really care, everyone's wearing something weird these days.
Edited by koolkat - 8/4/11 at 3:03am

Bass boost amping does not improve this headphone..

Most likely it will cause distortion...

Don't waste your money on expensive amps..

If you like more bass in your music just get a different headphone...

Despite the SRH440 design as a studio headphone, it is absolutely able to work with portable players.  Therefore, you need not worry about getting an amp for the 440.