"Audiofile Bass"?

Depends, are you looking for quantity of bass or quality?

 

How about your consideration to mids and treble?

 

Suggestions could be all the way down from XB500s to M50s (two very diverse headphones) depending on the asnwer to these two questions.

There are very few headphones that have quantity, snap and the bass accuracy and balance.  I've only read of one headphone, and those are the Audeze LCD2/LCD3, and those are over $1000.  

 

For all other headphones you get, either quantity or quality.  The term basshead implies quantity.  For that, I hear the HFI 580 and the DT770 are great.  If you want quality, then maybe the SRH840/DT48?  
 

 

The XB700s are great for quantity, what you describe as "feeling the bass, not just knowing its there" is totally different from quality, because if you use XB500s with E6 in bass boost mode, you FEEL THE BASS. Is it quality? No. is it quantity? More than you can stuff into Noah's Ark.

 

"Knowing its there" and "feeling it" is a measure of quantity.

 

Ever heard Beats Solos? They suffer badly from "one note bass", which, they have a decent quanitty of bass, but a bass note at 250 Hz will sound the same as a bass note at 200 Hz because thats how the headphones perform. Quality = being able to distinct the tone, frequency, tempo, and intention of the note, while quantity is just plain  and it seems you want that.

 

If you want quantity with mids and highs, then the XB700 really could fit your bill if you throw an E6 or E11 somewhere in that mix :) Any other details you wanna give us? price range? etc.

I would'nt be able to chime in on the Ultrasones as I actually havent listened to a single Ultrasone ever. And yes, them XBs are big boys  but hey, if you want bass quantity, it'd be hard to beat XBs for the price, comfort (its like strapping satin, velvet, marshmallowy pilows to your ears... Just plain comfort), and versatility. The XB700s can get highs and mids quite decently.

 

If the look of them really repulses you that much, then I guess I'm not the person to ask as I'm not a basshead ;) Just a sony-head and someone who knows a few bass phones :P

I use xb 700 with a soundmagic a10, And they do sound good, decent quality and quantity. I have heard the 500 has more impact but is muddy, but the 700 is clearer and a good buy. Do get an amp though

Just gonna agree with this guy, you said you wanted some quality up in the mids and treble, and the XB500s + an amp are about as close as you'll get to portable subwoofers. Just plain quantity, lots and lots of quantity.

 

Just vouching for his opinion :P

 

audiophile bass = lcd-2, sennheiser hd 650, beyer dt 990, stuff like that.

 

 

The Ultrasone PRO2900s I had had a good ammount of bass, but it wasn't really 'quality' bass. It wasn't bloaty or muddy, but it seemed to sacrifice detail to make sure you could feel it. I'm going to go ahead and recommend you the AKG K81s, I love them as you can tell by my sig. They have the same kind of bass as the PRO 2900, not as fast or precise but the same texture wise. With the foam between the driver and pads removed it has less bass than the Ultrasone, with it I'd have to say its muddy and too bassy.
Its a great rock headphone though, and remains my favorite headphone that I've heard.

I've heard a decent number of higher end headphones, and yes they are better, but I feel they give up too much of the sound to be 'better'. The K81 sounds like a less harsh/slower/more textured/bassier version of the Grado I used to own. Its got that kick to it and thats what makes it good for rock/metal.
Edited by MohawkUS - 1/6/12 at 5:26pm

 

 

Its the first time i hear that. Pro2900 bass are really excellent and better in quality than pro900 bass imo.

 

K81 isn't a bad headphone, but technically and sonically its the night and day with pro2900 imo.

Depends on what you're looking for.  DJ1/HFI 580's have plenty of bass, however, they aren't like having huge subwoofers mounted to your ears.  They have a very good balance of quality and quantity for their price point.  As you move up the ladder (i.e. more $$) there's more choices for quality bass but not too many with more quantity because quite frankly, it screws up the mids/highs when there's too much bass.

 

I can't understand how anyone says they have no bass, that is a rediculous statement.  These are probably people who have permanently damaged their ears from hanging out next to the speaker at dubstep concerts/SPL competitions.
 

 

I can honestly say that I prefer the K81. The PRO2900 is painful with the music I listen to. Maybe if I listened to well recorded electronica 24/7 I could enjoy it. The midrange gets a little buried under the treble/bass, and the treble is very revealing.

What I meant to say about the bass is that there is no texture to it, yes its tighter and more accurate than the K81(by a long shot), but its the same sound. I hope that makes sense.