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ZO2 amp THEN Ultrasone Hfi 580, or vise versa?

post #1 of 6
Thread Starter 

First of all, my current headphones and sources are in my sig.

 

I've been doing some research into more bassy headphone options. I love my M80s to death and enjoy their clarity, but I feel they lack the type and amount of bass I want, loosing out even to the klipsch Image Ones in that regard. After research in possible amps and other 'phones, I've decided(mostly) on the Zo2 amp and the Ultrasone HFI 580s. My only hitch is which to get first. The M80s have absolutely amazing bass, it's just not as present or boomy as i'd like. Will the ZO2 turn them into basshead 'phones(for when I want bassheadness)? Can anyone testify to a Source->ZO2->M80 setup? Also note that my main at home source is my cowon with it's Mach3bass and EQ, but even that doesn't put the M80s where I want them. Also, would the ZO2->HFI 580 be overkill or...erm...hazardous? Does the usage and SQ of the ZO2 justify it's purchase regardless of what headphone I use it with? Are there other possible headphone choices? I was also looking at the XB700s but I do still enjoy some clarity..and not looking like a complete idiot in public.

 

Thanks for any input. Share your experiences with these headphones or amp please.

post #2 of 6
Thread Starter 

Bump

 

Basically asking if I should get the amp to boost my V-Modas first then contemplate getting the 580s later, or get the 580s now and contemplate the amp later.

post #3 of 6

Well if you love M80 sound except for the bass response then ZO2 is probably a safer bet first. The HFI-580's midrange isn't necessarily as great on M80 for example so. ZO2 can add a very noticable bass boost but the type of bass definition the headphone itself has will still have quite a lot of importance of how it will perform with ZO2, I don't know much about M80's bass response but the HFI-580 seems to have a very tight, punchy, quick bass response due to a slight roll-off in the subbass area. I find more often than not a headphone with a snappier, punchy bass out of box works well with ZO2 because the ZO2 seems to especially boost the subbass range more in comparision to adding more bass impact in the midbass which makes sense though as midbass easier leads to bass bleed into mids.


Edited by RPGWiZaRD - 1/26/12 at 12:21pm
post #4 of 6
Thread Starter 

First of all, sorry for the overusage of "teh" It's completely accidental and an annoying typing habit I picked up.

 

I gave the little 10 sec on-off example you posted a try and teh results were pretty fantastic. The M80s already have an amazing sounding bass. Not extremely punchy though, focused a bit lower which caters nicely to my main genre interests like metal and the like.(Chelsea Grin, Crimson Armada, Vildhjarta) And teh mids and highs are near perfect for my softer genres(music like Tides of Man, Circa Survive, 3). The demo you posted really widened the soundstage, turned the highs from near perfect to perfect, kept the beautiful midrange, but the bass still wasn't enough. Definitely more pronounced and filling, and I suppose it could be due to it not being one of my genres of music, but it's just not "enough." Are you the one who made the sound demo? If so, about what setting on the ZO2 would it be equivalent to, and would it be possible to reapply it to another track for demo purposes?

 

I'm also trying to widen my headphone horizons. I wouldn't mind trying out the Ultrasone sound(S-Logic), as well as having a decent circumaural(hate the sound of my JVCs).

 

Thanks for your input, it's very much appreciated. Also note that I'd get teh DJ1s. No sound differences I know, just putting that out there.

 

EDIT: I'm really trying to get more of a bassy xb500ish low end that's a bit tamer and plays well with some nice mids and not too harsh trebles. I know jumping straight for the xb500 kills teh mids and highs and they'd only be useful for certain tracks. With the m80s+ZO2 or DJ1s(and later +ZO2) I have many more options. I keep mentally flipping back and forth after reading your posts trying to decide which one I want the most. The ZO2 being more instantly versitile and usable, but the dj1s being a whole new set of cans with a whole new sound signature in a form factor I haven't had even a decent pair in yet.


Edited by Kazekeil - 1/26/12 at 8:45pm
post #5 of 6

I don't know what level it corresponds to in the video, it's digiZoid who recorded the song but I added some visual styling to the youtube upload, I wish I could apply ZO2's sound to more tracks like that myself haha.

 

There's also another older demo which is probably a better bass comparision:

 

 

Again not sure what contour level is used but if you check that graph below you see quite some boost.


Edited by RPGWiZaRD - 1/27/12 at 2:49am
post #6 of 6

I would say the ZO2. 

 

I am currently using a Rockboxed Clip+ and E5 amp as my ZO2 hasn't come in yet. Rockbox has given me full control of my EQ. I was able to achieve at least 150% of the bass that I had on the original Clip+ EQ. My Clip+ w/E5 alone has given me much more bass than my custom EQ'd iPhone 4S. 

Right now I have bass that would satisfy the biggest bass heads (me being one)...and I don't even receive my ZO2 yet to replace my E5!

 

From reading many mixed reviews, I would've never imagined I would've been able to extract this much clean bass from my 580's. 

 

What I'm trying to say is that bass depends greatly on your setup. I can turn bass-less headphones into bass monsters (I've done it). 

The M80 is not THAT far behind the 580. I had the M80 and I wish I still had it do that I could try it with my setup. If I did, I bet I'd be more than satisfied bass-wise. 

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