[W/ PICS] Basshead Budget-fi Headphones Comparative Test, with Comparison to Expensive Audiophile... - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tangster 

I'm not noticing any bass cracking from my speakers even whit bass boosted. Are you EQing correctly? I'm listening on my speakers right now. My hair is sweaty from a cycle ride so I don't want to wear my headphones.

 

http://www.head-fi.org/a/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial

Ah, yeah I edited the link they weren't cracking if I turned off the "Wide" setting in Jetaudio. It's Jetaudio's "artificial" way of increasing soundstage but they only work great on other songs.

BTW, I really appreciate your input Tangster they were very helpful and thank you for tolerating my bassheadedness LOL

JUST SO YOU KNOW.

UPDATE:

REVISED ENTIRE WRITE-UP.

ADDED NEW HEADPHONES TODAY:

[IE8 PICTURE COMING]

Fake Sennheiser IE8 ($27 from aliexpress.com)

FAILED at higher volumes, but passed up to near my loudness threshold.

Bass timbre: "TUUD"

Recommended for normal listeners.

If I had $400 I'd get the Sennheiser IE80. I recently got my fake IE8 (I bought them knowing they're fake) and I was pleasantly surprised how genuine they look when put to the authenticity test (especially the red wires and the bass dial). Even the sound signature is spot-on. They sound close to my authentic Sennheisers, but not quite at the dangerous volumes I normally listen to. They could've fooled me for sure.

[SL99 PICTURE COMING]

SL99 by Ludacris ($49.90 from staples)

PASSED beyond loudness threshold.

Bass timbre: "TOUG"

Recommended for some bassheads who like that bass sound.

Before I added the SL99 to this list, I concluded that the Klipsch S4 is number one on my to-buy list. Since I love challenging convenient notions such as that celebrity endorsed products are bound to be poor, and due to the raving reviews at bestbuy.com swearing that they're better than the Klipsch S4, I decided to keep an eye on the SL99. Suddenly, the SL99 was put on clearance for half the price so I bit. I also love Ludacris.

The timbre of the bass is not deep at all. While the top of my list, the CXL400, sounds like a large, deep "TUUD", the SL99 sounds like "TOUG". The "TUUD" sound is a controlled low frequency response that is maintained at higher intensities, while the "TOUG" sound is a bloated mid-bass. It is however capable of driving that bass sound beyond my loudness threshold. But I don't really like that bass tone quality. And I agree that the SL99 keeps the mid and high frequency details intact just like the CX400.

The WORST thing about the SL99 surprised me: The metal mesh that covers the tube came off easily! You'd think it was built like a full metal weapon of war but no; I simply tried changing the buds from medium to small--WHICH WAS HARD TO DO BECAUSE THE TUBES WERE RATHER THICK as if someone was trying to insinuate something--and when I removed the rubber tip the tip rubbed the mesh and came off with it. The metal mesh was so thin as well.

It is worth noting even if it is readily deducible from the previous paragraph that the fit hurts like rape.

The FX101 and the SL99 sound similar at higher volumes, and this is possibly because of the vents. But if I cover the vents on the SL99 I get a deeper bass sound while the FX101 crackles when covered. The FX101 however has a superior fit.

_UPDATES_:

[2013/01/17]

added Black Metal music for testing sibilance; reverted negative Sony MH1/MH1-C review to favorable after testing with Black Metal; retracted recommendation of JVC HA-FX101 for Black Metal.

[2013/01/15]

rewrote everything; added Fake Sennheiser IE8, Luda SL99

[Planned update]

just bought Klipsch S4 and Creative EP-630i; will attempt to make frequency response graphs using a rudimentary set-up with RightMark Audio Analyzer

I am updating this comparative review upon listening to Black Metal with the JVC HA-FX101. Many have reacted against my recommendation of the FX101 (over the Sony MH1), calling out on its sibilance problem. I have trained myself to like amplified high frequencies after getting the sibilant Sennheiser CX870, so the FX101 sounded "normal" to me. However, when I tried listening to Black Metal music after a long while--using the FX101--I felt massively violated. The grating high frequencies reminded me of the first time I tried listening to Death Metal LOL I had to exorcise the FX101 out of my ears. I don't know if, like my experience with Death Metal where I eventually learned to appreciate its harsh, Hellish environment, that I would soon get used to such noise coming out of the FX101.

And then I tried the MH1 with Black Metal. It was like the MH1 invited Satan to a book reading party and sat him the **** down to chill around a hearth on a winter's night. I never listened to Black Metal with such "warmth", so mellow and relaxing, taming the chaos of noise Black Metal aggressively flaunts its enemies. Of course it is but interesting to me. When I listen to X Japan--where the main focus is, apart from the visuals/visual hallucinations (thus "Visual Kei"), is Yoshiki's godly histrionic metal drumming--MH1 fails to satisfy a stadium full of schoolgirls screaming Yoshiki's name. The bass simply just can't be driven up to the satisfcatory level I require.

Quote:

Originally Posted by djvkool 

I love your write up mate, especially on how you describe the sound of the bass with word, GOLD!! 

When I first posted this, I was rushing to express my emotions about the entire "wow I got duped what a total sucker" thing and I had that cranky tone. I was also happy as well since it was my first time to have experienced headphones considered audiophile in the upper tier--this was absolutely world expanding and I was even more delighted to confirm how my budget headphones measure up to much more expensive ones.

The resulting article was a disjointed, sloppily written, half-serious mess.

I didn't exactly rewrite the entire article as much as paste my clarifications to people who misunderstood me as someone who just judges headphones by the quantity and not quality of bass. In my casual, colloquial manner of genki speech, especially when I used the onomatopoeia, people thought my credibility was down to "Dog" and it was easy to subscribe to the convenient notion that bassheads=hollowheads. At that point I just had to suit up and sit them down.

But then I dislike having to clarify myself, especially when I have to write Wikipedia-like I mean I don't talk this way to my friends!!! And I thought I was gonna have some new friends in here too :sobbing Jesus:

THANK YOU DJVERYCOOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by anodyne 

Entertaining thread. All reviews around here should be updated with onomatopoetic descriptions as soon as possible. :)

 

Maybe try some death metal as well? Vader - Wings is one of those tracks from my long-haired days that I like to dig out and listen to. Quite "technical" sound production, and the vocalist uses a more hardcore like "HUH-HUH" style rather than the normal deep gurgle.

 

If you want to try definition go for Strapping Young Lad - Oh My ******* God. The section after the break is one of the most massive amounts of sound squeezed into a recording ever. Don't listen to it on YouTube... the thing eats lossy codecs for breakfast.

Yeah, YouTube is great for sharing music because people are too lazy to download the files, but I've been eyerolling at those "1Hz to 20Hz" low frequency sweep videos.

THANK YOU for the death metal rec (I really don't get headphone reviews that don't specify a song or test file). I'm planning to measure my headphones (especially how they sound using my setup) in the most scientific way I can without spending much on a quality microphone (or going to the physics lab to use the spectrum analyzer there I'm not that hardcore).

I'm partial to definition since I also love many synthesized music, but I do have (Internet-snagged) terabytes worth of professional sound libraries from Prominy (for guitars, includes scraping sound between pick and string and all that) and East West (every instrument of a full orchestra, and choir) so I'm very familiar with how high definition sounds like. I'm not sure if being able to hear details depends more on the headphones than in the recording itself? Because I'm guessing it's otherwise? Anyway, so I'll try those Vader and Strapping Young Lad songs, and I'll also try the multi-track recording of Dream Theater's last album as I remember they have separate tracks for each instrument. I still have ways to go before I become an audiophile although I'm certainly a musicophile!

THANK YOU ANODYNE!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by anodyne 

I guess I'd say that I limit the term "definition" to the subheading "limits of", like bleeding, muddiness and other aspects where the mechanical shortcomings of drivers become apparent. So, the Strapping Young Lad track is excellent since it's progressive metal ideas applied to a crazy grind/speed/thrash/industry blend, and the phones really make a difference between between brilliant madness and just painful. One often quoted review described the City album as "sticking your head into the nozzle of a Stealth fighter", and being able to do that without pain is kind of awesome.

Wow. The way you put it is kind of awesome as well! I'm currently getting the lossless albums for SYL-City and Vader-Litany in image+cue format so it'll take a while.

May I know your Top 10 Favorite Bands of Your Heart Right Now? Not necessarily metal like for example one of my current favorite bands is Supercell, a Japanese band (Supercell's narrative songs are the best). I think you know a lot about metal that I do not know!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8lias 

Where does the Hippo VB fits in this category?

Well, right now I'm only into budget basshead IEM's around $50 and below. I plan on getting the Monster Turbine next because it sometimes goes down in the $50 range. Did the Hippo VB ever go on sale?

Also, I'm about to get the Klipsch S4 so, since you already have the S4 and depending on how the S4 measures up with my other headphones you'll definitely get at least an idea how the Hippo VB places in here.