[RPGWiZaRD]

If you compare headphones against each other that would be true but what if you compare headphones' bass quantity in relative to human hearing and against speakers? Perhaps headphones in avg aren't even meeting the "natural" bass output criterias.

 

[Catharsis]

 
Quote:

If you compare headphones against each other that would be true but what if you compare headphones' bass quantity in relative to human hearing and against speakers? Perhaps headphones in avg aren't even meeting the "natural" bass output criterias.

You can measure bass quantity outputs with a mic / dummy head / anechoic chamber etc, and the most accurate headphones (i.e. headphones with output equivalent to input) would not output a bass response the likes of the headphones listed in the OP.  Let's take a trip to the studio to see how many people are checking their mixes for EQ balance on a Sony XB-700.....  I think there are 2 problems with bass in general as it applies to headphones:
 
1) Most people are used to excesive bass.  Every rent-a-car I've ever driven in has the bass turned to max and the thumping farting sound of cars that routinely drive by support that arguement.  Most people have subwoofers turned too high and most hi-fi speakers have amped up bass too.  Compare this with a monitoring situation in a studio and the relative bass levels between the two are night and day. To somebody accustomed to boosted bass, a neturally measured response would sound flat / trebly.   
 
2) With headphones, the tactile sensation of bass is usually lost.  A flat bass response down to 20hz still doesn't vibrate your body like bass from a speaker (unless you have the volume cranked) - you simply hear the bass tone.  Bassy headphones emulate the rumble of speakers by jacking the bass up so at the very least your head vibrates; albeit at the expense of mid and high frequencies (unless the other frequencies are boosted to compensate - which usually results in the "smiley face")
 

 

[Catharsis]

I guess the simplest way to convey my point is this:
 
Bassy headphones are not accurate or neutral (accuracy and neutrality being synonyms).  Bassy headphones are bassy - there's no way around that statement without sounding idiotic. To be fair though, bass extension is a positive trait that should not be confused with bass quantity.  Example:  DT880 has phenomenol bass extension, but nobody would call it a basshead can because it's a (more or less) flat response down to 20hz; not boosted. 

 

[Katun]

Woah, haven't seen you in quite a while...

 

[Catharsis]

Quote:

Woah, haven't seen you in quite a while...

Hey Katun!  Hope you're well. 
 
You're right - I have been MIA for awhile.  Now I just occasionally pop in to see what's happening; but my wallet has been pretty much locked up for some time.
 

 

[Armaegis]

Just stumbled upon this thread. Nice writeup. Some other headphones you may want to consider trying out when funds allow:
Senn HD438: like the 448, more bass, more blingy, less detail
Pioneer HDJ-500: surprisingly competent bass thumper
DT880pro: more balanced than the 770 and 990
Senn PX100-ii: warm fuzzy bass from a tiny package
 
Looking forward to the Q40 impression. I used to have that one along with the M50 and 840 (I've got a comparison review in my profile for those as well).
 

 

[SennheiserHD]

Input from Armaegis himself! quite an honor i must say, I read your review of the m50/q40/840 and it was an excellent review.I like to collect headphones and i don't have any pioneer so i will definitely be getting those soon, thanks for the recommendation! I just got the Q40's maybe a week ago, and i like to live with my headphones a bit before I write the review on them. This is mostly a full size thread so i'll have to see about including the senn px in maybe a mobile basshead thread, which sounds really good!
 
Quote:

Just stumbled upon this thread. Nice writeup. Some other headphones you may want to consider trying out when funds allow:
Senn HD438: like the 448, more bass, more blingy, less detail
Pioneer HDJ-500: surprisingly competent bass thumper
DT880pro: more balanced than the 770 and 990
Senn PX100-ii: warm fuzzy bass from a tiny package
 
Looking forward to the Q40 impression. I used to have that one along with the M50 and 840 (I've got a comparison review in my profile for those as well).
 

 

 

[crinacle]

I second the HDJ-500 review. I've auditioned it yesterday, and for it's asking price it's pretty good as a basshead 'phone.

 

[cjl]

Quote:

 
I can see your point - bass quantitiy is very subjective in terms of perception.  However, the "basshead's buying guide" implies that the headphones mentioned in the OP are categorically not neutral and therefore not accurate.  If "basshead" cans are neutral, then they aren't "basshead" cans.  If "basshead" cans were accurate and/or neutral, every other headphone that doesn't meet the description of "basshead" would be (through process of elimination) bright and trebly and there would be no "basshead" headphones. 
 
Having said that, bass extension is always a positive trait so long as the bass amplitude isn't out of proportion with the rest of the freqeuencies.  The Denon's are a good example of fantastic bass extension and have a gradual downward slope in frequency response from low to high similar to Sennheiser.  Headphones like the XB series from Sony have extension, but far too much bass quantity, ultimately rendering them incredibly unbalanced and inaccurate.  Same can be said about the DT770 - the sub-bass frequencies are elevated above "flat" relative to other frequencies in general. 
 
 

 
Oh, I absolutely agree that headphones exist that overly emphasize bass, and the XB series is an excellent example of that type. Similarly, many car stereo systems that I hear have an almost absurd emphasis on the bass, to the point that it pretty much ruins the music. However, I find some headphones that are often classified as "bassy" on head-fi, such as the Denon AH-D2000s, to be fairly neutral, and the test results that I've seen on them supports that. As you said, there is perhaps a slight slope with the Denons, but certainly nothing like the XB series or anything like that.

 

[planx]

Thanks for the msg! Really helped my dilemma. A bit inclined towards a D2000...

 

[Catharsis]

Quote:

 
Oh, I absolutely agree that headphones exist that overly emphasize bass, and the Xdownward B series is an excellent example of that type. Similarly, many car stereo systems that I hear have an almost absurd emphasis on the bass, to the point that it pretty much ruins the music. However, I find some headphones that are often classified as "bassy" on head-fi, such as the Denon AH-D2000s, to be fairly neutral, and the test results that I've seen on them supports that. As you said, there is perhaps a slight slope with the Denons, but certainly nothing like the XB series or anything like that.

Agreed - I wouldn't call the Denon's basshead, they certainly have bass but it's not really out of whack with the rest of the spectrum.  I tried them once and I really liked them.
 

 

[Dsnuts]

Link below. Sorry guys i have no idea why it keeps on reposting when I try n edit.

 

[Dsnuts]

Good read there SennheiserHD.. I wrote on a similar subject that can add some insight on a few great portables that I would consider Bass heavy. If you liked the bass on the M50.. You should check out the WS55.. Absolutely awesome sauce..http://www.head-fi.org/t/567012/the-portable-bass-kings-the-pioneer-hdj500-vs-akg-518-le-vs-the-first-look-at-the-new-at-ws55-solid-bass/15#post_7699029

 

[Dsnuts]

Sorry I had to rewrite below.

 

[Dsnuts]

Sorry had issues with posting..Lol