[hybridamp]

I seem to be having a heck of a hard time finding a pair of cans that suits my tastes. I like a sound that has plenty of accurate, hard-hitting bass, along with smooth mids-highs. I purchased a pair of Grado SR-325s, only to be COMPLETELY dissapointed. I mean, they have excellent quality from 150hz up, but it is like they completely forgot to add any bass response to the drivers...

After doing a lot of searches here, it seems the following may be better suited for me:

HD-600 / 265Pro
Beyer DT-770 / 880 / 250

I have heard people recommend the Beyer models to give tons of accurate bass, but still have a nice mid-to-high range sound performance also...

Do the HD-600s provide a nice high level of deep bass response also?

Also, happen to know any good places online that sell Beyer in the U.S., besides eBay?

Any input would be greatly appreciated...

 

[commando]

What's your budget? Do you have or plan to get an amp?

 

[JeffL]

If bass is what you want, you'll get it with the DT770s alrighty, but is it quantity that you want? Or just presence?

 

[wallijonn]

I would strongly suggest you attend a meet or mini-meet in your area.

otherwise you may want to buy from HeadRoom as they have a nice return policy.

I don't know if the DT880 will do rock well enough for you. The DT880 likes a nice strong amp to really drive it.

If it's Hip-Hop and the like, the DT770 may please.

Some may suggest Ultrasones for bass, and others AKG.

The SR325 may have a lot of bass, but if they were too bright you may be noticing an overall tonal quality. You might want to use an equaliser to turn down the treble.

 

[Kevinda]

beyers k go

 

[averydonovan]

Quote:

Originally posted by hybridamp Do the HD-600s provide a nice high level of deep bass response also?

Yes, they do. But you do need an upgrade cable to really get good bass performance from them. I am continually amazed at how well my HD600s with Oehlbach cable do for bass. But the quantity of bass isn't near DT770 levels, which I like for longer-term listening since too much pounding can get fatiguing.
Quote:

Also, happen to know any good places online that sell Beyer in the U.S., besides eBay?

BH PhotoVideo: Very reasonable prices. I got my DT770 Pro-250s from them last February. HeadRoom and Todd The Vinyl & Headphone Junkie also sell various Beyer models and have a 30-day satisfaction period. All those places also sell the Senn HD600, but I think Todd has the lowest price last time I checked.

 

[Taurui]

Try flat pads for your 325s first before you try anything else

 

[GlowWorm]

Another vote for the DT770's. If it's bass your after, these cans are the ticket.

 

[commando]

I found beyer 250-250s to be quite accurate headphones. Well, analytical is probably more of an accurate description. Half way between AKG 271s ans Senn 280s. If they'd have had bass id have been in heavan, but my pair just didn't have any bass, compared to theAKG 271s.

 

[hybridamp]

Thanks guys for all the replys, now to answer some of the additional questions you have asked.

I do have an amp, PIMETA DIY design, based on the following chips:
ad8620 dual opamp for left and right channels
ad8610 single opamp for the ground channel
buf634 buffers for the left, right, and ground channels
(24v Elpac Regulated PS)

As for the SR-325s, I have VWap pads, and Flat pads for it. Have tried them all, and for some reason, I just still am not satifised with the bass response of these cans. I have an EQ, with Parametric for the bass frequencies, but I don't even find the phones too bright at all, actually, they are near heaven in the upper-frequency range, however, I did try boosting the frequencies below 150hz, and each dB increase added "distorted" bass response. Which completely blows my mind for such an expensive set of headphones. But anyways, I have given up on the 325s matching my tastes.
Although, I must note, I am still waiting on my powersupply for my PIMETA amp, so I have had to test the SR-325s unamped so far... Not sure it that would make the difference in bass response or not...

And as for the bass, I want plenty of quantity, with plenty of quality. Is this 2 demanding to ask for headphones? I mean, I am new to the hi-fi headphones scene, so if that is not really a possibliity within the limits, let me know, because Im still not sure what to expect.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally posted by hybridamp ...I have had to test the SR-325s unamped so far...

So what amp are you driving your SR-325 with currently? Your soundcard's line-out? Since the SR-325 is a low-impedance (32 ohm) headphone, it's not a good load for a line-stage amp. There's a certain likelihood that the low load causes a massive bass drop-off, as it's the case with most portables' headphone amps. The Pimeta will certainly make a difference if this is the culprit.

I'm not a fan of the SR-325, but if there's anything it can shine with it's bass impact. Not extremely low, but still...

BTW, boosting the bass on your soundcard can easily make your soundcard produce heavy distortion.

 

[hybridamp]

I am driving the SR-325s with the stock Head-Phone output on my old Luxman Amplifier. So that could very-well be the problem. To be fair, my powersupply will be here Monday, so I will of course give them a good chance on the dedicated PIMETA amp also, but still, I would have expected better performance without an amp.

 

[wallijonn]

I would expect the Luxman to have a 300 to 600 ohm output. In which case the Grados will probably sound very muddy. The overall tonal quality should be shrieky.

Do you have any other amps or recievers you can listen to the Grados on?

I do have one concern though, have you always listened to heavy quantities of bass? You may be a bass head. As you listen more and more you may find that you no longer have a proclivity for bloated bass and may start to desire a clean bass. It's just that our ears will get re-trained. So while a DT770 may immediately please, do not be surprised if in a year you have to change to another set of headphones.

In which case the usual suspects come to mind - the Ultrasones, AKGs, ATHs, Senns... Have you heard the K240S, DT531, A900, HFI650, etc.?

 

[hybridamp]

Nope, the Sr-325s are my first try...

And I may indeed be a bass head. lol

 

[JeffL]

If you want both quality and quantity of bass, maybe it would be worth checking out the DT770 afterall. The DT880 is said to be more neutral, so I'm not sure if it has less bass or not. If you are looking for an open can, maybe the DT990 would be a good choice as well?

Definetly the DT770 benefits from being properly driven, although if you want to go portable, maybe it would be worth looking for the 80 ohm version that is said to be floating around.