[DerangedGoose]

Apologies for the question-spree, but I want a straight answer before I start spending more money
 
I picked up a pair of AKG K240s for producing music. I got them specifically because they were the most neutral in my price range (save for the fostex t50rp, apparently) and that I could run them un-amped.
 
I am definitely a basshead, and while neutral tone is great for producing, it makes listening a tad boring: 
 
What can I do to get more bass out of my K240?
 
-I am using the headphone port on my alienware m9700 (a 2006 model). Should I be using the speaker out instead? 
 
-Can I tweak the itunes/soundmax EQ to get more bass? When I tried doing this, the sound got muddled and weird, perhaps I did it wrong?
 
-Should I pick up a chinese tube amp off ebay? 6922 seems to be the popular tube. Are these any good?
 
-Should I grab a boostaroo? Or a CMOY? If so, which CMOY with which opamp should I get for the best bass response?
 
Am I asking for the impossible? I know the K240 arent basshead cans, and I didnt buy them for that purpose, but with how big they are I cant help but feel like I could get a little more out of them.
 
Thoughts?

 

[BotByte]

1. Decrease the treble and mids to give the bass a better tone. If you increase over all others, that sharp cutting will start. Also, youtube is not a place to listen to music from, download your own music and use Foobar2000
 
2. Do not use the line out. Actually it's useless other then on a proffesional source that is connecting to a amp.
 
3. That sound, possibly, I can't tell from here, but it would possibly the over driven sound that you will get without an amp. I told you to get an amp, and you didn't listen to me.
 
4. No amp will increase the bass. You need to use a DAC and high quality music files along with a different port then the audio port you're using to better the sound quality. A amp will only power them better, and a usb DAC are almost always amps also. 
 
5. http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconudac2/ are quite popular for a DAC/amp. And they will drive your AKG fine. But any more thirsty headphones might need more power. But should also power T50RP fine. I haven't tried them yet, but no one says they a small amount of power.
 
6. Don't waste money on a cheap amp. Portable amps like Cmoy and Pa2v2 will only increase the sound a little. A $150 amp will give you wonders more power and sound quality. 

 

[DerangedGoose]

All my mp3s are at 320, with the odd 256 thrown in here and there. Its not that I didnt listen to you, I wanted to go with the most cost effective setup. 
 
Why did AKG market these headphones as lower impedance and portable-capable if they dont sound good?
 
What about this amp/dac:
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/SD-270-PCM2704-USB-Audio-DAC-Sound-Card-Amplifier-/220805394699?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336906f10b#ht_4036wt_1250
 
 

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

All my mp3s are at 320, with the odd 256 thrown in here and there. Its not that I didnt listen to you, I wanted to go with the most cost effective setup. 
 
Why did AKG market these headphones as lower impedance and portable-capable if they dont sound good?
 
What about this amp/dac:
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/SD-270-PCM2704-USB-Audio-DAC-Sound-Card-Amplifier-/220805394699?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336906f10b#ht_4036wt_1250
 
 

low impedance just means they don't need as much power. But from a really underpowered source, Ipod, overpriced laptop, they might not be getting enough power. People say my MDR-V6 are low, but when I got them, into my desktop, they needed an amp. I ran out and got a receiver and still sound great. then I can plug them into my Sansa Clip+ and they driver perfectly. It's not a question how big your setup is, it's how much power that is coming out of it.
 
yeah...that amp. I wouldn't even trust as a paperweight. It's true of what they say "you get what you paid for"
 

 

[Kevin Brown]

Sell the K240's and get the Audio Technica M50's. 
 
I don't see why you're trying to tweak headphones you don't really like in the first place.
 

 

[slapshot30]

M50 doesn't have enough bass period. One of the above posts was wrong though. There IS an amp that can increase bass substantially without ruining the SQ. It's called the Digizoid ZO. Search it on Head-Fi. The thing is picking up steam, and fast. Pretty much everyone that has tried it has ended up being pleasantly surprised.
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/558850/digizoid-zo-personal-subwoofer-review-the-missing-link-to-audio-nirvana
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/504037/mini-review-digizoid-zo-portable-subwoofer
 
 
 

 

[Kevin Brown]

Quote:

M50 doesn't have enough bass period.  
 

In your opinion. 

 
IMO, the M50 has a hair too much bass, easily EQ'ed down for my preferences, but it might be exactly what the OP is looking for.
 

 

[RexAeterna]

i always thought the k240 studios had too much bass for my taste. an amp tho can help with the bass performance of course. off headphone jack of mp3 player or other weak sources they can sound bass light but i find them better that way. hooking them up to an amp can give a much more midbass impact feel to them and can bring the deep lows out of hiding. if you have any receivers lying around or mixers you can use them.

 

[DerangedGoose]

Quote:

In your opinion. 

 
IMO, the M50 has a hair too much bass, easily EQ'ed down for my preferences, but it might be exactly what the OP is looking for.
 

I already have K518s, which have more bass (from what I understand). I got the K240 because they were neutral. This is a good thing, and I plan on using them in their neutral state when I produce. I just want to beef up the bass because neutral is boring to listen to (at least with all the EDM I play)

 

[slapshot30]

Quote:

In your opinion. 

 
IMO, the M50 has a hair too much bass, easily EQ'ed down for my preferences, but it might be exactly what the OP is looking for.
 

Fair enough, but the OP states that he is a basshead. That's the only reason I would advise him not to go with the M50.
 
 

 

[Digital-Pride]

     Quote:

1. Decrease the treble and mids to give the bass a better tone. If you increase over all others, that sharp cutting will start. Also, youtube is not a place to listen to music from, download your own music and use Foobar2000
 
2. Do not use the line out. Actually it's useless other then on a proffesional source that is connecting to a amp.
 
3. That sound, possibly, I can't tell from here, but it would possibly the over driven sound that you will get without an amp. I told you to get an amp, and you didn't listen to me.
 
4. No amp will increase the bass. You need to use a DAC and high quality music files along with a different port then the audio port you're using to better the sound quality. A amp will only power them better, and a usb DAC are almost always amps also. 
 
5. http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconudac2/ are quite popular for a DAC/amp. And they will drive your AKG fine. But any more thirsty headphones might need more power. But should also power T50RP fine. I haven't tried them yet, but no one says they a small amount of power.
 
6. Don't waste money on a cheap amp. Portable amps like Cmoy and Pa2v2 will only increase the sound a little. A $150 amp will give you wonders more power and sound quality. 

I'll disagree with you on number 6 as well designed Cmoys(JDSlabs for example), the Pa2v2, Fiio's E11 and a few others all do excellent job of amplification, especially given their price point.  To simply dismiss the under 100 dollar segment is not a wise statement to make, especially to those who have a tight budget to work with.

 

[Owenmakesmusic]

I've got the akg k240 studio's and wanted more comfort, so I bought the velour earpads. Definitely more comfort but it loses sound quality and even more bass for sure. So with equalizer APO I did a high shelf -5db at 50hz(better than 5+db low shelf) and a 2db boost at around 15k for a little more air and detail. now they sound pretty flat and enjoyable to me (also less fatiguing).