[Greed]

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The question will be does it hit like a TH600/TH900/D7000.  I don't think anyone knows that answer yet.  Since the MD didn't and it's the same driver, I would tend to doubt it could just with a cup change.  If it doesn't do that, it won't meet my needs.  Time will tell. 

 
I don't think it does, and never will. Nothing has come close to the slam/impact of those headphones that I've heard. Especially in the manner that they do it. But that is just one opinion.

 

[miceblue]

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I say "meh" to the bassheads and move on towards reaching out to an audience who appreciates a more true-to-the-sound kind of sound. I'm not a basshead, never was, and I don't understand why manufacturers feel the need to cater to them.

 
That's awfully close minded. As I said I'm not a basshead either, but the whole idea of this industry is that everyone has particular tastes. Nothing caters to everyone, but there is room for all sound preferences. Bassheads get a bad rap, but they are entitled to their own standard. This just isn't the headphone to satisfy them is all. 
 
P.S - Since when has the M-100 been considered a non-basshead headphone? 

I don't listen to it at home, it's for portable use when the elevated bass response is quite preferable when mobile listening.
I would never use a relatively neutral headphone for such listening, unless there is some really good noise isolation (read: IEMs, CIEMs, T50RPs) since the bassier frequencies are the first sounds to get drowned out from outside noise and are the least isolated frequencies.

 

[MattTCG]

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I don't think it does, and never will. Nothing has come close to the slam/impact of those headphones that I've heard. Especially in the manner that they do it. But that is just one opinion.

 
Yeah, there is certainly a difference to the way the bass is presented on the AD. It's very linear and quite true to the recording. It does go deep and with a nice amount of weight. I owned the d5k for a year and the AD does not have bass similar to the d5k. But to me, the AD bass is better...more accurate and realistic. Acoustic bass in jazz recording hit hard and resonate very accurately (ie Brian Bromberg: Wood). 
 
Then throw on something like Daft Punk: REM and the AD will bump really nicely with the heavy electronic bass. 
 
The AD presentation is a very accurate reproduction of the recording. I was fortunate enough to get to hear the beta model and have no doubt...this is the one. 

 

[Greed]

Quote:

 
Yeah, there is certainly a difference to the way the bass is presented on the AD. It's very linear and quite true to the recording. It does go deep and with a nice amount of weight. I owned the d5k for a year and the AD does not have bass similar to the d5k. But to me, the AD bass is better...more accurate and realistic. Acoustic bass in jazz recording hit hard and resonate very accurately (ie Brian Bromberg: Wood). 
 
Then throw on something like Daft Punk: REM and the AD will bump really nicely with the heavy electronic bass. 
 
The AD presentation is a very accurate reproduction of the recording. I was fortunate enough to get to hear the beta model and have no doubt...this is the one. 

 
Yup. I think quite a few people will be very happy with these. To some, this could be "end game". I'm eagerly awaiting a pair to see how well they scale.
 
Quote:

I don't listen to it at home, it's for portable use when the elevated bass response is quite preferable when mobile listening.
I would never use a relatively neutral headphone for such listening, unless there is some really good noise isolation (read: IEMs, CIEMs, T50RPs) since the bassier frequencies are the first sounds to get drowned out from outside noise and are the least isolated frequencies.

 
Oh, I see. 

 

[Oregonian]

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Denons only hit hard because there's a LOT of excess bass.  Have you ever tried EQ'ing the Mad Dogs or any other planar up to Denon quantity?

Yes, I EQ'd "down" the other levels as Malveaux counseled me to do, then went back to the classic style (EQ'd up what I was missing), tried low gain/high gain, tried everything.  One probably contributor was I was using portable amps (E-11 and ZO) instead of vintage amps like I use now.  I'd love to get my hands on a Mad Dog or Alpha Dog now to run it through my Pioneer vintage rack system like I just auditioned the TH600 with.............guarantee there would be no lack of power. 
 
From what I was told by a number of members, my expectations are out of line with what the MD can provide me.  I'm fine with that!  I love the Denon/Fostex sound signature and realized yet again last night what I like is what I like.  Hence my doubts about the AD coming close to meeting my needs.  I'll never say never but will not spend $$ on a test that I have some knowledge about and experience (owned the MD for a few days).  Hopefully I can find a local Portland, OR area member with one or have a meet organized to have an MD/AD at - Dan said he might come if we set one up. 

 

[Oregonian]

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I don't think it does, and never will. Nothing has come close to the slam/impact of those headphones that I've heard. Especially in the manner that they do it. But that is just one opinion.

Greed, I think you are absolutely correct.  Your TH900 must be the most fun you can have with a headphone if it's scaled up from the TH600 I'm listening to at the moment. 
 
Matt - if Denon's/Fostex's reproduce bass "inaccurately", then I'm good with inaccurate.  I love inaccurate. 

   Fed by a Spec 2, inaccurate is funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

 

[MattTCG]

Inaccurate or heavily colored can be a whole lotta fun. Especially when it comes to bass. I can not deny it. Eventually, the d5k left me wanting better mids, more silky treble and less bass. While I'd say that the AD fares slightly on the more serious side, mostly it's just a seriously good hp all around. 

 

[ssrock64]

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I say "meh" to the bassheads and move on towards reaching out to an audience who appreciates a more true-to-the-sound kind of sound. I'm not a basshead, never was, and I don't understand why manufacturers feel the need to cater to them.

Technical accuracy does not necessarily mean increased enjoyment of the music. The vast majority of the consumer market for audio and a large portion of the high-end audio market prefers at least a slight bass boost, as shown by the success of Audeze and V-Moda among Head-Fiers.
 
Manufacturers will not simply stop making products for "them" just to satisfy the small subset of the audio community that lusts after total accuracy over everything. They know where the money is, and they make products that will make them money. Most people prefer some sort of emphasis somewhere in their music, and bassheads are one of those subsets. A very lucrative subset, as it happens. Just because you're not a basshead doesn't mean that manufacturers should cater only to your preferences.
 
The only audio company that I've ever seen go after pure technical accuracy over satisfying a customer base is Stax (the interview with their executives posted last year elaborated on that philosophy), and they don't make a whole lot of money.

 

[jerg]

You can still have quite a bit of extra bass without compromising the overall fidelity of music. The critical thing is that the bass must have extremely low harmonic distortion (as that is typically the cause of bass overwhelming / muddying the midrange, rather than just raw raised bass response). The Fostex's (TH600/900) are some of the very few that have raised bass FR but also low THD.

 

[miceblue]

Maybe I don't know what a basshead is then. I was under the impression that bassheads want tons of bass and that's pretty much it. Why we're saying the Alpha Dog is not a basshead headphone when clearly *pun intended* the Alpha Dog is tuned to sound clear and neutral is really puzzling to me with that definition. Alpha Dog is not a basshead headphone; well duh, of course it's not. Why would one think it is?

 

[purrin]

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The question will be does it hit like a TH600/TH900/D7000.  I don't think anyone knows that answer yet.  Since the MD didn't and it's the same driver, I would tend to doubt it could just with a cup change.  If it doesn't do that, it won't meet my needs.  Time will tell. 

 
While the MD can be described as with a touch mid-bassy or dark tilt. The AD are not that all all. You will be best served by the TH600 or TH900 depending upon your budget. As Dan even says on his website: "Reference sound quality; neutral, detailed and fast"
 
It may be possible with the screw adjustment, you can get a mega-bass version. An alternative is to use EQ and boost up the bass 5-10db. That should get you TH600 or TH900 bass. However the quality of the bass, especially the low bass may not be that great. The T50RP driver is small, and as a planar, does not have much xmax (diaphragm movement) compared to the larger area traditional cone / voice-coil and increased xmax of the T600/900 driver, which would lend itself to cleaner loud bass.

 

[Change is Good]

The more I look at this color, the more I dislike. I'm sorry, but I would prefer a black or white finish. It's just my opinion and it will be the last time I say so. I don't want to make a big deal about it and end up getting on anyone's nerves.
 
Cheers

 

[purrin]

I would like rust orange for mine. A la the Orange County jail.

 

[cn11]

Subscribed! I will be getting a pair, as I really like the sound from the MD alpha pad 3.0 version I have. 

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Since I never had a chance to own a pair of Thunderpants (not from a lack of trying), these might be on my very short list...
 
I wonder if he would do mini 4 pin XLR?