[loki993]

I currently have Beyer DT770 pro 80s and theyre great. I love the bass..however there are times Id like something with less recessed mids and clarity. Also I game a lot so I need more soundstage for positional audio. I have some money so I can spend probably up to 400..maybe a touch more. I really want to try some orthos but Im worried Im not going to get enough bass from them. I checked out some HE500s and HE400is today and they sounded great but there wasnt a ton of bass impact....granted I wasnt listening to bass heavy music either..but still when the bass did hit...it was good just not very powerful. Ive heard the Fidelio X2s have great bass..for an opend back headphone..and thats the catch I think. Ive heard the he400 has good bass..but recessed mids and thats one thing Im trying to avoid. Also Ive heard they're not very comfortable and I can attest to that because wearing he HE500s I dont think I could wear them for hours on end.

So narrowing it down for a basshead is there an Ortho that can do the job? I want all the clarity, separation with great mids and high, with the impact. I dont want something where the bass stomps everything else. Maybe there are other phones out there that I havent considered? Maybe it cant be done with orthos...maybe it can be done at all....


Reccos would be appreciated....or tell be Im asking for too much lol.

 

[money4me247]

lcd-x if your budget stretches that far. he-400 if it doesn't.

 

[loki993]

Yeah...i cant even get close to lcds and dont the he400s have recessed mids? I don't think id like that ..i want something more open sounding that my dt770s.
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[kobe22]

I own the HE 400, and while the bass is good, I just don't think it has the bass impact that I think you are looking for. IMO it's very difficult to find that sort of bass in any open-backed headhpone

 

[Music Alchemist]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-best-bass-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club
 
I don't think you should limit yourself to any particular headphone type.

 

[jodgey4]

No planar can I know of has naturally boosted bass, though they handle EQ/boosting well. All need amping as well to sound their best, so budget in $100 or so for that. I'd either look at non-orthos, Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs or the 400i + Fiio E12 or Cayin C5.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  400i + Fiio E12 or Cayin C5.

 
How does the HE-400i sound with boosted bass via EQ? When I owned it, it didn't have much impact at all in stock form; more like a presence, if that makes sense.

 

[money4me247]

the strength of orthodynamic headphones is their linear and deep bass extension. you can check out the FR curves of all the orthos on the market to see this. if you are looking for a boosted bass frequency response, you are looking in the wrong place. Impact is quite good, but you will not have the extra reverb or lengthier decay times that some people enjoy.

the he-400i has solid bass quality and good impact for an open pair of headphones. if you want more 'impact,' you shld look into closed headphones.

 

[jodgey4]

Well, I haven't heard the combo, but those amps provide a basshead approved lift, which would help with the presence issue the OP detailed. Unless he wants a different tonality too (more punch or whatever).

 

[Music Alchemist]

Here's something interesting.
 

Spoiler: HE-400i

Spoiler: HD 800

 
The measurements for the HE-400i and HD 800 are surprisingly similar.
 

the strength of orthodynamic headphones is their linear and deep bass extension. you can check out the FR curves of all the orthos on the market to see this. if you are looking for a boosted bass frequency response, you are looking in the wrong place. Impact is quite good, but you will not have the extra reverb or lengthier decay times that some people enjoy.

the he-400i has solid bass quality and good impact for an open pair of headphones. if you want more 'impact,' you shld look into closed headphones.

 
I always hear about how some of the higher-end planar magnetic headphones (like the Abyss and LCD-3) have more bass impact than most headphones, including most closed ones. I also hear about how the HE-400i has lower impact than most open planar magnetic headphones.
 

  Well, I haven't heard the combo, but those amps provide a basshead approved lift, which would help with the presence issue the OP detailed. Unless he wants a different tonality too (more punch or whatever).

 
So I'm the OP now? hehe
 
I kind of lump punch and impact together when talking about bass.

 

[jodgey4]

  So I'm the OP now? hehe
 
I kind of lump punch and impact together when talking about bass.

 
 

I checked out some HE500s and HE400is today and they sounded great but there wasnt a ton of bass impact....granted I wasnt listening to bass heavy music either..but still when the bass did hit...it was good just not very powerful.

 
No, @loki993 is who I was talking to. . It's hard to know if people want the punch of a dynamic can, the control of BA, the depth of planar, the snap of an electro...

 

[Music Alchemist]

  No, @loki993 is who I was talking to. . It's hard to know if people want the punch of a dynamic can, the control of BA, the depth of planar, the snap of an electro...

 
Oh, okay. It's just that I was the only person who mentioned the word presence.

 

[Music Alchemist]

This may not be what you're looking for, but the Focal Spirit Professional and Bose QuietComfort 15 both have interesting bass. The former is a lot closer to neutral and has better sound quality, whereas the latter has boosted bass and treble and is actually the most "exciting" headphone I've heard so far, at least to me.

 

[loki993]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-best-bass-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club

I don't think you should limit yourself to any particular headphone type.

Ive seen that and the problem with that is those headphones are only based on how much bass they give and nothing else....everything else could sound like crap and it would matter if the hit hard. I have hard hitting phones..I want more.

No planar can I know of has naturally boosted bass, though they handle EQ/boosting well. All need amping as well to sound their best, so budget in $100 or so for that. I'd either look at non-orthos, Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs or the 400i + Fiio E12 or Cayin C5.

I don't think Im looking for boosted bass....I just don't want to feel like its lacking....I need some hit..I know Im probably not going to get as much as the DT770s..but Im willing to give up some to get a better, hopefully much better, soundstage and clearer mids and highs. I just cant give up so much bass that I feel like its not there..otherwise I wont be satisfied....

Amp is in separate budget...I was considering the Schitt Magni 2 Uber. The a little later probably a Schitt Modi 2.

the strength of orthodynamic headphones is their linear and deep bass extension. you can check out the FR curves of all the orthos on the market to see this. if you are looking for a boosted bass frequency response, you are looking in the wrong place. Impact is quite good, but you will not have the extra reverb or lengthier decay times that some people enjoy.

the he-400i has solid bass quality and good impact for an open pair of headphones. if you want more 'impact,' you shld look into closed headphones.

Id be fine with good impact..I don't necessarily need the reverb or decay....fast and hard would actually probably be perfect for me. I listen to a decent bit of EDM so definitely faster is better.....

 

[Music Alchemist]

Of all the headphones I have owned, the Focal Spirit Professional is my highest recommendation in nearly all circumstances, including this one.
 
Also, there are some very nice headphones in that bass thread, such as the Fostex TH-900.