I recently bought the ATH M50 and at least 8 other headphones over the last 2 months. I've been auditioning (i.e. buying and returning) some of them, other's I bought 2nd hand and have listed them here or eBay as I move through them. My reasoning went like this: I can ask questions until I'm...

It's funny how apt a description "solid bass" is. My assumption was that it was a result of a Japanese interpretation of English, but it's accurate. Solid, deep, tight, controlled, and articulate.  I'm also a fan of looser, boomy sub-bass and I think I'll probably get a separate set of...

I would think an audio-engineer would know definitively if burn-in were a real phenomena. They'd probably use laser beams to measure the distance a driver traveled right after manufacture and again after 100 hours of use as well as how the sound wave looks in something like a Bruel & Kjaer HATS...

Quote: So THIS is how they're making all that crazy bass:

I can chime in on the WS99 vs the Crossfade LP... WS99 bass is faster, more focused, and more articulate. The mid-bass is also very present, whereas the LP is like having a subwoofer with the crossover set to 50 hz. I can feel the WS99s vibrate on my head, yet the sound isn't boomy for...

I love the sound signature of the A900X. I want very badly to be happy with it. But it feels bulky on my head. Don't get me wrong -- it's not uncomfortable. There's just room for improvement. I've done the rubber-band mod for the 3D wings and it helped quite a bit with sliding. Now it's just...

Quote: I'm not sure how the Digizoid works. I've read the entire thread about it and I'm still uncertain. In my experience, it only seems to affect bass. It goes WAY further than the built-in EQs can in Foobar2000 or iTunes (they seem to distort easily and one band affects the whole range)...

When someone is new, as I was a month ago, you're hoping to find something that's leaps and bounds better than what you've been exposed to your whole life up until this point. What you've been exposed to is cheap pack-ins with your cell phones and MP3 players. Maybe you bought a $30 Sony or...

I know you're not "supposed  to" ride a bicycle with IEMs in. I have a motorcycle license; my ability to always be looking ahead and assessing danger visually is well-developed. I can use IEMs on my bicycle. The issues I'm having: a) wind noise is heard as air rushes past my ears, so a...

Before I embark on a massive search, maybe one of you guys already has the answer.  I'm looking for a simple setup for my parents. It doesn't have to be mindblowing. I want to mount some speakers in the kitchen and maybe mount them under a counter-top (where barstools normally go). Being...

Quote: LOL.  Next time, take out $250. If he loses everything, the next day go out and buy both him and yourself some steak at the best Steakhouse in town. As you two are sinking your teeth into the most delicious meal of your life, point out that he could have had that meal 19 more...

I tried a Sony sport IEM a few years back; a plastic cable linked the earpieces behind the head. It was uncomfortable and never sealed properly. Not a fan of Sony

Quote: Cool, man. Science in action.     Have either of you compared your 518s to a decent closed headphone in a similar price range like the M50? I only have closed headphones and I'm thinking of getting something like a 518 for better soundstage and instrument separation. I'm...

Quote: That's a good point that I forgot to include; because of the Sensation 55 drivers, you can get some really thumping bass at low volumes. It sounds "off" and I usually had to bring the volume level up to match the bass. Never to uncomfortable levels, and never to distortion. The...

Quote: Interesting point, but here's a wrinkle you may not have considered: what makes a material "lower quality"? The acoustic properties of a lower-cost polymer might actually be beneficial for a desired sonic characteristic. You could make the inverse argument: Imagine that the HD518s...

Now that I know more about sound and have more gear, let me add to the Crusher's impression. The battery powered "sensation 55" drivers are essentially sub-bass dedicated woofers. This is an interesting approach; why not just use a really large 55mm driver to do everything? If driving it is a...

I want great quality sound in an IEM that"ll take some movement. I used to have a Bose IE2 but returned it because it wouldn't seal enough to make great bass. Got a Sennheiser CX 680, but it was too harsh and lacked bass. Any gems out there I'm not aware of? Thanks.

Sol Republic Tracks are pretty good for bass. They were my favorite sub $100 headphone for a while (until I scored a M50 for $102 -- close enough). One thing you might want to look into are EQs. Even the bass enhance mode on the E6 will make any standard headphone sound like a monster. To...

Quote:   Why would you accuse me of being unkind to my mother? I got her an iPod and some Incase Sonics (a careful selection for comfort and sound). She loves music and is listening to it all the time. I just want her to be able to hear songs away from the 3.5mm jack at her work computer.

My mom is a little technically challenged. I did train her on how to use PCs and it was enough to get her a promotion, plus she can get on eBay and buy/sell like crazy. I got her an iPod Nano 6th gen and iTunes is too cumbersome for her to use, so the iPod collects dust. I got her some Incase...

Quote: You sure about that? This supposedly sounds great and is $8

I bought some of the 9927's And I must say, they're good for ~$10 (after shipping) but they're not amazing compared to something that's $40+. They did generate a surprising amount of distortion free sub-bass. Beyond that trick, they were middle-of-the-road. Also, they were...

By ATH-M50, I mean the best price/performance entry-level IEM that will really get you hooked. Let's ignore discussion of how the ATH-M50 might be overhyped and other cans have replaced it. (I just bought my first M50 after owned 8 other headphones and I pretty much agree with the hype).  One...

I know the M50 is been beaten to death. Sorry to use it as a reference point for the 100,000th time. And know I can look at the 2012 Buyer's Guide or browse the reviews. But I think the specific question I'm asking isn't in a guide or a sticky. Preamble:      I just bought the ATH-M50's...