[HariBhushan]

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I'm liking the XB700s as a compliment to my HD650s.  The treble isn't anything like the DT990s.  It's a little grainy, not nearly as smooth as the HD650s, but considerably smoother than my Grados, and doesn't have the annoying peak of the 990s.  I like the XB700s better off of my tube hybrid, but its still great from pure solid state.  You have a Woo 3 right?  The XB series are probably too low impedance to run properly off of it.  They'll sound great straight out of a DAP or soundcard, but do improver with an amp.  They're fairly detailed but much more forgiving than the HD650s.
 
If you want more deep bass then I'd try the XB700s.  The XB500s seem to have more mid and high bass with more slam, as opposed to the XB700's rumble.

interesting. thanks for sharing your opinions.
 
Indeed, The Woo 3 would probably never work with the Sony XB series since it's an OTL, but I also have a Musiland Monitor 02US(as my main dac), and that has quite a decent headphone jack for low/high impedance headphones. So I'll just plug it in the Musiland, since they can utilize the dac and the built in headphone amp at the same time.
 
To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure if i want monsterous bass impact and punch all the time. The DT990's made me appreciate sub-bass and deeper frequencies even more !  I need something exactly like that with some of that rumbling pleasuring noise from the low/deep bass that i can feel at 20~25hz(like the DT990 portray extremely well at) without focusing on mid-bass humps or upper bass punch notes at all times.Basically, something that has nice and balanced lower midranged bass, but with the feeling of having a sub.   It seems the XB700's do really well here? ...correct me if I'm wrong tho.
 
Although, I do want something to rock my socks for those heavy hard hitting [size=medium]DnB drubnstep hard hitting electronica/trance/house, but as long as it has those bass notes on the lower spectrum, whilst still maintaining decent amount of punch, impact and rhythm... I will gladly take that headphone. [/size]
 
[size=medium]How does your XB700 do with Pandora? Even tho the HD650 has a super smooth sig, they still reveal so many errors in majority of the songs from Pandora One. But when you hear the flaws, it's not in a fatiguing manner like the DT990's, it just shows itself and you notice it, and you get slightly irrated. But the DT990's is a whole another chapter on torture, but I'm sure you already knew that -_- [/size]
 
[size=medium] [/size]

 

[kwkarth]

The Ultrasone HFI-2200 circumaural cans are a fun with lots of impact for reasonable price.  For IEMs there is nothing that beats the Munitio Teknines for deep bass impact.

 

[HariBhushan]

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XB500's sound signature is more aggressive (think Ultrasone-style) compared to XB700 which is a bit more laid-back (ala HD 650 style). XB500 has very smooth highs which is prolly due to how hidden they appear compared to the mids and bass (EQing will help ofc). However XB700 while having a lot more present audible highs that isn't covered up by mids and bass doesn't sound harsh at all. And XB500 is significantly bassier than XB700 IMO at least when it comes to bass impact and punch, I've never tried any headphone that can vibrate the eardrums as much as these if boosting the bass above stock however they do it in a way just like XB700 without overhelming the mids. XB700 have more deep bass focus <70Hz. The mids sounds similar on both and sound very good. XB500 is definitely more "fun" for me but if you like HD 650 you may also like XB700 I think but it's difficult to say, the main differences like I said are XB500 have a bit more aggressive sound signature with smoother highs with more impact and punch to the bass.

thanks again for your thoughts. This is sure going to be a tough choice.

 
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The XB700 doesn't have nearly the treble presence of the DT990. They're smoother and less extended, with just enough volume to sound realistic, but not draw attention to themselves.
 
They're entirely different animals.

do the XB700 have more impact and slam than the DT990's? The XB700 has more bass quantity, but how does it compare with the quality of the bass? I'm sure the DT990's is  more richly textured, but does the XB700 give the DT990's a run for their money?  And yours is 600ohm version, right? Which amp and dac are you running them with?
 
 
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The Ultrasone HFI-2200 are a fun can with lots of impact for reasonable price.

 thanks Kwkarth. I'll look into those !

 

[Reputator]

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do the XB700 have more impact and slam than the DT990's? The XB700 has more bass quantity, but how does it compare with the quality of the bass? I'm sure the DT990's is  more richly textured, but does the XB700 give the DT990's a run for their money?  And yours is 600ohm version, right? Which amp and dac are you running them with?

The XB700 does not have more impact and slam than the DT990. That's something the DT990 does well. The XB700 has more raw bass quantity, but that's in no way compromising of the quality. Strictly comparing the bass, the quality of the bass from the XB700 is at least as good if not better than the DT990. I found the XB700's bass to have better extension, more musicality, and even better speed (the only area where this is the case), as well as greater quantity of course. Just not the level of impact. The XB700's bass hits you with sheer force though, like if you were to get hit by a bus as opposed to sudden punches to the arm in the case of the DT990. It makes up for the lack of impact, I feel, so that you don't miss it.
 
Equipment is in sig/profile.

 

[maverickronin]

@HariBhushan
 
The XB700s do sub-bass very well.  It doesn't generally have the same slam as the DT990s because its best work is at frequencies lower than most music actually contains.  I haven't done any critical listening to Pandora (I use the subscription version with 192kbps streams) with my XB700s, (I mostly listen to Pandora at work) but I don't remember any encoding artifacts jumping out at me.  For other collections of low bitrate music I was hard-pressed to detect many obvious flaws.
 
The XB700s do open up another category of sub-par production that you won't notice with many other 'phones though.  Since the bass goes so low, and is boosted so much, you can all kinds of random background rumblings on poorly recorded and/or mastered tracks.  Trucks passing by the studio, the floor moving as people walk about on stage, resonances at frequencies you normally can't hear, and who knows what else.  I've only noticed this on a few older metal albums and most live albums (since most are poorly recorded anyway), so it's something to keep in mind if your collection contain much of that.

 

[swbf2cheater]

Some people here are confusing impact with quantity.
 
if you want heavy impact, hard hitting bass, you need the XB series or something like it, if you want quality and quantity, you need the ultrasone pro 750
 
in terms of kick factor, Im going to have to say the XB700 and 500 are the best, feels like people whacking you in the side of your face sometimes.  I will also submit the ATH m50 as well as the Shure 840.  Both of them have tremendous KICK, while not bass heavy sets, the bass that comes out is very punchy.
 
In terms of the best bass quality and quantity, the Ultrasone Pro 750, and the Shure 750 DJ are the absolute winners.

 

[FishFilet]

Why do you ask if i got it from Korea? Mine came in moments ago and it says made in Korea thats why I ask.
 
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LOL i laughed so hard when i saw U chose to buy an I9 shipped right away b4 i had a chance to say anything. Excuse me now, i typin on my iphone. Anyways, i actually have the J3 now. I would have suggested the J3 over the S9 totally. Theyre similar price after and there is a total upgrade. But I9 is different sleek slim and sexy. From what i hear, the EQ options are almost the same. Did u get it from Korea?

 

[wind016]

No reason. My girlfriend sent a J3 to me from Korea. I was kind of lost trying to change the language to English lol
 
Anyways, hope you enjoy it. I find that their equalizer is really fun to play with.
 
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Why do you ask if i got it from Korea? Mine came in moments ago and it says made in Korea thats why I ask.
 

 

 

[tjpark1111]

if you didn't know, cowon is a korean company.
i've been a long time reader (not a poster), but this thread has helped me tremendously in my quest for bass heavy headphones with half decent mids and highs. i know which models i want to go and try out at the B&H NYC superstore. thank you everyone!
 
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Why do you ask if i got it from Korea? Mine came in moments ago and it says made in Korea thats why I ask.
 

 

i do have a question though about the bass response of these full-size headphones. i own the klipsch image s4's, and just from this graph, it seems i have pretty much reached the very top of achievable bass response already.

the ath-m50s/ultrasone hfi-580, shure 750DJ seem to provide far less bass than my current s4's, with the XB700 (notoriously positive reviews about thunderous, deep bass here) seeming to give about the same bass response. should i not be reading into these graphs too much, or am i really going to be wasting my money expecting better (higher quality and quantity bass) sound from these full-sized cans? thanks!

 

[FishFilet]

 
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should i not be reading into these graphs too much, or am i really going to be wasting my money expecting better (higher quality and quantity bass) sound from these full-sized cans? thanks!

I have always had the same question myself. Especially when cheap crappy headphones list a frequency response on their packaging indicating they cover 10-22khz, yet when you listen to them they are all treble and no bass.
 
These graphs are a much better indicator of the true frequency response in comparison as they show the frequency response in comparison to a decibel level.
 
The funny thing is there is still another measurement that the graphs just don't show and you have to listen for yourself to hear it. I don't know what it is but I would call it "balls". While the S4 may look to have more bass when looking at the chart, if you were to listen to it and the XB700's you would come to the conclusion that the S4 just doesn't have the "balls".
 
I have the S2's and believe me there is no comparison to the XB700. If you have been reading this thread you know my recommendation would be to go with the XB500 which has way more "balls" than the XB700 and almost identical bass frequency response as the XB700.
 
Since you are going to listen to some sets soon let me say this, It is extremely important to take your own player with some good reference songs that you like. You need to hear the cans on your own equipment or equipment you plan to buy as well at any rate.
 
Play with the EQ as it can make a HUGE! diff in the sound. Some headphones respond little to EQing, for some it makes a big diff. In my opinion the XB700 dose not respond much in comparison to the XB500 which can sound completely different when EQed different ways.
 
Are you getting the phones for portable use such as with an iPod or other MP3 player? If so I can attest that the players capabilities make an enormous difference. I am coming from an iPod, iPad, iPhone, Sansa Clip background but recently got a Cowon iAudio 9. The difference is night and day as others have said about the Cowon players. I thought my XB500's were incredible with my Sansa Clip but the Cowon makes them so much better that it is unreal. You simply would have to hear it to believe it.
 
So the first thing I would recommend is that you have a capable player. Otherwise you wont get much out of your headphones anyway, at least not their full potential. Then use the cart to pick a set with good frequency response but keep in mind that that chart does not show a measure of "balls".
 
If you want some headphones that have "balls" go with the XB500's.
 
I will say this however. Since getting my Cowon I am listening again on my XB700 and XB500 to see which I prefer. It is a very hard decision because I love the BOOM! of the XB500. At times however it can simply be too much bass. That's right I said too much! The impact is so big, they are so punchy and tight that it can be very fatiguing. It is like someone is slapping me in the ears as I try and listen to my music. While I like it, it can also distract from the music a lot.
 
The XB700's on the other hand are much more laid back. They still give lots of bass but I think I hear and enjoy more of the song. Now I don't always have to have the XB500's on Mach3 bass mode all the time. When EQed they cay can sound very similar to the 700's with less punch and more detail. I am working on playing with my EQ now to see if the XB500's can offer me both with different EQ settings. I think I will be able to accomplish this but the EQ on the Cowon is much different than I am use to.
 
For a real laid back bassy yet clear sound that is slightly warmer go with the 700's for more pound your ear drums into jam and perhaps harsher highs (when EQed) go with the 500's.
 
If you don't have a player with a good EQ definitely go with the 700's as the 500's have too much bass flat and the music sounds like garbage.

 

[FishFilet]

There were lots of you here with Cowon players. Can any of you give me any tips on using the EQ? Is there any information as to what the presets are. What I mean is that I would like to know what settings a particular preset is using.
 
Also can anyone recommend the best way to use a Cowon on a mac and preferable interface it with my iTunes library which is already quite large.

 

[stevenswall]

You will have to google for a DRM stripper to remove the copywright from your iTunes library... then simply set your Cowon to MSC mode under USB settings from the settings menu.
 
As far as I know, the presets do not have any graphical equivalent to let you know what they are doing... just browse through them all, and use the custom settings until you find something you like.
 
General EQ Listening:
Mach3Bass: slight boost of deep bass
x-Bass: large boost of low and mid bass
Viva: increase in soundstage and clarity; ViVA2 adds bass
Hall: large increase in soundstage, decrease of vocals
Reverb...: Adds echo like effect
Rap: increase of vocal volume, decrease of bass
Rock: Increase of treble energy, strings are clearer
Headphone1: Increase in bass, treble to a slighter degree, better soundstage
 
Note that ViVA and Headphone1introduce crossfeed, blending the R/L channels for a more natural presentation..

 

[FishFilet]

Most of my iTunes music has no DRM on it. It is just that it is in .aac format which I don't think the Cowon supports. I know how to convert it in iTunes to MP3 but I was wondering what the best way to do this is that will allow the best ease of management. Because I don't really want to have all of my music twice, once in .aac and again in .mp3. I could always delete the .aac files after but I was just wondering what others have done to ease the transition. Also I was wondering if there was a way to transfer the files to a music player from withing iTunes. I think iTunes for windows works with other mp3 players but I don't think it does on a mac at least without some plugins or something.
 
The default usb mode was already msc it is too bad it does not have an auto mode like the sansa which detects what mode you need to be in because I also use Rhapsody to go's music subscription service and I have to have the i9 in MTP for that to work.
 
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You will have to google for a DRM stripper to remove the copywright from your iTunes library... then simply set your Cowon to MSC mode under USB settings from the settings menu.
 
As far as I know, the presets do not have any graphical equivalent to let you know what they are doing... just browse through them all, and use the custom settings until you find something you like.
 
General EQ Listening:
Mach3Bass: slight boost of deep bass
x-Bass: large boost of low and mid bass
Viva: increase in soundstage and clarity; ViVA2 adds bass
Hall: large increase in soundstage, decrease of vocals
Reverb...: Adds echo like effect
Rap: increase of vocal volume, decrease of bass
Rock: Increase of treble energy, strings are clearer
Headphone1: Increase in bass, treble to a slighter degree, better soundstage
 
Note that ViVA and Headphone1introduce crossfeed, blending the R/L channels for a more natural presentation..

 

[maverickronin]

It's a bad idea to transcode from one lossy format to another.  It inevitably results in loss quality, so don't delete your aac originals, even if you make an mp3 encoded copy of everything.
 
You'd probably do best with a program that transcoded them on the fly before copying to the player.  That way you won't need to keep two copies of everything or manually transcode and then delete a copy of your whole library.  Off the top of my head, I can't think of any free programs that do this though.

 

[Mochan]

I caution in comparing full-sized cans to IEMs, the thing is they don't sound the same and IEMs inherently get more bass response with a proper seal due to how all the sound is pumped directly into your ear canal.
 
The S4 is certainly a bassy IEM but honestly is not as bassy as the IE8, the Hippo Boom, the Turbines and even the Metro.Fi 170. Freq graphs don't tell the whole story, according to the S4's graph above you'd think it was a bassy IEM with rolled off treble but my experience with it was quite the opposite; I found the treble was quite bright and the S4 as a whole was too bright for my tastes.
 
From what I recall the S4's bass with its stock tips is somewhat comparable in overall level and effect to that of the 750 DJ's, though don't treat this as gospel because I did not do a direct comparison of the two. 
 
Also I'd like to point out that, contrary to the graph, my experience with the 750DJs and the M50s clearly tells me the M50 is the bassier can of the two, believe it or not.
 
And again, big bass from a full can is certainly a far different experience from big bass from an IEM. I much prefer the effect of a big can's full bass to that of an IEM's. 
 
Quote:

if you didn't know, cowon is a korean company.
i've been a long time reader (not a poster), but this thread has helped me tremendously in my quest for bass heavy headphones with half decent mids and highs. i know which models i want to go and try out at the B&H NYC superstore. thank you everyone!
 

i do have a question though about the bass response of these full-size headphones. i own the klipsch image s4's, and just from this graph, it seems i have pretty much reached the very top of achievable bass response already.

the ath-m50s/ultrasone hfi-580, shure 750DJ seem to provide far less bass than my current s4's, with the XB700 (notoriously positive reviews about thunderous, deep bass here) seeming to give about the same bass response. should i not be reading into these graphs too much, or am i really going to be wasting my money expecting better (higher quality and quantity bass) sound from these full-sized cans? thanks!