[sgraphics]

Hi!

What would be the best headphone for bass slam? I need some cans to offer me the best sounding beats. I'm looking for the 'slamm' (upper bass) and the 'woooof' (lower bass). I have been looking at AKG 271S and Beyer 770 (and leaning towards 271s.. because it can also be used with a portable). If there are other great sounding bass cans - let me know

I have a strange feeling that the 'wooof' is better/more apparent in closed phones so they would be my preference.

For now, I have tried cheaper cans: ksc-35 (only upper bass - beats sound too similar), Beyerdynamic DT231 (very strange bass. perfect for jazz I think - only a quiet (but quality) low bass) and the Senn HD-202 (the most involving bass out of the three - it has lower and upper bass). The latter lacks overall precision so its far from an audiophile can but because of the best bass response I listen my mysic with them.

 

[ChewToy]

I haven't tried the AKG's, but I do have the Beyer DT770's (not the pro's) which are awesome. If you're planning on using them unamped...um...well you'll be able to listen to music, but you'll have to turn your PCDP or source pretty high up to get to appropriate levels (250 Ohms impedence is mid level => you don't NEED and amp to use them, but it helps a lot). Usually at those levels you introduce a noticable amount of distortion from the player at that volume. So, to get them sounding anywhere near where they were meant to be, you definitely should invest in an amp. I use a CMOY that i built, which i find is plenty to drive them (though it rolls off the bass a bit but thats my amp not the phones). I believe pbirkett (spelling?) equated the 770pro's similar to strapping sub woofers to your head (in a good way). Now I personally don't agree with that extreme, but they definitely are the most fun headphone i've ever heard, and they do possess a whole lot of slam.

On the other hand if you are completely unwilling to purchase/diy an amp then i would recommend probably staying away from the DT770's, as the sound of an unamped DT770 is NOT worth the price of the phone's. (If you have an amp they are definitely worth it).


-Chew Toy

 

[Mastergill]

May I suggest Sennheiser HD25-1 ?.

Quote:

I have a strange feeling that the 'wooof' is better/more apparent in closed phones so they would be my preference.

With closed phones i feel like the sound is pushed into my ear canal, i don't like this feeling, but you can hear more easily every details and so as you said the "wooof" and slam feel more present.

Really try the HD25-1 it's very neutral, perfect for bass ( a friend drummer swear only by them when he had to monitor is work). And you've got enough SPL (+120 db!) to blow your ears if you don't take care.

PS: they are 70 ohm phones so you can drive them with portable.

 

[pbirkett]

If its bass your after then the DT770 will out-bass the K271 Studios. The K271 Studio's are more balanced though. Will suit portable applications and low impedance outputs better than the DT770. On my speaker amp, the K271's sounded terribly shut in, so if you are using with a speaker amp, the DT770 would be the best choice out of those two.

 

[averydonovan]

The AKG 271 that I heard at the recent Denver meet had almost no bass impact, so you may want to shy away from them. The DT770 is great if you have an amp but seems very amp dependent to get the most bass out of them. The Sony V6 is another one to look at if you like lots of bass impact.

 

[cerda]

What about the Ultrasone HFI-650. I have heard good things about them.

 

[Tyson]

I sold my K271's cause they didn't have enough bass (otherwise they are GREAT, but I can't live w/out strong bass). The 770's have better and stronger bass than the V6's and are smoother in the mids, and don't have the irritatingly harsh highs the V6's have.

 

[sacd lover]

Look into some grados like the sr-225 or sr-325; especially if you want a headphone thats easy to drive for a portable setup.

 

[sgraphics]

Ok thank you all for your great replys.

I will see if I can try out the 271S's and Beyer 770 to see how they sound. If the HD25-1 are on sale here, I will try them out too.

But I'm curious about the Ultrasone HFI650's. As they definitely aren't on sale here and I found quite little by searching these forums, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them? How do they run techno, trance and the like?

 

[TravelLite]

sgraphics, well, if I understand you correctly, I'd personally investigate and research the newer Ultrasones, e.g., HFI-500 DJ1, HFI-550 Beatmaster, and HFI-700 DVD, in addition to the phones already noted.

I mention these because it sort of sounds like you haven't yet committed to acquiring a potent amp, which is really mandatory in the case of the bass-rich Beyerdynamic DT770 and DT990 phones, for example.

AFAIK, the only authority on all three newer Ultrasones is Jan Meier of Meier-Audio. Therefore, if you're interested in investigating these, it would probably behoove you to email Dr. Meier for his opinion.

Currently, (only) Ultrasone's German language website (and Meier-Audio) have specifications up on all three phones.

TravelLite

 

[Hiker]

I currently own the AKG 271s and to me they have plently of bass impact. However, I am probably not the best judge of this since my main cans are Etymotics ER-4P which in my opinion have a great amount of bass, just non of the visceral type. I would characterize the 271s as having balanced bass and pretty much balanced throughout the rest of the range except for being a bit forward in the upper range.

What portable would you be using the 271s out of? Despite their 55 ohm impedence rating, they are more power hungry than my 64 ohm Koss KSC-35. I have to max out the volume on my Sony PCDP in order to get a decent amount of volume. When using them with my Ipod, I also have to turn up the volume much higher than usual (although the Ipod has plently of power to make them sing quite loudly!). If you have a powerful portable source or an amp to take with you, then I would highly recommend these headphones. Otherwise, you might have to look into getting an amp or more efficient headphones. Then again, I might just be listening a bit louder than most people so try them out yourself.

Hiker

 

[emp]

My HD25s got very nice bass I must say. Havent tried any of the other mentioned headphones tho..

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I've go three cans considered very bassy, my impressions:

HD-590: The upper bass is pretty prominent, but lacking in definition a little, the low end goes very low, but is somewhat overshadowed by the high bass. Not as quick of a bass response as the two forthcoming cans, but nothing to sneeze at , IMO. Overall impression: The bass is there and very listenable, but not very compelling.

DT-770:

These cans have quite a reputation, and for good reason. Both the lower and upper bass are very well definied, fast-acting, and VERY prominent. The upper bass has a nasty tendency to take over the lower mids, making some complex tracks sound cluttered. Much better for electronia, movies, or games than rock IMO. Overall Impression: HOLY****BASS, which can make certain things sound better, or worse.

SR-325: The bass goes every bit as deep as the DT770, but has an even quicker response. This seems like the definition of "tight" bass to me. The bass does not pollute the mids as in the other two cans mentioned, however, the lower bass is not quite as prominent as the DT770, about the same as the HD590. Overall impression: a healthy amount of very high quality bass that is energetic or subdued when needbe.

 

[lini]

sgraphics: I'd recommend to check the Groovalizers, but both are not too great for portable use without an additional headphone amp....

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[kuma]

Phones do matter somewhat, but in order to get a good bass slam is to use with appropriate amplifiers.

A degree of 'bass slam' varies by what's driving the cans, too.