[machoboy]

Quote:

If your listening to 128 bitrate files its not even worth buying a new set of headphones lol...

 
Oh yeah, this is true too.
On streaming low bitrate stuff straight from phone/laptop/etc, most $20 headphones will do the trick.
 
No point in debating between headphones with a frequency range like this
|-----------------------------------------|
and a frequency range like this
|---------------------------------------------|
When the songs you're listening to have been compressed into this
|~~~|

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

Quote:

So here's what I'm looking at so far based on what you told me:
[size=x-small][size=x-small]Approximate pricings low to high:[/size][/size]
Koss DJ100: $75
Sony MDR-V6: $75
Shure SRH440: $80
Creative Aurvana Live: $100
Ultrasone HFI-580: $120
Now which of these are "fun" headphones? I think that the Shure's aren't, and I'm not sure if the DJ100's are bassy, and I don't like that price tag for the ultrasones but the CAV's look promising, but I obviously have no experience with any of them. Also I'm not really liking this whole "burn-in" thing...  Any comments/suggestions?

 
Koss DJ100 - Not bassy. Anything under 256kbps will sound absolutely horrible.
V6 - tolerable, but low bitrate files sound extremely harsh and sibilant.
 
I don't know how the others deal with low bitrate files but I'm pretty sure its the same..

 

[Eric_C]

Yeah, legality and maybe even ethics aside, you are wasting your time and money looking for new headphones if YouTube is the source of your music. 
 
Forget looking for that one YouTube where the sound quality happens to be good--just buy/borrow a CD with music you already listen to and compare the sound quality on your current headphones.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

Yeah, legality and maybe even ethics aside, you are wasting your time and money looking for new headphones if YouTube is the source of your music. 
 
Forget looking for that one YouTube where the sound quality happens to be good--just buy/borrow a CD with music you already listen to and compare the sound quality on your current headphones.

 
Agreed. It's probably time to upgrade your music first. 
If you can't borrow one, you can even check out CDs from many libraries.

 

[manoy385]

Check out the Brainwavz HM5 at mp4nation.net. It's currently on pre-order so you will have to wait at least a month but you get a free stand and big discount for your wait. As for the sound, it isn't a very bassy headphone but it's there when you need it.
 

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

Check out the Brainwavz HM5 at mp4nation.net. It's currently on pre-order so you will have to wait at least a month but you get a free stand and big discount for your wait. As for the sound, it isn't a very bassy headphone but it's there when you need it.
 

 
That doesn't seem in line with what OP needs at all. He said the XB500 wasn't bassy enough for him, and we've just established the fact that his music has been coming from YouTube, so he needs to sort his music quality out first.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Anyone have any experience with the Sony MDR-V6's? They're about the same price as the XB-500s, and I'm not sure if I agree with "macho-boy" opinion on Sony's in general...

I do. Completely different animal to XB500 (which I have owned as well) V6 are considerably balanced, remembering you're not going to find nearly the same bass amounts as XB500. Where it does make up for this is in overall sound quality. the mids actually have clarity and there's detail along with separation. I kept my XB500 for about one week before the 'fun bass appeal' wore off. V6 are like a breath of fresh air, much cleaner sound, bass shows decent texture, not super powerful, more pleasant with the amounts there used correctly.

The mids can sound a little grainy and treble has a few slight spikes though it's a no brainer over XB500 IF you want a detailed sound.

Very nice headphone still today!. I still think they'll sound better even with Utube than XB500 could offer.

 

[plasmoic]

...just to add, I used to have a similar problem with some songs on my ipod..then found out that this can be due to
the loudness issues, and then used that little fre program Mp3Gain, which most of the guys here are faimiliar with..
most of my songs were 100+ dBs, and I decreased them to the standard 89 ( or 86 not sure, not an expert) and
that mostly solved my problem...

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

Quote:

I do. Completely different animal to XB500 (which I have owned as well) V6 are considerably balanced, remembering you're not going to find nearly the same bass amounts as XB500. Where it does make up for this is in overall sound quality. the mids actually have clarity and there's detail along with separation. I kept my XB500 for about one week before the 'fun bass appeal' wore off. V6 are like a breath of fresh air, much cleaner sound, bass shows decent texture, not super powerful, more pleasant with the amounts there used correctly.
The mids can sound a little grainy and treble has a few slight spikes though it's a no brainer over XB500 IF you want a detailed sound.
Very nice headphone still today!. I still think they'll sound better even with Utube than XB500 could offer.

umm, they sound pretty horrible with youtube...

 

[popandlockit]

Quote:

 
That doesn't seem in line with what OP needs at all. He said the XB500 wasn't bassy enough for him, and we've just established the fact that his music has been coming from YouTube, so he needs to sort his music quality out first.

LOOK. I am going to try and set things right here by clarifying a few things.
1. No, I was completely satisfied with the XB-500's bass, it was more than enough (before they broke).
2. No, I DON'T think at all that the 128 bitrate/getting songs off of YouTube has ANYTHING to do with my problem specifically because I could listen to my songs from my Ipod JUST FINE before. THEY'RE THE SAME SONGS. Obviously something bad happened to them, which is why the bass started fouling up and why I started this thread in the first place. 

However...​

3. Yes, I do acknowledge that a higher bitrate would be better, SORRY I never knew that before now, I didn't think it made such a big deal. But this IS going to be expensive if I do buy all new CDs, none of my friends have that music on CD either, AND my CDs aren't at the library on top of that.
 
As of this point, I will consider your upgrading bitrate solution, but I highly doubt that's the problem here. Again I have little experience with headphones, the comments I have made are with what little I know and common sense. The major problem for me is not getting that bass anymore (on top of the XB-500's shortcomings in leakage and build quality), they are OK for other areas, and I wanted to explore my options.
 
*note: Also at this point, Eric_C is right, I hate to admit it, that I will need to at least look at this whole bitrate thing a little closer before I consider buying another pair. If it really isn't worth it buying a new headphone whilst using this bitrate anyway, which some of you have suggested, what can I do here other than ripping CDs? Surely SOME of my songs are at least 320... how can I tell, and how can I get these apparently better-sounding songs from YouTube or another site? I am open to suggestions. I want some good advice here.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

As of this point, I will consider your upgrading bitrate solution, but I highly doubt that's the problem here. Again I have little experience with headphones, the comments I have made are with what little I know and common sense. The major problem for me is not getting that bass anymore (on top of the XB-500's shortcomings in leakage and build quality), they are OK for other areas, and I wanted to explore my options.
 
*note: Also at this point, Eric_C is right, I hate to admit it, that I will need to at least look at this whole bitrate thing a little closer before I consider buying another pair. If it really isn't worth it buying a new headphone whilst using this bitrate anyway, which some of you have suggested, what can I do here other than ripping CDs? Surely SOME of my songs are at least 320... how can I tell, and how can I get these apparently better-sounding songs from YouTube or another site? I am open to suggestions. I want some good advice here.

 
I think you have the right idea that it's worth looking into first before thinking about new headphones. Get one CD, and then listen to a few songs ripped at 128k and at full lossless quality. That will help you to determine if the higher bitrates are worth worrying about. 
 
Meanwhile, check out the JVC HA-S500 that seem to be the up and coming FOTM in your price range. They appear to be very portable with significant bass (I have not heard them yet). You have to order them from Japan, though (see that thread in the link). 
 
Also, as an MDR-V6 owner myself, if you can afford to bump your budget up a little, I would suggest looking into the Audio Technica M50. To me, they have significantly more bass response than the MDR-V6, but it only calls attention to itself when needed. So with bass heavy songs you'll appreciate it, and when listening to rock that doesn't need much of it, the bass won't interfere with your listening pleasure.  I find them to be a worthwhile step up from the V6. 

 

[Eric_C]

popandlockit: your original post you said the bass was lacking. I read that as you being dissatisfied with the bass. And now you're saying the XB500 is broken? That changes the whole situation.

I'm not sure I understand your situation any more.

 

[popandlockit]

Quote:

Also I have found that the bass and sound quality seem to be lacking for me for some reason (when I turn up the volume it gets worse...), though I suppose they're good for average use (if you're by yourself all the time...)

Yeah, sorry Eric_C, I didn't exactly say that in the original post, I just assumed that everyone would take "for some reason" to mean that mine were faulty, not that they were known for lacking bass or that it wasn't enough for me, sorry for the confusion. I can see now how that can easily be taken the wrong way. Everything I said in the previous post is what I meant to say... I did clarify this (trying to direct this to another aedlock) earlier on this post... I hope that you understand the situation now.

 

[manoy385]

Brand new ATH-M50 for $99.99:
 
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=525&item=ATH-M50-NEW

 

[viralcow]

Very nice deal. I think the value of the M50s are very hard to beat at $100. It's just recently that their price has inflated up to ~$160 which made them no longer the value king.