Can I amp the Audio Technica M50 to be as bassy as beats pro?
Jun 28, 2012 at 7:37 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 110

sneaglebob

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*Puts flame suit on* 
 
Hey guys, yesterday was my 15th birthday and I asked my dad if he can get me a pair of Beats pro and he happily did and I love them very much although my dad felt that he was slightly swindled but no matter he didn't complain. Now I absolutely KNOW about headphones that sound MUCH BETTER for more than half the price but the reason I asked for them is primarily for the looks and because I want to listen to music on the go and (at least in my opinion) most basshead headphones seen here don't look very visually appealing
For a while I have been looking into the Audio technica M50 since they look nice but i heard that they don't have that massive bass impact that my beats pro have so I would like to know if its possible in any way to amp up to be as impactful as beats pro without compromising anything else since I hear that these already outperform beats pro and are much clearer. If not then please give me more recommendations as I might buy some myself later.
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 7:48 PM Post #2 of 110
$400 headphones for your 15th birthday? Nice. The M50s offer higher sound quality, but the bass you want, which is bleeding into your other frequencies and lowering the SQ on the Beats, is much more controlled M50s. You could get a FiiO portable amp that has bass boost settings...but I don't know if it'd be the same.
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 8:02 PM Post #3 of 110
How much do looks matter to you?

Anyway, The Ultrasone HFI580s are pretty stylish and will have a comparable (or more) amount of bass with a Fiio E11 with bass boost. M50s in all honestly are not that good anymore. They were pretty good, but nowadays at their jacked up prices you can get better headphones. If you insist on getting the M50s however, then sound professionals has the best deal. They'll even mod the headphones so that they have a removable cable.
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 10:56 PM Post #6 of 110
M-audio Q40s are also very good. They are pretty neutral in the mids and highs but have a monstrous bass. Their bass is actually on par with the pro900 but they dont have the emphasized highs. They do need an amp though.
I personally am going to buy the HFI580s cuz they are sexier.
However as soon as the V-Moda M100s come out I will get those too.
 
Jun 29, 2012 at 7:54 AM Post #7 of 110
Quote:
*Puts flame suit on* 
 
Hey guys, yesterday was my 15th birthday and I asked my dad if he can get me a pair of Beats pro and he happily did and I love them very much although my dad felt that he was slightly swindled but no matter he didn't complain. Now I absolutely KNOW about headphones that sound MUCH BETTER for more than half the price but the reason I asked for them is primarily for the looks and because I want to listen to music on the go and (at least in my opinion) most basshead headphones seen here don't look very visually appealing
For a while I have been looking into the Audio technica M50 since they look nice but i heard that they don't have that massive bass impact that my beats pro have so I would like to know if its possible in any way to amp up to be as impactful as beats pro without compromising anything else since I hear that these already outperform beats pro and are much clearer. If not then please give me more recommendations as I might buy some myself later.

A lot of people around here are recommending the Sony XB500 for over-the-top bass. 

Having said that, I have ATH-M50s and with equalization + bass boosts from MediaMonkey (think Audiophile iTunes) and an Android app I use on my tablet, I can get them to be very bass-heavy (I don't do this often). But, when you get your bass as heavy as the Beats lineup, it is bound to bleed into the mid-range and start to sound a little muddy. 
 
Jun 29, 2012 at 10:25 AM Post #9 of 110
Quote:
A lot of people around here are recommending the Sony XB500 for over-the-top bass. 

Having said that, I have ATH-M50s and with equalization + bass boosts from MediaMonkey (think Audiophile iTunes) and an Android app I use on my tablet, I can get them to be very bass-heavy (I don't do this often). But, when you get your bass as heavy as the Beats lineup, it is bound to bleed into the mid-range and start to sound a little muddy. 

so it is possible? Would the audio quality be better overall despite being bloated?
 
Jun 29, 2012 at 10:44 AM Post #10 of 110
I have the bass heavy Sony XB500's and also the Ath M50's.  The XB's have more bass, but the mids are so muddied up that you might as well be listening to your music under water. 
 
I'd opt for the Ath M50's and amp them with a bass boost JDS labs cmoy ($60).  They claim to almost double the bass with the booster turned on.  The Sound Professionals sometimes runs crazy deals on the M50's, I'd check their Facebook page.  Use a good sound source and that combination should blow you away. 
 
 
Jun 29, 2012 at 10:48 AM Post #11 of 110
Quote:
Originally Posted by sneaglebob /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hey guys, yesterday was my 15th birthday and I asked my dad if he can get me a pair of Beats pro and he happily did and I love them very much although my dad felt that he was slightly swindled but no matter he didn't complain. Now I absolutely KNOW about headphones that sound MUCH BETTER for more than half the price but the reason I asked for them is primarily for the looks and because I want to listen to music on the go and (at least in my opinion) most basshead headphones seen here don't look very visually appealing
For a while I have been looking into the Audio technica M50 since they look nice but i heard that they don't have that massive bass impact that my beats pro have so I would like to know if its possible in any way to amp up to be as impactful as beats pro without compromising anything else since I hear that these already outperform beats pro and are much clearer. If not then please give me more recommendations as I might buy some myself later.

What source(s) will you be plugging your headphones into?
 
Jun 29, 2012 at 3:27 PM Post #13 of 110
Quote:
so it is possible? Would the audio quality be better overall despite being bloated?

Well, since I'm doing it right now, I'd say it's possible. 
wink_face.gif
 Try looking for an app called Equalizer in the Play/Google Store, and turn the bass boost on it up to 100%.  Does it sound better than the stock M-50? It sounds bassier, but a little bit muddy in the midrange. Not bad at all though, and it has some pretty slamming bass. Does it sound better than the Beats? Much. Like, a HUGE difference. Just a lot more clarity, IMO. There are some songs I can't listen to on my M50s, simply because the M50s make bad recordings VERY obvious because of their good (compared to most headphones) detail.
 
Jun 29, 2012 at 3:48 PM Post #14 of 110
Quote:
My terrible phone, a tmobile comet, I am also looking for an amp since I have to put it to full loudness just to be a comfortable listening level for my beats pro

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80-Ohm.
Fiio E11 portable headphone amplifdier.
 
total is cheaper then the beats.
 

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