[dggopal]

Previously owned the sennheiser hd518's and loved the bass but want a set of open cans with perhaps a more detailed and refined sound. I would like it to have decent bass but not overpowering since I will be listening to music ( pop, some old rock, and some sinatra/rat pack).  I was looking at the hifiman 400s but heard that the bass was disappointing so that made me unsure. I would love a few other options and want something that can be powered easily without a amp and sounds reasonable without a DAC.  Of course if the addition of these items enhances the sound of the cans that would be great as I will eventually purchase those items but not now, so I need the cans to sound good on their own to begin with.  Thanks for the help.

 

[dggopal]

Bump

 

[serman005]

  Previously owned the sennheiser hd518's and loved the bass but want a set of open cans with perhaps a more detailed and refined sound. I would like it to have decent bass but not overpowering since I will be listening to music ( pop, some old rock, and some sinatra/rat pack).  I was looking at the hifiman 400s but heard that the bass was disappointing so that made me unsure. I would love a few other options and want something that can be powered easily without a amp and sounds reasonable without a DAC.  Of course if the addition of these items enhances the sound of the cans that would be great as I will eventually purchase those items but not now, so I need the cans to sound good on their own to begin with.  Thanks for the help.

How about the ATH AD900x? It has punchy bass, good treble extension, and a wide and fairly deep soundstage. Might be something to look at. Some people like the SoundMAGIC HP200 (a little bright for me), so that is also an option. Finally, there are plenty of users who find the HE 400s bass to be more than adequate. You might read on the HE 400s Impressions Thread (if you haven't already done so) and see what you can find there. That's the largest reservoir of HE 400s knowledge on this site, since it consists almost exclusively of users.

 

[buke9]

The first thing I thought of was the 400S. I don't find the bass disappointing at all not what I would call basshead cans but not bad at all. iPhone will drive them just fine. A set of Focus A pads help them out a lot.

 

[horizon44]

Are you looking for open or close back cans?

 

[dggopal]

open 

 

[buke9]

  open 

HE-400S