[budgetboy]

Somebody got an idea for this? I have the IE8 and love it, but I'd like a set of home headphones that can be powered effectively from a cowon s9 (29mw/channel i think). I have the ATH-M50 (sensitivity 99 impedance 38) which is easy to power from my S9, but it sounds closed off to me. I think what I'm missing is the soundstage. So i'm looking for a good pair of headphones (less than $400) that's easy to drive, comfortable, and durable. It should have a similar sound signature to the Senn IE8, which means great soundstage, clear but smooth sound on the darker side of neutral (please no sibilance, i'm a lot more sensitive to treble than to bass), and good bass.
 
So far I've been looking at the Senn HD 595, ATH AD900, and Beyer Dt880 32 ohm. I'm a little worried about the AD900 and DT880 because I don't want more treble than bass, and that seems to be their sound signature. The 595, however, is reported to be less clear than the other two and with inferior build quality. I want these cans to LAST.
 
Thanks in advance,
Budgetboy

 

[jschristian44]

hd595 is your best bet if you want good bass and a good soundstage.  i have the ad700 and i am a treble man.  the soundstage is huge and i like that a lot more than bass.  the ad900 does have more bass but probably not what your looking for it you have the m50's.  there is a nice pair of the hd595 for sale for only 110 or something, that is a fantastic price for those headphones and i'd jump on that if i didn't like my ad700.  i had the hd555 and they were great with bass and soundstage, even better with the soundstage mod which i have detailed instructions here on the site for.  if you have anymore questions i can help you.

 

[blinkstar]

Not to be disagreeable, but I just returned a pair of 595s solely because I felt they didn't have enough bass. But I'm just getting into headphones and don't have a lot to compare then to except my old Pro 280s, so take my opinion for what it is worth. Also I was running the 595s straight from my PC--I'm sure the bass would have improved greatly had I run it through an external amp.

 

[stevenswall]

Beyerdynamics would be great for clear bass, comfort, and soundstage... and since you have an S9, the EQ can be used to great effect if you desire more bass, treble, ect. other than the AT ATH-AD700 an others with the 3D wing, Beyerdynamics are the most comfortable headphones I have worn, and they are not light on the bass like I remember the AD700 being.

 

[blueyan]

^ agree , I had listened to both M50 and 595 before . 595 do have a large soundstage but M50 bass beat 595 easily ! If you have used to listen M50 bass , 595 might not suitable for you. Why not going for HD650 ? I haven listen to AD900 before , but I  M50 bass is better than AD900 ?

 

[Mochan]

The Sony XB700 is almost ideal and exactly what you are looking for, except it may make your ears hot. 
 
It has bass, and contrary to popular opinion it has very wide soundstage, more than you'd expect from a closed can. Also contrary to popular opinion, the bass doesn't overpower the rest of the frequency range and the mids and highs are actually quite crisp.  It has a similar darkish signature as the IE8. It also runs really well off an S9. 
 
It's almost exactly what you're looking for. If you could bear the m50's heat on your ears, these should doable.
 
Another option is the Grado HF2, which while drawing over to your $400 limit and is a bit lacking in soundstage in comparison but has similar sound sig and ease of use, except it has a big plug. with that said, a really nice option would be to get an MS1 or SR80 and mod it with a few simple mods and get Flats for it, which will give you the sound sig and drivability you desire. (yes you can get rid of the annoying treble on these Grados with some modding -- my SR80 sounds close to an HF2 with all the crazy things I've done to it, and using Flats).

 

[Mochan]

I would also like to note, the HD650 despite being 300 ohm drives quite well out of an S9.  It's actually quite ideal for your purposes, but I suggest creating an aftermarket cable by ordering the terminals, some quality cable wire (silver 24 gauge!) and an angled 3.5mm neutrik. It will make it very portable friendly with your S9.
 
The HD650 is a bit expensive hovering around the $400 mark but if you get a new cable for it it will work very well with your S9.
 
It has the sound sig you are after, although size of soundstage is still quite small (narrower than the XB700 actually) but good enough coming from the IE8. Sound sig isn't exactly the same as the IE8 -- mids are more forward and bass is a little less powerful compared to the IE8, but similar darkish sound with smooth treble roll off. It's also quite cooler on the ears, but I still sweat on these cans.
 
Quote:

^ agree , I had listened to both M50 and 595 before . 595 do have a large soundstage but M50 bass beat 595 easily ! If you have used to listen M50 bass , 595 might not suitable for you. Why not going for HD650 ? I haven listen to AD900 before , but I  M50 bass is better than AD900 ?

 

[tdockweiler]

Please don't get an HD-650 without an amp! Without an amp it will just sound like a 555, so why spend all that extra money?
 
HD-600 is listenable out of an Ipod Touch, but there is no bass and it just sounds so boring and lifeless.
 
Definitely not like that through a receiver or good amp.
 
Not to be a jerk, but suggesting to someone to buy an expensive cable for an HD-650 before an amp just seems kind of...wrong. Sorry, I had to get that out.

 

[budgetboy]

Thank you for your responses.
 
jschristian44 - its not all about the bass for me, but i think your probably right, can i do the soundstage mod to 595s? and what does it entail?
Also - how can i be sure about buying on head-fi? I would be fine with spending $250 on them from Ama
 
blinkstar - This is a little troubling, but I think with a little EQ enhancement, I can give them more bass.
 
stevenswall - Another S9 owner? Great. The 880s look awesome in the comfort and soundstage department, but do you think I can really EQ in enough bass to be satisfied?
 
I'm not getting a 650 because I don't have an amp and don't plan on getting one til I get an HD 800 or something like that. Right now, low-mid fi is fine.
 
So now I've narrowed it down to DT880 vs HD595, unless any other options present themselves. Also, as long as they have a killer soundstage and don't get my ears hot (the two reasons I don't like my M50s), I'm open to closed headphones.
 
I listen to a lot of trance, which is why i need soundstage and bass. Good vocals, smooth sound, and detail are all bonuses. But I also listen to orchestral music, techno, and rock. So a good all-round headphone, with strengths in soundstage and bass. Also, NO HOT EARS. My ears need to be comfortable and cool. Any other suggestions?

 

 

[budgetboy]

Oh and Mochan, sorry but I'm looking for open headphones that I don't have to mod. The XB's intrigue me, but I wouldn't consider them as a serious option as they would most likely sound unworthy next to my IE8s. Also, Grados have never seemed like my sound signature and I'd prefer to have something simple that wouldn't require buying extra things or modding. That's also the reason I don't want to buy an amp, along with the cost. Too much effort. I just want to save up money and enjoy listening to whatever I choose to buy.

 

[jschristian44]

yes you can do the soundstage mod to the 595.  it just makes the soundstage huge, similar to the ad700 almost.  you do lose some bass but it's not terrible like the ad700.  about buying on head-fi i would buy something if i found something, and i am a really nervous person about sending people i dont know money online.  you can always pay them through paypal if you have it, then you are covered by paypal.  you could also send a money order, they have tracking and stuff so you know if they cashed it.  but honestly, i think more than 97 percent of people here are legit.
 
Quote:

Thank you for your responses.
 
jschristian44 - its not all about the bass for me, but i think your probably right, can i do the soundstage mod to 595s? and what does it entail?
Also - how can i be sure about buying on head-fi? I would be fine with spending $250 on them from Ama
 
blinkstar - This is a little troubling, but I think with a little EQ enhancement, I can give them more bass.
 
stevenswall - Another S9 owner? Great. The 880s look awesome in the comfort and soundstage department, but do you think I can really EQ in enough bass to be satisfied?
 
I'm not getting a 650 because I don't have an amp and don't plan on getting one til I get an HD 800 or something like that. Right now, low-mid fi is fine.
 
So now I've narrowed it down to DT880 vs HD595, unless any other options present themselves. Also, as long as they have a killer soundstage and don't get my ears hot (the two reasons I don't like my M50s), I'm open to closed headphones.
 
I listen to a lot of trance, which is why i need soundstage and bass. Good vocals, smooth sound, and detail are all bonuses. But I also listen to orchestral music, techno, and rock. So a good all-round headphone, with strengths in soundstage and bass. Also, NO HOT EARS. My ears need to be comfortable and cool. Any other suggestions?
 
 

 

[tdockweiler]

 
If you are wanting a lot of bass, the DT-880 wouldn't work I think. Despite the 32ohm rating they're not that easy to drive. Sure didn't feel like a 32ohm headphone to me!
For more bass, I've heard the DT-990 is the way to go. I had those in the past and they sounded good to me, but I don't remember them well.
 
Am I wrong to say that the 595 would probably have more bass then the DT-880?

 

[Mochan]

First off, I didn't tell him to buy an expensive cable, I told him to buy some terminals ($16) then some cable ($10 tops) and then a neutrik plug ($5 tops) and use that. Of course he could just use the stock cable and adapter, what I was suggesting just makes it more convenient to use with an S9.
 
Have you even heard the HD650 through a Sony X or an S9? The bass is there and it is far from boring or lifeless. Maybe the HD600 sounds that way (have not tried) but the HD650 definitely not.
 
Quote:

Please don't get an HD-650 without an amp! Without an amp it will just sound like a 555, so why spend all that extra money?
 
HD-600 is listenable out of an Ipod Touch, but there is no bass and it just sounds so boring and lifeless.
 
Definitely not like that through a receiver or good amp.
 
Not to be a jerk, but suggesting to someone to buy an expensive cable for an HD-650 before an amp just seems kind of...wrong. Sorry, I had to get that out.

 

[Mochan]

No problem, not everyone likes to tinker. 
 
But I think you're being a wee bit too judgemental of the XB700s in assuming they won't even begin to compare to the IE8s.  They're a lot closer to the sound signature you're looking for than the DT880 or the HD595 (neither of which have much bass)
 
Regarding Grados, yeah I can understand that, thats why I recommended the HF2s and not any other model, as the HF2s are definitely the "dark sheep" of the Grado family.
 
Quote:

Oh and Mochan, sorry but I'm looking for open headphones that I don't have to mod. The XB's intrigue me, but I wouldn't consider them as a serious option as they would most likely sound unworthy next to my IE8s. Also, Grados have never seemed like my sound signature and I'd prefer to have something simple that wouldn't require buying extra things or modding. That's also the reason I don't want to buy an amp, along with the cost. Too much effort. I just want to save up money and enjoy listening to whatever I choose to buy.

 

[1Time]

FWIR, I suggest considering an open Ultrasone - Google "open Ultrasone bass" to help narrow your search. There's always a risk of heat build up with closed headphones.