I am not normally a bass light guy and I am not a bass head either so I appreciate good bass. I also used to love a darker sound which is why I own the Z7 and Nighthawk headphones among others. Which is why the AZ70 are against my norm and why I wonder if they change over time because they don't feel as bass light as they did originally. My favorite IEM of all time (until they died) was the Sony XBA-Z5 which had huge bass and was definitely darker tonally. I also loved my Sony MDR-7550 when I had them (stupidly sold them and "upgraded" to the MDR-EX1000 which I hated due to its sibilance and shrill treble).
No I definitely like a warmer sound which is why I was tempted to buy the WF-1000XM3 myself. But the more I use the AZ70 the more I like them so either I have been changing or they have, or maybe a bit of both... But I did have to switch to different tips for sure to really appreciate them.
Music wise I listen to everything from classical, to rock like Pink Floyd, to Celtic, and a lot of acoustic oriented music. Where I notice the sub bass the most is on some electronic music I own and several soundtracks usually from guys like Hans Zimmer. I also love alot of Jazz ranging from Miles Davis to Patricia Barber.
Just fired up High to Hell and can hear what your saying about the kick drum I switched back and forth from the AZ70 and the Sony WF-XB700. On my AZ70 using Sony tips I get punch from the kick drum but its definitely picked up a notch or 2 on the Sony. But once that song starts to play other instruments the Sony becomes a warm mess when the first guitar (bass guitar??) starts playing whereas that guitar is taught and controlled on the AZ70. So for me with the right tips while the bass is a bit more punchy than thumping I appreciate how the AZ70 handles the rest of the instruments and have started to appreciate that tighter presentation even for the bass. perfect world world would be right between the 2 headphones truth be told...
That Radiohead song has similar results, the bass definitely sounds better on the Sony which has more thump at the beginning of the song but once the rest of the music kicks in I appreciate the AZ70 presentation more and the bass falls in line with the rest of the song for me. For kicks I switched to the supplied tips and they definitely made the bass worse and actually made the rest of the song less sharp and articulate. I then switched to the comply foam tips I have on hand and the bass started to be more like the Sony gaining a bit of thump. Switching between the Sony hybrid tip and the Foam I actually prefer the overall presentation more with the hybrid tip but the comply tip definitely adds more thump and is very close sonically so for more bass would be the better route to go.
As mentioned earlier I have owned LOTS of Sony iems so luckily have lots of hybrid tips kicking around so they are an easy switch out for me. Hopefully you some handy. If not PM me and depending on what size you need I might be able to hook you up
. Or just look for something like this,
Sony MDREX110AP/B In-Ear Headphones With Microphone (Black): Amazon.ca: Electronics, or this if you got white/silver,
Sony MDREX110AP/W In-Ear Headphones With Microphone (White): Amazon.ca: Electronics, or this
Sony MH-EX300AP in-Ear Stereo Headset Headphone Earphone for Xperia Z/ZL/V / LT36i / LT35i / LT25i: Amazon.ca: Electronics if you want a Sony IEM you might also enjoy on its own. The first 2 definitely have the hybrid tips, that last looks like it but I am not completely sure.