Good audiophile level bass head cans that do not need an amp?
Nov 15, 2018 at 10:11 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
waytoodeep03

waytoodeep03

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I recently tried audeze lcd xc and while it sounded great i found it needed an amp to achieve its great sound.

This poses a problem for me as I travel alot and don't need the bulk of an extra item when listening to music in the airport. I have an lg v20 that has a dac and I need this to be enough to drive a pair of phones.

That being said what are some audiophile quality bass head cans =great sub bass for movies and low end bass you can feel for music) that can sound good with a phone?
 
Nov 15, 2018 at 1:34 PM Post #4 of 14
waytoodeep03 said:
I recently tried audeze lcd xc and while it sounded great i found it needed an amp to achieve its great sound.

This poses a problem for me as I travel alot and don't need the bulk of an extra item when listening to music in the airport. I have an lg v20 that has a dac and I need this to be enough to drive a pair of phones.

That being said what are some audiophile quality bass head cans =great sub bass for movies and low end bass you can feel for music) that can sound good with a phone?
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LCD-XC should not require that much power. Are you doing whatever trickery is required to get the V20 to go into its higher output mode? The LCD is low impedance so the V20 may not do it automatically.
 
Nov 15, 2018 at 2:02 PM Post #5 of 14
Yea i did. It seems that the bass was there but wasnt being felt. Then when i used a tube amp i felt the bass.

I do like those sony xb950b1 headphones. The bass hits harder and had more presence but of course it isn't an audiophile headphone. There is no soundstage
 
Nov 15, 2018 at 2:43 PM Post #6 of 14
waytoodeep03 said:
Yea i did. It seems that the bass was there but wasnt being felt. Then when i used a tube amp i felt the bass.

I do like those sony xb950b1 headphones. The bass hits harder and had more presence but of course it isn't an audiophile headphone. There is no soundstage
Click to expand...

In that case, have you tried EQ? It could be that what makes the tube amp pairing work better isn't actually power as such, but the amp's coloration. It's certainly worth a try, since it would be an easy and no-cost fix. (Then again, it could also be power; maybe the V20 isn't putting out enough current for planars.)

In terms of high-end closed cans (I'm assuming you want closed since you're using these while traveling) there are definitely options out there. You could look at headphones using the Fostex biodynamic drivers like the Fostex TH-900/etc., ZMF's dynamic headphones, or the EMU Teak. Or maybe the Sony MDR-Z7 or a used Z1R? Not all of those headphones listed are intended to be driven by phones, but I think they shouldn't be as hard to drive as planar magnetics.

The headphone I'd use in this situation is the humble B&O H6. It has a surprisingly good soundstage for a portable closed back -- but it's certainly not going to compete with open back headphones. (If you can find a set of Rapha perforated earpads, even better.) It's not really putting out basshead levels of bass, but it takes EQ well, so you can push the bass to garish levels when needed. BUT it's been discontinued and the earpads are a proprietary bayonet mount, so longevitiy is a concern.

Or...just give in and join the amp stacking life : ) If you enjoy the sound of the LCD-XC from your tube amp, maybe it's worth considering picking up an ALO Continental V5 or a Phatlab Sassy. Power and tubes, in at least a relatively pocketable form factor.
 
Nov 15, 2018 at 5:09 PM Post #7 of 14
waytoodeep03 said:
I recently tried audeze lcd xc and while it sounded great i found it needed an amp to achieve its great sound.
This poses a problem for me as I travel alot and don't need the bulk of an extra item when listening to music in the airport. I have an lg v20 that has a dac and I need this to be enough to drive a pair of phones.
That being said what are some audiophile quality bass head cans =great sub bass for movies and low end bass you can feel for music) that can sound good with a phone?
Click to expand...
Audio Technica ATH-WS99 headphones.
(buy used off eBay)
 
Nov 15, 2018 at 5:15 PM Post #8 of 14
I vote for MDR-Z1R (~$1150 used) for closed-back and HD800S (~$1050 used) if you don't care about having it closed. Or for a little more money a used STAX SR-007A (~$1550 used) and a used cheap Stax amp (~$100-$500).
 
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Nov 16, 2018 at 10:37 AM Post #9 of 14
PointyFox said:
I vote for MDR-Z1R (~$1150 used) for closed-back and HD800S (~$1050 used) if you don't care about having it closed. Or for a little more money a used STAX SR-007A (~$1550 used) and a used cheap Stax amp (~$100-$500).
Click to expand...


Yea Im leaning more towards the Sony's. I really like their signature sound. They tune all of their headphones towards Bass
 
Nov 19, 2018 at 9:36 AM Post #11 of 14
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Nov 19, 2018 at 12:41 PM Post #13 of 14
Get a cayin c5 and some fostex Purple Hearts and you’ll having some bass. Actually I’m looking for a portable option myself too
 
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