[Shockah]

I would like to get a pair of Sennheiser cans, but still remain undecided between the HD 439 and the 518. I really enjoy Sennheisers' laid back and smooth sound, but I feel that the 439s lack bass after trying them out today, and I somehow feel that the HD 518 is going to have more bass, and even wider soundstage and SQ in general due to the fact that its open and the 439 is closed. (Or maybe I just hate the idea of getting another pair of closed back headphones?) However the 518 is fairly far out of my budget, so should I buy, mod and amp the 439s or wait until I can save enough for the 518? Really would value any advice

 

[PKPnytheta47]

If your really looking for bass have you tried checking out the ATH-M50 or the ATH-Pro500 Mk2 from Audio Technica? They are right around the same price as the HD-518. I own the HD-518 and it really gives a very balanced sound with the Senn sound signature of being a little veiled and laid back. In terms of bass, adding volume to these cans will bring it out but without the oomph. Bass is nice and tight specially after burning in.
 
I recently listened to both the ATH-M50 (which sounded even darker than the HD-518 but gave a lot of bass) and the ATH-Pro500 Mk2 (the highs and mids sounded more clear compared to the M50 but also gave almost the same amount of bass) and prefer the Pro500 because it  felt more balanced versus the M50.
 
As for buying amps versus saving up to upgrade your cans... I'm of the mind that buying better headphones is a better avenue than getting amps which only help by adding bass. Nothing wrong with that, but in most cases unless you buy a ZO2 the bass comes out muddy or loose if you're unlucky or nice and tight depending on the headphone you have. So best advice is, if you can try out an amp with your headphone, do it so you can hear the difference. Then audition the headphone you want and listen to the difference between the two, then choose which avenaue suits you better!
 
I hope this helps you in any way!

 

[BillsonChang007]

HD439 has less grainy sound compared to HD518. Driving HD439 without amp might not be able to bring out the most out of it. I paired it with iBasso D7 during my audition. The bass really stand out and tighten! If you don't mind on-ear, the UE4000 are good. 
 
+1 for ATH-PRO500 MKII

 

[EuphonicArin]

when I compared my hd439 that are modded to a hd 558 (which would probably be a bit less congested than the hd518) the hd 558 were slightly more laidback but alot less fun per say