[Surag238]

Hey folks, so I just came across a 100 dollar amazon gift certificate and I just returned my m50s because of issues I was having with them.  that said, I now have 250 dollars to spend (instead of 150). 
 
I was hoping that you could recommend headphones that offer punchy bass (more than m50) without sacrificing music quality, clarity, etc. because I listen to both Rap and classical music in equal numbers.  Also, because I game, having a better soundstage than the m50 would be desirable.
 
To put things in perspective-I loved the m50 bass, but wished it were punchier.  I also thought the highs and mids sometimes sounded like I was hearing out of a echo chamber-there was some sort of distortion I was not appreciating.  The clarity was missing in other words. 
 
I also felt that the image s4 offered greater clarity than the m50 and I could hear the highs better with the image s4 than the m50s. 
 
The image s4s also offered sharper and better highs.
 
I want headphones that are closed and over the ears.  250 is my max spending now.  Thanks!!!

 

[Surag238]

forgot to mention, at this price range I wont be able to afford an amp.  so un-amped should be high quailty with solid thumping bass.

 

[Surag238]

Would you guys recommend the ath a900? Is the bass on this louder, punchier than the m50?
 
In other words, I want something as close to the beats but better in quality.  Would the a900 be better in this regard compared to the m50? Thanks.

 

[Surag238]

After looking through the forums I see a900 is not bassier.  I am not a fan of the shure 840 nor the ultrasone 780 because of construction only.  I have never tried them but the pictures I see turn them off for me and I am concerned about their durability (no matter how long lasting they seem or are to others)....sorry but after a bad experience with IEMs its important they last long-and are comfortable.  Thanks.

 

[SpecR1]

I have the ATH-M50, did you try putting it through an amp before you returned it? Some ppl say they dont need to be amped because of low Ohms but |Joker|'s post says they should be amped.
Anyways I thought they were low on bass too but I just bought a FiiO E5 and put the bass boost on and theres enough bass for me. With the Cowon J3 (Bass settings) + E5 then theres way too much bass lol.
 
I have 2, 10" Alpine Type-R subs in my car, so I like bass and the ATH-M50+E5 is enough for me.
 
Check out jokers post if you haven't already
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/433318/shootout-80-portable-headphones-reviewed-beyerdynamic-dtx-300-p-koss-ksc35-added-05-06
 
and I suspect that you're not getting any replies because "nothing?" suits your criteria.
 
 

 

[Surag238]

I used the e5 amp.  I was not impressed with that amp.  I actually just returned it.  Would you recommend another amp that would power the m50 better? I'm willing to spend up to 100 bucks on an amp (if I repurchase the m50)

 

[dweaver]

I found the Denon DN700 had more bass than the M50 and it's not a boomy bass either. Nice and tight but deeper in my experience (my experience with the M50 was the pair I listened to in the store when I bought my DN700) BTW I also tested the DN1000 and found they were very similar to the M50 and apparently they are manufactured in a factory that also makes some AT headphones which may be why I found them more like the M50. Needless to say I prefered the sound of the DN700 and ended up buying them. These are also reviewed in Jokers portable thread.
 
If you look in the fullsize headphone forum I have a review of them there.

 

[Surag238]

I tried to search for them.  Can you link? thanks.