Headphone amp with Bass punch?
Jan 4, 2011 at 4:07 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 26

jsturess

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[size=small]I am seeking for [/size][size=small] a[/size] headphone amp to my Sennheiser 650, have been thinking about [size=small] Musical[/size] Fidelity V3. Are looking for a lot of bass and what I mean [size=small]with bass[/size] is certainly not the same for you? Have built a lot of car audio, resulting in bass fanatic. Can you get this bass punch with this amplifier? I do not listen to jazz and classical music and that kind of music.
 
[size=small]Or perhaps headphone [/size]sound is nothing for me?
 
Regards Johan
 
Jan 4, 2011 at 4:56 AM Post #3 of 26
+1 sugarkang
 
I definitely wouldn't go as far to say headphone sound is not for you. Primarily you need some bass-heavy, punchy headphones, such as the ones sugarkang suggested. I'm sure other people here with experience with such headphones can offer some more options.
 
If you wanted added bass and punch go with a "warm" sounding amp. I've always looked for neutrality in amps so can't recommend anything warm. Keep in mind an amp isn't going to do a massive amount to alter the frequency spectrum.
 
Bass heavy headphones + warm amp + use an equaliser, and you'll definitely get enough bass.
 
Jan 4, 2011 at 5:28 AM Post #5 of 26

That's just overkill. 
OP will be fine with something in between Dr. Dre Beats and DT-770 / Denon D2000.
I recommend the XB-700 because it is cheap and excellent. 
It is a great starting point on your "search."
 
Quote:
Some people use sub-woofer with open headphone i think its the best you can do with headphone bass.



 
Jan 4, 2011 at 6:14 AM Post #6 of 26
Perhaps I exaggerated a bit :)

I'm pretty happy with the bass when I listen to 650 without any amp. what I had hoped was that the base would get more punch and be a little tighter.
 
Jan 4, 2011 at 6:40 AM Post #7 of 26
No offence but I wouldnt say the XB-700 is "excellent". Are you sure you've heard it? Or are you just assuming that because you read it from another thread. The XB700 is okay for the price but it is not very worth it. The bass is slightly louder than other headphones but you will sacrifice a lot of SQ for it. You can buy other headphones for a similiar price but sounds twice as better.. The denon D2000 is also good but theres not much impact. The beats on the otherhand is just plain awful. Im not bashing monsters or anything, their IEMs are great but the beats are not. My friend has one and he even hated it, even though he is not an audiophile. 
 
To OP, If you really want an amp that has bass impact I would reccomend the Amb M^3. It has a adjustable Bass EQ and can drive a most high-end headphones.
 
Jan 4, 2011 at 6:45 AM Post #8 of 26
Have I heard the headphones that are sitting on my desk right now and are listed in my signature?  Yes.
OP you can get what you want.  I'm only commenting on which headphones have more or less bass.
The HD-650 doesn't have a lot but is probably the most bass in the Sennheiser line.
If you don't want more bass, then I don't recommend the XB-700.
 
The XB-700 is excellent for the price. 
It destroys the the HD-650 in urban music only because I believe bass impact is essential.
Imagining and soundstage would be better in other headphones though.
 
 
Quote:
No offence but I wouldnt say the XB-700 is "excellent". Are you sure you've heard it?

 
Jan 4, 2011 at 11:31 AM Post #9 of 26
Quote:
Originally Posted by beamthegreat /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
The bass is slightly louder than other headphones but you will sacrifice a lot of SQ for it. You can buy other headphones for a similiar price but sounds twice as better..


In my experience the bass on the XB700's is a bit more than "slightly louder" than most headphones.  The bass on the XB700 is in it's own league.
 
Also, you can get a pair of XB700's for $70 or less in many situations, I'm curious to hear what headphones you think you can get for a similar price that sound "twice as better", unless you're not counting bass as part of that equation.
 
Jan 4, 2011 at 11:54 PM Post #10 of 26


Quote:
Have I heard the headphones that are sitting on my desk right now and are listed in my signature?  Yes.
OP you can get what you want.  I'm only commenting on which headphones have more or less bass.
The HD-650 doesn't have a lot but is probably the most bass in the Sennheiser line.
If you don't want more bass, then I don't recommend the XB-700.
 
The XB-700 is excellent for the price. 
It destroys the the HD-650 in urban music only because I believe bass impact is essential.
Imagining and soundstage would be better in other headphones though.
 
 
Quote:
No offence but I wouldnt say the XB-700 is "excellent". Are you sure you've heard it?


I have a pair of the Senn 650 and 800's and from my perspective the 800 has much more bass than the 650.  In comparison, the 650 sounds muddled and dense while the 800 sounds alive and when it does have bass it is true bass, IMHO.
 
 
Jan 5, 2011 at 12:01 AM Post #11 of 26

As if he's gonna buy a $1500 headphones for more bass. The problem here is the headphones. Amp would not greatly improve bass. I say if you want more bass, then start from square one and buy a new set of headphones that satisfy your taste(for you, it's bass).
Quote:
Quote:
Have I heard the headphones that are sitting on my desk right now and are listed in my signature?  Yes.
OP you can get what you want.  I'm only commenting on which headphones have more or less bass.
The HD-650 doesn't have a lot but is probably the most bass in the Sennheiser line.
If you don't want more bass, then I don't recommend the XB-700.
 
The XB-700 is excellent for the price. 
It destroys the the HD-650 in urban music only because I believe bass impact is essential.
Imagining and soundstage would be better in other headphones though.
 
 
Quote:
No offence but I wouldnt say the XB-700 is "excellent". Are you sure you've heard it?


I have a pair of the Senn 650 and 800's and from my perspective the 800 has much more bass than the 650.  In comparison, the 650 sounds muddled and dense while the 800 sounds alive and when it does have bass it is true bass, IMHO.
 



 
Jan 5, 2011 at 12:06 AM Post #12 of 26

Pretty sure there was a post by someone recently that had the exact opposite impression.
Not saying that you are wrong of course, as I have no experience with the 800.
Though the headroom graph does suggest slightly more bass out of the 650.
It could also be that you find the 800 more pleasing, so you can turn up the volume higher,
which would also have the effect of outputting more bass.
 
Again though, I don't know. 
 
Quote:
I have a pair of the Senn 650 and 800's and from my perspective the 800 has much more bass than the 650.  In comparison, the 650 sounds muddled and dense while the 800 sounds alive and when it does have bass it is true bass, IMHO.
 



 
Jan 5, 2011 at 12:36 AM Post #13 of 26


Quote:
As if he's gonna buy a $1500 headphones for more bass. The problem here is the headphones. Amp would not greatly improve bass. I say if you want more bass, then start from square one and buy a new set of headphones that satisfy your taste(for you, it's bass).
Quote:
Quote:
Have I heard the headphones that are sitting on my desk right now and are listed in my signature?  Yes.
OP you can get what you want.  I'm only commenting on which headphones have more or less bass.
The HD-650 doesn't have a lot but is probably the most bass in the Sennheiser line.
If you don't want more bass, then I don't recommend the XB-700.
 
The XB-700 is excellent for the price. 
It destroys the the HD-650 in urban music only because I believe bass impact is essential.
Imagining and soundstage would be better in other headphones though.
 
 
Quote:
No offence but I wouldnt say the XB-700 is "excellent". Are you sure you've heard it?


I have a pair of the Senn 650 and 800's and from my perspective the 800 has much more bass than the 650.  In comparison, the 650 sounds muddled and dense while the 800 sounds alive and when it does have bass it is true bass, IMHO.
 


 


I'm not so sure that the problem is the headphones, that might be a very limited viewpoint.  And I have no idea how he wants to spend his money, I would not presume, that is his [size=10pt]prerogative[/size].
 
You can adjust the frequency and boost bass without spending a penny.  Another is if you are using a tubed headphone amp, you can adjust tubes and get more bass out of your system.  Also, by cleaning up power and using a power regenerator you can boost bass.  It's not just the headphones, there are a lot of other factors on a system that can be adjusted to get more bass.  So, it is not solely a headphone issue, from my perspective.
 
 
Jan 5, 2011 at 2:13 AM Post #14 of 26
Try the Lisa3. It has a bass boost and it is a powerful amp for its size.
 
Jan 5, 2011 at 12:31 PM Post #15 of 26
i recommend a HeadRoom amp. when the crossfeed is on there is definitely a slight bass boost. i'd say it's a 2-3db increase from maybe 200-250hz on down. these numbers are just rough educated guesses. if you are a crossfeed hater this obviously wouldn't help you though. i like crossfeed and i like the added warmth and bass so its great.
 

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