Headphones bass capabilities through specifications?
Sep 3, 2011 at 1:05 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19

HairPhones

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Hey everyone. New kid here interested in learning more about what he wears to school everyday.
 
I have a question: If you could, how do you tell how much bass a pair of headphones have to offer? I've read that, to state a few examples, that Skullcandy & beats & whatnot offer great quantities of bass. But just what technical specification tells you how "bassy" a pair of headphones are?
I don't think it has to do with frequency - my understanding of frequency is that it tells how much of the sound spectrum can the headphones produce.
 
Sorry if I worded my question awkwardly. I've never been good at posing them.
confused_face.gif

 
Thanks!
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 1:10 AM Post #2 of 19
i dunno if you can really tell for sure all the time, but the frequency response graphs at headRoom will give you an idea.  but not always the whole story.
 
you usually gotta hear them to know for sure.
 
but you probably wont find very many skull candies graphed.
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 1:15 AM Post #3 of 19
You need to compare the bass to other headphones.
 
Major points to me are:
Amount - overall power
Detail - difference of bass
Bleeding - into mids
Extension - how much the bass moves up and down
Impact - hos much it pushes your ears
Isolation - how much it doesn't overpower the other sounds
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 1:34 AM Post #5 of 19
So I would have to test out the headphones?
Are there no numbers / specifications on the packaging that could describe these points?
 
Quote:
You need to compare the bass to other headphones.
 
Major points to me are:
Amount - overall power
Detail - difference of bass
Bleeding - into mids
Extension - how much the bass moves up and down
Impact - hos much it pushes your ears
Isolation - how much it doesn't overpower the other sounds



 
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 1:45 AM Post #6 of 19


Quote:
So I would have to test out the headphones?
Are there no numbers / specifications on the packaging that could describe these points?
 


 

 
NO
 
Frequency response is the only useful thing, and that's only useful to pros
 
Make sure the Ohm's is under 32ohms as a portable and look up reviews HERE. Don't look up reviews anywhere else because Cnet and youtube is worthless.
 
Cnet - paid off. Beats = HD800? Hell no, they were paid to say that.
Youtube - fake Dj's and know-it-alls and 8 year olds trying to post video reviews.
 
How about you tell me:
 
Price range
Genre you listen to
Headphone preference. (over ear, on ear, in ear)
Sources (ipod, pc, soundcard, amps or DACs)
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 1:45 AM Post #7 of 19
The frequency range can give you a rough idea.
 
If a headphone has a frequency range of 50Hz - 16000Hz, it's very unlikely that it will be able to produce any bass below 50Hz (+ - ). I'm guessing it'll have a hard time going down to 55Hz too.
 
But the range doesn't tell you the impact, decay, quantity, etc.
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 1:48 AM Post #8 of 19


Quote:
The frequency range can give you a rough idea.
 
If a headphone has a frequency range of 50Hz - 16000Hz, it's very unlikely that it will be able to produce any bass below 50Hz (+ - ). I'm guessing it'll have a hard time going down to 55Hz too.
 
But the range doesn't tell you the impact, decay, quantity, etc.


Frequency really doesn't matter
 
Most sounds you hear is from 70-15,000 anyways. EQ's only go 50-20,000.
Apple earbuds run at 20-20,000 and sound horrid
 
The only reason you might need a 5-45,000hz headphone is not to interrupt the transition of sounds. And untrained ears won't hear that.
 
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 2:48 AM Post #9 of 19
Thanks for sharing that.
Interesting to learn that the frequency response graph can help compare bass.
 
Are there any other graphs that compare bass power, details, & such?

 
Quote:
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php
 
The Monster Beats Solo has more bass than the ibuds. 
 


 
 
I wasn't planning on buying some phones soon.
I just wanted to know if there was any other way, besides using your own ears, to tell if a set of phones was bassy, and how so.
 
Quote:
 
NO
 
Frequency response is the only useful thing, and that's only useful to pros
 
Make sure the Ohm's is under 32ohms as a portable and look up reviews HERE. Don't look up reviews anywhere else because Cnet and youtube is worthless.
 
Cnet - paid off. Beats = HD800? Hell no, they were paid to say that.
Youtube - fake Dj's and know-it-alls and 8 year olds trying to post video reviews.
 
How about you tell me:
 
Price range
Genre you listen to
Headphone preference. (over ear, on ear, in ear)
Sources (ipod, pc, soundcard, amps or DACs)



 
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 2:57 AM Post #10 of 19


 
Quote:
Thanks for sharing that.
Interesting to learn that the frequency response graph can help compare bass.
 
Are there any other graphs that compare bass power, details, & such?

 


 
Check out Innerfidelity and read a bunch of his reviews, better yet keep tabs on his blog.  Look around his site and check out his youtube channel.  There's a lot of info.  He takes more measurements than just frequency response.  Square wave and impulse response can give you an idea of bass quality, while the FR gives you an idea of quantity. 
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 3:19 AM Post #11 of 19


Quote:
Thanks for sharing that.
Interesting to learn that the frequency response graph can help compare bass.
 
Are there any other graphs that compare bass power, details, & such?

 

 
 
I wasn't planning on buying some phones soon.
I just wanted to know if there was any other way, besides using your own ears, to tell if a set of phones was bassy, and how so.
 


 



The turbines aren't worth the money to me.
 
Ask around the portable forums for a good bssy IEM at your price. They can tell you how what is what and why.
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 9:40 AM Post #13 of 19
If specs are b's most of the time, then why do they exist?
 
ph34r.gif

 
Specs are there for a reason. It's whether you know what to make of it, or you don't.
 

 
Quote:
Specs are ******** most of the time. Even frequency response graph aren't 100% accurate, but they give you a general idea of the sound signature.
 
 
You need to use your ears.



 
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 9:52 AM Post #14 of 19


Quote:
Frequency really doesn't matter
 
Most sounds you hear is from 70-15,000 anyways. EQ's only go 50-20,000.


Most hip-hop/rap/electronic focuses on frequencies around 40-50hz.  There's a good number of actual instruments that go down to 40hz.
iTunes EQ has a parameter at 32hz.
 
 
Sep 3, 2011 at 10:11 AM Post #15 of 19


Quote:
Frequency really doesn't matter
 
Most sounds you hear is from 70-15,000 anyways. EQ's only go 50-20,000.
Apple earbuds run at 20-20,000 and sound horrid
 
The only reason you might need a 5-45,000hz headphone is not to interrupt the transition of sounds. And untrained ears won't hear that.
 



EQs only have a 50-20,000 range? I suggest you get better EQs, as there are many that go down to 20Hz.
 

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