[w00x]

Hi everyone,
 
so I have the Q701 for about a month now and I love the detail and soundstage on those. They are great for most music genres, but the lacking bass is a bit problematic for me, even with the "bass mod" (I did it in the very beginning, but I don't really notice any difference). They have around 30-40 hours on them.
 
I have the Schiit Magni 2 to go with them for music listening. I can not use it for movie watching unless I attach it directly to the headphone jack of the receiver.
 
The lacking bass is also a problem when watching movies. I hear the dialog and ambient sounds perfectly, but the bass is non-existent and explosions/gun shots are ridiculous. I plug them in directly in my Yamaha 375 receiver and it takes quite a bit of a volume increase in order to hear them comfortably. I usually listen to my speakers on -20db. With the Q701, I need to go to at least -5db.
 
I want a headphone to use when watching movies and maybe when listening to electronic music (trance), but mainly for movies. It doesn't have to be high-end.

I also have the Sennheiser HD25-II, but the cable on those is too short and they are not as comfortable for long listening sessions. They clamp too strong, but this may be due to the fact that I have not used them enough for them to loosen up.
 
I have joined the Fostex X00 drop on Massdrop and have 4 days to either get out of it or stick with them.
It's a lot of money for a pair of headphones (with shipping and +20% tax it goes up to $558) so I am 70% for cancelling it, but considering the fact that they are a limited edition and supposedly very good, I am looking at them as a sort of investment (meaning I can presumably sell them without a big loss).
 
A requirement is for the cable to be at least 3m in length.
Or can I use an extender for this without loss in quality?
 
So any thoughts? Should I look at something else for less money, or just pull the trigger on the Fostex, keep them forever as the most expensive headphone I will own, and use them for music and movies?

I can get the BD DT770 250Ohm for $168 locally. Not really sure if those will do, but I read that they have good bass.

 

[serman005]

  Hi everyone,
 
so I have the Q701 for about a month now and I love the detail and soundstage on those. They are great for most music genres, but the lacking bass is a bit problematic for me, even with the "bass mod" (I did it in the very beginning, but I don't really notice any difference). They have around 30-40 hours on them.
 
I have the Schiit Magni 2 to go with them for music listening. I can not use it for movie watching unless I attach it directly to the headphone jack of the receiver.
 
The lacking bass is also a problem when watching movies. I hear the dialog and ambient sounds perfectly, but the bass is non-existent and explosions/gun shots are ridiculous. I plug them in directly in my Yamaha 375 receiver and it takes quite a bit of a volume increase in order to hear them comfortably. I usually listen to my speakers on -20db. With the Q701, I need to go to at least -5db.
 
I want a headphone to use when watching movies and maybe when listening to electronic music (trance), but mainly for movies. It doesn't have to be high-end.

I also have the Sennheiser HD25-II, but the cable on those is too short and they are not as comfortable for long listening sessions. They clamp too strong, but this may be due to the fact that I have not used them enough for them to loosen up.
 
I have joined the Fostex X00 drop on Massdrop and have 4 days to either get out of it or stick with them.
It's a lot of money for a pair of headphones (with shipping and +20% tax it goes up to $558) so I am 70% for cancelling it, but considering the fact that they are a limited edition and supposedly very good, I am looking at them as a sort of investment (meaning I can presumably sell them without a big loss).
 
A requirement is for the cable to be at least 3m in length.
Or can I use an extender for this without loss in quality?
 
So any thoughts? Should I look at something else for less money, or just pull the trigger on the Fostex, keep them forever as the most expensive headphone I will own, and use them for music and movies?

I can get the BD DT770 250Ohm for $168 locally. Not really sure if those will do, but I read that they have good bass.

There are cable extensions that don't degrade sound quality appreciably, so that's not an issue for you. Personally, when I read what you wrote, something immediately came to mind for you and that is the Philips Fidelio X2. It will have plenty of bass, an awesome soundstage for your movies and music, and it will save you a few hundred dollars from Massdrop. Were I in your shoes, that is what I would do. Good luck!

 

[Monsterzero]

+1 Fidelio X2

 

[w00x]

Thank you both for the replies.

Would the X2s classify as a complete Q701 replacement in your opinion?
The Q701s are still new and I pretty much like them, except the lack of bass.
 
Also, are there any options that come to mind other than the Fidelio X2? I pretty much like the open headsets (i've only had the one), but I can use a closed one for movie viewing, so "open" is not a requirement as long as it does the job well.
 
Will the X2s do a much better job than the Sennheiser HD25s if I were to use the latter with a cable extender?

 

[serman005]

  Thank you both for the replies.

Would the X2s classify as a complete Q701 replacement in your opinion?
The Q701s are still new and I pretty much like them, except the lack of bass.
 
Also, are there any options that come to mind other than the Fidelio X2? I pretty much like the open headsets (i've only had the one), but I can use a closed one for movie viewing, so "open" is not a requirement as long as it does the job well.
 
Will the X2s do a much better job than the Sennheiser HD25s if I were to use the latter with a cable extender?

Technically, the X2 would be probably considered a sidegrade from your Q701. However, it does tick off the boxes you personally wanted checked and can therefore, I think, be rightly considered an upgrade in this situation. But I would keep the Q701. If offers something completely different from the X2 and you might enjoy the contrast between the two.
 
 
I do believe the X2 is pretty plainly superior in sound quality to the HD25 II--that's just me, others may disagree.
 
For closed options, there are a million out there. SoundMAGUC HP150, AKG K553 Pro, NAD HP50, and Oppo PM-3 are a few that come to mind. B&W P7,and KEF M500 (on-ear), too. All good ones. Good luck!

 

[w00x]

Thank you for your input. I guess I will go for the X2. I can always sell it at a small loss if I don't like it.
I do enjoy the Q701 a lot as long as there is no sub-bass necessary. Instrumentals, live performances, ambient, chill-out sound amazing! There was a FLAC of Petra Magoni - Eleanor Rigby on the Q701s that simply blew me away and the bass just appeared out of nowhere, but other than in those rare instances...
 
The bass frequency is there but there is no impact, as you maybe already know.
 
Are any of the Beyerdynamics worth considering since they are roughly the same price?
 
The Fidelio X2 is 220 EUR.
In the same price range are the DT 880, DT 990 and several Ultrasone models. As well as the AT A500 A700, but I don't think that the last two will deliver the bass I am searching for.

 

[serman005]

Not sure if the 990 bass is up to the level of the X2--it's been awhile since I heard it. I would tend to say "No, it does not." But like I say, it's been awhile.

 

[w00x]

After some reading, I bit the bullet and got the Philips X2s.
People say that they are night and day with the Q701 like sound signature, so I hope that I will be able to enjoy and keep both, since I very much like the Q701 for non-bassy genres of music.
 
After I ordered, I found out that there are two versions of the X2s out there though. Just my luck... Hope I don't have any SQ deterioration because of this.