[The_Blood_Raven]

Hello, I am looking into headphones for my friend and I decided to make a specific thread for this. Are their any headphones out there for $200 or less that sound similar to the AD700s, IE very detailed, but have some decent bass. Open or closed doesn't matter, and they don't have to have the huge soundstage of the AD700s.

Are the MS-1s a good fit for this?

Thank you.

 

[hardRAWKR]

The MS-1's are a very good phone but if you're looking for the AD-700+bass, that's the wrong phone. The MS-1's have no soundstage at all and are much more forward than the AD-700's. They do have a lot of detail though.
There is the closed equivalent, the A-700's. I haven't heard them personally but they may be what you're looking for.
I think your best bet will be getting an amp with the AD-700. Amping can make headphones a lot better, and it will definitely fill out the bass in the AD-700. However, amps are expensive, so I don't know if that could be an option. I guess you could get the Fiio E-5 (only $20, very cheap for an amp), which would certainly fit the purpose, although it is far from the best amp available.

 

[Marximus]

The ATH-M50s are pretty good. Very detailed and revealing, if a bit sterile sounding. They have excellent bass, but (partially) because they're a close headphone, the soundstage definitely leaves something to be desired coming from the AD700s. They can be found for around $100. I really like my DT990 Pros, but they can be a bit sibilant at times.

 

[Brandon7s]

I was in the same position as you, looking for a headphone with a sound similar to the AD700, but more bass, and a fuller all-around sound. The AKG K701 was the one I've found to satisfy me the most. More bass depth, quantity, and quality, with a more neutral overall sound. Less harsh highs, but also more detail in every range. Also, an amazing soundstage that is at least as good as the AD700.

You will need an amp for these though, and they cost me about 250USD new. Well worth the money though, I believe.

I also have the DT990\250ohms Pros, and DT880\250 Pros. I find the DT880s to be fairly harsh at times, but everything I've thrown at the DT990 sounds pleasant. No more harsh than the K701, and definitely less harsh than the AD700 to my ears. The mids are entirely different compared to the AD700 though. Much more recessed. Same with the DT880\250s.

Also, I just got an amp in, the Matrix M-Stage. It definitely helped the low-frequency quality and quantity of all my headphones EXCEPT for the AD700. That one still sounds as thin as ever.

 

[2rooi123]

Audio technica ws70

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marximus /img/forum/go_quote.gif The ATH-M50s are pretty good. Very detailed and revealing, if a bit sterile sounding. They have excellent bass, but (partially) because they're a close headphone, the soundstage definitely leaves something to be desired coming from the AD700s. They can be found for around $100. I really like my DT990 Pros, but they can be a bit sibilant at times.

I had looked at the ATH-M50s myself, but was scared away by reports of them not handling fast music like metal very well, he will likely be even more picky. Can you confirm this?

The A700 is supposed to be nothing like the AD700 and not worth the price.

The AKG 701 look nice, but a bit out of budget, maybe a good deal used will come up. He isn't in a hurry like I was.

 

[jp_zer0]

What you are describing is the AD900. Other phones will differ more in one aspect or another.

If you liked the AD700 I think you will hate the MS1. Completely different philosophy.

 

[Marximus]

I don't listen to much metal (at all), although I do have some Led Zeppelin. I thought they were fine. The bass response makes them fun. There's something different about them from the DT990s, though, that I can't put my finger on. Apparently the mids are more recessed on the DT990s? I'm not too good at detecting sound signatures. The M50s sound almost kind of polite. Not really laid back, but I guess it comes back to the neutral, almost sterile sound of them. Not sure at this point. I'll need to do some more listening.

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp_zer0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What you are describing is the AD900. Other phones will differ more in one aspect or another. If you liked the AD700 I think you will hate the MS1. Completely different philosophy.

The AD900's bass is a tiny bit better, but its still very much on the light side of bassiness.

The FiiO E5 would help, but not because it's an amp. It would help because it has a bass boost EQ circuit. Which brings up my main solution. If you really like the sound of the AD700, but want more bass, then just EQ it to be more bassy.

Just remember if you do that to pull non bassy frequencies down, leaving the bass in your EQ where it is. Pushing EQ faders up, particularly in the bass region since they hog more juice, can result in clipping. But pushing faders down can't resort in clipping.