Headphones with deep bass, but clear mids and highs?
Dec 19, 2013 at 11:25 PM Post #16 of 37
The mids and highs on the X10is are fantastic by the way. The grain in the voice reminds me of the HD800s. The HD800s have more bass though- had to get that one in!

Thats great news to hear, that the x10's have good mids and highs, thats what i really needed to know since i already know they should have great bass as wveryone emphasizes. I will try to get them soon and keep eveyone posted on what develops. If i return them i will try the XB600's, then maybe the M Audio Q40's, and go from there.
 
Dec 19, 2013 at 11:28 PM Post #17 of 37
No offense taken- I haven't listened to every headphone out or IEM out there but have arrived at several IEMs which I am very happy with and have listened to for 100s and 100s of hours. The X10i is incredible value, the negatives being wind noise and microphonics. Comply tips help a little, you can customise them when you have a little more cash. That takes them into another league. The Monster Gratitudes are bass monsters but there's plenty of space for mids and highs. Not as detailed a sound as the Klipsch but more bass.
 
Dec 19, 2013 at 11:35 PM Post #18 of 37
No offense taken- I haven't listened to every headphone out or IEM out there but have arrived at several IEMs which I am very happy with and have listened to for 100s and 100s of hours. The X10i is incredible value, the negatives being wind noise and microphonics. Comply tips help a little, you can customise them when you have a little more cash. That takes them into another league. The Monster Gratitudes are bass monsters but there's plenty of space for mids and highs. Not as detailed a sound as the Klipsch but more bass.

God, i wish i had more money, like it would open up a whole new world of... bass? lol. Anyways, ive heard of those Monsters once, but not looked into it, will right now. The X10i's are out of budget right now. Ill look into those Monster's.
 
Ive always felt that in ear earbuds are no real competition as far as great audio and bass goes because they are so small, but am i wrong? Anyone? Can IEM' earbuds really be good for bass and quality audio overall, in my $100 budget, and just overall without a budget compared to fullsized headphones. Ive always felt that fullsized headphones are the real contenders and that earbuds are just jokes to audiophiles and people like me who have (high?) needs. Again, am i wrong there?
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 12:14 AM Post #19 of 37
No that's not the case at all. An iem can match the over the ears for bass and mids and highs and represent far better value for money.
On another thread I started up you'll be surprised to find a number of end game high end set ups are custom iems that have everything an over the ear headphone offers but with superb isolation and they don't need a separate headphone amplifier either.
Monsters should suit your purposes very well
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 12:18 AM Post #20 of 37
The mids and highs on the X10is are fantastic by the way. The grain in the voice reminds me of the HD800s. The HD800s have more bass though- had to get that one in!

...you do realize that OP was asking about headphones, not in-ears? ...and you do realize the HD800 (list price of $1,500) is nowhere near his budget of $150? I don't really think it's very helpful to throw out recommendations completely 180 degrees unrelated to OP's original post.
 
Edit: lol... did you just seriously recommend monsters? there are sooo much better value-for-your-money gear out there......... I kinda can't tell if you are just trolling or being serious.
  God, i wish i had more money, like it would open up a whole new world of... bass? lol. Anyways, ive heard of those Monsters once, but not looked into it, will right now. The X10i's are out of budget right now. Ill look into those Monster's.
 
Ive always felt that in ear earbuds are no real competition as far as great audio and bass goes because they are so small, but am i wrong? Anyone? Can IEM' earbuds really be good for bass and quality audio overall, in my $100 budget, and just overall without a budget compared to fullsized headphones. Ive always felt that fullsized headphones are the real contenders and that earbuds are just jokes to audiophiles and people like me who have (high?) needs. Again, am i wrong there?

for the price, you'll find better sound from over-ears headphones vs. in-ears. why? because in-ears naturally have trouble producing the natural sense of sound stage d/t the fact that they are stuck directly in your ear. $200 over-ears headphones can easily compete w/ $500+ in-ears. The smaller drivers of in-ears also make it hard to have great detailed bass texture & extension. Earbuds that just sit on your ear are no competition for in-ears or over-ears/on-ears because they don't isolate like in-ears or give you the sense of space & detail as larger headphones. There are many great sounding in-ears out there, but you have to spend more to get the same performance as a over-ear. The portability provided by in-ears & their tiny drivers comes at the cost of increasing performance-to-price ratio. That is why most audiophiles here prefer over-ears even when on the go. You really need to go custom in-ears to get the best fit/isolation & sound quality, and those run you $400+.
 
Luckily for you as a basshead, you can max out the performance:price ratio at $300 w/ something like the V-Moda M100. Since you like an emphasized bass, you do not need the flat/neutral sound signature that audiophiles strive for & spend an exorbitant amount of money to achieve. The next signficant upgrade would be the $1,000 Ultrasone Pro DJ. And the final step after that (IMO) would be the non-portable closed TH-900 $1,500. If you are just looking for a whole new world of bass, there is really no need to go above $300 and you can find really solid options at $100-200. If you want to increase clarity/resolution/sound stage & get that neutral frequency response... that is when you start getting a bit craycray w/ your spendings.
 
In my personal opinion: To get really great bass, you need your drivers to move enough air to feel that slam & impact... that is really only achievable with over-ear headphones. Also, I sometimes feel like bassy in-ears are often achieved by an EQ-bass-boost of the lower frequencies to compensate for their small drivers rather than a natural deep textured bass with great extension & detail. Personal opinion, of course.
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 12:24 AM Post #21 of 37
oh my god, they are originally like $230 and amazon has them for $60! Thats a $170 savings! I saw the $60 and was like eh, nice price, but i just noticed the price they were! I better try to get these soon before they go back up! They must be pretty damn good for $230 MSRP!
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 12:28 AM Post #22 of 37
  oh my god, they are originally like $230 and amazon has them for $60! Thats a $170 savings! I saw the $60 and was like eh, nice price, but i just noticed the price they were! I better try to get these soon before they go back up! They must be pretty damn good for $230 MSRP!

if you are talking about monsters lol that's because they are always severely overpriced...
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 12:36 AM Post #24 of 37
  I am seeing glowing reviews about the Monster Gratitudes with their clarity and emphasized bass, so i will keep my eye on those too. Great input everyone, keep it coming? Thanks!

hahaha... you will see glowing reviews on the Beats as well on amazon lol
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 12:39 AM Post #25 of 37
...you do realize that OP was asking about headphones, not in-ears? ...and you do realize the HD800 (list price of $1,500) is nowhere near his budget of $150? I don't really think it's very helpful to throw out recommendations completely 180 degrees unrelated to OP's original post.
 
for the price, you'll find better sound from over-ears headphones vs. in-ears. why? because in-ears naturally have trouble producing the natural sense of sound stage d/t the fact that they are stuck directly in your ear. $200 over-ears headphones can easily compete w/ $500+ in-ears. The smaller drivers of in-ears also make it hard to have great detailed bass texture & extension. Earbuds that just sit on your ear are no competition for in-ears or over-ears/on-ears because they don't isolate like in-ears or give you the sense of space & detail as larger headphones. There are many great sounding in-ears out there, but you have to spend more to get the same performance as a over-ear. The portability provided by in-ears & their tiny drivers comes at the cost of increasing performance-to-price ratio. That is why most audiophiles here prefer over-ears even when on the go. You really need to go custom in-ears to get the best fit/isolation & sound quality, and those run you $400+.
 
Luckily for you as a basshead, you can max out the performance:price ratio at $300 w/ something like the V-Moda M100. Since you like an emphasized bass, you do not need the flat/neutral sound signature that audiophiles strive for & spend an exorbitant amount of money to achieve. The next signficant upgrade would be the $1,000 Ultrasone Pro DJ. And the final step after that (IMO) would be the non-portable closed TH-900 $1,500. If you are just looking for a whole new world of bass, there is really no need to go above $300 and you can find really solid options at $100-200. If you want to increase clarity/resolution/sound stage & get that neutral frequency response... that is when you start getting a bit craycray w/ your spendings.
 
In my personal opinion: To get really great bass, you need your drivers to move enough air to feel that slam & impact... that is really only achievable with over-ear headphones. Also, I sometimes feel like bassy in-ears are often achieved by an EQ-bass-boost of the lower frequencies to compensate for their small drivers rather than a natural deep textured bass with great extension & detail. Personal opinion, of course.
 
Edit: lol... did you just seriously recommend monsters? there are sooo much better value-for-your-money gear out there......... I kinda can't tell if you are just trolling or being serious.

 


This is a hobby isn't it? Just a bit of fun? Are you trying to use the word troll to try and cause offense?
I own the stuff I am talking about. You have simply not researched opinion out there amongst the head fi fraternity regarding the Monster Gratitudes. There's plenty of talk out there about it.
Unless you have heard these or any other phones out there anyone talks about please don't ridicule or criticise them. It just ends up causing unecessary bad feeling.
Bass is abundant in so many in ears, it's not true that most audiophiles prefer over the ear designs on the move. I understand you like them, and obviously I love over the ears I've spent 1000s on them. Indoors great, outdoors less practical compared to an IEM but still great don't get me wrong. I have used both and enjoyed both. I found that the over the ears made my ears sweaty after more than 2 hours of walking.
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 12:53 AM Post #27 of 37
mmm... well, my friend had a pair of monster in-ears... they broke after like 2 months, so I dunno. if you end up gettin em, I would just be careful w/ em.
 
I mean I would imagine there is a reason that a pair of in-ears lost 75% of it's value in less than 6 months... (and if I was speculating, I would venture something along the lines of ridiculously over-priced to start with & questionable build quality, but you're right I haven't heard them, so I won't make any farther comments about them)
 
I personally think you can get a lot better stuff for your money, but of course, IMPO/YMMV hahaha
 
edit: I really couldn't care less what the head-fi community says about any product. A lot of random things get really over-hyped over here. sure, in-ears have their place for their portability, but if you're strictly talking about performance:price, over ears are much better (esp for bass response). for a basshead, you simply can't get it done w/ in-ears. for sweaty ears, you should go on-ears vs. velour pads. that really helps :)
 
hahaha & i am actually using bose ie2 on-the-go b/c the wing-tip design is sooo comfy. their sound leaves something to be desired, but that's the trade-off you make when you go for in-ears. i've tried a bunch of different decently high-end in-ears like the s4a, hf5, c5, and a random westone forgot which model & honestly, none of em really did it for me & it's really uncomfortable to have something stuck deep in your ear canal. so yes, my background, I don't really use in-ears for serious music enjoyment. I realized pretty quickly that for me personally that I would need to spend a ton of money to achieve what I was looking for sonically w/ in-ears, so I don't really bother. lol.
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 1:43 AM Post #28 of 37
mmm... well, my friend had a pair of monster in-ears... they broke after like 2 months, so I dunno. if you end up gettin em, I would just be careful w/ em.


 


I mean I would imagine there is a reason that a pair of in-ears lost 75% of it's value in less than 6 months... (and if I was speculating, I would venture something along the lines of ridiculously over-priced to start with & questionable build quality, but you're right I haven't heard them, so I won't make any farther comments about them)


 


I personally think you can get a lot better stuff for your money, but of course, IMPO/YMMV hahaha


 


edit: I really couldn't care less what the head-fi community says about any product. A lot of random things get really over-hyped over here. sure, in-ears have their place for their portability, but if you're strictly talking about performance:price, over ears are much better (esp for bass response). for a basshead, you simply can't get it done w/ in-ears. for sweaty ears, you should go on-ears vs. velour pads. that really helps :)


 


hahaha & i am actually using bose ie2 on-the-go b/c the wing-tip design is sooo comfy. their sound leaves something to be desired, but that's the trade-off you make when you go for in-ears. i've tried a bunch of different decently high-end in-ears like the s4a, hf5, c5, and a random westone forgot which model & honestly, none of em really did it for me & it's really uncomfortable to have something stuck deep in your ear canal. so yes, my background, I don't really use in-ears for serious music enjoyment. I realized pretty quickly that for me personally that I would need to spend a ton of money to achieve what I was looking for sonically w/ in-ears, so I don't really bother. lol.

 


You'll get into them again eventually, there's plenty out there you haven't heard that produce amazing bass. And are cheap as chips
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 1:46 AM Post #29 of 37
No offense to anyone, but from my experiences, great sound quality can be achieved with in earbuds just as well or even better than full sized headphones, but bass is questionable since I've never really owned a higher end pair of headphones or earbuds, but I do know that I have heard some pretty good bass with earbuds, like with the Munitio MW3 Billets earbuds I had, but they had very poor build quality as the cable kept causing one side to stop working. Anyways, that's my opinion, only experience will tell for sure, but I do know that everyone has a different taste and hear differently, its all kinda subliminal. So as I get more into this stuff I will learn and become experienced. This isn't a thank you and goodbye, but thanks for all your help to everyone, this has been a massive help and this is only the very beginning. Keep the info flowing as anyone feels fit and feel free to do so!
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 1:51 AM Post #30 of 37
You'll get into them again eventually, there's plenty out there you haven't heard that produce amazing bass. And are cheap as chips

mmm... hahaha I doubt it. the "amazing bass" of most in-ears I've tried are simply boosted bass quantity that muddies up the sound signature & bleeds... missing the rich texture & detail of quality tight bass and lacking in bass extension/impact/slam and forget about sound stage. just can't compete w/ a mid-fi $200 over-ear in my experience. & it's easy to find cheap bass-boosted headphones/earbuds, but even cheaper to just EQ lol. my personal experience of course. =P ymmv
 
Edit: @ShibeSuchBass, not to discredit your experience, but i think the munitio mw3 billets earbuds is an example of muddy bass that is simply artificially boosted in level & that bleeds into the rest of the sound frequency. (aka lacking bass quality). if you are just looking for bass boost, almost every consumer headphone/earbud out there now is bass-boosted, so it shouldn't be too hard to find something you like & you can save a ton of money as well, or you can just EQ a bass boost on whatever headphone you are using :)
 
if you ever get a chance you do some extensive listening on something like the ultrasone pro 900 vs V-Moda M100, you'll find that even though the bass is not overwhelmingly loud (quantity), you can pick out a lot of detail & patterns in the low frequencies that you never heard before (quality) while the mids & treble still sound very sharp & clear (for a basshead pair of headphones). Or try the AKG K550s that has really weak bass quantity, but has great bass quality: you hear the deep extension, rumbling into the really low frequency levels & the subtle texture between bass notes while maintaining crystal clear trebles. i think you'll be pleasantly surprised & begin to prefer more neutral headphones. 
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 cheers & gl on your headphone search.
 

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