Headphones with deep bass, but clear mids and highs?
Dec 21, 2013 at 12:12 AM Post #31 of 37
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.


What do you mean by muddy bass? I don remember it sounding bad at all in the mids and highs, and I could kinda feel the bass. Also are you arguing in favor of the ultrasones or the v modas? Right now I'm not sure if I want quantity or quality but I think I would rather have quantity if I can't have both lol. I don't know about the far future but for now I will always be a bass head and I really do not want something neutral or flat. I also for sure want clear treble to keep nice clear and un muffled mids and highs. Thanks for the good luck, only time and experience will really have me learning.
 
Dec 21, 2013 at 3:14 AM Post #32 of 37
What do you mean by muddy bass? I don remember it sounding bad at all in the mids and highs, and I could kinda feel the bass. Also are you arguing in favor of the ultrasones or the v modas? Right now I'm not sure if I want quantity or quality but I think I would rather have quantity if I can't have both lol. I don't know about the far future but for now I will always be a bass head and I really do not want something neutral or flat. I also for sure want clear treble to keep nice clear and un muffled mids and highs. Thanks for the good luck, only time and experience will really have me learning.

mmm i guess muddy bass is only something you notice after you get some time to spend w/ quality headphones with very nice quality bass. i remember when i first heard the term i thought bull$hit, but after extensive testing myself, it's true that certain headphones can really capture bass better than others. if you have a friend w/ a some beats, you can demo it: their sound signature is often called muddy as the loud bass bleeds all over the rest of the sound signature. tho i have found it's harder to hear the quality upgrade going up the audio food chain & it is a lot more apparent if you have an upgrade-SQ model that you try for a while, then downgrade... then you really notice things missing. kinda like how it's more apparent when you drop in TV screen quality, than when you first upgrade. the brain is funny. however, if you want to save money, it might be better just to stick w/ what you are used to lol.
 
so it sounds like you are looking for a bass-emphasizing v-shaped sound signature (aka you'll hear ppl describe what you're looking for as: dark, warm). and yes, it does sound like you are primarily looking for quantity.
 
The Sony MDR-XB700 ear pillows were one of the bassiest headphones I have ever heard, so maybe looking at something in that series might be worth your time. You can demo at best buy. the beats also offer a hella lotta bass, but these headphones are hardly ever recommended over here due to the high price for the sound quality & the muddy bass. both the ultrasone pro 900 & the m100 are excellent basshead headphones w/ quality bass at $300.
 
For sub-$100, you will find the V-Moda LPs to be what you are looking for. very bassy set of headphones that rumbles on your head. that would be my first recommendation for you.
 
Dec 21, 2013 at 3:41 AM Post #33 of 37
I really am starting to think that Q40's are for me. I read someone's review (very detailed) on here and it sounds like exactly what I want. I forgot his username but just search M Audio q40 here and you'll find it. He says they have great mids and highs and I assume even better low bass. If a pair of headphones is a beast with bass but overpowers the mids and even possibly the highs and makes it all sound muffled, then it is something I am definitely not interested in. Again, I want deep bass with clear and good mids and highs with no muffled feeling. I think a lot of audiophiles give bad reviews and lower reviews than products like this deserve because they don't like a lot of bass, they want a neutral and very clear sounding experience like if they are right there live with the band, I need bass I love it, especially with the music I listen to: mainly dubstep and hip hop where mid bass and low deep sub bass is used extremely often (dubstep is based off and made around the bassline) but I also demand clear mids and highs. Sorry for longer reply, but yeah lol. I am definatly putting the Q40's in like spot one or two right now with the Sony MDR X10's but I have to listen to them still.
 
Dec 21, 2013 at 3:45 AM Post #34 of 37
I really am starting to think that Q40's are for me. I read someone's review (very detailed) on here and it sounds like exactly what I want. I forgot his username but just search M Audio q40 here and you'll find it. He says they have great mids and highs and I assume even better low bass. If a pair of headphones is a beast with bass but overpowers the mids and even possibly the highs and makes it all sound muffled, then it is something I am definitely not interested in. Again, I want deep bass with clear and good mids and highs with no muffled feeling. I think a lot of audiophiles give bad reviews and lower reviews than products like this deserve because they don't like a lot of bass, they want a neutral and very clear sounding experience like if they are right there live with the band, I need bass I love it, especially with the music I listen to: mainly dubstep and hip hop where mid bass and low deep sub bass is used extremely often (dubstep is based off and made around the bassline) but I also demand clear mids and highs. Sorry for longer reply, but yeah lol. I am definatly putting the Q40's in like spot one or two right now with the Sony MDR X10's but I have to listen to them still.


hahaha word! that's why you need to hit up the basshead thread, because most of the general reviews around here may actually minus points for emphasized bass. i've heard the q40s being recommended a lot for bassheads. i've even looked into gettin em myself.
 
Dec 21, 2013 at 3:51 AM Post #35 of 37
hahaha word! that's why you need to hit up the basshead thread, because most of the general reviews around here may actually minus points for emphasized bass. i've heard the q40s being recommended a lot for bassheads. i've even looked into gettin em myself.


I already have and have like 3 pages worth of feedback and my replies. Its really helped out like a massive amount. I just happened to post that reply here but ill also post it on the bass head thread.
 
Dec 21, 2013 at 3:55 AM Post #36 of 37
ya, the dudes on the basshead thread are super helpful & friendly! that's actually where i started my headphone journey when i started on this site. glad you found some quality advice.
 
Dec 21, 2013 at 4:13 AM Post #37 of 37
If you are going for the q40 be sure to buy replacement pads for it as the pads they come with it are pretty bad. Buy a pair of dt770 replacement pads or the alpha dogs if thats in your budget.
 
Links for reference: Beyerdynamic DT770 pads (there's a black version of it too, just search for it ):http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-EDT-Replacement-Pads-Pair/dp/B0016MMYKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387617070&sr=8-1&keywords=dt770+pads

Alpha Pads by MrSpeakers: https://www.mrspeakers.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=63
 

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