Help me describe bass impact/slam

[Wiscious]

Hey,

I wonder if everyone might be able to help me articulate what type of sound I’m trying to describe.

I love the physical effect of a bass drum ‘hitting’ my ear. That slamming of a beat that is physical and ‘punchy’ but without sounding muddy.

I also like to hear each instrument and details, crisply and cleanly.

I love bass rumble, but it’s less important to me than the punching/slamming…impact?

I always struggle to find headphones and iems that fit my goal because when I’m reading reviews and comments, I don’t think people describe the sound I think they are describing.

So, how would I go about articulating the above and what headphones and iem’s under $1200 would be worth a demo?

I love my DCA AEON Noir 2 but they don’t ‘slam/punch/impact’ enough.

I love the Fostex TH-X00 for bass rumble and mostly slam/impact. I feel I want more slam same rumble.

I like my Sundara but they fall terribly short in the bass requirements.

The Focal Elegia are not my preferred in any way except build and looks.

Should I try the Sony MDR 1Z and Fostex TH900 mk2?

What else?

What IEM? (I have letsuer S12 and meh)

Thanks everyone for helping me!

 

[msing539]

The most slam I've heard is the TH900 with EQ and Skullcandy Crusher. The latter uses haptic vibration, so it's somewhat of a cheat, but it has tremendous impact and it's cheap. But the rest of the FR is meh on the Crusher.

Take a look at the Extreme basshead thread here on Headfi.

 

[nOoneNL]

Honestly, my advice would be to just get a Schiit Loki EQ. It's one of the best hardware solutions for bassheads, if you ask me.
That way you can give a proper bass boost to any and all headphones you're gonna try and/or own down the road.

 

[Wiscious]

Thank you both.

 

[megabigeye]

Don't know if this will help you understand/describe, but here is an interactive frequency chart.
One of the difficulties I've found with audiophile lingo is that most of the words do not have a clear, concrete definition. It ends up that many/most people end up meaning slightly different things when they use the same words.

 

[Wiscious]

Don't know if this will help you understand/describe, but here is an interactive frequency chart.
One of the difficulties I've found with audiophile lingo is that most of the words do not have a clear, concrete definition. It ends up that many/most people end up meaning slightly different things when they use the same words.

This is perfect and exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks very much!

 

[ST33L]

I have both the TH900Mk2 and MDR-Z1R. Both are great for bass, but Fostex is more impactful w/better slam, and the Sonys are more balanced.

 

[Wiscious]

I have both the TH900Mk2 and MDR-Z1R. Both are great for bass, but Fostex is more impactful w/better slam, and the Sonys are more balanced.

Thanks.

They look beautiful. I think I’m going to try some TH900Mk2!

 

[msing539]

Thanks.

They look beautiful. I think I’m going to try some TH900Mk2!

With EQ...

 

[dougms3]

I would say the Denon d7200 has the most impact / slam / punch that I"ve heard in a headphone. The Fostex th900 comes in a very close second to my ears.

The focal clear with sheepskin pads also have alot as well, but its a bit different. The focal clear hits with weight behind it, making it feel like a visceral thud. Where as the d7200s hits with speed and agility, if that makes sense. Kind of like the difference between a Mike Tyson vs George Foreman punch. The clear would be foreman.

The sony z7m2 also has decent impact but nowhere near the other two. It has more bass volume and I would describe it as heavy and enveloping but the impact is softer.

I dont know if its the correct terminology but I categorize rumble to be all sub bass. In order of most to least, I'd say it goes TH900, z7m2, d7200, clears dont extend well into the lower frequencies, it has very little sub bass.

With iems, i'd say the TRN st5 has really good impact.

 

[jonathan c]

I would say the Denon d7200 has the most impact / slam / punch that I"ve heard in a headphone. The Fostex th900 comes in a very close second to my ears.

The focal clear with sheepskin pads also have alot as well, but its a bit different. The focal clear hits with weight behind it, making it feel like a visceral thud. Where as the d7200s hits with speed and agility, if that makes sense. Kind of like the difference between a Mike Tyson vs George Foreman punch. The clear would be Foreman.

… the other would bite your ear …

 

[Elegiac]

I mean... if 'impact' and 'slam' don't cut it, google their synonyms.

Here: https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/impact

But when someone says impact or slam when describing audio, I know what they mean. Something you learn as an author is not to over-describe things; give your reader some credit, they're fully capable of imagining things and filling in the blanks.

 

[Wiscious]

I mean... if 'impact' and 'slam' don't cut it, google their synonyms.

Here: https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/impact

But when someone says impact or slam when describing audio, I know what they mean. Something you learn as an author is not to over-describe things; give your reader some credit, they're fully capable of imagining things and filling in the blanks.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

[megabigeye]

I mean... if 'impact' and 'slam' don't cut it, google their synonyms.

Here: https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/impact

But when someone says impact or slam when describing audio, I know what they mean. Something you learn as an author is not to over-describe things; give your reader some credit, they're fully capable of imagining things and filling in the blanks.

But as an author you should understand* the difficulty in describing a feeling or perception, which is what terms like "impact" and "slam" (and virtually every other audiophile term I can think of at the moment) describe to most audiophiles.
It's easy enough to explain the wavelength and physical attributes of the color red, but's very difficult to describe your own perception of the color red, what it's like to experience red. Heck, for all we know, what you perceive as red might be what I see as green.
Mostly I've seen "impact" and "slam" used to describe bass, but I've also seen them describe anything from sub-bass all the way up to treble. Even thought they're thesaurus synonyms for one another, I've also seen them used to describe different things by the same person, often in the same sentence (E.G., "there is a lot of impact, but not much slam," etc.). And are "thump" and "punch"— also synonyms— the same thing? Because, according to the frequency chart I posted, those are in different parts of the frequency range (sub-bass vs bass) and really shouldn't be used to describe the same thing at all.

I think I'm the opposite of you: when someone says "impact" or "slam," sometimes I think I know approximately what they mean, but I've always got the nagging doubt that I have no idea what in the world they're talking about and that we're just talking to ourselves.

*Sorry if this sounds condescending— I don't mean it to. I'm just questioning what you say in the spirit of furthering the conversation.

 

[Elegiac]

But as an author you should understand* the difficulty in describing a feeling or perception, which is what terms like "impact" and "slam" (and virtually every other audiophile term I can think of at the moment) describe to most audiophiles.
It's easy enough to explain the wavelength and physical attributes of the color red, but's very difficult to describe your own perception of the color red, what it's like to experience red. Heck, for all we know, what you perceive as red might be what I see as green.
Mostly I've seen "impact" and "slam" used to describe bass, but I've also seen them describe anything from sub-bass all the way up to treble. Even thought they're thesaurus synonyms for one another, I've also seen them used to describe different things by the same person, often in the same sentence (E.G., "there is a lot of impact, but not much slam," etc.). And are "thump" and "punch"— also synonyms— the same thing? Because, according to the frequency chart I posted, those are in different parts of the frequency range (sub-bass vs bass) and really shouldn't be used to describe the same thing at all.

I think I'm the opposite of you: when someone says "impact" or "slam," sometimes I think I know approximately what they mean, but I've always got the nagging doubt that I have no idea what in the world they're talking about and that we're just talking to ourselves.

*Sorry if this sounds condescending— I don't mean it to. I'm just questioning what you say in the spirit of furthering the conversation.

Mhmm, of course, there is some nuance to things. Not enough to get in the way, though, I think.
I say deep bass, you imagine deep bass. I give an amount and an impression, and your mind finishes the description.
Is it totally exact? No. Is that worth worrying about? No.

The nagging doubt and nervous worry, the obsessing... I've felt myself almost go there. The unhealthy parts of this pursuit don't appeal to me at all, and I try to avoid them. I see it as a danger attached to getting pleasure out of a mostly intangible thing. Something dependent on imagination. Description goes from being hard, to being ridiculous. Ridiculous drivel that grifters can take advantage of to sell nonsense. My experiences in life have shown me how suggestible the human mind is, and how much it can be bent around. From the simplest perceptions to the most complicated. I guess it's something I've learned to be careful with. I'm a bit cynical.

I still like to describe things though, so I use as few words as possible, because, as you say... it's impossible to be exact.
Saying all that, on a page, in a story, I love convoluted descriptions! The more the better. Give me all the detail, hahaha. But there is a limit, unfortunately. Too many words, too many impressions, and a description loses all meaning and... impact Best to use a few choice words. Language is flexible.