[Stop2Listen]

I'm am very new to the audiophile world and am requesting some advice. I am and have always been a huge music nut, but am now just starting to get into hearing music in really good quality. Some background info on the genres of music that I prefer are mainly hiphop and rap (all kinds from modern lil wayne, drake, to old school, I like it all), soft rock, acoustical rock (john mayer, maroon 5, dmb) 90s rock (third eye blind, goo goo dolls, etc), and i can even listen to some old school reggae (slightly stoopid). Pretty much im into any music that is nice and chill along with hiphop/rap. I know, weird combination, but thats me.
 
Well today, I purchased my first decent set of phones. I got the sennheiser hd428s from best buy, and I regretfully am slightly dissapointed. I did my fair share of research before I came to my decision but apparently need to do more. Luckily Best Buy allows a 30 day return period, so I have 29 days to find a replacement set. My price range is around $150. I do not want to exceed that or much more than that as this is my first set and these will mainly be used with my iphone 3gs and laptop with possibly some keyboard use. That being said, I want a pair with some good bass. This is my biggest gripe with the 428s. It just lacks a whole lot. I read that these phones were described as "neutral" and I can agree with that. Just not really blown away with them in any aspect as far as sound quality goes and I want a set of phones that blows me away and makes me want to listen to my music. So that being said, shoot me some suggestions and hopefully I can find the one. Feel free to ask any more questions that could help make a decision any easier. Thanks in advance!
 
In recap I'm looking for a set with (in order of priorities)
 
-Excellent bass
-Under $150
-Excellent clarity and depth in mids and highs
-Comfort (the best part about the 428s)
-Portability (carrying case would be a plus as I do a lot of walking around my college campus and it would be nice if I could store these in my backpack when needed)

 

[Stop2Listen]

Bump for some help

 

[BlackSushi222]

You're gunna fall in love and marry the Denon 1001s I believe.
 
U really didn't like the 428? Give it some time to burn in, things should improve. I myself was looking into getting the 428 cuz I need headphones that warm up your ears (i.e. winter time). Do you think the 428 do that?
 
And maybe something as cheap as a Fiio E5 will give you that bass boost that you desire.

 

[Stop2Listen]

Thanks for the response Black. I have done a few searches on the Denon's and some of the reviews still say that they still aren't as powerful as others in the bass department. Any particular reason you recommended them? I just wish there was one perfect pair that had it all, but maybe i'm asking too much? I don't know yet, but thanks for the heads up on those.
 
As for the 428s, I mean don't get me wrong, I don't dislike them. I just don't think they are out of this world great even for $75 that I payed. I was expecting more, ESP in the bass dept. Maybe they will continue to burn in more. They have around 4 or 5 hours on them now, and I will keep giving them a chance. Just want to look into other options in my 30 days. As for warming up to your ears, although I can't speak for that for certain, they are damn comfortable. I couldn't have been more pleased in how comfortable they are. After about 3 hours straight last night, I didn't experience any fatigue at all. They didn't even start to make my ears sweat. So that could be a bad thing if your wanting them to warm you up, but also a good thing that they aren't excessively hot for the warm seasons.
 
I'm assuming a Fiio E5 is an amp? That is one option yes, however when I played with some simple EQ settings in my iphone like bass booster, I found the bass to be awfully distorted. Almost as if it couldn't handle the bass. So I'm not sure if an amp would be the solution or not. And also I will use these a lot walking around campus, and on the go, so I would like to find some phones that had the bass and had the sound quality I'm looking for unamped. 

 

[Soaa-]

M50?

 

[BlackSushi222]

Ah alright, I gotcha. Thx for the info. So yep, definitely try to burn it in at least for 50 hours. Maybe the bass will arise.
 
It's true though, Ipod EQ settings like bass boost are truely horrible. On any headphone I had, it distorted like crazy. An amp should give a different effect. From what I read, no1 complained about a distorted bass on the Fiio E5, maybe "bloated" at the most, but that's not like distorted. I myself am gunna give the amp a try soon.
 
And I also support the M50 suggestion. That one probably has all the bass you want, heads up about the comfort though. Definitely not going to be like the 428s, there are even stretching method threads on the M50 to lessen the clamping.
 
Thats why I suggested the Denon 1001, cuz people say the comfort is fantastic, maybe as good or better than the 428. Idk about the bass, but people say the driver is like the Creative Aurvana Live! (also vice versa) and supposedly has lively bass.
 
Also there's the AKG K518DJ, which every1 talks about their bass, but the comfort is horrendous.

 

[Stop2Listen]

Thanks for the info black. Anybody else have a suggestion or more info on the Dennons in paticular the bass?

 

[Stop2Listen]

Going with m50s after I return this crap to best buy. lol

 

[cam94z28]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Stop2Listen /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
........... I'm assuming a Fiio E5 is an amp? That is one option yes, however when I played with some simple EQ settings in my iphone like bass booster, I found the bass to be awfully distorted. Almost as if it couldn't handle the bass. So I'm not sure if an amp would be the solution or not. And also I will use these a lot walking around campus, and on the go, so I would like to find some phones that had the bass and had the sound quality I'm looking for unamped. 

FYI, I have had several iPods (non-touch), and used a friends iPod touch, and iPhone. The one thing they all had in common was a horribly crappy EQ. Phones with really high sensitivity, and low impedance seemed to do better, but they all distorted at over 50% volume, with any kind of bass EQ enabled. You need a LOD and amp, or at least a good amp to eliminate that problem. Just putting in my 2c and letting you know that it wasn't the headphones. Alternatively, the Sansa Fuze with Rockbox firmware has an uber awesome EQ, and enough power to drive most "portable" headphones. You can get an 8GB for about $40 refurb at many places.

 

[aznbeast888]

for bass, try Sony xb-500

 

[jasonlerpn4]

/img/forum/go_quote.gif


Ah alright, I gotcha. Thx for the info. So yep, definitely try to burn it in at least for 50 hours. Maybe the bass will arise.
 
It's true though, Ipod EQ settings like bass boost are truely horrible. On any headphone I had, it distorted like crazy. An amp should give a different effect. From what I read, no1 complained about a distorted bass on the Fiio E5, maybe "bloated" at the most, but that's not like distorted. I myself am gunna give the amp a try soon.
 
And I also support the M50 suggestion. That one probably has all the bass you want, heads up about the comfort though. Definitely not going to be like the 428s, there are even stretching method threads on the M50 to lessen the clamping.
 
Thats why I suggested the Denon 1001, cuz people say the comfort is fantastic, maybe as good or better than the 428. Idk about the bass, but people say the driver is like the Creative Aurvana Live! (also vice versa) and supposedly has lively bass.
 
Also there's the AKG K518DJ, which every1 talks about their bass, but the comfort is horrendous.

Many thanks to your description! Now I got it.