[Toxicman1994]

Well, I'm not an expert, and I'm just getting into this. and I really want a good set of headphones for under 300$, they don't have to be portable, they can be bulky, I don't care. 
Maybe you guys can point me in the right direction... I have a wide range of musical tastes and I want a pair that has good bass, that's punchy but it's not neccesarily a focal point.
I want a well balanced pair if possible... I'd prefer a large set of headphones that have a wide sound stage. (very wide is preferable, but not absolutely neccesary)
 
I primarily listen to: Alternative Rock, Classic Rock, EDM, Dubstep, Classical, and House music.
 
I'll name some artists I like-
 
Pendulum 
Deadmau5
Daft Punk
The Prodigy
Justice
 
Queen
Electric Light Orchestra
The Beatles
Michael Jackson
The Beach Boys
Frank Sinatra
Journey
Johnny Cash
 
Rise Against
Sublime
Green Day
Jimmy Eat World
Linkin Park
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Strokes
Lindsay Stirling
Imagine Dragons
Gorillaz
 
Some classical epic music, Mozart, Beethoven, Hans Zimmer.
 
I was looking at some Audio-Technica ATH-A900X's
but I read in a lot of places that the bass is definately less than desirable.
I want some atleast decent bass if possible please.
 
Thanks.

 

[MomijiTMO]

1st bit of advice - don't read too much into reviews.

Why not look into an open headphone? You have quite a wide taste in music with different requirements. Have you looked into the AD900X? They meet most of what you want however they aren't going to thump your brains out. That would be unnaturally bassy, something that happens in dubstep.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Hello!
 
Welcome to Head-Fi!
Not sure about open headphones but for closed there's
AKG K550: very neutral and accurate, wide soundstage comparable to HD598, superb imaging and crystal clear sound. Deep extended bass!
PSB M4U1: Neutral and accurate as well. Very similar to K550 but if you have sealing issue with the K550, you are better off with M4U1
Sennheiser Momentum [if you can find them at your price range] not very good with classical in my opinion, but still "good" instead of great.
 
Hope this helps!
Billson

 

[NimnuL]

Quote:

1st bit of advice - don't read too much into reviews.

Why not look into an open headphone? You have quite a wide taste in music with different requirements. Have you looked into the AD900X? They meet most of what you want however they aren't going to thump your brains out. That would be unnaturally bassy, something that happens in dubstep.

Now that's a good advice. I also recommend open headphones for such kind of music, but this depends on how noisy environment you're going to be and if you'll not disturb your roomate etc.
It's a good practice to go to the shop and try some headphones. Sound is one thing, the feel is something unique for anyone. 
 
Maybe there is no need to go for such expensive models at the end, Sennheiser HD598 may satisfy your needs as well. 

 

[tonytrann]

Philips top of the line, X1 has amazing bass for open headphones, and under $300 as well on Amazon. The only open headphones coming close to the bass the X1 offers are the ones with the planar magnetic drivers. Which the cheapest one is the HE400 priced at $400. I recommend the X1, just bought mine last week. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Well, I'm not an expert, and I'm just getting into this. and I really want a good set of headphones for under 300$, they don't have to be portable, they can be bulky, I don't care. 
Maybe you guys can point me in the right direction... I have a wide range of musical tastes and I want a pair that has good bass, that's punchy but it's not neccesarily a focal point.
I want a well balanced pair if possible... I'd prefer a large set of headphones that have a wide sound stage. (very wide is preferable, but not absolutely neccesary)
Some classical epic music, Mozart
I was looking at some Audio-Technica ATH-A900X's
but I read in a lot of places that the bass is definately less than desirable.
I want some at least decent bass if possible please.

I really like the amount of bass the ATH-A900X has, I would assume you have been reading ATH-A900X reviews from "BassHeads".
The A900X is my preferred headphone for all my music audio.
 
What source(s) are you going to be plugging the headphones into? DAC? Amp?

 

[cel4145]

I really like the amount of bass the ATH-A900X has, I would assume you have been reading ATH-A900X reviews from "BassHeads".

Agreed. The A900X have excellent bass. It's just not going to pound you in the head like some of the bassheads want.

So it depends on what you mean by "decent bass." If you mean headphones that have good bass extension and have maybe a touch of bass emphasis, but with a well-refined sound, the A900X could be a good choice for you. However, if you are like an 18 year old who prefers running a car subwoofer so loud that people outside the car can feel and hear it, these headphones are not for you

 

[Toxicman1994]

Quote:

I really like the amount of bass the ATH-A900X has, I would assume you have been reading ATH-A900X reviews from "BassHeads".
The A900X is my preferred headphone for all my music audio.
 
What source(s) are you going to be plugging the headphones into? DAC? Amp?

I am looking into Amps and DACs for my desktop computer. So that's an affirmative. (Not sure what yet though) 
I currently run all my music through foobar music player too with some plugins. 
 
Quote:

Agreed. The A900X have excellent bass. It's just not going to pound you in the head like some of the bassheads want.

So it depends on what you mean by "decent bass." If you mean headphones that have good bass extension and have maybe a touch of bass emphasis, but with a well-refined sound, the A900X could be a good choice for you. However, if you are like an 18 year old who prefers running a car subwoofer so loud that people outside the car can feel and hear it, these headphones are not for you

Yeah. I  want punchy bass but I don't want it to be overpowering. So maybe I overlooked these headphones. I don't want the bass to drown out the mids or anything like that, but I want it to be there, I saw a review on youtube of this guy saying quote: "This headset (the A900x) has absolutely no bass out of the box"... he may not know what he's talking about but I guess I'm just a bit worried is all. He said the headset was very less than ideal for anything rock or dubstep/dnb oriented... He said it was best for string instruments/classical, etc... But I guess he's wrong?  I do like my rock and electronic music, so naturally this worried me. 

 

[Toxicman1994]

Should I get the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 or the Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X? I think  it's between those two...
 
P.s - Price is not a factor

 

[toonsnstuff]

Quote:

Should I get the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 or the Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X? I think  it's between those two...
 
P.s - Price is not a factor

Not to mess up your list, but if you don't mind a slightly smaller headphone, you might look at the Audio-Technica ESW9. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030O0Q2U/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p267_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0RYCZEZYR9MERF2S1GVC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846
 
Wood cups, lambskin earpads, decently comfortable, and work very well for your music range. Also, only a little over $200. They won't be as durable as the M50s though, or open as the AD900s. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Yeah. I  want punchy bass but I don't want it to be overpowering. So maybe I overlooked these headphones. I don't want the bass to drown out the mids or anything like that, but I want it to be there, I saw a review on youtube of this guy saying quote: "This headset (the A900x) has absolutely no bass out of the box"... he may not know what he's talking about but I guess I'm just a bit worried is all. He said the headset was very less than ideal for anything rock or dubstep/dnb oriented... He said it was best for string instruments/classical, etc... But I guess he's wrong?  I do like my rock and electronic music, so naturally this worried me. 

I think if the reviewer had given the A900Xs several hours of break in time, it might have improved the bass.

 

[cel4145]

Should I get the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 or the Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X? I think  it's between those two...


P.s - Price is not a factor

The AD900X are open headphones. I would imagine that the A900X would have better bass, although I have not heard the AD900X. The A900X are a better sounding headphone than the M50s.

 

[Toxicman1994]

Okay, great, I'll be going with the  Audio Technica ATH-A900X. Can anyone reccomend me a DAC or a soundcard that is not too expensive that sounds good comboed with these headphones?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Okay, great, I'll be going with the  Audio Technica ATH-A900X. Can anyone reccomend me a DAC or a soundcard that is not too expensive that sounds good comboed with these headphones?

Asus Xonar DG (PCI) sound card, $30 and there is a $10 mail in rebate this month.
So for $20 you can try it.
 
Later on you can always upgrade.

 

[Tman5293]

Before you make your final choice on the headphones I recommend you check out the V-MODA Crossfade M-100. Fantastic set of cans and I think they would suit your tastes very well. Also as far a DAC goes are you also looking for an amp or maybe a DAC/amp combo unit? Portable or not? Also we need to know your budget for that as well.