[MattTCG]

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I care more about the bass than mids...but do the He500s give me enough bass? thats the main question at this point. Im looking for something between dt880 and dt990 bass impact. I know it will smoke them in bass extension and clarity though.

 
If you love ortho bass, then just get the he400. The bass is stellar, it's cheaper and easier to amp by far. 

 

[Jd007]

Quote:

As far as i know, a punchy bass is an inherent characteristic of all planar magnetic headphones.

Not exactly. Planar magnetic phones are known to have a flat mid to bass frequency response, no "mid-bass hump" or any other curves. The bass response extends to near 20-25hz (in the case of the HE500) and below (LCD2) without dropping, which is not the case with other dynamics phones (they usually have a hump in the mid section, look at HD650/800)
 
whether the bass is "punchy" or not (perceived) depends on the level of bass relative to the other frequencies, not on the bass extension alone. if a pair of phones have a rolled off treble, it will seem to have a punchier and more impactful bass than a pair with higher treble (hd650 vs hd800, and he400 vs he500 are examples).
 
so its two separate issues, whether there is bass (whether bass extends to low levels) and whether the bass stands out more (level of perceived impact, which is bass response relative to the mid and treble). on the case of he400 and he500, both have bass (the he500 have better bass extension as well as tighter quality IMO), but the he400 will have the bass stand out more because of its rolled off treble

 

[TMRaven]

HE-400?  Rolled off treble?

 

[Jd007]

Quote:

HE-400?  Rolled off treble?

compared to the he500. everything is relative. http://www.headphone.com/headphones/hifiman-he-400.php look at the massive drop in the 2k-6k range. but its not as bad as the hd650

 

[Nimzerz]

compared to the he500. everything is relative. http://www.headphone.com/headphones/hifiman-he-400.php
 look at the massive drop in the 2k-6k range. but its not as bad as the hd650

so...any clue on how much bass impact it has in relation to the dt990/880?

 

[Jd007]

Quote:

so...any clue on how much bass impact it has in relation to the dt990/880?

i have not heard of the DTs so i cannot give you a comparison vs the HEs. i can tell you though, that unless you are a basshead and wants extreme levels of bass, either HEs should give you enough punch in the low end. of course this is my personal opinion, as i prefer headphones that are mostly neutral with a slight emphasis on bass.

 

[Nimzerz]

i have not heard of the DTs so i cannot give you a comparison vs the HEs. i can tell you though, that unless you are a basshead and wants extreme levels of bass, either HEs should give you enough punch in the low end. of course this is my personal opinion, as i prefer headphones that are mostly neutral with a slight emphasis on bass.

Well for anyone else, and possibly to help you help me, the very neutral dt880s had slightly too little bass for me. So if you or anyone could compare them to those or explain how much emphasis in bass they have, that would be great. Thanks for everything so far though!

 

[TMRaven]

I can only compare he-400 to dt990.  dt990 has more mid-bass, less sub-bass.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

compared to the he500. everything is relative. http://www.headphone.com/headphones/hifiman-he-400.php look at the massive drop in the 2k-6k range. but its not as bad as the hd650

2k-6kHz = upper midrange / lower treble, HE400's treble is the exact opposite of "rolled off", it is "shot up", the upper treble of HE400 is VERY, VERY present, too sharp for many, in fact.

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

so...any clue on how much bass impact it has in relation to the dt990/880?

 
Much better bass impact on the he400, especially compared to the 880 IMO. The 990 has good bass but I found it somewhat bloomy and the impact was weakish. The he400 bass has has nice impact and weight, even with a modest amp.

 

[Nimzerz]

Any

Much better bass impact on the he400, especially compared to the 880 IMO. The 990 has good bass but I found it somewhat bloomy and the impact was weakish. The he400 bass has has nice impact and weight, even with a modest amp.

any idea about the he500 compared to it?

 

[MattTCG]

he500 compared to the he400 or the beyers? 
 
The big change for me moving the he500 from the he400 was in the mids and no more treble spike. The he500 does female vocals really well. The he400 does not. If you listen to a lot of female vocals you'll need the he500 for sure. 

 

[Nimzerz]

N

he500 compared to the he400 or the beyers? 

The big change for me moving the he500 from the he400 was in the mids and no more treble spike. The he500 does female vocals really well. The he400 does not. If you listen to a lot of female vocals you'll need the he500 for sure. 

No, the he400 was compared to the beyers, I was wondering how the he500 compares In relation to the he400 comparison.

 

[MattTCG]

The he400 for me is clearly better. The only thing I liked better with the Beyers was the comfort. They are one of the most comfortable hp's out there. But the signature is too "v" shaped for me, especially the 990 and 770. The 880 is more balanced but was lacking bass when compared to all the others here. 

 

[Nimzerz]

The he400 for me is clearly better. The only thing I liked better with the Beyers was the comfort. They are one of the most comfortable hp's out there. But the signature is too "v" shaped for me, especially the 990 and 770. The 880 is more balanced but was lacking bass when compared to all the others here. 

Sorry, lol. Still not what I meant. Just to make it simple, does the he500 give more impact than the dt880s as well?