[Drastion]

I got a pair of headphones a while back while I like them a lot I don't seem to get the same impression other people get. I know people tend to exaggerate things that and I tend to listen at low volume levels so that may be part of it.

I don't want to get another headphone as I already feel sill owning three pairs. Just wondering what people do to get the most fun out of their headphones. Maybe a link to a YouTube video that demonstrats bass incase I just don't try the right kind of music.

 

[sonic9790]

have you tried and messed with the EQ
 

 

[jackwess]

Which models you have? 
You can also try a Digizoid zo or a Fiio amp with bass boost function. 

 

[Eschaton]

This is HIGHLY dependent on what gear you're using.  Some headphones require amplification.  Sometimes there's no bass in the source (even if there is intended to be, as in bad mp3 rips and 240p youtube videos).  Sometimes you need a better seal.  And sometimes, you need to clean your ears out (with peroxide, because q-tips don't get everything and washcloths and warm water alone are practically nothing to your ear canal).  Uhh, not to act like you're a noob sir, it's just a helpful reminder that sometimes it's not the 'phones.
 
Also, no headphone on earth is going to wiggle your brain without first blowing out your eardrums.    They don't have club sized subwoofers, after all, but I find they can sound as bassy even if they can't bring the feeling of rattling my internal organs.

 

[Drastion]

I have a pair of m audio q40.

Maybe someone could rate them on a 1-10 for bass compared to others.

I had planned on getting a denon 7000 down the road. Now looks like they are not going to be around when I do go to buy them.

So now I am a bit lost on what a good upgrade to them. I have a pair of akg q701 I don't see it getting a whole lot better with those. So the fun bassy ones would be my next go.

Almost got a pair of dt 770 80 when they were on sale for 150. But I wasn't sure that other than comfort if they would be much of a change to what I already have.

Thanks again to everyone you all make a very confusing and intimidating hobby so much more fun.

 

[obobskivich]

The AKGs are not bassy headphones at all (they're very lean and quite balanced). You'll blow the drivers up before you'll get skull-rattling out of them. The Q40 are somewhat bassy (somewhat less balanced). 
 
If you want "lots of bass" then I would cut to the chase and get an Ultrasone; the HFI-2400 sounds like a winner based on what you have already (I'm assuming you like what you have, but want bass). 
 
 

 

[Drastion]

Yeah loved the akgs. They were my first high end headphone and open. Mostly listeneded to iem before. So the open sounded super off than what I was used to. Everything sounded so distastant and quiet. So i cranked up the volume boy did my ears hurt after a while. Ears rang and stuff sounded muffled so I left them alone for a few days.

Lesson learned. Thanks I forgot about the 2400. So the m audio would be more of a bass quality and ultrasone more base quantity. My ears are a bit sensative so I try to stay away from bright treble.as I think it would grate on me. But again I have not tried a v shaped headphone so I don't know.

On a side note would something like a e17 or zo 2.3 amp help or would just getting an entire new headphone be better? Leaning towards e17 since I don't think the zo will work well with my akg.

 

[Malevolent]

 
Quote:

On a side note would something like a e17 or zo 2.3 amp help or would just getting an entire new headphone be better? Leaning towards e17 since I don't think the zo will work well with my akg.

 
The ZO2 will do one thing well, and that is to substantially increase the bass levels. I would recommend it only if you're a basshead who's not satisfied with what your cans are currently giving you. Maybe you might want to change your EQ settings on your DAP to see if you're able to generate a more fun sound to your liking?

 

[Eschaton]

 
Quote:

Yeah loved the akgs. They were my first high end headphone and open. Mostly listeneded to iem before. So the open sounded super off than what I was used to. Everything sounded so distastant and quiet. So i cranked up the volume boy did my ears hurt after a while. Ears rang and stuff sounded muffled so I left them alone for a few days.
Lesson learned. Thanks I forgot about the 2400. So the m audio would be more of a bass quality and ultrasone more base quantity. My ears are a bit sensative so I try to stay away from bright treble.as I think it would grate on me. But again I have not tried a v shaped headphone so I don't know.
On a side note would something like a e17 or zo 2.3 amp help or would just getting an entire new headphone be better? Leaning towards e17 since I don't think the zo will work well with my akg.

 
I would try EQing first, and I'd definitely check the source.  That said, I have an e17, and it is a great little amp.  +4dB to the bass and my HD555's sound bass-balanced and punchy.  It's the darndest thing.  Oh, my Q40's come in TODAY!!  Supposedly they don't take any burn in.  I won't have the velour pads for them for another week, I bet, but I'll be able to perhaps do some testing with/for you.  My only gripe with the ultrasones, NOT HAVING EVER TRIED THEM, is that the frequency response goes haywire at 2Khz.  I'm not sure what the effect on sound is, but the mids and highs matter a bit to me.  
 

 
But yes, nothing ratchets up the bass as fast or hard as the Ultrasones.  The Q40's probably sport 5-7 dB more bass than HD558's.  The HFI-2400's have another 5dB on top of that, in my amateur estimation.
 
I've compared a lot of charts to reach that conclusion and I don't wanna bloat up the thread.  In short, looking at bass response, I found the pro900 to be similar to the 2400's, and I compared the 558's, Q40's,and pro900's over at GoldenEars.
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2411&graphID[]=933  HFI-2400's compared to PRO900's
http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=GR_Headphones&category=275&search_target=title&search_keyword=Q40&document_srl=9049 Q40 details
http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=GR_Headphones&category=275&search_target=title&search_keyword=ultrasone&document_srl=3508 PRO900 details
 
Please note the difference in accuracy in the frequency response graphs, namely that dB is measured in different increments, and that the Q40 page purports to give no guarantee of the frequency response below 40Hz for some reason.  That said, I think it is safe to say that the Ultrasones pick up much faster, and are probably sitting on a 5dB advantage at 20 Hz.  Also, and this is very important, check out the impedance on the Q40's!!
http://en.goldenears.net/en/files/attach/images/254/049/009/09c289a9aa81c09f212400ace03ce4bd.png
 It spikes hard at 50 to 100Hz!  I can see why several threads have recommended amping it.
 
... Did I seriously just spend an hour looking up headphone info for someone else...  ?  Oh well, it was fun and I think I learned something!  Anyway, Q40's come in later today, give me a shout if you haven't already sold/returned your's (because things seem to move that fast on Head-Fi)! 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Nice find there about impedance on Q40, hadn't noticed that. Yes the bass response really is significantly boosted with amping them. Ampless I didn't find Q40 too bassy at all, to my ears which is spoilted to very bassheavy sounds, the Q40 sounded almost neutral basswise but with amping it becomes significantly stronger and it responds well to bass boost from ZO and FiiO amps, ampless it sounded roughly like entry-level basshead material while with amping it's there right in-between the very bassiest (XB500, PRO700MK2, V-Moda LP @ 15dB boost etc) and "entry-level" basshead headphones(M50 @ 4~5dB boost). 
 
Amping them the bass boost is more like 9dB or so to my ears and ampless more like 4~5dB boost (now talking about Realtek onboard chip as source). Beats Studios for example have a 9~10dB boost for comparision's sake but Q40 also has superb bass extension and handle deep bass such as 20Hz tones with ease which Beats would struggle with. Besides the bass the dynamic range sounds like it's improved, it sounds rather "lifeless" ampless to my ears, well at least compared to amping them, it gets so much more exciting to listen to amped even if I EQ down the bass to the bottom it still very much there, there's more details "jumping" up and down in-your-face when amped while ampless it sounds like everything like vocals, instruments, bass etc sits on that same line and never jump out to grab your attention, it's just "there" and sits there quietly so to speak.

 

[Malevolent]

 
Quote:

Nice find there about impedance on Q40, hadn't noticed that. Yes the bass response really is significantly boosted with amping them. Ampless I didn't find Q40 too bassy at all, to my ears which is spoilted to very bassheavy sounds, the Q40 sounded almost neutral basswise but with amping it becomes significantly stronger and it responds well to bass boost from ZO and FiiO amps, ampless it sounded roughly like entry-level basshead material while with amping it's there right in-between the very bassiest (XB500, PRO700MK2, V-Moda LP @ 15dB boost etc) and "entry-level" basshead headphones(M50 @ 4~5dB boost). 
 
Amping them the bass boost is more like 9dB or so to my ears and ampless more like 4~5dB boost (now talking about Realtek onboard chip as source). Beats Studios for example have a 9~10dB boost for comparision's sake but Q40 also has superb bass extension and handle deep bass such as 20Hz tones with ease which Beats would struggle with. Besides the bass the dynamic range sounds like it's improved, it sounds rather "lifeless" ampless to my ears, well at least compared to amping them, it gets so much more exciting to listen to amped even if I EQ down the bass to the bottom it still very much there, there's more details "jumping" up and down in-your-face when amped while ampless it sounds like everything like vocals, instruments, bass etc sits on that same line and never jump out to grab your attention, it's just "there" and sits there quietly so to speak.

 
That's interesting. From reading reviews alone, I got the impression that the Q40 was a bass monster in the XB500 vein. I'd still like to try it, but at least I get a better understanding of its bass presentation.
 
Btw, since you own the LP2s, how are they in bass quantity/quality as compared to XB500 and PRO700MK2?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bill-P]

I had a chance to try the Q40 out from a friend, and honestly, while I think bass with them on is pretty good, it's not... quite there. Even with the Fiio E11 on Bass Boost 1, it was about on par with my dad's bass-heavy M50. Perhaps a bit more sub-bass, but it gave me the impression that they were looser than M50. It's also worth noting here, though, that I think the Q40 overall to me sounds more like a better version of the M50. Slightly more bass than my bass-recessed M50, and better midrange than my dad's mid-recessed M50, with high frequency very extending but also very polite, not strident or sibilant like the M50.
 
I guess I'm just spoiled, but the DT990 Pro (which I just let go of) with bass boost 1 on the Fiio E11 chained to O2 (O2 acting strictly as power amp) would have hit one out of the park where bass is concerned. It was fast, impactful, and it felt legitimately like someone was trying to bash the side of my head in with a blunt object.
 
That said though, my personal preference is more toward a slightly warmer, more laid back, polite, and slow feel, so my main gear is the DT880 600 Ohm, but... if someone was asking me for bass, I wouldn't hesitate to point them toward the DT990 Pro.
 
Also I got some brief time with a Denon D2000, and... God... I almost wished I had one just so I could watch Netflix on it. The D2000 unamped was right in between M50 (bassy) amped and DT990 Pro amped. I couldn't get a chance to get them plugged into Fiio E11, but I don't doubt that that would have knocked me out cold.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

To me the Q40 are way more bassier than the M50 I tried (the basslight version probably), there's no comparision, the bass is also very impactful, hits roughly with as much impact in the midbass as a XB500 and I find it very controlled, the quantity vs control ratio is amazing to me.
 
As far as LP2 goes, it's like slightly better than XB500 in terms of bass quality but not much, I haven't tried PRO700MK2 but based on reviews I wouldn't be suprised if that's the best one out of those 3 (recessed mids I keep reading isn't quite my cup of tea though).

 

[obobskivich]

The Q40 isn't a "bass monster" imho, but I've never heard the XB500.
 
Regarding the HFI-2400 and it's midrange dip - the HFI-2400's have a very nice mid and treble range. Vocals are just fine, as are instruments that sit in that range. They do stand apart compared to something like the K701, not just because of the somewhat different midrange (it really isn't "sucked out"), but because of the HUGE bass. If you like the K701 but want bass, the HFI-2400 is where I'd point you. 
 
 

 

[Drastion]

Thanks for all the input. I do like them for what I wanted relativly cheap easy to drive and a ballanced sound. Looks like I will just get my O2 amp shipped that I have been waiting for the odac for almost three months now. Maybe get an e17 for dac and portable eq. Hopefully that will helpfull with bass.

This is such an interesting and deep hobby. Never knew there was higher impedance at different frequencies.

I know ballanced sound and big bass is an oxymoron. The Q40 looks like a good start. With the few open cans with good bass being beyer 990 and ultrasone 2900 being v shapped. Then hifi 2400 and maybe at a stretchtje new 70mm sony new f1.