[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pepsione1 From all the good reviews, I am just so tempted to get the HD600 and see what I have been missing the whole time. But the senns is shy in the bass area so i have concerns about getting them.

The HD 600 are not in any way "shy" in the bass given a good amp. Even with a lesser amp, the bass is there, it's just not as tight.

That said, it sounds like the DT770 might work well for you

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by JMT I don't find my HD600s to be shy in the bass. If fact, I think that they have some of the deepest bass that I have ever heard. But, if you are comparing them to the V6s, then I can see your point.

From where I sit, the HD600 does not go as deep as the Sony V6. Not many do. Please keep in mind that in this I'm only talking about extension--the quality of the bass in the Sony V6 isn't all that great (though, I still say it's great for the money).

A preference for the V6 over the HD600's bass could mean any of these things (that everyone is sort of hitting on):
Listener prefers tighter bass (HD600's bass is looser, especially on lesser amps)
Listener prefers tactile bass feedback (HD600's bass becomes more tactile on greater amps)
Listener prefers further bass extension
Listener prefers an exagerrated bass/midbass response (HD600 is already exaggerated, V6 is further exaggerated)

(I hate that I have to explicitly state this but...) None of these preferences should be considered some kind of insult. Liking more bass than flat is perfectly fine -- and often necessary to get back up to near flat with portable sources, soundcards, etc. and even very good sources with bad recordings. (You shouldn't feel you need someone's permission to have a preference anyway but I thought it worth stating since I'm so utterly offending when I say things like this.)

Ok, now my point here is this. If you want the bass extension of the V6 but don't want the bass/midbass emphasis, there is Etymotic ER-4S, Grado HP-1000, Stax 007. I haven't gotten to fully evaluate the Beyerdynamic DT770 yet but I'd suspect it also capable of deep bass.

If you want tactile bass feedback, absolutely avoid the Etymtoic and Stax line. The Grado HP-1000 is still an option and the DT770 fans will almost always chime in here.

If you want tight bass response, the Stax, Etymotic and all of Grados old and new lines I feel excel at this. Again, I'm not sure about the DT770. The DT931 is tighter than the HD600 and there are some threads here about how to bump the bass to balance the frequency response (replacement cable, 120ohm adapter).

If you want bass/midbass frequency response emphasis, the DT770 is probably the one to get. Even from my brief audition, it was immediately a very warm sounding headphone. In this case, avoid the Etymotic, Stax and both generations of Grados. The HD600 is more exaggerated than most but nowhere near the DT770.

 

[MacDEF]

Well said, Kelly

 

[The Quality Guru]

*With the RA-1,* the HD600 was very far from being bass shy, and to me, it seemed way too bass heavy. Plus the bass lacked character; it was just, well, bass. But I have much confidence that the lucky mofos listening thorugh HR Maxes are enjoying great bass; this is a result of the HD600's crazily strong need for a good amp - and when that need is fulfilled . . .

 

[Tim D]

kelly - Nice summary of different bass qualities, but where would you put your HFI-650's?

BTW Senn HD600 with an inadequate amp = flabby overblown midbass with poorer extension and lack of tightness.

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim D kelly - Nice summary of different bass qualities, but where would you put your HFI-650's?

I'm not sure yet.

The best I could do would be some direct comparisons with the 7506 this weekend and then post a full review a bit later when I've had more time with them. I think the bass is good but without sitting down with specific CD tracks and other headphones, I can't offer much yet.

 

[arnett]

one simply should not compare Ety bass to DT 770 bass. there's no comparison.

no other headphone that i've heard comes close to the DT 770 in terms of bass extension. yet, the bass is tight and not sloppy. in fact, the bass in the DT 770 is down-right speaker-like. you can forget about hearing/feeling 45hz notes in any other headphone.

the DT 770 DOES NOT emphasize mid-bass like most other headphones. it doesn't have to. that's because there's actually something going on 'downstairs.'

 

[kelly]

arnett
Your post irritated me... so I downloaded a test tone generator and produced audible 20hz tones on the Ultrasone simply because those were the headphones on my head at the time. I'd say there are a few headphones that can do this.

 

[arnett]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly . I'd say there are a few headphones that can do this.

i've never heard the Ultrasone. maybe it does have the kind of bass extension the DT 770s do. i kind of doubt it though.

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by arnett not to my ears.

You're welcomed to prefer one headphone's bass to another--the subjective isn't worth disputing. Your statement that no other headphone can produce 45hz notes is factually incorrect.

 

[arnett]

kelly,

i misunderstood what you said in your first post after mine. i've edited my post.

 

[kelly]

arnett
The DT770 likely has less rolloff at 45hz relative to its midrange than the Ultrasone, but that is due to an overall bass region emphasis. As I said in my earlier post, Etymotic ER-4S, Stax 404/007 and Grado HP-1000 all have no problem producing the lower notes -- and without much -db as far as I can tell. I wish we had accurte measurements of all of these but I have neither the skills not the equipment. Test tone generators are easy enough to find on the web if you want to hear for yourself, though.

 

[kerelybonto]

45Hz is very audible at extremely low volumes on all three of my headphones -- Sony MDR-V6, Grado SR-80, and Grado HP-2. I can generate 20Hz tones that are audible to me at 50% (and somewhat below) of my already-quiet soundcard's volume on all three of my headphones as well.

A 15Hz tone at full volume was audible in the sense that I could tell it was there on all three phones as well. The V6 wins this contest with a fairly clear recreation. I could hear the right driver shaking around on the SR-80, and strangely, the tone was barely, barely audible on the HP-2. The Grados were somewhat handicapped in this experiment, though, since I was doing this with some fairly loud ambient noises (open window, computer fan, humming surge protector, mini-fridge, etc), and the HP-2 was going through a RadioShack 1/4"-1/8" adaptor.

But, yeah, point is 45Hz is not so low for a lot of headphones.

kerely

 

[arnett]

kelly,

you're right -- it's not just low frequency reproduction, it's also bass relative to midrange relative to treble.

you could take a 'thin' sounding headphone and pump a 20 hz note through it and it can produce earth-shattering bass. but only at higher volume levels. that's why i believe these 'test-tone' tests are not 'real world' ones.

i can point you to several threads of other members saying their DT 770 produces more so-called 'speaker-like' deep bass than any other headphone.

of course, not a single one of us has heard every headphone out there.

edit: thanks for editing your post, kelly. i appreciate that. it was very civil of you.

 

[Pepsione1]

It seems that most of you have recommanded the DT770. I was interested in that too at first but then I read stories about how the bass of it was just overwhelming for some.

I begin to wonder, if I were to spend money on another pair of headphones, shouldn't I be spending money on getting a better source first (like a better cdp). I have a D-25s at the moment.