[PacoTaco]

He wants more bass than the X2. So many recommendations for headphones with LESS bass.

Just get the X1. You're not going to find open headphones with bass that strong, X2 was already very good in bass for an open headphone. If you want more bass, give up going with open headphones and choose from the million of closed headphones that do bass like nobody's business.

Bluntly speaking, because I tire of beating around the bush with things like this.

GET A CLOSED HEADPHONE.''

I say this, because I like my bass too. I nreally enjoy the low, never overwhelming bass on the Custom One Pro (with 2nd and 3rd slider positions). It's a reminder that open headphones just won't do bass quite like a closed headphone.

Makes me wanna hunt for a D7000 again. As well as trying it with the Shure 1540 pads. I swear, if the TH900 was under 1K, I'd impulse buy.


In fact, I may take up Philip's offer for a refund and risk the TH600.

You have a point. The HE560/T1 do have a hair more bass than the X2, but it isn't the focus or as apparent. It is a lot deeper though, which is why I think he'd like the overall warmer tone of those two. I do have a weird habit of forgetting that "more/quantity of" bass isn't the same thing as "deeper/quality" bass. The best open headphone for his tastes probably is the LCD 2. I'd recommend the HE400, but it does have less bass even though it is infinitely deeper in sub-bass.
 
But yah, I agree with you, he isn't going to get much out of these unless he just gets a closed headphone. He MIGHT like the ZMF Vibros (you might actually like these, but I'm not 100%. They do have more bass than the K712, but not exactly Denon or LCD 2 level) or the Mad Dogs (which I forgot about and they do have more bass than the X2 but less open.)  His best bet is the TH600, as that is to the closed headphones as what the T1 is to open (as in, it is a semi-open headphone that is more closed than open and the T1 is a semi-open headphone that is more open than it is closed.)
 
Also, how much lower do you want to go than $1000? I've seen some on here for $900. Razordog has them for 1050 right now: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOSTEX-TH-900-Premium-Reference-Headphone-AUTHORIZED-DEALER-/201294969255?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ede1d79a7 . Honestly, I enjoyed the TH900 more than the TH600, but not as much as the D7000.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I keep comparing reviews and how the TH600 has like 98% the same sound as the D7000, just clearer and not as warm. That sounds fine, as the reviews say the bass is still epic and Fostex-like. That sounds plenty fine to me. I know you don't like them, but I'm betting I would.

 

[PacoTaco]

I keep comparing reviews and how the TH600 has like 98% the same sound as the D7000, just clearer and not as warm. That sounds fine, as the reviews say the bass is still epic and Fostex-like. That sounds plenty fine to me. I know you don't like them, but I'm betting I would.

 
I've always felt the clearer sound was from the axe to the lower and upper mids. I will admit it, the bass is a lot deeper on the TH600, but it isn't that continuous, awesome boom that the D7000 provides. I'm a bit biased though. I may end up trying them out again and grow to love them like I did with the HE560. The only two headphones I truly truly truly dislike and can't stand are the T70P and Alpha Primes (though this one was a gradual process of disliking them unlike the T70P which I almost packed and returned that same day.) I also factored in that the TH600 might not work with the genre's I listen to like Rock more than how it worked with my games. I forget that I'm suggesting a gaming headphone more than a music one.
 
Depending on how large his head is, he might like the Blue MoFi. That headphone's sound was pretty awesome and warm. The downsides are the comfort sucks if your head is too large and it also sucks if your head is too small and you can't handle the weight. There's also the lack of changeable pads...awe screw it, axe that one too.

 

[Decimator]

First off, thanks for all of the input guys! The reason I put 800 as the budget is because I didn't want to limit the options. Im not saying I need to spend my whole budget but if I had to to get a substantial improvement over the X2, I'd be willing to. I honestly couldnt justify spending more than $1000 financially. I asked for open headphone recommendations because they typically have a better soundstage, to my understanding at least. As far as bass preference goes, I love sub-bass, the deeper the better. I'd like more quantity but not at the expense of quality. That said, I'd consider semi-closed or closed if that's the best route to go to get more bass quantity/quality as long as the soundstage and details are still pretty good.

 

[Stillhart]

   
I may be slightly biased, as I did like the X1/X2's sound, but the comfort for my large head was just....arg. Another option may be a ZMF Vibro with the Blackwood's tuning, as Zach told me that makes bass more linear and the soundstage larger. Though, he's doing improvements to it constantly, so it may already be a lot more open than what I've been told/read. I'll know when they come in next week.
 
If he wants to try it, he could look for a fazored LCD 2.2. Those are actually pretty good for surround sound, surprisingly. COD was awesome with it. Also depends on how sensitive he is to brightness. I couldn't game on the DT990 because everything in the high end sounded to fatiguing but the LCD 2 was just right.
 
I may be a bit skewed, as I see the T1 as one of the least bright headphones of the open/semi open beyer's (as I could stand them for long periods of time compared to something like the T70P or DT880.) It's warmer than the HD700 at least, and maybe warmer than the X2. I don't know though, I've always considered "warm" to be an emphasis of bass and lower to middle mid-range. It is the best competitive headphone out there if you want something more enjoyable for immersion than the HD800 (but that's just my opinion.)
 
I haven't been able to find Tyll's impressions. Do you have the link? I'm not asking out of a "I need proof," but as a geniune "I have been looking for it for weeks and couldn't find it and want to read it."

 
I don't know if I'm crazy or what, but the LCD-2f didn't do much for me in the bass department.  It has great quality bass but nothing special in the quantity.  The only reason it sounds warm is because the treble is relatively recessed, giving the bass focus (instead of the usual beefed up bass.
 
And yes, while the T1 is certainly the least bright Beyer I've heard, that doesn't make it warm.  The majority of the Beyers sound terrible *to me* because of the crazy treble.  The T1 is a lot more neutral than those, making it listenable.  But I wouldn't call it warm.
 
Tyll's writeup on the EL-8:  http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2015-audeze-introduces-new-el-8-open-and-sealed-planar-magnetic-headphones
 
Personally, I think he was being very diplomatic with his feedback.  lol

 

[PacoTaco]

   
I don't know if I'm crazy or what, but the LCD-2f didn't do much for me in the bass department.  It has great quality bass but nothing special in the quantity.  The only reason it sounds warm is because the treble is relatively recessed, giving the bass focus (instead of the usual beefed up bass.
 
And yes, while the T1 is certainly the least bright Beyer I've heard, that doesn't make it warm.  The majority of the Beyers sound terrible *to me* because of the crazy treble.  The T1 is a lot more neutral than those, making it listenable.  But I wouldn't call it warm.
 
Tyll's writeup on the EL-8:  http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2015-audeze-introduces-new-el-8-open-and-sealed-planar-magnetic-headphones
 
Personally, I think he was being very diplomatic with his feedback.  lol

Thank you, I'll have to read it now. As far as the LCD-2.2f, it is actually the least bassy of the iterations. The old one had a certain...quality to it. It was probably the most bassy open headphone outside the Abyss (at least, I think it was the Abyss.)

 

[PacoTaco]

 
Quote:

   
I don't know if I'm crazy or what, but the LCD-2f didn't do much for me in the bass department.  It has great quality bass but nothing special in the quantity.  The only reason it sounds warm is because the treble is relatively recessed, giving the bass focus (instead of the usual beefed up bass.
 
And yes, while the T1 is certainly the least bright Beyer I've heard, that doesn't make it warm.  The majority of the Beyers sound terrible *to me* because of the crazy treble.  The T1 is a lot more neutral than those, making it listenable.  But I wouldn't call it warm.
 
Tyll's writeup on the EL-8:  http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2015-audeze-introduces-new-el-8-open-and-sealed-planar-magnetic-headphones
 
Personally, I think he was being very diplomatic with his feedback.  lol

 
After reading it, I can now understand why it was delayed a month quietly. I believe Audeze can fix this...this is a new kind of planar they're trying to release and I can definitely see the potential in it. I'm not sold on the Amp at all though. That thing needs to be 400-500$ as opposed to $700.
 
Like I said, I've always seen warm to mean bass and mid heavy.
 

First off, thanks for all of the input guys! The reason I put 800 as the budget is because I didn't want to limit the options. Im not saying I need to spend my whole budget but if I had to to get a substantial improvement over the X2, I'd be willing to. I honestly couldnt justify spending more than $1000 financially. I asked for open headphone recommendations because they typically have a better soundstage, to my understanding at least. As far as bass preference goes, I love sub-bass, the deeper the better. I'd like more quantity but not at the expense of quality. That said, I'd consider semi-closed or closed if that's the best route to go to get more bass quantity/quality as long as the soundstage and details are still pretty good.

 
You're welcome. If you love subbass, than you may want either a planar or a TH600. I dislike the TH600 due to the mids being axed, but you may love it for the bass/subbass. Other options are like the ZMF Vibros (which are deep and have a lot of bass,) the LCD 2 (the older models have more bass but the newer ones are more rounded out,) the HE560 (more punchy and deep/linear,) Alpha Dogs (the bass port helps, but YMMV on this headphone, as I found it too bright or boring,) or the X1 as MLE suggested. Planar magnetic headphones (like the hifiman, Audeze's, MrSpeakers, ZMF and Oppo headphones) have deeper and more balanced bass while dynamic headphones (everything else) can either be bass light or bass heavy, with only a couple really getting deep subbass.
 
Your best bet, honestly, is the TH600. You retain the open-headphone-like soundstage, deep bass and large quantity bass, ect ect. I just personally have a hard time recommending it because I felt it didn't have much soul or depth to it.

 

[Stillhart]

   
After reading it, I can now understand why it was delayed a month quietly. I believe Audeze can fix this...this is a new kind of planar they're trying to release and I can definitely see the potential in it. I'm not sold on the Amp at all though. That thing needs to be 400-500$ as opposed to $700.
 
Like I said, I've always seen warm to mean bass and mid heavy.
 

 
Yeah, I think it definitely has potential, but there's also a LOT of hype around it.  People WANT it to sound good because they want a cheap, portable Audeze.  But it's harder to drive than the LCD-X (I noticed it, and Mercer confirmed), so not as portable in that sense.  It also doesn't sound anywhere near the LCD-2f, at least the version I heard.  I think it would be silly if it did, TBH, because why then would anyone buy the LCD-2 for $300 more? 
 
I agree they can fix it if they want to.  I don't think they want to completely fix it.  I just want to caution people about the hype.  This isn't the HE-1000, which lives up to the hype and then some.  This is  $700 headphone that got mixed reactions and will be designed purposely to not compete with its big brother.

 

[PacoTaco]

   
Yeah, I think it definitely has potential, but there's also a LOT of hype around it.  People WANT it to sound good because they want a cheap, portable Audeze.  But it's harder to drive than the LCD-X (I noticed it, and Mercer confirmed), so not as portable in that sense.  It also doesn't sound anywhere near the LCD-2f, at least the version I heard.  I think it would be silly if it did, TBH, because why then would anyone buy the LCD-2 for $300 more? 
 
I agree they can fix it if they want to.  I don't think they want to completely fix it.  I just want to caution people about the hype.  This isn't the HE-1000, which lives up to the hype and then some.  This is  $700 headphone that got mixed reactions and will be designed purposely to not compete with its big brother.

Where are some HE1000 impressions? I haven't seen much and for some reason haven't gone near the HE1000 sub in fear of the hype thrusters going maximum and not getting a really really valid opinion. I might have to sell a kidney or two if it's as amazing as some people make it out to be.
 
I don't know. I honestly think it would make more sense if they did end up making it sound better then the LCD 2.2f. Why? Because they could potentially sell so many that it would overshadow the LCD 2 sales they could have made had they kept the EL-8's sound inferior. Then they need to "de-revise" the LCD 2 back to the sound it had before the Fazor, as I cannot fathom why they changed it to begin with. While the fazor technically made it better, it kind of lost it's signature sound.

 

[Stillhart]

 
Where are some HE1000 impressions? I haven't seen much and for some reason haven't gone near the HE1000 sub in fear of the hype thrusters going maximum and not getting a really really valid opinion. I might have to sell a kidney or two if it's as amazing as some people make it out to be.
 
I don't know. I honestly think it would make more sense if they did end up making it sound better then the LCD 2.2f. Why? Because they could potentially sell so many that it would overshadow the LCD 2 sales they could have made had they kept the EL-8's sound inferior. Then they need to "de-revise" the LCD 2 back to the sound it had before the Fazor, as I cannot fathom why they changed it to begin with. While the fazor technically made it better, it kind of lost it's signature sound.

 
I hate to say it, but it definitely IS the real deal.  I'm this close to selling my motorcycle to afford one...
 
Jude (grain of salt as always):  http://www.head-fi.org/t/751094/head-fi-ces-2015-highlights#post_11229854
Tyll:  http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2015-show-highlight-hifiman-he-1000-planar-magnetic-headphones
Assorted CES impressions linked in the first post:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/748334/hifiman-he1000-planar-dynamic-flagship
More here from the NY meet after CES:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/751421/new-york-mini-meet-hifiman-he-1000-impressions-thread

 

[PacoTaco]

   
I hate to say it, but it definitely IS the real deal.  I'm this close to selling my motorcycle to afford one...
 
Jude (grain of salt as always):  http://www.head-fi.org/t/751094/head-fi-ces-2015-highlights#post_11229854
Tyll:  http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2015-show-highlight-hifiman-he-1000-planar-magnetic-headphones
Assorted CES impressions linked in the first post:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/748334/hifiman-he1000-planar-dynamic-flagship
More here from the NY meet after CES:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/751421/new-york-mini-meet-hifiman-he-1000-impressions-thread

I was under the impression that it wouldn't cost more than the HE6...and if it did, it be more like a LCD 3 in price. That said, I don't know if I'm ready to spend THAT much money on a headphone. The Alpha Primes are the most expensive headphone I've bought (though, I've tried out others.)

 

[Stillhart]

  I was under the impression that it wouldn't cost more than the HE6...and if it did, it be more like a LCD 3 in price. That said, I don't know if I'm ready to spend THAT much money on a headphone. The Alpha Primes are the most expensive headphone I've bought (though, I've tried out others.)

 
There's been talk of pricing anywhere from $2k to $6k (for a special limited edition).  Right now, we just don't know.  But if it's priced at the LCD-3 level or below, they will sell a LOT of them, no matter what they look like.

 

[AxelCloris]

 
There's been talk of pricing anywhere from $2k to $6k (for a special limited edition).  Right now, we just don't know.  But if it's priced at the LCD-3 level or below, they will sell a LOT of them, no matter what they look like.

 
If they're around the LCD-3 price range I'll be selling a bunch of stuff to get myself a set, no question.

 

[PacoTaco]

   
If they're around the LCD-3 price range I'll be selling a bunch of stuff to get myself a set, no question.

I may just save money every month until I can get them in 6 months. Honestly, I'd rather wait a couple months for the issues to be ironed out.

 

[Stillhart]

 
I may just save money every month until I can get them in 6 months. Honestly, I'd rather wait a couple months for the issues to be ironed out.

No release date at this point anyways, so start saving your pennies now!  lol
 
Honestly, if I did consider the HE-1000, I'd have to listen to the Stax and such also before buying.  Similar price range, potentially.