[constipationnow]

Hi im a noob.
 
Atm. im using Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset with my onboard soundcard on mobo. I was thinking of buying a Sony XB500 since im a basshead. I listen mainly to dubstep, electro, house and hiphop, and im also a gamer. First priority is the music ofc.
 
1. Anyone knows the difference between these two headphones? I dont want to regret that i upgraded to Sony XB500, since i think fatal1ty sounds fine. Im looking for a change, i need more heavy/deep bass, but at the same time i dont want bass to eat away middle and highs.
 
2. Do i need a new soundcard or any hardware (amp, DAC dunno what these are, but stumbled across these hardwares on this forums) with my XB500 to sound good? Im looking for best music quality for the less amount money spent (low budget). Will i notice any difference? looking for something between 30-40$ if so.
 
 
Whats "good" to me? I want to meet god when i play dubstep. Dubstep = bass and more bass. I want shaky, deep, scary, subwoofy bass. But i dont want it to sound like Koss Sparkplug (sounds like when u max out bass on EQ and minimum on middle/high)... if you get what i mean.
 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Personally, I really do not like the sound of the Sony XB500, very loud and crude bass, vocals seem "funny" to me. (but the XB500s have there fans here on Head-Fi).
 
Panasonic RP-HTF600-S (semi-open) are really great bang for the buck headphones.
(you can save a few dollars if you back order them)
You can get Beyerdynamic EDT 200 Velour ear pads to replace the fake leather pads.
 
Samson SR850 (made by Superlux) also good bang for the buck.
 
The Asus Xonar DG (PCI) sound card comes with a (decent) built in headphone amplifier.
Comes with Dolby Headphone 5.1
Should improve the sound of any headphone over your motherboards built in sound card.
It's only $20 after mail in rebate.
 

 

[constipationnow]

yeah many people say that theres too much bass in them, but i listen to very bassy music...
 
i read some about Samson SR850, it seems interesting, ill see if i can preview-listen to them in a musicstore nearby... but one concern is that some people though SR850 didnt have enough bass or was not deep enough. But everyone thought it was excellent studioheadphones, very detailed sound... but im no DJ

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

I think XB500 suits very well for dubstep and hip-hop, those are its two main genres for me. The mids and highs ain't really THAT bad but but people seem to expect miracles of a headphone with a scary ~15dB boost in the whole bassrange and costing $50 haha. They do benefit from a boost in the mids and highs with an EQ, alternatively taming down the upper bass a bit to "unsmoothalize" or free the midrange from bassbleed for better details in the mids as without doing that it's on a border of being a bit too smooth sounding. I think with use they improve in this regard, these days I use XB500 mostly with my synth cuz they are so damn comfy that I play as a hobby and the instruments sounds actually really clean and detailed with a lot of weight to it compared to all other headphones I have but I've also used these for like 1000hrs+ so maybe they have improved quite a bit since I first got them. They are very warm/smooth bassy sounding headphones. The bass though is something I'd want to hear in every headphone being a basshead but I would optimally want a little more forward mids and highs out of box. I also really enjoy the soundstage of these, on a personal level, it's pretty much the optimal position in terms of how close it sounds like being "to the stage". The Panasonic HTF600 are even more "up-front" sounding than XB500 (perhaps slightly too much) and XB500 was the most up-front sounding headphone I had used before that and now after using HTF600 I realize I'd kinda want that XB500 stage rather, it's also very accurate with positioning so it was very fun to use with gaming, they slightly surpassed these Panasonic HTF600 in this regard.
 
A good thing about the XB500 is that they perform pretty much optimally from nearly any source, they are by far the easiest driven headphones I've ever come across, it's more like an IEM than a headphone, they go so damn loud and have to lower the volume quite a bit compared to my other headphones.
 
EDIT: I also got Koss Sparkplugs (I got the white/black version which are the bassiest) and these XB500 are definitely not as veiled in the mids and highs as those, especially the highs in the Koss are really really veiled/recessed.

 

[PurpleAngel]

No matter what source I plugged the XB500s into, they never sounded "good".

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

No matter what source I plugged the XB500s into, they never sounded "good".

Good is subjective, you may not like the XB500's sound.
 

 

[constipationnow]

yeah thats the main concern when choosing headphones... its all about taste. thats why im trying to emphasize my preferences -> Dubstep, hiphop, electro, house etc. VERY bassy music and i dont create music, so i dont need clear/clean sound for analytical purposes. And im generally a basshead. I just dont want same effect as the Koss Sparkplug (horrible highs/mids). And im a total noob, its important to realize that i havent heard any headphones better than my Creative Fatal1ty Gamer Headset (~45$)... and im not going for higher than ~70$, so what will i experience? what will the difference be TO ME?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Good is subjective, you may not like the XB500's sound.

Lets see what headphones I've used
 
Philips SHP2500
Cheap TDK
JVC RX900
Superlux HD-668
Panasonic RP-HTF600-S (Velour)
CALs (Creative Aurvana Live)
Beyer DT-770 Pro 80-Ohm
Beyer DT-770 Pro 250-Ohm
Sennheiser HD-558
 
Sources I've used
Xonar DG
Xonar DS (LME49720NA)
Xonar DX
Xonar Essence STX (3X LME49860NA)
Muse 6922 tube amp
Indeed 6922 tube amp
Onkyo 706B receiver
 
And my ears tell me, XB500s, never buy them again.
 
 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

 
Quote:

 
And my ears tell me, XB500s, never buy them again.

It's not about what you've tested or not, it's like above poster said it's a matter of taste. I preferred XB500 over DT770 Pro/80 for example. We all have a bit different sound we ideally want to hear like I dislike V-shaped frequency responses like those beyers that leaves mids recessed for example. Based on what OP wrote I thought XB500 sounded like a reasonable choice. Coming from a background of Creative Fatality headset and experience with KOSS sparkplugs may even make him think XB500 sounds quite detailed in comparision but still give him the bass he's looking for.
 

 

[Soge]

I would recommend picking up a DAC. They can do wonders when compared to on-board cards, and you will feel a lot more difference when compared to changing to a similar priced Headphone. The Fiio E5 is just 25$, and can do miracles for your music - specially the Bass!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

It's not about what you've tested or not, it's like above poster said it's a matter of taste. I preferred XB500 over DT770 Pro/80 for example. We all have a bit different sound we ideally want to hear like I dislike V-shaped frequency responses like those beyers that leaves mids recessed for example. Based on what OP wrote I thought XB500 sounded like a reasonable choice. Coming from a background of Creative Fatality headset and experience with KOSS sparkplugs may even make him think XB500 sounds quite detailed in comparision but still give him the bass he's looking for.

I've used 9 headphones in the past two years, and I think the Sony XB500s Suck@$$, I think the bass is so crude as to be unenjoyable.
I've never heard such strange vocals as the XB500s puts out.
He also said he did not want to the "bass to eat away middle and highs" and he wanted to game.
I would hope constipationnow go for something like an Asus Xonar DG sound card and the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S (with Velour pads).
He can always kick up the bass with the eq.
 
Or at least just get the Asus Xonar DG, should add some improvement to his current headphone's sound.
 
 
 

 

[Blue Boat]

Quote:

I've used 9 headphones in the past two years, and I think the Sony XB500s Suck@$$, I think the bass is so crude as to be unenjoyable.

Yes we get it. 
 
You hate the XB500.
 
But seriously, SR850 for dubstep? Lol. 
 
 
Don't get a DAC (yet) unless your onboard audio sounds like crap.
 
 
 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Yes we get it. 
You hate the XB500.
But seriously, SR850 for dubstep? Lol. 
Don't get a DAC (yet) unless your onboard audio sounds like crap.

He wants to game, so I just threw the SR850 out there because it's cheaper then the RP-HTF600-S/Velour combo.
People will say they want great high end quality, but end up going for a low price.
 
 
 

 

[anwaypasible]

Quote:

free the midrange from bassbleed for better details in the mids
They are very warm/smooth bassy sounding headphones.
 
A good thing about the XB500 is that they perform pretty much optimally from nearly any source, they are by far the easiest driven headphones I've ever come across.
 

 
the only way to free the midrange from bassbleed is to use a better amplifier.
your DAC might be trashy junk too.
total harmonic distortion of an amplifier is highly regarded, because if those numbers arent combined with the DAC.. those numbers are meaningless without tearing apart the circuit board with a saw.
 
as i said in another thread.. the difference between 0.7% THD and 0.09% THD is an improvement across the entire frequency range.
signal to noise ratios are needed too.
my soundcard is said to be 116dB signal to noise ratio.
my receiver's amplifier is said to be 96dB signal to noise ratio (at input short) with 250mV sensitivity.
 
you didnt properly equalize the headphones OR your amp & DAC combo is producing more distortion than the headphones.
indeed, the final sound is 'veery warm/smooth' ..but dont confuse 'very' with 'veery' or 'veiry'
sound can still be more clear, but at least the focus on these headphones is visibility through a lens that isnt perfectly clear.. although better than a lens with smeared ____ on it.
 
i'd say the clarity of the midrange is like an aged optical lens.
certainly not the clarity of brand new lenses, but far from a lens that has been severely scratched by excessive use of paper towels and shirts to clean the lens.
(that means using a real optical cloth)
 
and yes, they are a bit smooth amongst all of that excitement.
but really, some of that smoothness might be my receiver's harmonic distortion and signal to noise ratio.
 
performing good from any source doesnt prove to be true.
they get loud from lots of sources, but loud isnt the same as clear and in focus.
when i seen you mention bassbleed, i knew there was a problem to be had.. and i think there are plenty of soundcards out there that have much lower distortion numbers than the home theater receivers they plug into.
but
dont make the mistake many people make.
your soundcard's total harmonic distortion numbers are for ONE thing.
plugging that soundcard into an amplifier is the preferred choice.
dont expect the 40ohms of your headphones to be the same level of performance.
plugging in those headphones means all of the characteristics of the amplifer is going to change like a transformer shifting from one shape to another.
that is what makes electrical engineers special.. the need to design the circuit for more than one connected resistance.
 
i can plug these headphones into the soundcard and the sound doesnt noticeably improve again.
remember..
my home theater has the choice of 0.7% THD in surround sound mode.
then switch it to stereo and it drops to 0.09% THD
plugging the headphones into the soundcard with a 0.004% THD would certainly show a difference as it did in the past.
 
since it doesnt..
i expect the ohm difference between the receiver's input and the headphones to have everything to do with it.
 
 
i'm simply suggesting people to re-assure themselves with their DAC and amplifier.
these headphones dont exhibit the same level of thirst-quenching performance without using those equalizer settings i provided.. unless you are asking for 15 inch subwoofer levels, and they do that too.
 
with the equalizer settings, i've heard these headphones get loud enough to function for people with damaged hearing.
i'd HIGHLY suggest getting one of the x-fi soundcards and these headphones before the entire audio industry starts pushing out new soundcards and new headphones that support the high-resolution formatting of the new audio codecs for surround sound.
 
i'm hoping music gets on it's way soon too.
because if it can get this good, then the next step will be something closer to perfect transparency.
what i hear now is a valid resemblence, but remains artificial sounding.
removing that artificial sound is absolutely audiophile territory.
 
(it's been hard enough to get people towards a valid resemblence.. since they are stubborn, confused, and lost)

 

[LimeANite]

Quote:

I would recommend picking up a DAC. They can do wonders when compared to on-board cards, and you will feel a lot more difference when compared to changing to a similar priced Headphone. The Fiio E5 is just 25$, and can do miracles for your music - specially the Bass!

The E5 is an amp, not a DAC.