[w00t1337]

Hey guys, my setup is a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 ohm with a Fiio E9 amp and Creative X-fi Titanium sound card (not HD version).  I loved them for months and months after I originally bought them but now I no longer feel like it has that type of punchy bass that I want (I guess I'm a basshead!).  On slickdeals I noticed there is a pair of Ultrasone HFI-580's going for $120.  Is this something I should invest in for more bass while still having decent sound quality like my Beyers?  Or should I mod my Beyers... but would any mods really make the bass that much more punchy?  Also another thing that is driving me nuts are that both my drivers seem to be making rattling noises now like as if hair is stuck in them.  I really don't feel like sending them to Beyer but on the flip side, I really don't want to open them up to clean them as I'm afraid I'll mess up the drivers so I'm kinda stuck.  Also as a side note, I've noticed that the ATH M-50's are also going for $120.  But HFI-580 > M-50 in terms of bass right?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Save up for the Ultrasone Pro 900 (and possibly sell the DT990 to help fund for it). Like a closed DT990, with bass times the power of infinity. The M50 has LESS bass than the DT990.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Hey guys, my setup is a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 ohm with a Fiio E9 amp and Creative X-fi Titanium sound card (not HD version).  I loved them for months and months after I originally bought them but now I no longer feel like it has that type of punchy bass that I want (I guess I'm a basshead!).  On slickdeals I noticed there is a pair of Ultrasone HFI-580's going for $120.  Is this something I should invest in for more bass while still having decent sound quality like my Beyers?  Or should I mod my Beyers... but would any mods really make the bass that much more punchy?  Also another thing that is driving me nuts are that both my drivers seem to be making rattling noises now like as if hair is stuck in them.  I really don't feel like sending them to Beyer but on the flip side, I really don't want to open them up to clean them as I'm afraid I'll mess up the drivers so I'm kinda stuck.  Also as a side note, I've noticed that the ATH M-50's are also going for $120.  But HFI-580 > M-50 in terms of bass right?

Heya,
 
Keep your Beyers and get rid of the Fiio E9.
 
Get the FIio E10 or E17 instead. Why? There's an EQ setting that is purely a bass bump. It's a really clever hardware bass enhancement equalizer that does not distort the way software EQ's often do. Setting it to 2 will make your headphones roar with bass. Trust me, it made my DT880 sound like a bass monster, like my Denon D5000. And it makes my D5000 sound like an earthquake. It makes my DT770's rumble like crazy. It's an excellent little DAC/AMP and the bass enhancement EQ as a switch on/off is simply fantastic. The FIio E11 has the same thing too. It will take any headphone and make it very bassy. Take a bassy headphone and it becomes a bass cannon. And it doesn't do it in a detrimental way, it just adds a solid boost to bass without hurting everything else.
 
Also, the E10 powers the 250ohm without an issue. It powers my 600ohm versions on a volume setting of 3, which is less than half way, before getting too loud for me. It handles Beyers just fine, all of them. 
 
You could sell the E9, get an E10, and actually make a small profit while gaining monstrous bass without losing anything and keeping your Beyers.
 
Very best,

 

[w00t1337]

Hmm... I'm thinking maybe I should go with the Ultrasone Pro 900's + e17.  So there would be a whole lot more bass than my current DT 990 pro + e9?  Are the Pro 900's worth $200 more over the HFI-580's? 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Hmm... I'm thinking maybe I should go with the Ultrasone Pro 900's + e17.  So there would be a whole lot more bass than my current DT 990 pro + e9?  Are the Pro 900's worth $200 more over the HFI-580's? 

 
Heya,
 
I don't think the PRO900 is worth $200 more than the HFI580. It's slightly better in many ways, but really, unless you just have $200 extra to burn and don't care, then by all means get it, but if $200 could get you a new toy and keep your current headphones and all, then I would use that money to get other new toys. Like keeping the DT990 PRO, getting the E17, picking up the HFI580's if you don't already have them, and being set for home and portable use with a ton of bass.
 
Just remember: no headphone is going to do what a subwoofer does. So don't set yourself up for a $550 "I need subwoofers" idea and end up disappointed.
 
Very best,

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I dunno, the D7000 sounded subwoofery, but with amazing clarity.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I dunno, the D7000 sounded subwoofery, but with amazing clarity.

 
Heya,
 
Lots of headphones can hit subwoofer level frequencies.
 
But none of them can rattle the air in your chest like a subwoofer. Subs are felt as much as they are heard. Headphones just can't do that. There's 4 subs in my house for a reason, hehe.
 
Very best,

 

[w00t1337]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
I don't think the PRO900 is worth $200 more than the HFI580. It's slightly better in many ways, but really, unless you just have $200 extra to burn and don't care, then by all means get it, but if $200 could get you a new toy and keep your current headphones and all, then I would use that money to get other new toys. Like keeping the DT990 PRO, getting the E17, picking up the HFI580's if you don't already have them, and being set for home and portable use with a ton of bass.
 
Just remember: no headphone is going to do what a subwoofer does. So don't set yourself up for a $550 "I need subwoofers" idea and end up disappointed.
 
Very best,

 
Thank you very much MalVeaux for your help.  I think I am getting my hopes up too much about it sounding like a true subwoofer (I've had a few different sets of subwoofers in my car at one point).  I think maybe I'll just try for the e7 (use it for the bass boost) and get some gel ear pads for my DT990's and call it a day.  Something tells me I would be disappointed as far as bass goes if I was to shell out all that money for the Pro 900's and expect it to sound like car subwoofers.  

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I hope you meant the E17, because the E7 is a very weak amp, and not for the 990s at all.

 

[w00t1337]

Can I use the bass boost feature on the e7 and just plug it in directly to my e9?  Or would I just be better off selling the e9, and buying an e17?

 

[RushNerd]

990 won't please someone who likes low-end and visceral punchiness. I returned mine because of that coming from having the D2000's for years and selling them. Have since bought D5000's after returning the 990s. The bass is back baby.
 
Not sure if the EQ on that amp is better than software EQ, but I recommend you play around with it, 30hz and 60hz bands.

 

[Revelatio]

I moved from the DT990 to the D7000. The quality of the bass is so much better with the D7000.

 

[w00t1337]

You guys are not making this easy on me haha. To get some more opinions, what do you two last guys think about the bass quality/quantity of the hfi-580 vs pro 900 and are they a big difference from my dt 990?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Can I use the bass boost feature on the e7 and just plug it in directly to my e9?  Or would I just be better off selling the e9, and buying an e17?

Yes, run a 3.5mm cable from the E7's headphone jack to the E9's line in. Using the E7 as a preamp this way is the only way to keep your bass boosts. You can't while its docked.