[johnybesmith]

I mainly listen to electronic/house music (deadmau5, justice, ronald jenkees!), so I'm looking for a pair of headphones with really PUNCHY bass, and clear mid-range as I play a lot of piano through my computer with m-audio audiophile 2496 soundcard.
 
I have tried Sennheiser HD-595, and although they had such a crystal clear sound, they didn't have any punch in the bass whatsoever so I decided to return these.
Now I own a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and I think I'm in love with these, but I've discovered that these closed headphones cause my ears to ring! =( The same thing happens when I put my fingers in my ears or wear ear-plugs, so I assume that it is the closed surroundings that causes the ringing. I didn't notice the ringing at all with the HD-595.
 
So now I'm looking for OPEN headphones with PUNCHY bass, any suggestions? I'm considering these:
 
- Beyerdynamic dt990 PRO
- Grado SR-80i
- Allessandro MS1 2009 version (which I assume is the MS1i that people are referring to in the forums)
          btw is the MS1 an open headphone? it says Operating principle: Open Air; and that it's vented diaphgram (?_?) 
- Goldring DR150
          how is the punch in the bass of this one?
 
If anyone has any experience with any of these and can make a comparison with ath-m50 it would be really helpful!
 
Also, I was wondering if my Logitech Z-4 (yes I know they suck!) speaker could be classified as a headphone amplifier?

 

[3602]

I'm using DT880-32 amped with a 40 year-old receiver. With the Bass dial on +2 (may or may not be dB's) the DT880 cranks out bass like... well, as if they're not DT880's.

 

[johnybesmith]

the reason why I asked if logitech z-4 speakers can be classed as headphone amps is because I'm wondering if they can power 250 ohms dt-990

 

[3602]

Quote:

the reason why I asked if logitech z-4 speakers can be classed as headphone amps is because I'm wondering if they can power 250 ohms dt-990

Well... I've had one single system of 2.1 speakers, and no, the headphone jack actually degrades the sound.
For a simple, cheap amp, check out Schiit. Asgard for $250 and Valhalla for $350. Made in USA to boot.

 

[johnybesmith]

hmm well the beyer dt990 pro is already ~$100 more than the other two, but if i have to add another ~$300 for amp to properly drive them then it's a big no no...

 

[soundeffect]

About the M50, Well that means you are listening to it too loud.  Try doing this, when you ears are well rested, start out in a lower volume and slowly increase but not too high.  You be surprise out how good you ears adjust to the low volume and still sound good. 
Quote:

I mainly listen to electronic/house music (deadmau5, justice, ronald jenkees!), so I'm looking for a pair of headphones with really PUNCHY bass, and clear mid-range as I play a lot of piano through my computer.
 
I have tried Sennheiser HD-595, and although they had such a crystal clear sound, they didn't have any punch in the bass whatsoever so I decided to return these.
Now I own a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and I think I'm in love with these, but I've discovered that these closed headphones cause my ears to ring! =( The same thing happens when I put my fingers in my ears or wear ear-plugs, so I assume that it is the closed surroundings that causes the ringing. I didn't notice the ringing at all with the HD-595.
 
So now I'm looking for OPEN headphones with PUNCHY bass, any suggestions? I'm considering these:
 
- Beyerdynamic dt990 PRO
- Grado SR-80i
- Allessandro MS1 2009 version (which I assume is the MS1i that people are referring to in the forums)
          btw is the MS1 an open headphone? it says Operating principle: Open Air; and that it's vented diaphgram (?_?) 
- Goldring DR150
          how is the punch in the bass of this one?
 
 
Also, I was wondering if my Logitech Z-4 (yes I know they suck!) speaker could be classified as a headphone amplifier?

 

[johnybesmith]

i don't listen to very high volumes at all, in fact, when I listen to most (all) of my friends' mp3-players, I always turn down the volume because their volume hurt my ears. Also, I didn't notice any ringing when using the open hd595, nor any other low-end headphones previous to that. The ringing's only coming up when I isolate my ears, like when I'm using closed headphones, holding my hands over the ears or using ear plugs. Sad but true just gotta live with it =/

 

[Riku540]

The DT 990 will most definitely satisfy your needs; however speakers are not at all headphone amplifiers and will not provide the power needed for them. Also, the signal from the speakers will be considerably lower quality than that of your source (your computer was it?). What soundcard do you have? You may want to consider a DAC/Amp to start with, and upgrade to a desktop amp when you can afford it.

 

[johnybesmith]

I'm using an m-audio audiophile 2496 soundcard, so since all of the headphones I mentioned except DT 990 are 32 ohm it shouldn't really be a problem driving those through normal speakers? What would you consider to be the "threshold" impedance when headphone amplifier becomes necessary to properly drive them?

 

[Riku540]

The thing about impedance is that there isn't a threshold so to speak. Efficiency seems to vary by brand; even the DT 990 32 ohm version requires an amp. You would be far better off plugging directly into your soundcard as going through your speakers will butcher the quality of the signal. If you get the DT 990 I would plan to get an amp when you can afford one; you can probably "get by" without one in the meantime.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Impedance only tells you about the efficiency of power transfer. It does not tell you how difficult it is to drive something.

Amplifiers have an output impedance. The interaction of that with the headphone impedance tells you how well the amp can send power to the headphones. After that, you need to know how much power the amp can deliver and how sensitive the headphones are. Even if you have a good impedance match, low sensitivity headphones can be difficult to drive.

This is a complex subject, but you generally want a headphone amp with an output impedance lower than the headphone impedance. This is not a problem with solid state, since chips have a low output impedance. The problem turns up with cheap OTL headphone amps. The manufacturers usually promise that they'll drive "anything," but running an amp with, say, a 90 Ohm output impedance into a 32 Ohm headphone usually causes problems. Transformer-coupled headphone amps don't usually have this problem, since the output transformers usually deliver low output impedance.

That being said, if your ears are ringing, you are listening too loud. It has nothing to do with whether the headphones are open or closed. Turn it down. You might be listening to levels lower than your friends, but we are all different, and you apparently are sensitive to the levels you listen at. Please be careful and don't damage your hearing.

 

[soundeffect]

It might be because your ears are already slightly damaged.  With close headphone, earphone, earplugs etc. help you notice the ringing more by isolating the rest of the other sound.  I read some where that the more damage your hearing is the louder that high pitch ringing sound is.  You might just want to take my info lightly because this is what I read from some where that I don't remember for all we know the source might be wrong.
 
  Just be careful though, ringing sound usually associate with damaging hearing and apparently majority of listener are listening to higher level than what we think.

 

[johnybesmith]

let's put it like this: I notice the ringing even when I'm wearing the headphones even without playing any music. That should settle this 

yes, that's what I figured, my ears are probably constantly ringing, only that the isolation makes me notice it and so it becomes more emphasized.
 
I think I'm going with the dt990 pro, after some hours of research it seems that they have a tigher and punchier bass than the grados, which is what i'm looking for. Only the 250 ohm version is for sale here in sweden and no physical shops sell them here so I'm just going to hope for the best, trying them unamped at first but if it sounds too bad I'm just going to have to buy some sort amp I guess.

 

[Riku540]

I wouldn't call Grado's bass heavy at all. I have not heard the high end Grado's though (GS/PS1K). If you take headphones seriously you will want to eventually get an amp anyway; may as well save up so you never have to worry about it in the future. $150 will buy you enough to drive most, if not all headphones depending what you buy. Upgraditis is inevitable.

 

[singh]

M50 and DT990,
DT880 will be much, but its semi open. the bass is not as punchy as the DT990 but is still good with other attributes much better