[Edwood]

Ety's? You're kidding, right?

I've tried my ER-4S in a Little More Power, Gilmore, and Grace 901, and there are serious diminishing returns in the bass dept. Granted, the bass is all there, it just doesn't have any viseral impact.

I'd recommend the HD600 or 650, IF you can drive them with some serious power. Out of the Gilmore and Grace 901, the bass was very powerful, and clear. Especially with the Grace.

My current favorite is the K1000's. It's bass level with the Grace is between the ER-4S and the HD600's. While being closer to the HD600's by a margain. And it's flatter across the curve. The HD600's are a little muddy in comparison to the K1000's. But the 600's are warmer sounding too.

-Ed

 

[blipblop]

Edwood, would the PPA qualify as "serious power"?

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

I would go with some beyer dt250-80's (250-250 is harder to drive) or grado sr-225's. The 225's are less bright the 60's and have a lot more bass. They sound like a refined porta pro I would say.. Each are excellent cans.

I wouldn't bother with the senn 590's because they suck...

Biggie.

 

[usc goose]

Quote:

Originally posted by blipblop I want the bass to really be there, but not overshadow the mids or highs... It need not be a “megabass” type headphone... I want to groove to some crisp AND deep house beats.

Said etys to me. For whatever reason, I'm just a fan of ety bass. But whatever's clever. I guess a fan of portapro bass might be looking for something a little different though.

 

[rligeti]

audio technica ATH-A900s. Have, 'em, love 'em. It's what you want...

 

[JeffL]

Quote:

That said, I have finally figured a way to articulate my desire. So here it goes. I want a headphone that has solid bass, without spoiling the music.

I can recommend the Beyer 770s. They have nice crisp highs, and a good bass. I personally have never found them to have too much bass, whereas some consider them muddy. I recommend you listen to them to make sure they are not too bass heavy for you.

 

[N@Z]

My only basis for comparison to the PortaPros are my KSC35 & follows your criteria for BASS & CLARITY alone.

I've said it before & I'll say it again Beyer DT150 (Closed circumaural design).

The Plusses: Presentation sound forward like the Grados (compared with the RS-1 I have at least). Bass is viseral, controlled & well extended without compromises to the Mids & highs. They make the DT880 & DT250 sound tame in comparison (incidently DT250 would be my second choice because comparatively the bass is not as impactful & it can sound a little bright on certain CDs, YMMV). Vocals & acoustic instruments sound exceptional & in your face. There is also a lack of shrill to the top end. Detail is also one of it's forte. Being Pro Monitoring headphones you literally can pick out every instrument/ in the track. Typically with any Beyer headphones it is modular in construction hence every part is replaceable.

The downsides: As I've mentioned, these are Pro Monitoring headphones so forget about soundstage width (DT250 sounds airier however they have better depth). High impedance, 250 ohms so it's not as good unamped. Needs more than 100 hours of burn-in before they start to loosen up. They are fairly big/chunky physically & depending on your personal taste, can look bland compared with the newer line of Beyers.

The ugly duckling of the Pro Beyer line but certainly one of the unsung heros. Sony MDR-7506/V6 & DT250 owners thinking of upgrading should definitely look into this.

 

[blipblop]

Hmm...so I'm down to these

590 (or 600, if a PPA will bring out as much bass)

2. AudioTechnica ATH a900 (seems more and more to be a good choice)

3. BeyerDynamic Dt770s (also sounds good)


Are the 770s too bright? I've read that to be the case with some. I am also starting to think that the Sennheisers are just not cut out for my style of listening...even though the 590 is more forward, I suspect that it may be too much of a reference headphone to be able to give the musical warmth that an A900 or Dt 770 may provide.

God I'm so confused. If only Koss made a High-End PortaPro!

 

[rligeti]

if it helps at all, the a900 is the closest thing to a closed grado, but without the fatiguing highs and the addition of almost speaker-like bass. I went from sr60s to hd590s to cd3000 and ended up with the a900s and never looked back. I still have my sr60's though cause they are wonderful as a semi portable...

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

The DT770 is a good pick if you really like bass, it has incredible bass that goes deep, and is extremely impactful, drums really feeel like drums with these babies. The downside is that the midrange is not as full and airy as something like the HD600 or CD3000, but if you really like bass, then the trade-off could be worth it. The highs are not nearly as pronounced as Grados, or even the HD590 IMO, but they defiinitely let through vocal sibilance that the HD600 doesn't show as easily.

 

[blipblop]

Okay, I'm going with the Audio-Technica a900! Thanks for everything guys. I appreciate all your help so much...

 

[zeplin]

blipblop,
just to clarify something you said about you not thinking the Senns, especialy the 600 and 650, not being warm sounding. the opposite is true. i think that with the PPA, you should be able to bring out mostly all the things you require in a headphone. first you have the warmth...Senns are known for their warmth and richness. it is a type of sound that pulls you in with realism. secondly, your PPA, IMO should be able to pull out tremendous amounts of bass when needed. not overpowering, but perfectly controled and full sounding. lastly is the detail. given that you have a nice solid state amp, the 600 will surely be able to present realistic details that are in no way sharp or bright. in my experience with the AT's, even on my warm setup (Rega Planet, one of the warmest sounding players) the AT900 sounded brittle and bright on some recordings...not all, but enough to annoy me a little. it was ony when i EQ'ed them that they sounded better/awesome. i can't say anything about the Beyers because i've never heard them before. i personally think you should try the Senns. another thing about the Senns, is that later on down the road, when funds allow, there is even more room for improvement by being able to replace the cables. by doing so, you will further bring out the wonderful aspects of the 600's. i do not wish to confuse you, but i thought some of the people describing the Senns in this thread did not match my own experience...so naturally i had to let you know

honestly though, i think you'll be happy with whatever you get! good luck

 

[Jasper994]

I haven't tried one, but if the PPA will drive them I'd highly recommend the HD600. While being wonderfully articulate, the HD600's are very musical and enjoyable. If your budget affords it, get the HD650 or if you need to go lower try the HD580.

They would have been my first recommendation but I wasn't sure if what you have would drive them. If Zeplin feels that they will, go for it.

The veiled comment that usually gets associated with the Senns has more to do with the amp not driving them well.

What ever you do though, I'd highly recommend that you make sure you can send them back if you aren't satisfied.

Another option is to try to go to a meet before you pick your cans... there are serveral meets coming up, maybe one in your neck of the woods.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

The HD600 has great bass that is well integrated into the overall music experience, i.e. you don't notice the bass unless you listening specifically for it.

Whereas the DT770 has great bass that is constatly clamoring for attention, and sticks out obviously in all but the most bass-light music, you hear its' bass whether listening for it or not, it is impossible to ignore.

 

[zeplin]

if and only if the 770's bass is anything like the V6's powerful bass, i think you may like it at first. a BIG BUT though, after awhile it grows tiresome and annoying in that hearing nothing but pounding bass, even when not needed, is tremendously fatiguing...and hard on the ears drums for that matter. in the long run, a more realistic bass presentation will most likely be more to your liking. but again, i may be wrong about that, take everything we say with a grain of salt