[michael0408]

I am having a rough time deciding what to do with my headphones because I am not happy with these two right now. My current setup is computer > Fiio E10k > Sennheiser HD 600/Fostex TH-X00. The 600 was my go to headphone for over a year now but I wanted something with more bass and more impact because I listen to a lot of electronic music and so i bought the X00 on Massdrop. After the arrival of the X00 i burned them in for about 60 hours and when I'm testing them now they sound pretty good and like a real upgrade in the low end department. My problem is that the center image of these headphones is not in the center but slightly to my left side, so I checked all the options in windows and everything is normal and when i turn the headphone around the right side is slightly louder. I also have to feeling that I can hear more detail on the left side, so something is not ok with that headphones. Currently I think about selling the Fostex and maybe the 600's on eBay and getting another pair of headphones that fit my demands better. The X00 sounds pretty good but now I think it is too much "warm" sounding I liked the vocals/mids/highs more on the Sennheisers on the other hand the 600's don't have enough low end for my taste. I need something that is in between of these two and the budget is not that important but it should be under ~ 600€. What headphones would you recommend to look at? More bass/subbass than the HD 600, open (I like open headphones more because you are not that isolated), vocals that do not hide behind the music, not too much boosted frequencies.
 
Thanks for your help

 

[kimvictor]

Huh. I'd expect Fostex to match their drivers better than that. You should shoot Massdrop an email and tell them that there is channel imbalance. Who knows. They might offer an exchange or refund. Massdrop is pretty good with that. 
 
Have you tried the most obvious side grade? The HD650 has more bass than the 600 while remaining fairly similar to the HD600 in the mids(they have slightly less treble too). I personally prefer the 600, but if you like the warmer sound, you might find the 650 very fitting.

 

[Sweden]

Buy a used HD800 and get yourself a Yamaha CR-620, a receiver fro the late 70s.
If neccesay use some EQ.
The bass can truly be epic in this rig as is clarity, detail, soundstage and a natural tonality.
TB Isone takes this pairing to another level.

 

[kimvictor]

  Buy a used HD800 and get yourself a Yamaha CR-620, a receiver fro the late 70s.
If neccesay use some EQ.
The bass can truly be epic in this rig as is clarity, detail, soundstage and a natural tonality.
TB Isone takes this pairing to another level.

I would not consider the HD800 to be bassy though.
 
But I do agree that the HD800 sounds beautiful. 

 

[Sweden]

  I would not consider the HD800 to be bassy though.
 
But I do agree that the HD800 sounds beautiful. 

 
The HD800 is far from bassy stock.
It's only when you pair them with the CR-620 you get the thunderous bass.
The high output impedance raises the bass a bit.

 

[obobskivich]

Not trying to stir up a fight, buuut: I'd honestly be looking at the FiiO as the culprit for the channel imbalance. IME they use cheap pots, and the Fostex are very sensitive headphones, so you get the worst possible situation out of it.

Try plugging into something else.

As far as the tonal balance and all that - you may try just EQing the bass down on the Fostex a bit and seeing how you like that. If you want something else though, the Ultrasone PRO2900 would come to mind as a good alternative. They're relatively bassy, but not "boomy," don't lean towards warmth (they're a bit cold imho), offer good detail, good imaging, etc. Easy enough to drive as well.

 

[aviduser2]

Try the nighthawks.

 

[xylin6]

I find my Grado PS500e have more than substantial bass and as they are open back also provide plenty of spacious rich sounding mid-range and sparkling highs, although the bass only comes when called for (as it should on any quality pair of cans) and I do use the ClearBass bass boost (on my Sony F807 and F887 Walkman daps) though the bass on the PS500e is plenty prominent even without adding EQ , I'm just a bit of a bass head and like that added extra low end impact and rumble (so long as it doesn't sacrifice the other frequency ranges nor bleed into them). the PS500e ssell for $595 new but I've seen them used in mint condition as low as $475 here and on Ebay. I haven't heard the Audio Quest NightHawks that aviduser2 suggested but they are reputed to be stellar headphones and would certainly be worth looking into.
 
also if you're handy with a soldering iron and not averse to building your own pair the Symphones Magnum 7 would be a great choice.the drivers themselves sell for $75 and you could source a good pair of wooden cups as well as a headband and cable and build a superior pair of cans for around $300-$350 total (depending on what sort of cable,cups etc you choose to build them with). I built a pair last year using the Magnum V6 for a total of $245 and love them.- as far as where to source the other parts for the build you can get answers from the very helpful users on the Grado Modders Go Magnum forums,or can buy a pre built pair of V6 with detachable cables and all top quality custom parts (leather headband,aluminum gimbals and rodblocks,wooden cups etc) from Rholupat for $340 here http://www.rholupat.com/custom-headphone (details for all the components here)-> http://www.rholupat.com/custom-headphone/symphones-magnum-v6-full-custom.html . granted he is in Indonesia and it may take a few weeks to ship but his reputation on Head Fi is solid and I've never heard any complaints about the quality of his workmanship.best of luck whichever way you decide to go.

 

[serman005]

Maybe I missed it, but have you checked out an HE400i?

 

[michael0408]

Yes I've read some reviews and stuff but I dont't think there will be a very big difference compared to the Hd 600

 

[obobskivich]

Yes I've read some reviews and stuff but I dont't think there will be a very big difference compared to the Hd 600

When I've demo'd them against one another they are quite different headphones. Reviews should really be tempered with a big heaping helping of salt.

 

[xylin6]

one other headphone to consider is the Philips Fidelio X2 which some Head-Fi members have described as very similar to the Sennheiser HD600 yet w/  bass which is prominent but not overwhelming. I picked up a pair used here last year for $225 and imo they are worth twice that.