[afinch1992]

Let me start off by saying, I'm fairly new to the audiophile scene, but I have loved music since I was young. I mostly listen to bass heavy hip hop, dubstep, rap, and other stuff along those lines. I also listen to some ben folds, elliott smith, john mayer, eric clapton, etc., so my style is kind of all over. I recently got my first true over ears, the m-audio q40s (had some grado sr80s, but only for a week. long story). They sound amazing, but they don't seem to have the bass I'm looking for. I read several reviews that said these were bass monsters and could handle just about anything. However, i have found myself searching for more. Dont get me wrong, there is bass and it does boom some, but I feel like its being held back or its just not enough. The only way to get my bass fix is putting my laptop (m11x) on 100 volume and even then its getting drowned out by the mids and highs, imo. My question is, did I make a bad choice with the q40s, or is there something that can be done without eq (im a purist when it comes to that). I do have a PA2V2 on its way, but from what I have read, that wont affect the bass as much as the mids and highs. Since the headphones are pretty easy to drive I figure my laptop card is enough, but I'm not really sure. any advice or knowledge is much appreciated!
 
edit: forgot this part. Its almost like I want the bass quantity of the beats, but without the crappy overpricedness of them

 

[Aizura]

Look into Shure's SRH750DJ. I can't imagine anyone could want more bass then these have.

 

[Marximus]

The Denon D1100s have the most bass I've ever heard from a pair of headphones, yet the bass manages to still be mostly controlled.  Astonishing impact and warmth.
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AH-D1100-Advanced-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0042ETXRQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293818339&sr=8-1 

 

[afinch1992]

thanks for the reply guys. I'm not really looking to make a switch yet though. I still feel like theres something in these still, but I'm doing something wrong or just need to wait for the amp. or maybe just a confirmation that i miss interpreted peoples reviews. i tried some beyers at guitar center out of an iphone connected to pandora and I felt like there was significantly more bass. any thoughts?
 
edit: and i do realize that the beyers have more bass stock, but I feel like my burned in q40s should atleast have held a candle to beyers that had a weak source and were straight out of the box. they were 80ohm pros, btw

 

[xtasi]

Just curious did you burn them in?  They may need burn-in, but i'm not too sure about how well the q40's respond.
 
BTW, the q40 is supposed to have a lot of sub-bass.  Sub-bass is the rumbles that you can feel, not necessarily hear.  I'm guessing you want more mid-bass to hear all the "bass" in the rap songs?
Wikipedia: Feeling
Is the nominalization of "to feel". »

 

[afinch1992]

they are pretty well burned in i assume. I bought them from someone on here that put about 50 hours or so on them and i have put atleast 20 since (just got them last week). The rumble is what I am looking for i think. i guess id consider myself a basshead. im looking for almost a sub kind of sound i think. would the PA2V2 bring this out, more specifically at lower to mid level volumes?

 

[Armaegis]

The Q40 has some of the deepest bass of any headphone I've tried (not impactful, but good sub-bass rumble). I do feel that amping brings the Q40's abilities up considerably. I've got a comparison here: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/512762/review-shure-srh-840-audio-technica-ath-m50-m-audio-studiophile-q40-pioneer-hdj-2000
where I note the Q40 is "ok" unamped, but jumps ahead once you give it some muscle. You might also try changing out some pads to achieve a better seal, which is half the trick to getting good bass.
 
For bassier headphones, maybe consider the closed AKG portables... like the K81/518 or K450? Those things are ridiculous bass cannons, but they also clamp and seal very well (which as I mentioned is half the battle).

 

[afinch1992]

i actually just put on beyer velour pads. i have noticed a difference, but not as great as i hoped. I will hold out for my amp and see how they react then

 

[nullPointerException]

Are you talking about that extremely low frequency bass that shakes the room? In that case you will probably never find a pair of headphones that can deliver that. Truth be told, you probably don't actually "hear" that extremely low bass, you only experience it through bone conduction.

 

[afinch1992]

That's close, but I too don't expect for headphones to do that. I mean more the vibration kind of bass that the q40s produce at high volumes, but just at lower, more comfortable volumes

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

Look into Shure's SRH750DJ. I can't imagine anyone could want more bass then these have.

i agree totally. my srh750dj headphones have some of the most remarkable bass i ever heard

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

Are you talking about that extremely low frequency bass that shakes the room? In that case you will probably never find a pair of headphones that can deliver that. Truth be told, you probably don't actually "hear" that extremely low bass, you only experience it through bone conduction.

XB500/XB700 delivers bass lower than my hearing capabilities so I can feel it. In a certain song with a bassdrop that goes from like 100Hz down towards 0Hz I can feel how it tickles my ear like yet 1.5 - 2 secs after I stop hearing it... crazy... XB500 have a bit better capability to deliver bass that can be felt (more punch & impact) but both can deliver extremely low frequency bass, ie 10Hz at least. (tried with sample tones as well and yes it can be felt at least), other bassheavy headphones haven't been able to deliver below 20Hz so I could feel it as they are all so rolled-off at that point already but Sony XB isn't, at "normal" volume levels too. Quite amazing concidering the driver size.

 

[afinch1992]

I might look into those as my basshead headphones that I break out for special bass sessions. I have found that the bass is much more enjoyable on 320 or flac music with the q40s, so I think that might be part of my problem. I also think the amp will bring some bass out too. the xb500 are pretty great for the price it looks like tho. Are the xb700 worth the extra money tho?

 

[desktophifi]

Quote:

I might look into those as my basshead headphones that I break out for special bass sessions. I have found that the bass is much more enjoyable on 320 or flac music with the q40s, so I think that might be part of my problem. I also think the amp will bring some bass out too. the xb500 are pretty great for the price it looks like tho. Are the xb700 worth the extra money tho?

If you're a basshead you will like the 500's, they have a strong bass. They are like subwoofers in your head, lol. 
Haven't had the chance to try the 700's, so i cant give my 2 cents...

 

[Armaegis]

From discussions I've read here on headfi, it seems the 500 has more bass, but the 700 has "better" bass.