[machoboy]

There isn't a drastic difference in reliability between the HTF600/HARX700 stuff and the higher end stuff. They're all manufactured from the same plastic in the same factories in Taiwan or China until you get into the $200-300+ range where things begin to be more "boutique" and may be made in Germany or have wood/metal components.
 
Basically, you pay for improvements in detail, speed, clarity, balance, etc. If you want mp3s with the bass turned up with no amp straight from a phone then most of those improvements won't even be audible. In some cases (AKG, Beyerdynamic, etc.) the more expensive headphones will actually sound far worse because they're so starved for power.
 
If you do decide to go with a quality amp and by "bass heavy" just mean a bit of scooped sound signature, then yeah, spend as much as you can afford, because then you can hear the improvements. From what you describe though save some money and go with Panasonic or JVC.

 

[sack patrol]

Yep, I won't be using amps, and I intend to keep these headphones for mp3/phone use only since i have a pair for home and I don't want to have to constantly switch around for no reason. So basically i need headphones that will sound as good as they can with the limitations of the said devices. 
 
Any specific models you might recommend? I mean I used to own a pair of Sony headphones before the yamahas and they cost pretty much the same price, but once I got the yamahas, I said to myself "why the hell did I even buy those awful sony headphones?" This is the kind of thing I want to avoid. 

 

[tattare]

Phiaton ms 400 on Newegg.ca 126 refurbished but OOS. They isolate better than the cal and are heavier construction. No amp needed
Denon d1100 if you can find one still. More impact than the cal and phiaton. Isolates better than the phiaton ms 400. No amp needed. better comfort than cal or phiaton.

The ones I haven't personally heard yet.
Q40 + beyer 770 velour pads
Sony xb500

 

[RushNerd]

Quote:

Yep, I won't be using amps

Don't expect a lot from the bass department then.

 

[machoboy]

Bass frequencies are the most power-dependent so without an amp the bass is the first thing to suffer in quality. That's why headphones designed for unamped use tend to have more of a on/off "one note" bass, but at least it's there.
 
for models look at the panasonic htf600, jvc harx700, monoprice "dj headphone". You can get any of them in the $20-30 range shipped on amazon if you check pack every couple hours (prices fluctuate through the day).
 
If you like them then you saved a lot of money.
If you don't like them then send them back within 30 days and plan to spend $200 total between headphone & amp to see a major improvement.

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

Good all around, but with an emphasis on the bass rather than the other stuff. 

 
In that case, the Ultrasone 580s could be a very good choice. Right now they are $120 on Amazon. Very easy to drive with a phone or mp3 player. Bassnectar will sound great on them. However, be aware that they have serious bass emphasis, on the level of Beats (but better quality SQ than Beats). The 580s will produce low bass frequencies you've never heard out of the AD700s. You'll feel the pressure from the bass in some Bassnectar songs on your ears if you have it turned up. Be sure you know what you are getting yourself into 

 

[machoboy]

That is one thing I have to hand to the 580s, I've never heard so much quality bass with no amp. Nothing really comes close.
 
I'm guessing no amp also means no EQ though so that's a pretty extreme sound signature to be stuck with for all genres.

 

[sack patrol]

Welp, I just tested out my mp3 player and my phone with some bass tracks using the yamaha headphones and the adh700....... O________O
 
I dunno if I wanna buy headphones of any sort anymore. Those devices are distorting everything like crazy.  Their EQs are so limited that it seems impossible to actually do anything with them... The mp3 player is understandable since it's just an amateur device... maybe I can get an app for the phone that has better eq tho... I dunno. 
 
This is what i tested with: http://grooveshark.com/#!/search/song?q=Deckscar+Face+Off
 
Getting cheap headphones was an excellent call, if I get anything at all...ugh. I don't think those devices can even play the songs accurately for the headphones to even have a chance to sound good.
 
I remember discussing a similar topic with a friend a long while ago and it turned out as far as I can remember that you just gotta get bad headphones so that you don't hear the imperfections that the devices will create... How sad. 

 

[cel4145]

What phone and mp3 player do you have? You can get a great mp3 player for cheap. Get the Sansa Clip+ 2gb for $30. It's hard to believe, but it's considered right up there with much more expensive mp3 players in SQ, and has one of the lowest impedance outputs (it will handle pretty much any IEM). You can add a micro SD card to expand the storage.  Rockbox it, and you get all kinds of nifty EQ features, including five band parametric. 

 

[RushNerd]

ooooor just get a portable amp realize the error of your ways?

 

[sack patrol]

yea my stuff is pretty old. the player is some sort of samsung that i got in like... 2007 maybe... The phone is a Samsung Galaxy S. It's quite ironic that I own so much samsung considering they are pretty bad haha. I didn't even realize this until now. 
 
But yea I guess I need better player and then maybe I'll start thinking about the headphones. But for that I need more moneys. At the moment I'm low on them. I need to see how my college loans are going to be spent and maybe I'll use whats left of that to get a new music player and headphones. 

 

[machoboy]

Quote:

Welp, I just tested out my mp3 player and my phone with some bass tracks using the yamaha headphones and the adh700....... O________O
 
I dunno if I wanna buy headphones of any sort anymore. Those devices are distorting everything like crazy.  Their EQs are so limited that it seems impossible to actually do anything with them... The mp3 player is understandable since it's just an amateur device... maybe I can get an app for the phone that has better eq tho... I dunno. 
 
This is what i tested with: http://grooveshark.com/#!/search/song?q=Deckscar+Face+Off
 
Getting cheap headphones was an excellent call, if I get anything at all...ugh. I don't think those devices can even play the songs accurately for the headphones to even have a chance to sound good.
 
I remember discussing a similar topic with a friend a long while ago and it turned out as far as I can remember that you just gotta get bad headphones so that you don't hear the imperfections that the devices will create... How sad. 

 
 
Yep. $100+ "bass" headphones with that setup would be a tragic waste, like running a subwoofer in a car directly off of a headunit. Just sounds starved and distorted, like it refuses to wake up all the way.

 

[sack patrol]

That sandisk seems like a solid little player. Cheap too. Plays flacs right? That's gewd since most of my music is flac. What about wav? 
 
If I had that then I would probably consider some nice headphones. But yea, first I gotta see how the cash situation is gonna turn out.
 
Thx for the suggestions gaiz.
 
EDIT: The ultrasone 580's actually cost 180+. Not 120 lol.

 

[cel4145]

The HFI-580 are $120 on Amazon here in the US. Where are you? 
 
And yep. The Clip+ is nice (see this thread where they are discussing the SQ). I have a Cowon D2 that I bought several years ago. It was supposedly one of the better ones at the time for $100+, and I think the Clip+ exceeds it in SQ. My son recently lost his Sony Walkman A series player, and he swears that the Clip+ sounds better. 
 
The Clip+ does play flac and wav.
 
Keep in mind that if you Rockbox (and you should--easy to do, supposedly better SQ, and better features), I believe that you do need a micro SDHC card. But there are Class 4 16gb ones that are $10, and 8gb even cheaper on Amazon (look for Transcend and Kingston brand). 

 

[sack patrol]

I already said it twice in the thread. I'm from Canada. 
 
Anyway, I found the Clip+ for a very reasonable price in a local store so I'll be picking it up quite soon since it's -10$ also. In another store there's a 4GB Kingston SD for 10$ which I'll also get. After that I'll wait for my student loan to kick in and I'll probably get a decent pair of headphones. Seems like people agree that the Ultrasone 580 pair has good emphasis on bass so I might get that if nothing better comes up. Hopefully they don't sacrifice mids and highs to achieve said lows but that might not be THAT big of a deal.