Hello, all. It's been a while since I've been on Head-Fi, I've been messing around with car audio since I've been gone (seems like no matter where I go, I end up taking audio with me). Anyway, after reading through here a couple of pages deep, I thought I'd post my big bad bass build.
It all started over a year ago with some fake Beats Studios that I purchased for $25. They were more of a social experiment type deal than they were actual "listening" headphones. After about 2 months, I got bored and set off to build the most bass heavy headphones I could. Enter a pair of "broken" XB500's. I already owned a pair that worked, so I definitely knew what I was about to get into.
The main issue with XB500's is the size of their chamber, which is relatively tiny. The fake beats have a chamber near double the size and are sealed off more than the XB500's are. With that, and the fact that the pads on the Beats place your ear about 1/2 an inch closer to the drivers themselves makes for a powerful punch. I'm not much for doing hours worth of figures and numbers when it comes to this stuff, so don't expect much technical jargon from me, apologies in advance.
I managed to perform side by side comparisons of the XB500's and the "Franken-Beats" and found out quite a bit between the two.
First off, the difference in the pure quantity of bass is outstanding and very obvious. The Franken-Beats are much more in your face than the XB500's, and this is amplified, no pun intended, when hooked up to a FiiO E11, as well as equalized for bass. That being said, the XB500's retained much more overall clarity amongst the treble than the Beats, and by a hefty amount as well. The bass inside of the Beats is simply too powerful for the rest of the frequencies to rise. However, it's not like you buy an XB500 for its tonal clarity anyway, so apples to apples here, the Franken-Beats definitely win the Bass Race.
All things considered, I don't own a single pair of headphones that can do what the Franken-Beats do in the bass department, but you can pick any random $10 pair of headphones from your local electronics store that will outshine them when it comes to overall clarity. Again, not the point. The point is, if you're looking for a fun driver swap, I definitely recommend the XB500 driver swap. A must build for bassheads, in my opinion.
Let me add one thing, yes, that is carbon fiber vinyl, and, yes, that is sharpie in the shape of the Beats logo, just to clarify.
Happy Bass-ing. -BiggBenn