[AncientWsidom]

I was going to suggest looking at the HP100 too (based on mrbigsby review) but I see the man himself beat me to it...
 
In terms of open bassy headphones there are not many options:
HD650 - will probably not drive well out of your babyface, also pretty laid back and perhaps slow?
Fischer Audio FA011 - overall good phones, comfort is not amazing at least in my batch (was the 2nd batch I believe), mids can be recessed
Philips Fidelio X1 - Very colored, not sure I'd want to produce with something like that
 
But I think bassy should not be your top priority. Of course you will need phones that can reproduce bass well, but I would put allot of emphasis on neutrality and good sound reproduction. You want to be able to hear ALL of the music you are making very clearly. I'm basically supporting what Acix above was saying.
Also you already have pairs such as the HD25's which you can also use to listen to how the music sounds with lots of bass...
 
In the Beyer range I would look at the DT-880 for open and the DT-250 for closed.
 
If you decide to go closed, there are many options... I would try to hit that sweet spot between bass and good reproduction. I will also throw another option at you: LFF's Paradox (search and read more about them) - they may be exactly what you are looking for, modded by a sound engineer to be used as monitors.

 

[robodelfy]

Hey , thanks for your input
 
Well these hp100's are definately in the running now.  I would like to try them against some shure srh840s.
 
Thats the other thing, itrs hard to know what my babyface will driver sufficiently.
 
Im not looking just for 'bassy' headphones, I know you probably get a  lot of people on here just wanting bass for EDM and nothing else! It just sems that most open headphones people ay they are a bit bass shy in comparison to closed, which makes sense.  Its hard for headphones to re create the feeling of speakers, well its impossible.  There is also the thing that I need to be able to get into the sound while Im creating music, before Im really thingking about the mix too much.  Otherwise I just cant get into the process.  For instance, my friends have Adam A7 monitors, and I have KRK VXT8's.  Now I know theirs are far more revealing and neautral, and mine are a bit more 'hifi' sounding.  But I get bored and fatigued using the A7's if Im in the creative process.
 
Im sure my hd25's are pretty useless for mixing, but it seems some of these other closed cans, the SRH840, the HP100 etc are a lot more neutral.  That seems to be the idea IM getting from most reviews?
 
I checked out those paradox ones, they look interetsing, couldnt find much in the way of comparison to otehr cans
 
Cheers

 

[robodelfy]

Hmm does seem the babyface doesnt drive higher ohm headphones.  Apart from that one post you  linked to earlier about the RME guy running his dt880's happily.
 
So I may be looking at just lower impedance.  I dont want an amp as I need to be able to bus poer everything and I have no spac...literally for anything else in mmy rucksack!

 

[mrbigsby]

most amps range from the size of a cigarette, to at MOST an iphone. Most commonly a credit card size only as wide as an iphone, or smaller.
 
Try the HP100, i cant recommend them enough, I could describe them all day but it wont help till you hear them. THey are kinda "neutral" but a little bassier, just clean and GREAT.

 

[grizzlybeast]

For traveling and mixing I would go still go with the german maestros here is why.
or the Sound Magic hp100. 
 
you need:
neutrality (pretty even all around. not one area emphasized or colored unfortunately for a lot of people this means no bass, imo thats not neutral)
durability (you will be tossing these and moving them around a lot)
good bass extension that is not emphasized (so you can hear low but don't under compensate when mixing the bass)
clear sound
detailed
good isolation/no leakage (you can mix anywhere)
low impedance (you don't want to have to amp these that hard)
 
I would personally choose between those two myself. The Germans take the cake in durability with no close competition and does all of the above. They sound very full and strong, slightly dark and a little colored but not one area is that much emphasized over the other. Very balanced, clear and its bass extends deep. Also as far as sound leakage and isolation they are better than the hd25 which is amazing! 
 
From what I read the hp100 might be the more neutral and want to get my hands on them. but I know they aren't as travel capable as the germans. No headphone is. 
 
I would look into those two headphones and weigh the pros and cons of each. For electronic music I know from experience the germans have what it takes to communicate the synths and leads clearly and in a way that doesn't make them seem dry/sterile like most other neutral headphones do. 
 
A lot of neutral headphones are too dry and sterile for electronic music so be careful. Mr bigsby doesn't think that of the hp100 so I would  look into them
 
best of luck.

 

[robodelfy]

Hi
 
Thanks for your reply.
 
Can anyone else vouch for these headphones, the German Maestros or HP100s?
 
The thing is I cant listen to these anywhere so would have to order them and hope for the best!
 
It doesnt seem that another set of closed cans on top of my HD25s would be as useful as some open ones, but i dont know.
 
What its come down to for me is :
 
Beyer DT880 Pro 250 ohm
AKG Q701
Senheisser HD650 300 ohm
 
or possible these two that you are talking about.
 
I need to be able to drive them from my babyface, so your right, no really high impedance cans, which probably means the HD650s are out.  But Ive read that the babyface drives the DT880s fine
 
Any more advice be great

 

[grizzlybeast]

The hp's you mentioned are a league above the ones I mentioned. Especially the hd650. But you said travel..... 
 
None of those are what you would call travel cans and are very open providing no isolation. You would have to get away somewhere and use them or do it in a hotel.
 
The hd650's are really durable the others are too. 
 
the akg q701 is best for mixing out of the bunch because they are neutral and have a huge soundstage that enable you to detect the instruments. If its just for a mixing tool then the q701. Just know that the bass is light.
 
When I heard the dt880 I really liked them to my surprise and found them to be a really great sounding headphone. The bass isn't deep but its a clear and detailed sound with treble emphasis. When mixing with those you will have to be mindful of the treble emphasis as to not eq the treble too low because you hear a lot of it. It is better than the shures but with a similar tonal balance. The mids aren't bad either and I would take its mids over the q701 but the hd650 mids over all of them.
 
so for open headphones it looks like the lower impedance beyer dt880 would be the choice if you dont need isolation/low leakage. It has good bass, better than the germans I think but it doesn't reach sub bass that well. Thats what I would choose given the three. Because the q701 needs power as well. 
 
if it were me it would be down to the dt880 germans or hp100.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Prob the dt880 would be my choice of the three though. If I didnt need isolation. For sound the germans are one step below these but one step above most other closed hp's in its price bracket. My favorite hp of all time is the hd650 but you may add too much treble because of the treble roll off. They would be great for producing though because they are non fatiguing and comfortable. The dt880's sound alive right off the bat and immediately were engaging when I heard them. None of them have that much sub bass but the bass of the hd650 and dt880 are decent. I have never heard the q701 but they are described by most as being bass light where I can vouch for the dt880 and hd650 and say they are not.

 

[robodelfy]

Hi grizzly
 
Thanks for your response!  Its so hard to do this without hearing them, but there nowhere in the UK where I can listen to al these headphones, its crazy!
 
I should mention, I am going to be away, but not using them whilst travelling.  I will be using them indoors, not whilst on the move,(ill use my HD25s for that)
 
So leakage is no issue.
 
So how does the bass on the Q701s compare to the DT880s?
 
Ive felt drawn towards the DT880s from just reading up on all these cans, but now have become interested in the HP100's and HP200's aswell.
 
You say the Hp200 is a league above the Hp100, but at the end of your post you say youd go for the HP100s....
 
If you were to choose just between these two, for mixing music, mainly electronic music....what would you advise?
 
Thanks again for your help, Ive been researching this for months....slowly getting closer to an answer!

 

[grizzlybeast]

  Hi grizzly
 
Thanks for your response!  Its so hard to do this without hearing them, but there nowhere in the UK where I can listen to al these headphones, its crazy!
 
I should mention, I am going to be away, but not using them whilst travelling.  I will be using them indoors, not whilst on the move,(ill use my HD25s for that)
 
So leakage is no issue.
 
So how does the bass on the Q701s compare to the DT880s?
 
Ive felt drawn towards the DT880s from just reading up on all these cans, but now have become interested in the HP100's and HP200's aswell.
 
You say the Hp200 is a league above the Hp100, but at the end of your post you say youd go for the HP100s....
 
If you were to choose just between these two, for mixing music, mainly electronic music....what would you advise?
 
Thanks again for your help, Ive been researching this for months....slowly getting closer to an answer!

for the first bold:
 
I must emphasis that I have not heard the q701. I do know two things about it. A lot of people refer to its bass as being a little light not as light as the k702 but still a little light. The dt880 I DID hear did not have this problem. It was solid to my ears. Note that the dt880 is easier to drive if you get the lower impedance version! Most would say that it has a smaller soundstage but better details than the q701. When I heard the dt880 I was expecting it to really hurt my hears but it didn't.
 
for the second bold:
 
If I communicated that I heard the hp200 or hp100 I am sorry but I wasn't trying to. I was saying that the German Maestro is a slight barely noticeable step below the dt880, q701, and hd650. I have not heard the hp100. 
 
For the last bold:
 
From the headphones I have heard and for your purposes since isolation is key.... (Even though the hd650 is my favorite hp of all time (i even favorite to the better he500)...I would pick the dt880...The he-400 would be the even better choice for your purposes but I found them a little hard to drive as well and they were sibilant... they did electronic music exceptionally well with great sub bass.
 
But I would do some research on the sound magic headphones and then make my pick. Some headphones do well with acoustic music and not with electronic. Take a philips x1 for example. I really liked how it sounded. Good bass, neutral highs and mids... but for electronic.... no way. It sounded to soft and distant in the other frequencies besides the bass that the synths couldn't take lead. So consider this when looking into the hp100's. You want to make sure that though it has a neutral sound, it won't sound distant, dry, or cold. Electronic music doesnt do well with dry headphones. I don't know if the hp100 is dry. I know that it is an excellent hp for the money and everyone that hears it loves it. If you already have the hd25 then leave the Germans alone because You already have what you need there. The Germans are similar in function with a better quality/ more neutral sound and less bass from what I heard. I loved my Germans though and swapping pads was fun.
 
 I would skip out on the hard to drive q701 and hd650's. I almost bought it but skipped out because based on its description it would not make the best can for producing electronic music.  Mixing maybe, producing no. 
 
The dt880 was detailed with sufficient bass, unpredictable mids(not bad though to my ears) and a more lively clear sound than the three open ones you mentioned.
 
 
to sum it all up. pick the dt880's for electronic but look into the hp100's for yourself. Try searching dt880 vs sound magic hp100/200

 

[robodelfy]

Hi grizzly
 
Thankyou again for such a detailed response!
 
Just to be clear, I dont need very good isolation as these new cans arent for being on the road.  I will be abroad, but will be mixing in a quiet rooms, not on trains etc! 
 
But by the sounds of it the DT880s are up there for the win!  I was leaning towards them anyway so thats great.
 
Im very interested in hearing the HP100 and HP200's, so will try and get my hands on some somehow!
 
Thanks again for all your help, its been great

 

[grizzlybeast]

yeah thats why I said don't worry about the germans cause you dont need isolation
 
.. not to throw you a curveball but even more than the dt880 I would get a denon d2000. Better bass and really detailed with a good sound stage and easy to drive.
 
 
 
But i was glad to help and good luck!

 

[robodelfy]

Ive just posted a thread, as I bought the DT880s and Hp200s and have been listening, still cant decide though
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/688141/just-bought-soundmagic-hp200s-and-beyer-dt880-pro-250-ohms-am-sending-one-back-tough-choice

 

[grizzlybeast]

Sounds like the only solution would be  to look into another hp. That can do both or keep both. maybe give the germans a try.

 

[robodelfy]

Hi grizzly
 
I have kept the Hp200s and am sending bakc the dt880s/  Mainly because my RME babyface doesnt drive the DT880s well at all, neither does my mp3 player.
 
I expected to like the DT880s from what I had heard and although they won in some areas, the Hp200s just were better overall for what I need