[tquickbrownfox]

Hey
 
So I bought the Sennheiser HD518. I don't particularly like it. Its way too bassy.
 
I do like some things about it, its got a nice big sound, I can see why it may appeal others.
 
Anyways.
 
I'm driving it straight from my laptop's internal sound card.
 
So I put on some music, all .flac through vlc. Here's how I had to adjust the eq to get the type of sound I desired. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
So clearly the hd518 isn't the sound signature for me. Recommend me something within the budget of 150 canadian dollars.
 
Preferably Open back.

 

[Me x3]

Hi,

What kind of music do you normally listen to?

 

[LawsOfEmotion]

What is the output impedance of your laptop ? The Sennheiser HD 500 series do not like high impedance outputs. It should be prefereble under 6 Ohms. Anyway if you want to try something less bassy look for akg 701 used or new depends on what the price is in your country.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  So I bought the Sennheiser HD518. I don't particularly like it. Its way too bassy.
I do like some things about it, its got a nice big sound, I can see why it may appeal others.
Anyways.
I'm driving it straight from my laptop's internal sound card.
So I put on some music, all .flac through vlc. Here's how I had to adjust the eq to get the type of sound I desired. 
So clearly the hd518 isn't the sound signature for me. Recommend me something within the budget of 150 canadian dollars.
Preferably Open back.

 
Maybe you can find some used Audio Technica ATH-AD900X headphones.

 

[tquickbrownfox]

Hi,

What kind of music do you normally listen to?

 
I mostly listen to classic rock (Led zep, etc). I also listen to a lot of classical music. Some pop music and soundtracks.

  What is the output impedance of your laptop ? The Sennheiser HD 500 series do not like high impedance outputs. It should be prefereble under 6 Ohms. Anyway if you want to try something less bassy look for akg 701 used or new depends on what the price is in your country.

 
IDK. How do i find out the output impedance?
What are the signs that the output impedance is too high? What should I listen for?
 
AKG 701 is both expensive and big. From what I looked up, the K240 studio seems fine for me. Or should I be looking at the Grado SR60i?
I can't bear a sibilant treble, so thats one thing too.
 
IDK. what non bassy, open back, ~100$ set of cans should I buy?
 
 
 
Also, I read somewhere the replacing the cable on the hd518 will help. Is it worth sticking with the hd518, or should I move on?
Finally, what price do you think I should sell it at? what would be fair?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  IDK. How do i find out the output impedance?
What are the signs that the output impedance is too high? What should I listen for?
AKG 701 is both expensive and big. From what I looked up, the K240 studio seems fine for me. Or should I be looking at the Grado SR60i?
I can't bear a sibilant treble, so thats one thing too.
IDK. what non bassy, open back, ~100$ set of cans should I buy?
Also, I read somewhere the replacing the cable on the hd518 will help. Is it worth sticking with the hd518, or should I move on?
Finally, what price do you think I should sell it at? what would be fair?

 
Usually the output impedance of a laptop is not listed anywhere.
You might consider getting a used Senn HD558, should have less bass the then your HD518.
Try selling your HD518s on Ebay, let other bid on them.

 

[LawsOfEmotion]

One thing you can do is if you have an ipod or iphone try to plug your headphones on them. If it sounds a lot clearer and you have less bass than on your laptops output than your impedance on your laptop is too high. If it sounds the same i guess the headphones just are not for you.

 

[tquickbrownfox]

  One thing you can do is if you have an ipod or iphone try to plug your headphones on them. If it sounds a lot clearer and you have less bass than on your laptops output than your impedance on your laptop is too high. If it sounds the same i guess the headphones just are not for you.

Tried it on the Nexus 4 and an iPad.
 
Didn't hear much of a difference in the sound. I'd say the bass may have been a little tighter on the iPad and the treble slightly less rough on the iPad. But I didn't notice any difference in sound signature. Bass quantity was still huge.

 

[tquickbrownfox]

The bass on these headphones is not "huge" at all. Try the AD700x if you really don't like bass that much. The AD700 are notorious for literally having almost no bass at all. Try those.

 
AD700s have been called 'tinny' and 'metallic' sounding. After my experience with the Sony XBA 3/30/40, I cringe at that word.
 
Otherwise, I'm looking at cheaper grados and AKG K240 studios.
 
I'm staying away from the low build quality of superlux. Plus they seem kinda big.

 

[tquickbrownfox]

Grado's. Skip the SR60i,go for the SR80i (skip the 125i) or the 225i. The reason for this is because the SR80i is only $20 more than the SR60i,so there's no point in getting the 60's at all. The 125i are too similar to the 80i to pay extra and the 225i is the first real upgrade in the SR line. Basically the SR60i,SR80i and SR125i are all VERY similar and the 80's are just the best deal at $100.

Grado's are a lot more expensive in canada than in the US.
 
SR80i's go for 140$ plus tax. Someone's selling a used pair near me for 120$.
 
K240 Studio's go for 140$ plus tax too.
 
I'm worried about the grados being too bright. I'm kinda sensitive to sibilance.

 

[ThickGlasses]

  Grado's are a lot more expensive in canada than in the US.
 
SR80i's go for 140$ plus tax. Someone's selling a used pair near me for 120$.
 
K240 Studio's go for 140$ plus tax too.
 
I'm worried about the grados being too bright. I'm kinda sensitive to sibilance.

Where I live there's a guy who sells Grado's at US MSRP, if you look around your city you might be able to find something similar

 

[tquickbrownfox]

  Where I live there's a guy who sells Grado's at US MSRP, if you look around your city you might be able to find something similar

I'm in Victoria BC. The only store that sells Grados here is SoundHouds, and they sell it for 140$. I've looked.

 

[Electro-Static]

Jaycar's FA-003 clones can be had for $70USD shipped from australia, while their sound stage isn't huge they are definitely much clearer and cleaner than the HD518. They are a more neural headphone, and definitely would be a good contrast to your HD518, as they have tight focused bass, clear clean mids and highs, they are more detailed, and faster than the ATH M50 as well. While they are a closed back headphone, I do not see is something that detracts from them as they still do have a sound stage due to their large size.