You have to ask yourself, is it bass if you can't tell what note is being played? There's a lot of 'phones out there where that's true, and that was my impression of the Beats Solo HD.
I recently decided to treat myself to a nicer set of travel headphones (I use custom in-ears most of the time, but sometimes prefer the on ear or over the ears for a break.) I'd been using a set of AKG Quincy Jones 460 for travel, and while they were nice, clear, and balanced, I was in the mood for something new, and thought maybe something better around the same price range. Also wanted something for more rock, electronic, and "big" music - a bit of bass boost, for contrast with my other headphones, all of which tend towards balanced.
I tried a couple of the different Beats and Monster 'phones, and my impression of them, as a group (maybe that's unfair because there were differences within the brands... but there was also a pretty common character) is that they all boosted bass in a way that made it un-musical. Not bass, but blat, so that the difference between a bass player's lowest register and a bass drum were indistinguishable. Some also boosted treble in a way that made my teeth get on edge. That's how I find the radios in rental cars, mostly, so I reckon there's a taste for that in some people, for some music types. But on several different tracks with male vocals, it sounded like they were singing far, far away compared to the rest of the music. So, if you're listening only to electronica, they're probably OK. But even hip hop (the Roots, for example) the voice was recessed.
I also tried Sol Republic Tracks HD. They were better - still bass boosted, and a bit flabby, but you could at least detect pitch. You might like them - they're very light and comfortable. Still, mid-range seems pushed away, with treble also boosted but not as much as the bass was.
I ended up with a set of V-Moda LP2. I listed to the LP2 and the M80, and found them to be very much similar in sound signature. I got the LP2 because they were a bit cheaper on special, and for my use, the better sound isolation is nice. Bass is boosted, but still musical, mid-range is much more evenly matched with bass, and the high range is nicely balanced - not edgy or shriek-y. For electronica, alternative, even for a lot of jazz, a nice sound. Bombastic classical, lovely; string quartets, not so much so. Remind me some of my Ultrasone 780, but with more bass and a slightly smaller sound stage.
The V-moda M80 were pretty light, seem to be crazy sturdy, and got me the different sound I was looking for. On LCD Soundsystem, on Flying Lotus, killer.
