Why do most headphones have recessed mid range?

[hisagishi]

I thought so to before I bought them. I didn't like them at all. Voices were muddy/low pitched and were overpowered by the background music. Something that isn't present on any of my other gear. Mind you its rather cheap stuff.

Human voices are in the mid range right?

I'll check out the v modas. Not sure if any stores nearby have them though.

 

[Byrnie]

Human voices are in the mid range right?

I'll check out the v modas. Not sure if any stores nearby have them though.

Human voices are all over the place and not just the midrange.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Human voices are all over the place and not just the midrange.

 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_frequency
 
It's not that all over the place, and yes, recessed midrange is usually a culprit for why vocals sound distant. 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Well when I said "most headphones" I was referring to the FR charts on headroom. I know this isn't the best way to tell, but I figured for certain frequencies being recessed it would be a good indicator.

 
It does not necessarily need to have a plateau-shaped measured curve to for the midrange to not be recessed, the same way that jsut because there's a narrow plateau around the bass region and then a spike in an even narrower treble range does not mean the sound is "V-shaped."  This term came about on headphone forums as a short hand to describe a system sound that has a lot of bass and a lot of treble, which is what their ears imagine it looks like on a graph using a test tone, but in reality some so-called v-shaped headphones aren't that far off a "flat" or "neutral" headphone looking at a graph. Why? Because if you actually hear a graph that really does look like a V, it will sound much much worse as to be inaudible. Many using that shorthand/analogy ignore the matters of scale in dBs.
 
Basically, there are a lot of ways of looking at data, and that's just the objective. If there's a spike at 100hz and 6khz, which you can hear as strong bass drum notes and sibilance on the treble, but if you look at a graph it might not look V-shaped enough because 1) there's no clear valley between them and/or 2) what looks like a huge space on the graph is probably less than, say, 6dB's. Also, the human hearing system - that's the ear as well as how the unconscious parts of the brain interprets the input for the conscious part - is already more sensitive to midrange frequencies. It's what allowed humans to go from cavemen surviving because they can clearly hear, "sabretooth tiger!!! rrrruuuuuuunnnn!!!" up through when they had to hear "cavalry! halt! lock shields...as one!" over the noise of iron spears striking bronze armor, or "get out of the way!!!" over traffic (unless you're wearing headphones or IEMs when this happens). Given this default sensitivity to midrange, plus the disadvantages of headphones (compared to speakers and subwoofers) in producing bass that can be felt as they produce a lot of dB's of low bass through air, means that a plateau in the bass region can help compensate for the default biases of human hearing.
 
 

Based on yours and claritas feedback I'd say the grados is a pretty good bet. Hows the bass?

 
Nearly non-existent on the Prestige series, at least in stock form. I've heard one with a modified (longer) wood air chamber and didn't like it. The bass guitar was too loud enough that it hurts my ears* and also lacks precision.
 
 
*I visualize the soundwaves as boxing gloves punching my ear drums, kind of like that scene in Kung Fu Hustle where the notes turn into swords and Imperial soldiers

 

[cel4145]

My recommendation is to look at neutral headphones that respond well to bass boost. Then you can add in the bass that you want in ratio to the mids.

 

[hisagishi]

So just to sum this up, heres what I'm thinking of grabbing. Sadly no places nearby have any sort of headphone tests, at all. So if I want to buy these I have to wait about two weeks for amazon to get it shipped to me, cover the cost of shipping, and a restocking fee and another week of waiting around if I don't like them. (personal problem, don't worry about it)

DT770 - From what I hear the mids are recessed but they are bass heavy and should be pretty nice for gaming

DT880 - Haven't really heard to much about these but last I checked they were about 40 bucks out of my price range so...

DT990 - Open headphones, decent sound stage, not sure about mids or sub bass.

V Moda - Very nice mids, no bass, Kind of a deal breaker tbh.

Do you guys think one of the DTs are my best bet? Do the lower impedance DTs need amping?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

The DT770's aren't "bass heavy". They're "bass prominent", yes, but it doesn't feel boosted up in any way. It's just not rolled off or flat. They're excellent headphones and I think would suit your needs just wonderfully. Also insanely comfortable.

 

[Byrnie]

   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_frequency
 
It's not that all over the place, and yes, recessed midrange is usually a culprit for why vocals sound distant. 

Yes I'm aware

 

[hisagishi]

The DT770's aren't "bass heavy". They're "bass prominent", yes, but it doesn't feel boosted up in any way. It's just not rolled off or flat. They're excellent headphones and I think would suit your needs just wonderfully. Also insanely comfortable.

 


Sweet, I'll check them out. Do I need an amp with the 32 ohm version?

 

[Claritas]

 
Sweet, I'll check them out. Do I need an amp with the 32 ohm version?

 
No, but the 80 ohm version is a good deal better with regard to the sharpness of the treble.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   
No, but the 80 ohm version is a good deal better with regard to the sharpness of the treble.

 
And the 80 still do pretty well without an amp. They won't blow your ears out, but they should be just fine for listening.

 

[hisagishi]

Alright, I'll see about grabbing the 32ohm version, the 80 ohm doesn't seem to be up for sale in the US.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Alright, I'll see about grabbing the 32ohm version, the 80 ohm doesn't seem to be up for sale in the US.

 
I'd really suggest hopping on eBay and getting a new pair there, dude. The 80 is a significantly better product.

 

[Byrnie]

   
I'd really suggest hopping on eBay and getting a new pair there, dude. The 80 is a significantly better product.

+1 I bought a couple of headphones, brand new, off ebay for wonderful prices.

 

[hisagishi]

 
I'd really suggest hopping on eBay and getting a new pair there, dude. The 80 is a significantly better product.

 


Is it really *that* much better? I don't really like buying used. I like having warranties on things. Is there any comparisons out there?

The 80 ohm is 165 used while the 32 ohm is 175 new, with warranty