[elmoe]

  Jazz and classical have plenty of bass. Tympani in an orchestra can go about as low as any musical instrument can go, and the plucked upright acoustic bass is one of the most incredible bass sounds there is.
 
Ideally, any frequency range should be there when it's there and not be there when it isn't. If your bass sounds like a wall throughout the music with no letup, you probably have it cranked too high. Extension is a good thing in bass. Imbalanced response isn't. Subwoofers are great, but it can be tough to equalize and adjust the levels properly so it hands off smoothly from the mains to the sub without bumps and dips.

 
But there are "music" genres which need a predominant bass response in order to sound "good", where the "bass heavy" headphones fit the criteria. Unfortunately, those same headphones sound terrible with pretty much anything else.

 

[cjl]

   
No need to be surprised. As a fan of jazz or classical, you're not going to reach for the bass heavy (read: big bump in bass frequencies on FR chart) headphones.

Sure, you don't necessarily want a big bump in bass frequencies for classical, but you don't want a rolloff either. One of the most demanding bass tests I do with any new piece of audio equipment is to play a couple of albums of pipe organ through it, and if the bass is at all lacking, it sounds awful.

 

[bigshot]

And if the bass is too hot, organ music will blow the top of your head off!

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

   
No need to be surprised. As a fan of jazz or classical, you're not going to reach for the bass heavy (read: big bump in bass frequencies on FR chart) headphones.
 
For EDM, gangsta rap, pop/kpop/jpop, you probably will. Maybe you don't consider those genres to be utterly crappy, that's your prerogative. We'll have to agree to disagree 

I think you completely missunderstood his post, I'm sure he was pointing towards the "neutral heads" responses personally knowing he frequently visits Basshead lounge thread. It's not really that weird to like some boost in the bass even for non EDM, hiphop or whatever listener. While I've got quite trapped these days into the hardstyle genre, before that I used to listen to almost any genre (well besides blues, reggae) and especially I can say genres like Jazz I thought did wonders with slight amount well controlled mid/upper bass to give the songs more body and thickness without ruining clarity. Q40 that has up to 8dB peak bass boost does very well with Jazz to my ears with the up-front female vocals and nice warm body from the bass hump, makes for a more soothing listen for me that I find more engaging and immersive to listen to as a result over a perfectly "neutral" response (more boring, doesn't engage me as much, I just hear the music but tend to not be able to connect with it).

It comes a lot down to why are you listening to music? Personally while I HEAR music I listen to FEEL it, get a feeling of some sort, that's when the enjoyment arises, not when analyzing it hence a neutral detailed response isn't something I personally reach for since a too analytic sound can be even disruptive to my goal with music listening. Besides listening for emotions I also enjoy when I like "connect" / engage with the music, the feeling of needing to sing-along, do foottapping, headnodding etc which for most genres the colored sound will help me out with.

If you belong to the crowd who enjoys hearing as much details and neutral response as possible I understand you might not appriciate the extra bass though. I'm just trying to say here, we listen to music with different goals in mind. Assuming everyone listens the same way is when the problem arises.

 

[White Lotus]

   
But there are "music" genres which need a predominant bass response in order to sound "good", where the "bass heavy" headphones fit the criteria. Unfortunately, those same headphones sound terrible with pretty much anything else.

 
A huge generalisation - not one I agree with.
 
Perfect example: Denon D2k/D5k headphones. 

 

[bigshot]

  It comes a lot down to why are you listening to music? Personally while I HEAR music I listen to FEEL it

 
Then you don't want headphones, you want speakers.

 

[elmoe]

 
 
Quote:

   
A huge generalisation - not one I agree with.
 
Perfect example: Denon D2k/D5k headphones. 

 
Case in point, I thought the Denon D2k/D5k were pretty terrible sounding. They did well with acoustic, badly with anything else imo.
 
 

 
I think you completely missunderstood his post, I'm sure he was pointing towards the "neutral heads" responses personally knowing he frequently visits Basshead lounge thread. It's not really that weird to like some boost in the bass even for non EDM, hiphop or whatever listener. While I've got quite trapped these days into the hardstyle genre, before that I used to listen to almost any genre (well besides blues, reggae) and especially I can say genres like Jazz I thought did wonders with slight amount well controlled mid/upper bass to give the songs more body and thickness without ruining clarity. Q40 that has up to 8dB peak bass boost does very well with Jazz to my ears with the up-front female vocals and nice warm body from the bass hump, makes for a more soothing listen for me that I find more engaging and immersive to listen to as a result over a perfectly "neutral" response (more boring, doesn't engage me as much, I just hear the music but tend to not be able to connect with it).

It comes a lot down to why are you listening to music? Personally while I HEAR music I listen to FEEL it, get a feeling of some sort, that's when the enjoyment arises, not when analyzing it hence a neutral detailed response isn't something I personally reach for since a too analytic sound can be even disruptive to my goal with music listening. Besides listening for emotions I also enjoy when I like "connect" / engage with the music, the feeling of needing to sing-along, do foottapping, headnodding etc which for most genres the colored sound will help me out with.

If you belong to the crowd who enjoys hearing as much details and neutral response as possible I understand you might not appriciate the extra bass though. I'm just trying to say here, we listen to music with different goals in mind. Assuming everyone listens the same way is when the problem arises.

 
So the only way you enjoyed jazz is with an 8dB peak bass boost. Then you got bored and now you just listen to EDM... Everytime I talk with someone who tends to like bass heavy headphones, chances are they listen mostly to EDM, rap or pop.
 
Everybody listens to music to get a feeling of some sort. People who can enjoy music without a huge bass boost actually enjoy that even more. This isn't about analyzing anything nor is it about a perfectly neutral response, but a big boost in bass ruins most good music because bass tends to easily overpower everything else (this is true live as well). 

 

[White Lotus]

LCD 2.2 is a great bass can - is it "terrible sounding" to you?

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

The famous Fostex TH-900 got a wooping 10dB bass boost which is one of the best closed headphones around (to many, the best one)

 

[jfaaz]

Digital music has too much treble.  Many people want to here bass in a song that does not emphasize much bass.  I prefer to keep my levels fairly flat or just above and listen with M50s (studio monitors) so I can here the mix as the mastered results were intended.  Bass to me is an instrument not just a level or an overall feeling sensation.
 
Most people that just want to here more bass all the time are not musicians and know very little about music.

 

[cjl]

   
Case in point, I thought the Denon D2k/D5k were pretty terrible sounding. They did well with acoustic, badly with anything else imo.

That's interesting - I find them to be some of my favorite headphones. Many "audiophile" headphones have a clear and obvious bass rolloff, while the D2k and D5k sound much more like my speaker system at home (which has flat bass response down to <20Hz).

 

[sonitus mirus]

  That's interesting - I find them to be some of my favorite headphones. Many "audiophile" headphones have a clear and obvious bass rolloff, while the D2k and D5k sound much more like my speaker system at home (which has flat bass response down to <20Hz).

 
I think this is why my favorite headphones is a pair of Denons.  I have Lawton mods to help tighten the bass and angled pads on my D5K, and they do seem to provide a sound closer to what I seem to enjoy with a home stereo speaker setup.   My Mr. Speaker Mad Dogs also have a flat bass response down to blue whale realms, but they lack the bass quantity that makes the D5K an absolute blast with many different genres...in my opinion.

 

[SP Wild]

I think its a matter of moving with the times.  Had these bass technologies existed during the renaissence, Mozart would have stuck a kick ass bass line and beat to all his masterpieces....cannot separate bass from a playa...Mozart was a playa!
 

 

[kurochin]

^ Mozart with a Roland 808/909 would've been boss!!

 

[SP Wild]

Well its clear that Mozart's a basshead.
 

 
That is he with his modified Fostex's...because according to he, the stock fostexes needed "more bass".