[dakanao]

I mean, I feel like there isn't anything badly wrong with their sound quality (well maybe instrument separation could be better), but for rap/hiphop they just have this ''boring'' sound that doesn't engage me. I'm sitting here just listening to the music rather than enjoying it. 

 

[dakanao]

Up.

 

[dakanao]

Up.

 

[dakanao]

up

 

[dakanao]

Up.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

I mean, I feel like there isn't anything badly wrong with their sound quality (well maybe instrument separation could be better), but for rap/hiphop they just have this ''boring'' sound that doesn't engage me. I'm sitting here just listening to the music rather than enjoying it. 

 
Perhaps the headphone is just telling the truth?

 

[Wildstar]

Yeah, the K540s are neutral. Their bass is neither big nor extended. They are the opposite of what you want for hip-hop.
 
And they are indeed telling the truth. You see, most music nowadays is compressed to crap so it should indeed sound boring. Which is why people need bass boosted 'phones to "feel" anything.

 

[Hairspray]

Couldn't agree more.
Neutral, natural sound isn't necessarely fun.
In fact, music doesn't necessarely sound good.
A (good) headphone is nothing more and nothing less than a transducer.
It's not a DSP device.
It's that simple.

 

[vid]

Quote:

Neutral, natural sound isn't necessarely fun.

 
Despite the intention, this is stating it backwards as Wildstar subtly implied. It's not the neutrality that isn't fun, it's the music that isn't fun.
 
What I would do - if I were finding music boring as-is - is get some high-quality neutral headphones and EQ them with quality software in a way dependent on how badly the music fails to engage me.

 

[dakanao]

It's not their bass. Their bass is almost perfect for rap/hiphop imo, it's just something about their sound that's boring. Maybe it's because they are thin sounding cans?

 

[Hairspray]

Quote:

[...] In fact, music doesn't necessarely sound good. [...]

 
 
Quote:

 
Despite the intention, this is stating it backwards as Wildstar subtly implied. It's not the neutrality that isn't fun, it's the music that isn't fun.
 
What I would do - if I were finding music boring as-is - is get some high-quality neutral headphones and EQ them with quality software in a way dependent on how badly the music fails to engage me.

 

[Trunks159]

Maybe it's just detail resolution, attack, fr, or a mix of a bunch of things. Try eq to bring out the highs. I must do it with every closed can I own.

My kef m500 is very neutral but it sounds very fun with hip hop and R&B because the tuning of the headphones changes according to the.music.

 

[dakanao]

Quote:

Maybe it's just detail resolution, attack, fr, or a mix of a bunch of things. Try eq to bring out the highs. I must do it with every closed can I own.

My kef m500 is very neutral but it sounds very fun with hip hop and R&B because the tuning of the headphones changes according to the.music.

What does detail resolution and attack mean?

 

[Trunks159]

Woops, ment detail retreival. Anyway, try to eq the highs and it bass, and just give them a chance.

 

[dakanao]

Quote:

Woops, ment detail retreival. Anyway, try to eq the highs and it bass, and just give them a chance.

There's nothing wrong with their bass or highs. Their bass thumps pretty hard imo and their subbass is pretty good aswell, and their highs are definitely their strongest point; crisp, but unfortanetly there is slight sibilance, but that's not their biggest issue. Detail retreival is below average for their price point, but that doesn't really bother me aswell. It's just that they sound very boring for some reason; they let me rather listen to my music than enjoy it. I've had a $20 Philips SBC HP400 headphone before this one, and they definitely were A LOT more engaging with the same music.