Hi guys, I’m in the market for a new set of headphones since my V-Moda M100s died on me. I actually like the M100s because it’s a very ‘bassy’ headphone and that’s what I generally want for the types of music I listen to, but the bass tends to overpower the mids and highs and it’s just boom boom boom. Now I want a pair of headphones that can match or come close to the amount of bass, but with better overall balance. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Uses - Music/Movies
Music - EDM, Hip-Hop, Rock
Budget - $250ish
My setup - JDS Labs Atom Amp connected to my laptop, currently no DAC
Current frontrunners :
(closed/open - doesn’t matter, haven’t heard any of these)
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms
Massdrop x Hifiman HE4XX
Philips Fidelio X2HR
My vote is for 770. You could spend the money you would have spent on 4XX on some deep leather/pleather pads (i.e. brainwavz angled) to further boost the bass. 770 is also bright enough to have room for that without getting muddy.
Kinda bloated and effects the mid-range, would be a similar sound signature to the v modas imo, so he might not prefer that if he wants something different from the v modas
If you want to try something unique you could try the Koss Kph30i headphones. Koss is well known for making high-end headphones for dirt cheap. I have Audioquest Nighthawk Carbons and these. The Koss do some things better than my Nighthawks. They are bassy and very warm with very good midrange. They outperform a lot of $200 plus headphones in this area and are only $30 on Amazon. The treble is a little recessed but not bad, the focus is just more on the bass and midrange. They respond to EQ very well and amplification from what I have heard. My only complaint with them is the comfort. I will be getting Yaxi pads for mine soon and changing the original padding. I can’t wear them for more than an hour without my ears hurting. But the Yaxi pads will make them much more comfortable.
DT 770 80 ohm is a good choice too. I am considering getting these. I have heard that the sub-bass gets even better if you use Brainwavz pads.
Another one that is unique are the 1More Triple Driver Over-ear (Actually fit as an on-ear). They have two active drivers on each side as well as a passive reflector that really brings out the sub-bass. The drivers on each side consist of one dynamic and a ceramic tweeter. This results in extremely detailed and accurate pinpoint highs and treble. Zeos said that as this is going on, the low end kicks in and the soundstage is huge with it. He said that there is actual legitimate sub-bass with these. They are a v shaped headphone
for sure, so if you are a bass head or treble head, you want these. They are on-ear headphones but still very comfortable. They would definitely be worth a try. Zeos also said that a really good amp will bring out the true potential of them.
My Audioquest Nighthawk Carbons are within price range. They sound like loudspeakers, super wide soundstage and slightly far off but somehow so clean and detailed at the same time. The treble is ever so slightly recessed, but still clean. These do treble better than the Koss. The mids are very nice and detailed, not as in your face as the Koss, but clean sounding. The bass and especially sub-bass really shines with these though. Very boomy rather than punchy, but it still somehow retains the detail of all the other frequencies. I love these for watching movies because of this, as well as their spot-on imaging. It creates a very unique and pleasant experience. I recommend giving these a try as well.
I can link Zeos’ reviews for all of the headphones mentioned in this thread or you can also look them up on YouTube. Hope this helps some.
Yeah if you can get a pair of Audioquest Nighthawks (or carbon), they are great, but have a somewhat polarizing sound signature that not everyone agrees with. The 1more triple driver is also a good choice too
I think that the 4xx is the better choice if you want to go for planar and that bassy signature. The t50rp mk3 with Shure pads is great, but imo I would only choose that over the 4xx if I needed something kinda close
The kph30i is pretty bloated, and imo not something I would personally say has good sub bass. Still great, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bass headphone (in the sense of subbass)
I’ve been kinda leaning towards the HE4XX just for the fact that I have never heard a set of planar headphones before. But of course seek more knowledge
In terms of the DT770’s, could anyone explain the differences in sound of the 80ohm vs 250ohm?
Have seen/heard good things about Fostex T50rp Mk3 and its modded variants (and definitely want the TR-X00 Purplehearts one day). These are semi-open and wonder how they sound vs the semi-open Audioquest Nighthawks?
kph30i/1More Triple Driver Over-ear - Would prefer over-ear, but wouldn’t leave on-ears out of consideration.
Not much said about X2’s, but would like to know more since they are considered ‘bassy’ for being open-back
I vote for both the meze99 Noir if you want only bass like beats but made competently as well as the dt770 which to me is just the v shaped sorta perfected at this price point
The 250 ohm is a more refined and also has stronger bass impact.
The purpleheart absolutely slams, so that is a bass god level headphone. The nighthawk is more bassy then the fostex, so I would check out reviews to get a sense of the sound signature, because it’s kinda strange
I wouldn’t recommend the kph, but the 1mores are pretty nice
The x2 is very bassy, but has a lot of bass bleed into the mids, but is wide and easy to drive
Yeah I wouldn’t say sub-bass is great either on them. They do bass well but not super low sub-bass. But they are always something to consider at their price point.
Based on reviews and all your helpful feedback, I have narrowed it down to :
Audioquest Nighthawks vs Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80/250 ohm
I did lean towards the HE4XXs for a quick second, but after further review, I believe the two choices above came closest to what i’m looking for. I will venture into planar-ville another day.
Meze 99 Noir was another choice but currently aren’t available as they are Massdrop exclusive.
If you guys would kindly guide me in terms of the differences between the two, in terms of :
Bass quantity and quality -
(DT 770 Pro 80 ohm is more ‘fun’ and bassy than 250 ohm? 250 ohm more detailed and ‘analytical’? Comparing bass between Nighthawks and DT 770 Pro?)
Highs/Treble -
(Nighthawk’s have a ‘unique’ sound signature that has maybe slightly recessed highs? On the other hand, DT 770 Pro 80 ohm version seems to have ‘bright’ highs, and even more so with the 250 ohm version?)
Mids/Vocal clarity?
I don’t think there would be any problems with build quality or comfort for either set.
