Hi, I need your help!
I’m looking for the best closed back bass heavy headphones for music production under 300eu. I’m currently choosing between ATH-M50x and Meze 99 Neo. Are there any better options out there? And which headphones should I go with? Can’t wait to hear your opinions!
So personally I wouldn’t go for a headphone with a bass heavy signature for music production, a slight bass emphasis or dip is fine, but I wouldn’t want a heavy prominence on any one region. You might consider something like a dt770 250 ohm or akg k371 for a headphone that could be used for music production with decently prominent bass (although personally I think that’s pushing it for the amount of quantity one would want to have, but the bass is reasonably controlled on those two). Personally I wouldn’t go for a meze 99 neo for music production, that’s fairly bloated and rounded, not really something I would want for this application. For the m50x, it’s alright, but personally it can get a bit too harsh and there isn’t much stand out about it. Would you be using an amp with it?
Thank you so much for your reply, I will definitely look into dt770 250 ohm and akg k371.
Yes if I decided to buy headphones over 200ohms, I currently have a focusrite audio interface that drives headphones up to 200ohms. Any amp recommendations if I decide to get dt770?
If you go for the 770 250, generally there’s a few good options. If you can grab a lake people g103s that’s pretty ideal for it imo, would be good for studio use and casual listening with a pretty high level of quality. Will smooth out treble peaks while keeping detail, bump midrange a bit, and control the low end pretty well. Also fairly wide stage and solid timbre
If that’s too much, if you can find a schiit magni 3+ for a more neutral slightly smooth amp, or a monolith liquid spark for a bit more warmer fun sound those are also pretty solid options imo, but somewhat lower tier than the lake people (but also nice)
Really appreciate your feedback, I’m new to the headphone world so I’m learning a lot. Thank you!
@M0N do you think the DT-1770 Pro have more bass? I might save up and go for them instead of dt770 if that’s the case.
Honestly have a bit of a mixed bag, I think it’s got a bit wonky tuning and the technical performance isn’t as good as other options at it’s price (even compared to the 1990 for example)
Generally tuning wise, it’s more like a warmer thicker balanced compared to the 770 250s more v shape, generally the 1770 is more forward and aggressive with a bit more technical performance but also more warmth that can sometimes translate into bloat, bleed, and slight sloppiness. Bass has good thickness and body, but honestly doesn’t slam as hard and feels bloated around 100hz which messes with balance. It does still have good extension though, just lacks some cleanliness. The midrange is more elevated and capable than the 770 250 so that’s a plus. Treble wise, is weird, it feels a bit less prominent and pronounced as other beyers, but has some weird peaks that can be irritating and come off as overly forward while the rest of the treble isn’t, and almost felt like it lacked a bit of extension but it wasn’t that big of an issue. Still good spatial recreation though, and pretty good dynamics. Resolution is above the 770 250 but not massively so
I do think it could be worth trying if you got from somewhere you could return just in case, and also if you got a good price for it (I don’t think it’s worthwhile at mrsp), otherwise the 770 250 is still a nice choice imo
This looks like an oxymoron to me
@CarpentersFan Would love to hear your advice, ignore the music production part :). My perfect headphones would be flat and detailed except from 250hz to 20hz I would love to have a huge bass boost. Eqing might do the trick for me what do you think?
Harmonicdyne Zeus is fairly bass heavy and warm. An absolute steal at 350 USD
I kinda thought the same thing, but there are cases where you may want to have a bassy headphone for production, basically comes in handy either as a secondary to test how your work may sound on more bassy consumer headphones to see if it gets overwhelming, to test the quality of bass if the headphone excels in that area, or if you find that your work constantly ends up sounding bassy you could grab a more bass heavy headphone and that would make you overcompensate sometimes resulting in a more proper bass balance for other headphones.
But yes generally personally I’d rather just have more dead neutral for studio work
I’m in a similar boat and I’m thoroughly enjoying using the Monoprice Monolith portable to be able to put a shelf on the low waned for when I want a little more. This way I can just go back to the regular flat sound in any scenario whether I’m streaming or whatever
V-mods crossfade M-100 master closed back headphones with decent bass levels. Supposedly popular with Dj. If you took Beats by Dre and gave them way better sound quality they would be the v moda.
@M0N Soooo a little update, today I tried DT770s 250ohm (my friend had them) and I absolutely love them, the highs are so clean and detailed and they sound great. But they don’t have enough bass for my personal taste so I EQed them boosting frequencies from 20hz - 250hz for 5db and they sound absolutely AMAZING. The bass is great, loud, punchy but they still don’t sound muddy, they still sound very clean and detailed with more bass but you do loose a bit of high end detail, like various background vocals, effects, foleys etc. So I’ll most likely get them for producing and mixing and when I decide I want more bass and less high end I can always eq them and that will satisfy my needs. I use Equalizer APO software for my eq, do you have any suggestions for better software or hardware eqs? Thank you so much for your recommendations, I really appreciate it :). (I’m still looking for headphones with even more bass for casual listening).
What amp did you try them on?
Cool cool
I’d stick with software, eq apo does a good job. You can get an amp that has naturally a bit more lifted low end if needed
If that’s the case, than the preciously mentioned meze 99 are worthwhile, I actually also think like a Sony mdr1a could he worth a look. Other options I like end up being semi open and discontinued (like an audioquest nighthawk, fostex x00 purple heart) or aren’t easy to get in Eu like a modhouse argon mk3
I tried them on a Scarlett Solo 3rd gen (same audio interface I have) and they sounded loud with plenty of volume left. Do you think I should still buy one of the amps you recommended? Will it have an effect on the sound? I just ordered my DT770s so I’m super excited, now I’m deciding between Meze 99 Classics and 99 Neos (for casual listening). I heard that the Neos have more bass, what pair would you recommend I get? Again thank you so much for your help, already love and bought one pair of headphones you recommended so I’m excited to hear what you think.
Yes, so volume isn’t the only thing an amp does, it’s also about quality of power. You might find that treble clarity gets much better, bass gets more prominent and impactful while being even more technical, and the midrange gets a bit more bump in prominence. They should also get more dynamic and also have better spatial recreation. An overall elevation of what they can do. If you wanted more warmth and body then a monolith liquid spark would be a good starter (if you can’t squeeze for the lake people)
So if you are after bass, go neo, if you want a bit more refinement go classics
I had no idea that amps affect sound quality, thought it was just volume. I can’t seem to find a monolith liquid spark in eu, if I get a lake people g103s would I have to buy a better amp down the road? My next upgrade will probably be a DT 1770.
Nope that would carry along just fine, later on you might want to upgrade the dac though, but a g103s would be a ok for a 1770