Looking for a headphone upgrade. Please help.

[Sal1950]

This is exactly the problem I have with the closed Aeons, the bass region is sooo week for me...

Sounds like your a bass head, others prefer accurate

 

[JJB70]

If you want something that feels premium and with superb build and with plenty of bass without going to silly prices then try the Sony MDR Z7. I still enjoy these, yes they're a bit bass heavy but their build shames many much more expensive headphones and with the right sort of music they're hugely enjoyable.

 

[peder2tm]

I have the Beyer DT 770 Pro 250ohm for work. Is there a better closed headphone ?

Shure Srh1540, plenty of bass and pretty comfortable, but sounds best at medium to low volume.

 

[Leshphon]

Hi,

For some reason, my last text got this message:
"This message is awaiting moderator approval, and is invisible to normal visitors. "
I guess it is cus i edited the text a lot kek. Anws, im just copying and paste the same text. Hope the mods dont get mad at me for double posting.

"Henlo good ppl,

I see a lot of choices
i have to watch their reviews to give me an idea how they sound like. So far i have watched the review for:
-LCD 2 classics
-sundara
-4XX
-Audioquest nighthawks carbon
-Hd 600
According from this thread, the lcd 2 classics seems like a great option. Only problem would be the price (799usd lmao). I can get it but prob will take me months. Another option would be the 4XX. A lot of ppl seem to really like the bass on it, and it stoods as one of the best bang for buck planar headphones. The sundara, according to Joshua Valour, he said that it is a very clean sounding headphone as opposed to bassy. It can be tuned to be bassy but well, I dont EQ cus i suck at it. The hd600, is, again, EQ it to be bassy. And then, the audioquest nighthawks carbon. Reviewers say that it sounds different. Idk what that means. And it requires some burn in thingy to make it sound less harsh. Ok. Normally, I would pass on that but it is a 700usd headphone yes? Went to amazon to check its price and holy mother of god. It is only 249usd now. Idk what makes its price to go down that low. That is a steal. I guess?

I remembered watching a review for the Phillips Fidellio X2. I remembered it being a very good headphone for 300usd. But then I saw this
"although i did find the fidelio X2 to be an interesting recommendation. i hear those are bass emphatic and are open, but i have not heard them myself. they are on my short list of heapdhones to try yet. excited to see a x3 coming later this fall. " - @wadec22
So kinda pass on that one.

My country does not offer a lot of good hi-fi audios. Even if there are, they are overpriced af. All of my audios? I ordered them online. The m50x is like, literally on the otherside from where I live (yes. im asian). Shipping will always take 15 days or more. I can do try and return thingy, but that will very most likely take a lot of time and some money for the shipping costs, some telecom certification from my country that idk wtf is the use for..etc etc.

All in all, I think the He4XX is a good option. Cus it is more on the cheaper side? I can buy the Nighthawks Carbon. But idk if its worth it. Heck even the LCD 2 Classics. I can spend more but only if they sound so exceptionally good. I would require more insights from u good ppl on how these 3 headphones sound

Also, I did not expect my thread to get this much replies
Thank you for even giving a damn on visiting my thread "

 

[flipflop]

As good as that will sound, it will never have truly low reaching sub-bass though, right?

Sure, but they need about 12 dB of gain at 20 Hz and consequently the preamp would have to be lowered by 12 dB in order to avoid clipping. The real question is whether or not the amp can drive the headphones with those settings.

I dont EQ cus i suck at it.

You can use a profile made by someone competent.

 

[solderdude]

I think the He4XX is a good option. Cus it is more on the cheaper side? I can buy the Nighthawks Carbon. But idk if its worth it. Heck even the LCD 2 Classics. I can spend more but only if they sound so exceptionally good. I would require more insights from u good ppl on how these 3 headphones sound

Carbon is the most bassy and 'fat' and warm sounding of the bunch and lacks clarity.
When listening to it exclusively for a while your mind is tricked and it starts to sound more 'realistic' and 'soft' in the treble without directly getting the idea of lacking treble.
Good for listening to not too bassy popular music and rock music but not suited for well recorded blues and classical music as it is way too bassy/dark/muddy for that.
When you EQ the bass out of it the treble quality suddenly becomes poor. This is masked by the huge bass/warmth.
A love-em or hate-em kind of headphone.
Ones 'murky, muddy, bloated bassy sound' is another's 'warm and smooth'.

The LCD2 CL are also dark sounding but in a different way. By far the best (but not overpowering) bass response and mids.
But lacks in clarity. Treble is a bit subdued but not of poor quality.
Quite heavy in weight and the pads kind-of 'suck' around the ears, unless lots of hairs are in the way.
You have to be lucky with LCD-2. I heard wonderful sounding LCD2 and coarser sounding LCD2 (same source same music)

The HE4XX has the least amount of bass... I even find it a tad bass light compared to the LCD2.
The soar point is the treble which has a peak.
Unless you aren't bothered by it it makes this headphone clearly the 'brightest' of the bunch with the most clarity and 'forward' sound.
Some are bothered by the peak once they hear it. Others don't hear it.
It is there in all models so not production spread as in LCD-2, some just are not bothered or even like it.

The above is my opinion. I am sure lots of folks see (or should I say hear) it differently.

 

[Leshphon]

Carbon is the most bassy and 'fat' and warm sounding of the bunch and lacks clarity.
When listening to it exclusively for a while your mind is tricked and it starts to sound more 'realistic' and 'soft' in the treble without directly getting the idea of lacking treble.
Good for listening to not too bassy popular music and rock music but not suited for well recorded blues and classical music as it is way too bassy/dark/muddy for that.
When you EQ the bass out of it the treble quality suddenly becomes poor. This is masked by the huge bass/warmth.
A love-em or hate-em kind of headphone.

The LCD2 CL are also dark sounding but in a different way. By far the best (but not overpowering) bass response and mids.
But lacks in clarity. Treble is a bit subdued but not of poor quality.
Quite heavy in weight and the pads kind-of 'suck' around the ears, unless lots of hairs are in the way.
You have to be lucky with LCD-2. I heard wonderful sounding LCD2 and coarser sounding LCD2 (same source same music)

The HE4XX has the least amount of bass... I even find it a tad bass light compared to the LCD2.
The soar point is the treble which has a peak.
Unless you aren't bothered by it it makes this headphone clearly the 'brightest' of the bunch with the most clarity and 'forward' sound.
Some are bothered by the peak once they hear it. Others don't hear it.
It is there in all models so not production spread as in LCD-2, some just are not bothered or even like it.

The above is my opinion. I am sure lots of folks see (or should I say hear) it differently.

Ic. Very informative and easy to understand. It seems like the Carbon could be a hit or miss for me. The 4XX could be not "bassy" enough for me. Guess that leaves me the LCD-2 Classics. An 800usd headphone kek. Ik the best way to to tell which one is which is to try the headphone myself, but I'm afraid that would cost me more and consume more time. Besides, I trust u ppl

Anws, I did more researching and found out that the Beyerdynamics DT 1770 Pro and the Hifiman Edition XX could also be another option for me. It would be great if someone could give me some insights on those 2 headphones as those are cheaper than the LCD-2 Classics.

 

[wadec22]

Also, I did not expect my thread to get this much replies
Thank you for even giving a damn on visiting my thread "

you can see from our responses, audio is very subjective. there are a handful of recommendations in this thread that I think are completely wrong for you, but that is just my opinion.

can you do ebay purchases fairly easily? i think used is the best way to try a lot of headphones on a light budget. that or head-fi. you can try several of the headphones for well under $200 and get a lot of that back out of them reselling them.

 

[Leshphon]

you can see from our responses, audio is very subjective. there are a handful of recommendations in this thread that I think are completely wrong for you, but that is just my opinion.

can you do ebay purchases fairly easily? i think used is the best way to try a lot of headphones on a light budget. that or head-fi. you can try several of the headphones for well under $200 and get a lot of that back out of them reselling them.

Yes I can. In fact, I only ever used ebay for online purchases. But never have I bought used stuffs cus I fear the previous user might mess smth up with it without telling us.

 

[geek101]

Sounds like your a bass head, others prefer accurate

+1 , I once wanted bass in headphones and got myself ultrasone Pro 750. Never liked it when compared to HD600, yeah impressive bass however.

Check out the Harman target curve for the headphones getting one that is close to it will be a keeper for long.

 

[Sal1950]

+1 , I once wanted bass in headphones and got myself ultrasone Pro 750. Never liked it when compared to HD600, yeah impressive bass however.

Check out the Harman target curve for the headphones getting one that is close to it will be a keeper for long.

I also wonder what some consider "good bass" Is it just a tipped up frequency response in the low and mid bass with a lot of boom boom going on? Or are they actually listening to the quality of the bass reproduction, with tight, cleanly detailed notes and low distortion?

 

[solderdude]

Beyerdynamics DT 1770 Pro and the Hifiman Edition XX

Edition XX may not be for you, the DT1770 might.
I own and examined both indepth.
I bought my DT1770 second hand from a forum member.

The LCD-2 is not a basshead headphone. It is rather neutral and has less bass then M50X.
Bass quality is excellent though.

 

[Duckeenie]

You could try the demo of the Morphit plugin. It can be used to simulate the frequency response of different models of headphones. Won't tell you much about the quality, but it will at least give you an idea of what the sound signature is like. Great way to find out if a recommended headphones fits your taste.

 

[LightninBoy]

Here's my headphone philosophy (sorry for those who have read this from me several times now). Just get headphones that are ...
#1 - Comfortable
#2 - Low distortion
#3 - Basically follows the harman curve

Start from there, then EQ to taste. For #2 and #3 there are many online archives of headphone measurements. Shouldn't have to spend more than $300 to get all of the above (and some much less).

 

[LightninBoy]

+1 , I once wanted bass in headphones and got myself ultrasone Pro 750. Never liked it when compared to HD600, yeah impressive bass however.

Check out the Harman target curve for the headphones getting one that is close to it will be a keeper for long.

Ultrasones are ultra crappy. I got talked into buying a set at GC many years ago. There's no amount of eq that would save those turds.

 

[maxxevv]

The HE4XX has the least amount of bass... I even find it a tad bass light compared to the LCD2.
The soar point is the treble which has a peak.
Unless you aren't bothered by it it makes this headphone clearly the 'brightest' of the bunch with the most clarity and 'forward' sound.
Some are bothered by the peak once they hear it. Others don't hear it.
It is there in all models so not production spread as in LCD-2, some just are not bothered or even like it.

The above is my opinion. I am sure lots of folks see (or should I say hear) it differently.

What's your opinion on opening up the side grills for the He4XX or the HE400 series that you have tested so far?

 

[Leshphon]

Henlo good ppl.

So after thinking through what kind of bass that I want, I think, I'd prefer a headphone that could deliver a very high quality bass? There is this thing called fast bass. I have no idea how they sound like. And ppl claim it to be very satisfying and even more engaging. According to reviews, the M50X got a very boomy/slow bass. And my AKG K545 is not even a bass cans ( Besides, I only use it for gaming. Which I hardly do kek). I wanna know how this high quality, low distortion, fast bass thingy sounds like.

I did watch some reviews for the Edition XX and the DT 1770 Pro. Seems like the Edition XX has inferior bass response than the LCD-2 CLassics? I guess that is the case. Joshua Velour claims that the DT 1770 Pro, while being a great bassy cans, they are intense. So much things is going on in your face. I would rather not have things that are intense. I prefer smth that is enjoyable and pleasure-able to hear.

Someone mentioned the MDR Z-7
I first considered it cus Zeos seems to really like it. And it is somewhat affordable too ( As in within my budget ). I remembered its bass being broad (which, again, idk what it means). And that ppl who used to love beats, will love this lmao. A comparison of the bass response between the Z-7 and the LCD-2 Classics would be helpful
But I guess the LCD-2 Classic still wins ye? since there is this one person said:

"The LCD2 CL are also dark sounding but in a different way. By far the best (but not overpowering) bass response and mids.
But lacks in clarity. Treble is a bit subdued but not of poor quality.
Quite heavy in weight and the pads kind-of 'suck' around the ears, unless lots of hairs are in the way.
You have to be lucky with LCD-2. I heard wonderful sounding LCD2 and coarser sounding LCD2 (same source same music)"
- solderdude

I wonder, by lacks in clarity, which one do u refer to? The trebles?

I was thinking to buy audios from ebay. But idk if they're reliable. I can always resell them. Problem is, my country men is not into hi-fi audios. Smth like airpods would be their high end audios kek. Not me. Having to resell the used product would be hard. Besides, so far, no one even wants my M50X and K545 lol. Maybe I can try advertising them in facebook or whatever.

 

[solderdude]

Yes, The DT1770 are 'forward' with one could call this 'intense' or 'in your face' (semantics)
The treble of the DT1770 should be addressed as well, this makes these headphones 'intense' as well.
In that case you should probably be looking for a headphone with a small dip between 2kHz and 4kHz.
These are less 'intense' and what I call 'laid-back' which is not exactly the same as 'lacking in clarity' but comes close.
When lacking in clarity the dip is from 2kHz to say 6kHz or a 2-4kHz dip with treble which is slightly reduced compared to the mids.

'fast bass' is when the FR curve drops slowly in the lows.
This way the harmonics are slightly louder than the fundamental giving the sense of 'lean but tight'.
In that case there should not be a dip around 150-200Hz.
A dip there 'dis-attaches the bass from the rest of the sounds. Some like that, others don't.

The LCD-2 seems more like something for you than the clearer more trebly Hifimans.
A matter of taste.

There is no substitution for listening yourself, I understand this is difficult in your case.

 

[Leshphon]

Ic. Very informative. Think I understand how to read graphs better ( Still suck, but better than before) and what to look for.

I watched the review for the Sony MDR Z-7 M2. Damir from The Nitpicker said that the mid bass is thumpy as opposed to boomy, which is good cus I believe that is what fast bass should sound like. But Damir also said that the sub bass is good but not detailed.

Guess imma take the LCD-2 CLassics then. Which will take me about 3-4 months to get one kek. Thank you for helping me out good ppl.

That said, I only have the Topping NX4 as my Dac & Amp. I wonder if it is enough to drive the LCD-2 CLassics? If it isn't then what Dac and Amp or combo should I go for?

 

[solderdude]

Topping Nx4 will deliver 0.45W into 70 Ohm (LCD2-CL) = 127dB peak SPL so loud enough I would say even when you want to EQ it there is enough headroom available.