Phaedru5
New Head-Fier
I'm an on again/off again, intermediate audiophile and I'm beginning to get back into the hi-fi world again after a ~5 year break.
I currently predominantly listen to Electronic/EDM/Ambient--Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Yosi Horikawa, Darkside, Brian Eno, etc and love sub bass + clarity. I sold most of my gear many years ago, but still own an OG Hifiman 400i, Bose QSC35ii's, and a pair of ATH-M50s which I run through a Fulla Schiit DAC. Sound quality is alright, but none of the cans are very "fun," or particularly expressive in the sub bass region. The M50s have their fantastic mid-bass punch, but lack the real growl of the sub frequencies and the soundstage of open-back. The 400i's are clear and decently spacious, but flat in the sub bass region and don't have much punch.
I scooped up a pair of Airpod Max's out of curiosity and have been blown away by their sub bass response... Of the three headphones I own they are now, by a large margin, the most "fun" for the genres I listen to (a great sub bass test track is "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy" by Radiohead, Amnesiac B-Side and I tend to use that track as my baseline). They're kind of soft/lack clarity in the midrange and the highs are almost a bit harsh, but generally their sound profile is very enjoyable. If they had the same clarity and seperation that the sub bass presents throughout the frequency band, they'd be unreal.
Concerned I wasn't really getting the most out of my other headphones, I decided to order the Magni/Modi set to see if I could push them into their respective sweet spots (I have to max the Fulla to get decent volume in the 400i's). My intention is to return the Airpod Max's if I can get either of my current headphones to give me the equivalent sub-bass fun factor coupled with the clarity/soundstage of open-back headphones. I don't need APMs and QSC35's, the latter still being the reigning comfort champion with perfectly adequate ANC.
Do you think I'll be able to get the 400i's to present the fun-factor I'm looking for with the proper amperage and EQing? I was looking to pick up a set of Argon MK3's (I know they're closed-back and the soundstage will be tighter) too to be my new fun headphone; however, their production has been halted due to a T50 shortage and I don't know when I'll be able to purchase a set anytime soon.
Advice/recommendations? Budget is limited and I can only justify the purchase of another set of <$350 headphones if I return the APMs.
Please don't provide any critique/advice related to the APMs if you haven't actually listened to them. The armchair theorizing based on frequency charts and negative biases isn't of value to me. I am not an Apple fan boy by any measure. Just tried them out on a whim and was very surprised by their performance.
Total budget would be ~$550, either keep the APMs or purchase an amp+dac+headphone set with the same sub bass performance with added clarity and more spacious throughout the frequency band.
I currently predominantly listen to Electronic/EDM/Ambient--Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Yosi Horikawa, Darkside, Brian Eno, etc and love sub bass + clarity. I sold most of my gear many years ago, but still own an OG Hifiman 400i, Bose QSC35ii's, and a pair of ATH-M50s which I run through a Fulla Schiit DAC. Sound quality is alright, but none of the cans are very "fun," or particularly expressive in the sub bass region. The M50s have their fantastic mid-bass punch, but lack the real growl of the sub frequencies and the soundstage of open-back. The 400i's are clear and decently spacious, but flat in the sub bass region and don't have much punch.
I scooped up a pair of Airpod Max's out of curiosity and have been blown away by their sub bass response... Of the three headphones I own they are now, by a large margin, the most "fun" for the genres I listen to (a great sub bass test track is "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy" by Radiohead, Amnesiac B-Side and I tend to use that track as my baseline). They're kind of soft/lack clarity in the midrange and the highs are almost a bit harsh, but generally their sound profile is very enjoyable. If they had the same clarity and seperation that the sub bass presents throughout the frequency band, they'd be unreal.
Concerned I wasn't really getting the most out of my other headphones, I decided to order the Magni/Modi set to see if I could push them into their respective sweet spots (I have to max the Fulla to get decent volume in the 400i's). My intention is to return the Airpod Max's if I can get either of my current headphones to give me the equivalent sub-bass fun factor coupled with the clarity/soundstage of open-back headphones. I don't need APMs and QSC35's, the latter still being the reigning comfort champion with perfectly adequate ANC.
Do you think I'll be able to get the 400i's to present the fun-factor I'm looking for with the proper amperage and EQing? I was looking to pick up a set of Argon MK3's (I know they're closed-back and the soundstage will be tighter) too to be my new fun headphone; however, their production has been halted due to a T50 shortage and I don't know when I'll be able to purchase a set anytime soon.
Advice/recommendations? Budget is limited and I can only justify the purchase of another set of <$350 headphones if I return the APMs.
Please don't provide any critique/advice related to the APMs if you haven't actually listened to them. The armchair theorizing based on frequency charts and negative biases isn't of value to me. I am not an Apple fan boy by any measure. Just tried them out on a whim and was very surprised by their performance.
Total budget would be ~$550, either keep the APMs or purchase an amp+dac+headphone set with the same sub bass performance with added clarity and more spacious throughout the frequency band.