Nobodyhearsyou
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2012
- Posts
- 1
- Likes
- 0
Hello,
I'm by no means an audiophile, but I like buying expensive stuff apparently. Anyways, I looked on forums here to find a good open headphone to use on my laptop at work. After reading reviews and such, came to buy the HD598. Well, I was quite dissapointed. While the sound stage is amazing, and the clarity of these headphons is extrodinary...they had absolutely no bass. Or I should say, Bass anemic. I like listening to everything from classical to anything with WUB WUB in it. Well, I couldn't even listen to hip-hop let alone dubstep with these headphones because of the lack of bass. I bought a headphone amp, and it didn't help. I tried using the craptastic equalizer in winamp and still it did not help.....
Then I read somewhere to adjust the frequencies BELOW 60hz. I found a and equilizer plugin for winamp (Shibatch) and after playing around a bit, set it so 55hz was 6 db (I thought 20 db was going to make my brains come out my nose) higher then everything else...and it blew my mind. Granted, at this volume I have to use a headphone amp. But now these headphones just completely blow my mind. They sound like I am sitting at home listening to my 3500 dollar POLK AUDIO setup (with 12" sub and everything). Absolutely amazing.
Enough of the background. Here are my questions:
1. Can I damage my headphones this way (over extending the driver etc.) Were they never ment to produce this much bass? Or, are they capable, but just balanced for a different audience (used for mixing, or listening to classical, etc.)? They are not clipping, and I don't turn them up to ear bleeding levels, but man they can pump out some bass and still be clear if I want them too. So much so, that i can feel my earlobes vibrating.
2. When turning down all other freequencies, do I loose a lot of sound quality? Remember, I am not an audiophile. I can't hear a difference in the mids or highs (they still seem clean and tight). But come on pros...it can really be this easy can it?
3. Here is the more complicated question....Why not do this on any headphone? If all someone was going to do is listen to music from their laptop, couldn't you make ANY headphones sound just the way you want it to by using a good equalizer?? Or do you have to have an expensive headphone that can handle it (btw....can my 598s handle it?) Is the only reason why manufacturers produce headphones with different sound curves, signatures, temperatures, etc. so that they sound a certain way without equalizers or portable devices etc. (again, mixing etc.)? Or is there some other reason that I don't understand? I mean, if I can just adjust whatever I want with an equalizer, then the only thing that would matter when looking at different headphons is just that..looks.
4. Which brings me to the last question, to round it all down. What are the dissadvantages and advantages to using equalizers?
After buying the HD598, I was dissapointed, so I wound up buying two other pairs to compare them too. HD518, and Beyer 990pro. I'll just return the two I don't like. But after ordering the other sets, I found the Shibatch equalizer and adjusted to my tastes and now I absolutely LOVE the HD598. I'll still test the other headphones...but if it comes to the point where I have to equalize any one of them to my tastes as well, then there would be no point right? Might as well keep my HD598. Or am I wrong?
Let me know your thoughts. I know I wrote a lot, but you guys seem to like talking about headphones...so here yuh go!
. P.S. Right now, the main thing I am concerned with is damaging my HD598. What would I have to do to hurt these beautiful Kami-sama worthy headphones? How would I even tell if I did damage them?
Thanks guys!
-Nobodyhearsyou
I'm by no means an audiophile, but I like buying expensive stuff apparently. Anyways, I looked on forums here to find a good open headphone to use on my laptop at work. After reading reviews and such, came to buy the HD598. Well, I was quite dissapointed. While the sound stage is amazing, and the clarity of these headphons is extrodinary...they had absolutely no bass. Or I should say, Bass anemic. I like listening to everything from classical to anything with WUB WUB in it. Well, I couldn't even listen to hip-hop let alone dubstep with these headphones because of the lack of bass. I bought a headphone amp, and it didn't help. I tried using the craptastic equalizer in winamp and still it did not help.....
Then I read somewhere to adjust the frequencies BELOW 60hz. I found a and equilizer plugin for winamp (Shibatch) and after playing around a bit, set it so 55hz was 6 db (I thought 20 db was going to make my brains come out my nose) higher then everything else...and it blew my mind. Granted, at this volume I have to use a headphone amp. But now these headphones just completely blow my mind. They sound like I am sitting at home listening to my 3500 dollar POLK AUDIO setup (with 12" sub and everything). Absolutely amazing.
Enough of the background. Here are my questions:
1. Can I damage my headphones this way (over extending the driver etc.) Were they never ment to produce this much bass? Or, are they capable, but just balanced for a different audience (used for mixing, or listening to classical, etc.)? They are not clipping, and I don't turn them up to ear bleeding levels, but man they can pump out some bass and still be clear if I want them too. So much so, that i can feel my earlobes vibrating.
2. When turning down all other freequencies, do I loose a lot of sound quality? Remember, I am not an audiophile. I can't hear a difference in the mids or highs (they still seem clean and tight). But come on pros...it can really be this easy can it?
3. Here is the more complicated question....Why not do this on any headphone? If all someone was going to do is listen to music from their laptop, couldn't you make ANY headphones sound just the way you want it to by using a good equalizer?? Or do you have to have an expensive headphone that can handle it (btw....can my 598s handle it?) Is the only reason why manufacturers produce headphones with different sound curves, signatures, temperatures, etc. so that they sound a certain way without equalizers or portable devices etc. (again, mixing etc.)? Or is there some other reason that I don't understand? I mean, if I can just adjust whatever I want with an equalizer, then the only thing that would matter when looking at different headphons is just that..looks.
4. Which brings me to the last question, to round it all down. What are the dissadvantages and advantages to using equalizers?
After buying the HD598, I was dissapointed, so I wound up buying two other pairs to compare them too. HD518, and Beyer 990pro. I'll just return the two I don't like. But after ordering the other sets, I found the Shibatch equalizer and adjusted to my tastes and now I absolutely LOVE the HD598. I'll still test the other headphones...but if it comes to the point where I have to equalize any one of them to my tastes as well, then there would be no point right? Might as well keep my HD598. Or am I wrong?
Let me know your thoughts. I know I wrote a lot, but you guys seem to like talking about headphones...so here yuh go!
. P.S. Right now, the main thing I am concerned with is damaging my HD598. What would I have to do to hurt these beautiful Kami-sama worthy headphones? How would I even tell if I did damage them?Thanks guys!
-Nobodyhearsyou
