JetWarrior
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Posts
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All right, here's my conundrum:
My pair of ATH-M50's (white-box) have bitten the dust. They were my (and everyone else in the world's) first set of "real headphones," and I loved them dearly. However, there were some things about them that I felt didn't suit my needs, and in replacing them, I'm hoping to find something that corrects its shortcomings.
Here's what I'm looking for:
-BASS. But not the earth-shattering kind. This is the hardest part for me to decide on when it comes to purchasing new phones. The bass on the M50's was lacking body, IMO--the deep stuff just wasn't there like I know it should've been. Well...okay, yeah, it was, but it just wasn't accentuated enough. I would love a more bass-biased pair of cans that DOESN'T drown out the mids and/or bring down the high's. Something with just enough rumble for you to feel it in your chest, but not the head-assaulting thump-thump-thump of, say, Beats. The M50's did have a bit of rumble, but I'd love a pair with a bit deeper range.
-RANGE. This is where things get complicated. Yes, I do want some good solid bass...but not all the time. I listen to quite a large range of music--hip-hop (both mainstream and underground), progressive house, rock, alternative, acoustic folk, post-rock, melo-death metal. The headphones I desire don't have to be masters of all (because I'm not willing to spend that much), but I'm not looking for cans with so much bass that post-rock sounds muddled or acoustic folk sounds murky. These top two (seemingly conflicting) things are the criteria that have kept me searching for hours on this forum (because when I look up different headphones that excel in bass, it's always while playing EDM or Hip-Hop music, but hardly ever anything high).
-VERSATILITY. I'm not only going to be listening to music--I'll also be listening to blue-ray movies (like Fast Five) and playing games that include Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Saints Row: The Third, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and (when it's released) Grand Theft Auto 5. Whatever I buy doesn't have to play these perfectly, but it's a huge bonus if they handled stuff like this well--large explosions, detailed voices, etc. (Note that I WON'T be playing First Person FPS's on my computer)
-COMFORT. The least important aspect of these four, but something I'll take into consideration anyways. I can wear my headphones for a long time (5+ hours in one sitting), so nothing too headache-inducing. That said, the M50's were always a bit uncomfortable, but I still loved them anyways.
Those are the things I'm most looking for. The headphones will never leave my room; they're only for listening on my desktop. I have an Alesis iO2 Express external soundcard that has some sort of headphone amping built in (though without a customizable EQ). A long cord is a plus (so I can stretch across the room to get something); the form factor isn't important at all (though I prefer over-the-ear to on-the-ear, and closed cups to open ones).
All that being said...after hours of pouring over these forums, these are the headphones I think I've narrowed down to:
- Ultrasone HFI-580/DJ1
- Audio-Technica PRO700 MKII (non-Anniversary edition)
- M-Audio Q4
Now of course, there are multiple threads comparing these three headphones with each other (and others), but none of them really swayed me in the direction of one or the other, because all of these were favored over all the others at different points. But this is a bit of a summary of the information I gathered:
The 580's, from what I've read, seem to have the deepest sound (bringing out sub-bass better than the other two) and have the most versatility, though the bass is "audiophile" bass instead of "consumer" bass. I admit that I don't quite understand what that means in terms of listening, but I'm interesting in finding out, because if scooping out that deep bass from the depths of music and delivering it crisp and clear is what gives music that rich, make-you-say-"mmmm" sound, even if it's not vibrating my skull, these may be for me. Also, the emulated surround sound is very intriguing. On the other hand, I've heard people mention that the high's sound "mechanical" and too-processed to be high, and that the bass is only slightly more hard-hitting than the M50's. Also, the mid's are terribly recessed (though apparently, so are the M50's, which obviously didn't seem to have too much of an effect on me).
The MKII's have the booming, rattling, vibrating bass, and yet still retain sound clarity in higher registers, especially after burn-in. However, the bass is on the border of intruding on the mids, and the high's aren't quite as pronounced as with the 580's (people called this both a good and a bad thing). Everyone only talked about the bass, bass, bass...but I wanted to know how it sounded with other types of music. What if I played LIGHTS on these? Or Radiohead? Would these still shine? I never really got a definitive answer...though I have heard that not only are they highly EQ-able, but putting different cups on them improved both the comfort and soundstage.
The Q4's are perhaps somewhere in the middle, with more booming bass than the 580's and more clear highs than the MKII's (is this correct?). So why not these automatically? Because it's in the middle, and I'm left with questions about the other two that I would like answered. Do the MKII's have enough shining treble, and is the bass both booming and controlled enough for all genres to play? If so, I'm more interested in those. Do the 580's bass control and presentation make up for the apparent lack of bass rumble and give the songs a full-bodied sound? If so, I'm more interested in the 580's. Can't choose the Q4's until these questions are answered, though they do make for an interesting third option (epsecially considering their price).
I don't know if what I'm asking for is too much or way over-analytical. It's even worse when you consider that I'm NOT really an audiophile, nor am I willing to spend more than $200 on a pair of headphones. Still, I appreciate any and all help with this. If there's another pair of headphones that fit my criteria that I haven't considered, please let me know. And I apologize for the long-windedness, and for making a give-me-advice thread when the forum clearly asked me to post in the "Give Me Advice!" thread. I just didn't want to get lost in the crowd, or have the crowd get their questions interrupted by my own.
TL;DR: Basically, I just want a set of headphones that have excellent bass without too much expense of mid and high clarity. Ones to be used only at home with which I can play Deadmau5's "I Remember," and melt into the bass, and have Kaskade sound like she's right in my ear, and have the music not be drowned out or distorted by either. Also, pretty good with blue-ray movies and video games (no online FPS's).
My pair of ATH-M50's (white-box) have bitten the dust. They were my (and everyone else in the world's) first set of "real headphones," and I loved them dearly. However, there were some things about them that I felt didn't suit my needs, and in replacing them, I'm hoping to find something that corrects its shortcomings.
Here's what I'm looking for:
-BASS. But not the earth-shattering kind. This is the hardest part for me to decide on when it comes to purchasing new phones. The bass on the M50's was lacking body, IMO--the deep stuff just wasn't there like I know it should've been. Well...okay, yeah, it was, but it just wasn't accentuated enough. I would love a more bass-biased pair of cans that DOESN'T drown out the mids and/or bring down the high's. Something with just enough rumble for you to feel it in your chest, but not the head-assaulting thump-thump-thump of, say, Beats. The M50's did have a bit of rumble, but I'd love a pair with a bit deeper range.
-RANGE. This is where things get complicated. Yes, I do want some good solid bass...but not all the time. I listen to quite a large range of music--hip-hop (both mainstream and underground), progressive house, rock, alternative, acoustic folk, post-rock, melo-death metal. The headphones I desire don't have to be masters of all (because I'm not willing to spend that much), but I'm not looking for cans with so much bass that post-rock sounds muddled or acoustic folk sounds murky. These top two (seemingly conflicting) things are the criteria that have kept me searching for hours on this forum (because when I look up different headphones that excel in bass, it's always while playing EDM or Hip-Hop music, but hardly ever anything high).
-VERSATILITY. I'm not only going to be listening to music--I'll also be listening to blue-ray movies (like Fast Five) and playing games that include Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Saints Row: The Third, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and (when it's released) Grand Theft Auto 5. Whatever I buy doesn't have to play these perfectly, but it's a huge bonus if they handled stuff like this well--large explosions, detailed voices, etc. (Note that I WON'T be playing First Person FPS's on my computer)
-COMFORT. The least important aspect of these four, but something I'll take into consideration anyways. I can wear my headphones for a long time (5+ hours in one sitting), so nothing too headache-inducing. That said, the M50's were always a bit uncomfortable, but I still loved them anyways.
Those are the things I'm most looking for. The headphones will never leave my room; they're only for listening on my desktop. I have an Alesis iO2 Express external soundcard that has some sort of headphone amping built in (though without a customizable EQ). A long cord is a plus (so I can stretch across the room to get something); the form factor isn't important at all (though I prefer over-the-ear to on-the-ear, and closed cups to open ones).
All that being said...after hours of pouring over these forums, these are the headphones I think I've narrowed down to:
- Ultrasone HFI-580/DJ1
- Audio-Technica PRO700 MKII (non-Anniversary edition)
- M-Audio Q4
Now of course, there are multiple threads comparing these three headphones with each other (and others), but none of them really swayed me in the direction of one or the other, because all of these were favored over all the others at different points. But this is a bit of a summary of the information I gathered:
The 580's, from what I've read, seem to have the deepest sound (bringing out sub-bass better than the other two) and have the most versatility, though the bass is "audiophile" bass instead of "consumer" bass. I admit that I don't quite understand what that means in terms of listening, but I'm interesting in finding out, because if scooping out that deep bass from the depths of music and delivering it crisp and clear is what gives music that rich, make-you-say-"mmmm" sound, even if it's not vibrating my skull, these may be for me. Also, the emulated surround sound is very intriguing. On the other hand, I've heard people mention that the high's sound "mechanical" and too-processed to be high, and that the bass is only slightly more hard-hitting than the M50's. Also, the mid's are terribly recessed (though apparently, so are the M50's, which obviously didn't seem to have too much of an effect on me).
The MKII's have the booming, rattling, vibrating bass, and yet still retain sound clarity in higher registers, especially after burn-in. However, the bass is on the border of intruding on the mids, and the high's aren't quite as pronounced as with the 580's (people called this both a good and a bad thing). Everyone only talked about the bass, bass, bass...but I wanted to know how it sounded with other types of music. What if I played LIGHTS on these? Or Radiohead? Would these still shine? I never really got a definitive answer...though I have heard that not only are they highly EQ-able, but putting different cups on them improved both the comfort and soundstage.
The Q4's are perhaps somewhere in the middle, with more booming bass than the 580's and more clear highs than the MKII's (is this correct?). So why not these automatically? Because it's in the middle, and I'm left with questions about the other two that I would like answered. Do the MKII's have enough shining treble, and is the bass both booming and controlled enough for all genres to play? If so, I'm more interested in those. Do the 580's bass control and presentation make up for the apparent lack of bass rumble and give the songs a full-bodied sound? If so, I'm more interested in the 580's. Can't choose the Q4's until these questions are answered, though they do make for an interesting third option (epsecially considering their price).
I don't know if what I'm asking for is too much or way over-analytical. It's even worse when you consider that I'm NOT really an audiophile, nor am I willing to spend more than $200 on a pair of headphones. Still, I appreciate any and all help with this. If there's another pair of headphones that fit my criteria that I haven't considered, please let me know. And I apologize for the long-windedness, and for making a give-me-advice thread when the forum clearly asked me to post in the "Give Me Advice!" thread. I just didn't want to get lost in the crowd, or have the crowd get their questions interrupted by my own.
TL;DR: Basically, I just want a set of headphones that have excellent bass without too much expense of mid and high clarity. Ones to be used only at home with which I can play Deadmau5's "I Remember," and melt into the bass, and have Kaskade sound like she's right in my ear, and have the music not be drowned out or distorted by either. Also, pretty good with blue-ray movies and video games (no online FPS's).
![size]](http://files.head-fi.org/images/smilies/wink.gif[size=13px][/size])
. But yes, I certainly meant the Q40, sorry.