[codythelucario]

Hi! I resorted to asking on this site as my reddit account was unable to post in r/HeadphoneAdvice, which I believe I was rate limited for some reason. I have contacted the mods on that subreddit but haven't heard back, so I will ask here as this site is more specialized in audio than anywhere else I can find on the internet!

I recently gave up EQing my HD600 as I heard the sub-bass of the DT990 and they were excellent for hip hop tracks. So I'm in the market again for some new headphones around the $200-300 range. Specifically, I'm looking for open backs that do well with modern hip hop like this playlist on spotify:

And this song on YouTube:

I'm looking specifically for crisp high's, vocals on the level of HD600's, and extremely punchy sub-bass to go along with hip-hop. I have a Fosi Q4 DAC that takes in 200 Ohms so anything that can be powered with that can be great!

I would also like to avoid any Hifimans due to the quality control issues seen on the Sundara's and their other products. I had a friend of mine who owns Sundaras and had to replace them multiple times, and for anything over $30 that's unacceptable, let alone $300.

I also listen to mainstream pop music and occasional k-pop (yeah I have trash music tastes).

My top contestants are the DT990 Pro X and the Monoprice M1060's, as well as their closed back cousins.

HOWEVER
If my HD600's sub-bass can be saved with EQ, please let me know any advice you would have to make them punchy. I would prefer that as I have less cash right now and would prefer to keep my equipment and wait for the future where I could potentially afford the Audeze LCD-2 Classics instead. I am a audio purist so I don't like EQing, but for the sake of 1. saving money if possible, and 2. having the best headphones for vocals, I will give an exception here. I have Equalizer APO and my Fosi Audio Q4 DAC with bass and treble dials, so they may be able to help here.

And another question on EQ as well. Would EQing the sub-bass to my liking be considered too much EQ? I'm more of an audio purist but for in general in the hobby would this be too much?

I AM ALSO (maybe) feeling like my sub-bass needs might be unrealistic. I like it to rattle like my Sony speakers I use on occasion in my dorm. And also on my car the boomy sub-bass is really enjoyable, I'm one of those people who blast hip-hop in my car where everyone can hear what I'm blasting lol. So maybe my sub-bass desires are also coming from muddy speakers which quality headphones tend to avoid.

Any advice would be welcome!

 

[Tano]

If you like the HD600 but want more bass, Id recommend you to save a bit more and go for a 2nd hand Focal Clear. I think that a planar might be too soft in the bass even if it has bass extension.

When it comes to EQ, there's no such thing as "too much". You just need to adjust it to your liking.

 

[MindBreak]

Planar headphones can do bass well, but it is amp dependent, so your mileage may vary. I have owned both Sundara and Arya V3 from Hifiman with no issues. They have gotten way better at quality control since a few years ago. There are threads on this site dedicated to headphones that reproduce good bass. You might want to check those out for more suggestions. Good luck with your decision!

 

[dunring]

Before spending money, here's what I'd do because I think the HD600 are amazing.
Install APO and Peace, set Windows to 44.1khz (because the premade profiles are for that) and the highest bit rate your DAC supports.
Load the HD600 profile using the Autoeq button on the Peace main screen.

If you have enough power to compensate for the preamp reduction, try some music out and hear if the bass is good enough for you. I have the DT990 600 ohm and if it's bass you want, the DT770 250ohm will deliver it much better if you have a decent amplifier. For planars without Hifiman as an option, it's limited. Anything open back isn't going to give the air pressure thump that closed backs will. If IEMs are a consideration, the best bass for quality and quantity is the Artti T10 planar IEMs. Those will have you bouncing in your chair to hiphop songs in no time. Even a $9 Apple USB to 3.5mm adapter has all the power you'll ever need for any IEM. If you want to vibrate out of your chair like a hovercraft, either of them will do it.

 

[bagwell359]

I recently gave up EQing my HD600

Given the 600's and your amp, and what you like - that's the only choice.

I would not recommend planars unless they are very efficient (> 110 db/1 w). There are a number of fairly cheap closed backs that have excess bass as part of the deal, that might work. That's not my area, but you can find lots of advice on this site.

 

[bagwell359]

Before spending money, here's what I'd do because I think the HD600 are amazing.
Install APO and Peace, set Windows to 44.1khz (because the premade profiles are for that) and the highest bit rate your DAC supports.
Load the HD600 profile using the Autoeq button on the Peace main screen.

His amp is 160 mW @ 32 ohms, can't imagine he can get bass from 35-100 Hz increased markedly w/o clipping the amp. This poster wants bass to rattle and shake.

Anything open back isn't going to give the air pressure thump that closed backs will.

Right

 

[bagwell359]

I think that a planar might be too soft in the bass even if it has bass extension.

I think that needs to be teased out. If one likes excess bass such as in TH-900 v2 (+8 db compared to 1k) or other closed back "bass cannon" headphones - then the correct timbre, speed, and more correct Q out of an open back planar might seem lacking - HE-6, Phi, LCD-4, E2 and less expensive planars deliver bass that produces the recording with well greater accuracy IMO over those "bass cannons".

When it comes to EQ, there's no such thing as "too much". You just need to adjust it to your liking.

There sure is:

1. you could drive the amp into clipping in bass frequencies
2. radically different settings - say +6 db at 200 hz and -6 db at 100 Hz - can cause phase/ringing issues with many EQ's and PEQ's.
3. a headphone like the HD-600 whose fundamental resonance is around 75 Hz: you can crank it up +10 db at 20 Hz and get almost no gain audibly at that frequency, but do please measure the IM distortion above that, and see that your getting distortion dumped at multiple frequencies higher up if you choose that setting, and push the volume.

 

[codythelucario]

If you like the HD600 but want more bass, Id recommend you to save a bit more and go for a 2nd hand Focal Clear. I think that a planar might be too soft in the bass even if it has bass extension.

When it comes to EQ, there's no such thing as "too much". You just need to adjust it to your liking.

Nice, but how do I avoid distortion? When I EQ'd my bass I don't hear any clipping so yeah

 

[codythelucario]

There sure is:

1. you could drive the amp into clipping in bass frequencies
2. radically different settings - say +6 db at 200 hz and -6 db at 100 Hz - can cause phase/ringing issues with many EQ's and PEQ's.
3. a headphone like the HD-600 whose fundamental resonance is around 75 Hz: you can crank it up +10 db at 20 Hz and get almost no gain audibly at that frequency, but do please measure the IM distortion above that, and see that your getting distortion dumped at multiple frequencies higher up if you choose that setting, and push the vovolume.i us

I usually preamp my headphones down so that the highest eq gain would equal the amount I pre-amp'd to. So I don't think I would clip my headphones

 

[Tano]

Nice, but how do I avoid distortion? When I EQ'd my bass I don't hear any clipping so yeah

It depends of the distortion of the headphones, the volume levels at what you listen and the recordings. If you are not hearing any distortion (even if there is some), you are good to go.

 

[codythelucario]

It depends of the distortion of the headphones, the volume levels at what you listen and the recordings. If you are not hearing any distortion (even if there is some), you are good to go.

I don't hear any clipping so I think I'm good

 

[lost&confused]

If you are using a Windows PC get the Creative ZxR soundcard and use the older sbx pro software (not the new sound command software )
Then you have of 24db ...HD600 sound awesome with this card and it will blow away what you have now and you can keep the hd600
Just use the eq without the sound affects
Later on upgrade to the orange opamps

I

 

[dstarr3]

The Thinksound OV21 is currently on sale for $200 and it's a real U-shaped rock monster. Always impressed by the punchiness of the sub-bass and the sweetness of the highs. I own both this headphone and the E-Mu Teaks, and I'm always surprised by how close the OV21 gets to doing the Teaks' thing for less than half the cost (when on sale)

https://thinksound.com/products/ov21

 

[uptogood]

The Thinksound OV21 is currently on sale for $200 and it's a real U-shaped rock monster. Always impressed by the punchiness of the sub-bass and the sweetness of the highs. I own both this headphone and the E-Mu Teaks, and I'm always surprised by how close the OV21 gets to doing the Teaks' thing for less than half the cost (when on sale)

https://thinksound.com/products/ov21

Would I have enough power using just the DX170 DAP with the thinksound.com OV21?

 

[Kordzik]

Hi! I resorted to asking on this site as my reddit account was unable to post in r/HeadphoneAdvice, which I believe I was rate limited for some reason. I have contacted the mods on that subreddit but haven't heard back, so I will ask here as this site is more specialized in audio than anywhere else I can find on the internet!

I recently gave up EQing my HD600 as I heard the sub-bass of the DT990 and they were excellent for hip hop tracks. So I'm in the market again for some new headphones around the $200-300 range. Specifically, I'm looking for open backs that do well with modern hip hop like this playlist on spotify:

And this song on YouTube:

I'm looking specifically for crisp high's, vocals on the level of HD600's, and extremely punchy sub-bass to go along with hip-hop. I have a Fosi Q4 DAC that takes in 200 Ohms so anything that can be powered with that can be great!

I would also like to avoid any Hifimans due to the quality control issues seen on the Sundara's and their other products. I had a friend of mine who owns Sundaras and had to replace them multiple times, and for anything over $30 that's unacceptable, let alone $300.

I also listen to mainstream pop music and occasional k-pop (yeah I have trash music tastes).

My top contestants are the DT990 Pro X and the Monoprice M1060's, as well as their closed back cousins.

HOWEVER
If my HD600's sub-bass can be saved with EQ, please let me know any advice you would have to make them punchy. I would prefer that as I have less cash right now and would prefer to keep my equipment and wait for the future where I could potentially afford the Audeze LCD-2 Classics instead. I am a audio purist so I don't like EQing, but for the sake of 1. saving money if possible, and 2. having the best headphones for vocals, I will give an exception here. I have Equalizer APO and my Fosi Audio Q4 DAC with bass and treble dials, so they may be able to help here.

And another question on EQ as well. Would EQing the sub-bass to my liking be considered too much EQ? I'm more of an audio purist but for in general in the hobby would this be too much?

I AM ALSO (maybe) feeling like my sub-bass needs might be unrealistic. I like it to rattle like my Sony speakers I use on occasion in my dorm. And also on my car the boomy sub-bass is really enjoyable, I'm one of those people who blast hip-hop in my car where everyone can hear what I'm blasting lol. So maybe my sub-bass desires are also coming from muddy speakers which quality headphones tend to avoid.

Any advice would be welcome!

If you can afford then Kennerton Magni if not Emu teak is cheaper ....