i have 2 sets of Sony MDR-7509 ... which are now longer made ... 7506 looks similar
sometimes the headphone amp itself might be breaking up also ..!?
sometimes the headphone amp itself might be breaking up also ..!?
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Best headphones for bass?
- Thread starter Ringhammer
- Start date
I use Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. Great detail, clarity and low end. I have 2 pair - one with stock cable with an 1/8" plug and the other with Cardas cable terminated 1/4 TRS
Another vote here for the Audio Technica ATH M-50x for bass monitoring. I also have a pair of the ATH M-70x that I like to use for critical listening across the whole audio spectrum.
If you'll accept open cell, and why not - it's for practice, look at the Koss PortaPro Headphones . They are light weight, have great bass response, fold up super small, relatively cheap (~$40), and have over 2500 positive reviews on Amazon, and some negatives of course. The cord could be longer. I've had them for years and I'll buy them again when they finally give it up.
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I have a pair of Pioneer SE-DJ5000 (discont) that I like to use. Freq range 5Hz-28KHz, they handle a detuned 5 string without distorting. I find them comfortable and they fold up flat to fit in my case so they travel easy too.
I've been looking for practice headphones myself recently.
I'm specifically looking for open-back or at least semi-open. I guess I what to hear my nails scratching the strings
I'd also prefer headphones that are be easy to drive. High impedance headphones like most AKG and Beyerdynamic are pretty much useless without good amp. My bass head didn't come equipped with one. Besides I prefer to use old Line 6 POD XT for silent practice, there is no headphone amp in it as well.
Here is what I've tried so far, hope you find it helpful:
AKG K701. I might have received damaged item. There was strong buzz in one of the ears on B or E string. Packed it back and returned within an hour. There is a lot of praise for AKGs but it looks like much of it is based on the older models made *not* in China. Nowadays it's like $400 headphone for sale at $150 everywhere. It's hardly worth that $150 IMHO. I'm not buying from them again.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 ohm. Sound is good and perhaps the best of what I've tried. But it's closed-back. Sound has always felt very distant, like if it's not you who is playing the bass. I haven't tried DT 880. Amp is must have.
Shure SRH440. Ok for practice, but closed-back. IMHO quality is ok for the money (~$100).
Fostex TR70. Hard to drive. There was nothing I liked about them. Sounded dull, it could have been due to lack of break in. At first there seemed to be annoying vibration within the headphone itself at specific place on the fretboard. It might have been fixed by another amp.. I've got used item with incomplete packaging sold as new. Returned within days.
Grado SR225e. You either like them or hate them for the music listening. There is nothing neutral about those headphones. Worked ok for practice except cable is too short, they are uncomfortable, rotating cups were driving we mad -- extremely unpractical.
ATH M50x are being recommended often, but frequency response doesn't look neutral:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK240Monitor.pdf
There are other options with great frequency response at least in bass section if you are ok with closed:
Akai MPC (also sold by M-Audio) for ~$180
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AkaiMPC.pdf
Tascam TH-02 (same as Teac CT-H02) for <$20
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/TeacCTH02.pdf
I haven't tried neither of those.
For open-back I'm currently deliberating between trying Phillips SPH9500 ($70), DT 880 (>$200), HIFIMAN HE-400i ($400). Please share if there is anything else worth trying.
I'll most likely go with cheaper option.. from my experience $200 2x10 bass speaker does much better job at reproducing bass (at much higher volume) than $200 studio/monitor/younameit headphones.
I'm specifically looking for open-back or at least semi-open. I guess I what to hear my nails scratching the strings
I'd also prefer headphones that are be easy to drive. High impedance headphones like most AKG and Beyerdynamic are pretty much useless without good amp. My bass head didn't come equipped with one. Besides I prefer to use old Line 6 POD XT for silent practice, there is no headphone amp in it as well.Here is what I've tried so far, hope you find it helpful:
AKG K701. I might have received damaged item. There was strong buzz in one of the ears on B or E string. Packed it back and returned within an hour. There is a lot of praise for AKGs but it looks like much of it is based on the older models made *not* in China. Nowadays it's like $400 headphone for sale at $150 everywhere. It's hardly worth that $150 IMHO. I'm not buying from them again.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 ohm. Sound is good and perhaps the best of what I've tried. But it's closed-back. Sound has always felt very distant, like if it's not you who is playing the bass. I haven't tried DT 880. Amp is must have.
Shure SRH440. Ok for practice, but closed-back. IMHO quality is ok for the money (~$100).
Fostex TR70. Hard to drive. There was nothing I liked about them. Sounded dull, it could have been due to lack of break in. At first there seemed to be annoying vibration within the headphone itself at specific place on the fretboard. It might have been fixed by another amp.. I've got used item with incomplete packaging sold as new. Returned within days.
Grado SR225e. You either like them or hate them for the music listening. There is nothing neutral about those headphones. Worked ok for practice except cable is too short, they are uncomfortable, rotating cups were driving we mad -- extremely unpractical.
ATH M50x are being recommended often, but frequency response doesn't look neutral:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK240Monitor.pdf
There are other options with great frequency response at least in bass section if you are ok with closed:
Akai MPC (also sold by M-Audio) for ~$180
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AkaiMPC.pdf
Tascam TH-02 (same as Teac CT-H02) for <$20
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/TeacCTH02.pdf
I haven't tried neither of those.
For open-back I'm currently deliberating between trying Phillips SPH9500 ($70), DT 880 (>$200), HIFIMAN HE-400i ($400). Please share if there is anything else worth trying.
I'll most likely go with cheaper option.. from my experience $200 2x10 bass speaker does much better job at reproducing bass (at much higher volume) than $200 studio/monitor/younameit headphones.
I have had one of of these for at least 3-5 years now: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
They are not the most comfortable especially after a several hours but they are very loud and have great sound quality. My pair was 200$ year ago and held up nicely.
Here are the specs:
Excellent sound reproduction
-53mm diameter drivers
-High power neodymium magnet design
-High SPL capacity
-Rotating earpieces for easy one-ear monitoring
-Adjustable metal-reinforced headband
-Folding design for compact portability
-Long listening comfort
-Carry pouch included
-OFC [Oxygen-free Copper] wire cables
-3.5mm [1/8"] connector with 6.3mm [1/4"] jack adapter
-Type: Closed-back Dynamic (circumaural isolation design)
-Frequency Response: 5 33,000 Hz
-Maximum Input Power: 3,500 mW
-Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW at 1 kHz
-Impedance: 36 ohms
-Weight: 320 g
-Cable: 1.2 m (Coiled)/Max. 3.0 m (OFC)
They are not the most comfortable especially after a several hours but they are very loud and have great sound quality. My pair was 200$ year ago and held up nicely.
Here are the specs:
Excellent sound reproduction
-53mm diameter drivers
-High power neodymium magnet design
-High SPL capacity
-Rotating earpieces for easy one-ear monitoring
-Adjustable metal-reinforced headband
-Folding design for compact portability
-Long listening comfort
-Carry pouch included
-OFC [Oxygen-free Copper] wire cables
-3.5mm [1/8"] connector with 6.3mm [1/4"] jack adapter
-Type: Closed-back Dynamic (circumaural isolation design)
-Frequency Response: 5 33,000 Hz
-Maximum Input Power: 3,500 mW
-Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW at 1 kHz
-Impedance: 36 ohms
-Weight: 320 g
-Cable: 1.2 m (Coiled)/Max. 3.0 m (OFC)
+1 for the sony mdr ...
good even response, not like good monitor speakers of course, they're headphones and have a sound, but a good clear even one... once you know their sound you can trust mixes done with them
plus you can fold them and carry them in the leather pouch they come with
good even response, not like good monitor speakers of course, they're headphones and have a sound, but a good clear even one... once you know their sound you can trust mixes done with them
plus you can fold them and carry them in the leather pouch they come with
I imagine those are nice. I've got some Sennheiser HD280 phones (closed ear) that do bass well, and I let my friends use those when recording in my home studio, but I like to use my Sennheiser HD580 phones because they are open ear and have very smooth bass response.
I use a Sony MDRV6 set. Flat accurate frequency response that goes down to 5Hz. There's no artificial bass boosting with this set, so I find I get far less ear fatigue when wearing them.
I primarily bought mine for use with my Ampeg SCR-DI when I want to do some silent practice. They work well and get consistently good reviews.
Price around $100 - and usually a buck or two less. Sometimes you can catch them on sale if you shop around. I paid $79 for mine.
I primarily bought mine for use with my Ampeg SCR-DI when I want to do some silent practice. They work well and get consistently good reviews.
Price around $100 - and usually a buck or two less. Sometimes you can catch them on sale if you shop around. I paid $79 for mine.
Sony MDR-CD900ST. They can only be bought from Japan, but they are the top studio cans right now
Don't forget to maintain connections, sockets etc. every now and then, OP - a little wiping/scrubbing/sanding can make a difference to performance, especially on older gear.
Nothing bad to say about any of my stuff except maybe that some of the parts decay over time
and will need to be replaced. And, especially with the plastic parts, they can be a little delicate so do your best not to drop the blessed things. And lift them off and put them on in such a way as to minimize stress on all the moving parts 
My collection:
Ultrasone HS-75: gamer oriented, closed - very comfortable - mic is mono mini-jack - can be plugged in separately, or ignored completely. Cans are separate, stereo mini-jack. Excellent bass.
Sennheiser HD 280: Nice - ^ popular for good reason - excellent bass - just not so comfortable over an extended period.
Sennheiser HD 555: Beautiful sound, open and beyond comfortable - excellent bass.
Sennheiser HD 558: Even better. Hard to beat, really. Comfort and clarity Plus.
Soul Electronics SL 150: Amazing bass definition - surprisingly good - great for listening - bass focused
, compact, collapsible, closed - luscious leather, very cosy. Works with cellphones and stuff too 
Philips Fidelio: in-ear. Excellent bass, and overall performance. Also phone-friendly
Nothing bad to say about any of my stuff except maybe that some of the parts decay over time
and will need to be replaced. And, especially with the plastic parts, they can be a little delicate so do your best not to drop the blessed things. And lift them off and put them on in such a way as to minimize stress on all the moving parts My collection:
Ultrasone HS-75: gamer oriented, closed - very comfortable - mic is mono mini-jack - can be plugged in separately, or ignored completely. Cans are separate, stereo mini-jack. Excellent bass.
Sennheiser HD 280: Nice - ^ popular for good reason - excellent bass - just not so comfortable over an extended period.
Sennheiser HD 555: Beautiful sound, open and beyond comfortable - excellent bass.
Sennheiser HD 558: Even better. Hard to beat, really. Comfort and clarity Plus.
Soul Electronics SL 150: Amazing bass definition - surprisingly good - great for listening - bass focused
, compact, collapsible, closed - luscious leather, very cosy. Works with cellphones and stuff too Philips Fidelio: in-ear. Excellent bass, and overall performance. Also phone-friendly
I vote K240's also. Very natural sounding cans, comfortable to wear, and won't destroy your hearing!
D
Deleted member 165050
Guest
Although I have Sennheiser hifi headphones and Sure earphones, for quiet bass practice I generally use a pair of Numark 125s I got free with a microphone or something. They are really DJ headphones I think but they sound pretty good with my Phil Jones Bighead and as they were free it doesn't matter if I break them Even if you have to buy them they are ridiculously cheap...
Even if you have to buy them they are ridiculously cheap...
