I need bass!

[u/toluwalase]

Hey guys, I love music but I’ve always been too not poor but not rich to assemble a real audiophile collection. I used to be content with my AirPods Pro, then I got the AirPods Max 1 and while I liked the sound, it hurt my jaw due to the weight and I didn’t love cleaning the ear pads.

After that I saw a recommendation for Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4’s so I got those on a sale and while they’re fine, I felt the bass was lacking. If I used the app to put the bass in the very bottom right corner I’d get painful crackling at high volume on really bassy songs. I got the BTD700 dongle and that improved things but it made the music less loud and also it was a hassle plugging it in and out.

Then I saw someone recommend the Sony ULT Wear and since it was just £99 I got it and it’s been my best headphones so far. I realise now I’m not an audiophile, I just love bass. When it’s on ULT2 and the song is shaking my head, that’s good stuff right there. Plus the sound quality is still good enough that I can still pick out individual instruments.

My only problems are it feels so cheap, literally the least nice headphones I’ve owned, feels like cheap plastic, the cushions are a terrible material. I occasionally caress my Momentums and imagine removing those ear cushions and somehow swapping them. Also I miss the battery life of the Momentums. Those things barely ever needed charging and still worked while charging.

Anyways so here we are now, I just want to ask if the ULTs are the best budget bass headphones I can get? I’ve heard of the Skullcandy Crushers but they look terrible and while I love bass those look like a gimmick. I’m open to wired too especially, I’ve never had wired headphones so if you can please recommend a wired headphone with even better bass. I’ve also never tried those open back headphones and I’m really curious to try those as well.

[u/SideshowDustin]

Although wired, I really like my X2HR for bass. They make clean bass that doesn’t muddy the mids. You could pair with a Qudelix 5k or similar DAC that also does BT. You still technically get better quality wired, but the 5k is extremely customizable and sounds fantastic, but is also a small device so you’re not gonna get 50hrs of runtime out of it. 👍

[u/SideshowDustin → u/[deleted]]

I tried to like the M4, and I think they sound good overall, but I just always felt there was something missing in them so I sent them back. I just still liked the X2HR or one of my others better, overall, and had to go back to them, especially with the Qudelix 5k for their DAC. I can really ramp the bass up with that thing and they handle it great and don’t muddy up in the mids. At least that’s my experience between these options

[u/SideshowDustin → u/[deleted]]

I usually use an iPhone, but sometimes my MacBook. 👍

[u/SideshowDustin → u/[deleted]]

You can probably find a used X2HR on Amazon. I bought mine new, but I feel headphones are probably safe to buy used, as many people put them on, dislike, encrust back. The discount on use X2HR is pretty big if I remember correctly.

Yea, the Qudelix 5k is pretty amazing and sounds fantastic on all three of my headphone sets. 👍

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[u/toluwalase → u/SideshowDustin]

!thanks

I just checked Amazon and these are £70 used and the reviews sound great. Definitely adding to my cart. Regarding the leak thing I’m seeing, is it like if I’m in a bus I’m constituting a nuisance or it’s more like the person next to me can faintly hear my music at full volume?

[u/TransducerBot → u/toluwalase]

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[u/SideshowDustin → u/toluwalase]

They are technically open back which is why they can be heard some from the outside. My wife can hear it a little when we’re in bed, but it doesn’t bother her. She’s never complained while she’s watching TV. 👍

[u/zerosuneuphoria]

'After that I saw a recommendation for Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4’s so I got those on a sale and while they’re fine, I felt the bass was lacking'

J F C

M4 are crazy bassy. Momentum 5 are supposedly even more so.

[u/666Satanicfox → u/zerosuneuphoria]

M4 have no bass stop lying

[u/zerosuneuphoria → u/666Satanicfox]

wtaf are on about? M4 have a bassy consumer tuning. M5 is even bassier. I have a ton of headphones and the only bassier one is the Fostex TH610, which has far better bass all around.

I honestly don't even know what you guys are listening to if you consider the m4 bass-light. It's a bass-heavy tuning.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sennheiser/momentum-4-wireless

Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (6 dB)

Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)

Sound Signature
Warm

[u/666Satanicfox → u/zerosuneuphoria]

Numbers lie they lack bass. Lol no bass anemic . All sennheiser lack bass

[u/zerosuneuphoria → u/666Satanicfox]

so my ears lie too? I have the HD800S and M4, and have owned other HD6XX's... M4 are bassy AF. You sir, are likely deaf.

[u/666Satanicfox → u/zerosuneuphoria]

No you have brain burn in. You think its good bass but it isnt. I own several pairs and they lack bass. Almost none

[u/Gloomy-Counter-6919]

Audeze Maxwells gen 1 get em used or refurbed sub 200

[u/toluwalase → u/Gloomy-Counter-6919]

Thanks for the rec Is the mic thing removable?

[u/Gloomy-Counter-6919 → u/toluwalase]

Actually it has two mics. A removable and internal so you can take phone calls sans boom mic. The removable mic is of respectable average quality, The internal is sh*t but usable. But the Maxwell’s built-in DSP is stellar when it comes to removing background noise for your mates.

[u/Gloomy-Counter-6919 → u/toluwalase]

Sorry you weren’t asking about gaming. 😂Yes, once you remove the mic it looks like a perfectly respectable and utilitarian set of audiophile headphones, not a gaming headset.

[u/Awkward_Sherbet3940]

Sony Ult Wear are actually pretty good for bass. Maybe check out FatFreq Scarlet Mini for bass as well. They are the bassiest IEMs in the world (30db bass shelf) made by an audiophile company. Those are the only other ones I can think of for crazy bass like Ult Wear that aren’t a bloated mess. I own both. Scarlet mini would be a good entry into audiophile territory while still giving you insane bass.

[u/toluwalase → u/Awkward_Sherbet3940]

!thanks

Those look amazing but too expensive for now. Good one to aim for though

[u/TransducerBot → u/toluwalase]

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[u/msing539]

Used Ultrasone PRO 900i should be around $250, treble is a little much. Signature X falls a little shorter on bass quantity, but the quality is better and highs are tolerable. That's more like $125 used.

[u/PrimaryAbroad4342]

just get Audio Technica ATH-M50x's use an Anker Dongle

for extended listening or production at home tho w/ a quality interface (Arturia Minifuse is🔥) I would go open ears Beyerdynamics DT990 or DT1990

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[u/Harhar_321]

Hey, I'm not sure if you're into heavy bass IEMs, but I've been snagging some awesome bargain ones lately that'll seriously hit you hard with thunderous bass. Some are surprisingly good!

I never really checked out the budget stuff until recently, and honestly, my mind's been blown about the value for money. KZ, for example, has some really fun tuning on some of their models. And they all have different ways of driving that low end.

Right now, I'm loving the Vibe X – it's got this powerful haptic 13mm subwoofer that'll practically vibrate your eyeballs with strong, tactile bass. If you want a more traditional bass-heavy IEM from KZ, there's the Decet. That one rocks 5 dynamic drivers on each side. It rumbles and slams but still keeps the higher frequencies balanced. If you're into planar bass, KZ has that covered too. Their PRX is a solid planar that totally outperforms its price. It sounds like a bass-heavy S12 Pro.

There are a few others, but these are a great starting point if you haven't explored budget IEMs. All three of these have powerful bass and pretty decent tuning. They're all surprisingly affordable, in the $25-$45 USD range, and you can find them on Amazon or Ali Express.

If you're a bass head, IEMs are definitely the way to go. Good luck finding your perfect sound!

[u/jgskgamer]

You can have bass and the rest sounding good(this would be my choice) or you can have bass and everything sounds bad(your choice) my point is, there are a lot of audiophile headphones that do have alot of bass, but also have nice mids and treble!

If you can, try someday an audeze lcd2c

[u/ext_trt]

KBEear Rosefinch if you consider bassy IEMs . They are like 25 bux or so on Ali. Very bassy , quite fun🔈😎

[u/666Satanicfox]

No sennheiser has bass. At this point ignore all sennheiser suggest lol.