ped Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 I've been a headphone bassist for a long time now - at home or in the studio I always use headphones (along with a backbeat and/or a teacup bass board) and live I often use in ears too. I few conversations here got me thinking I had maybe got too comfortable with my usual cans, which are some Bose AE2W units with the wireless bit removed. I've been really happy with them and know what I hear is what I sound like. Recently though I read through some threads on here and got talking to my friend who's studio I normally play at and mentioned the Beyerdynamic DT770 range. Turns out he uses them for drum monitoring and in fact last time I was there I actually wore them when I had a go on the drums. So in classic Basschat fashion I ordered some (80 ohm version), despite being perfectly happy with my Bose cans and they arrived today. Pleasingly, my basses sound pretty much the same through these as the others. However I am able to turn my treble up past normal limits without it sounding as harsh, which is particularly noticeable on my jazz bass. There's so much treble on tap with that bass that I don't think anyone could ever use it on max, but even at extreme settings it seems more musical. Just looking at the What HiFi review of the Bose units seems to back this up, where they say they 'struggle to stay poised at higher (and lower - although I've never had an issue) frequencies' but otherwise deliver a detailed sound. The main difference is that I feel there is more 'space' around the music when I play along. It's hard to describe but it's a bit like I'm playing along with the music spread out over a wider soundstage and I can as a result her what I'm doing (badly) and it doesn't all sound so centred. It's marginal but after a/b testing both headphones (I am able to have both plugged in so I can switch quickly) it really became noticeable to the extent that using the Bose units felt like a step backwards. I think I'd have been perfectly happy with the old cans forever and I know the law of diminishing returns is never more obvious than in hifi gear (and the Beyerdynamic and Bose units are about the same price even though the Bose ones are long since discontinued) but it's an incremental step forwards which I'm really happy with, as I wasn't expecting to feel like I needed to change anything. The build quality and comfort are better, certainly. Nice thick cable and solid construction. They're a little bit tighter on my head than the others but I've just been playing for an hour and a half and quickly you forget they're on. And I think they sound fuller at lower volume which is nice because I tend to have my levels pretty low. Thanks for the recommendation BC! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatcoupe432 Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Love the open back ones for rough mixes Great headphones I recently purchased the ATH m50x and they also great set 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 It’s a weird thing when buying headphones, it’s a bit of a gamble and you can tell pretty much instantly if you like them or not. And they differ so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatcoupe432 Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 So many out there I had few as weel Grado sr325 AKG 702 Sennheiser hd650 Beyer 770 And ath m50x My favorite Sennheiser and beyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Excellent topic @ped and thanks for taking the time to put this up. Whilst I'm not unhappy with my current ones, they are getting a bit battered and due to a change in my home set up, I now need cans with a longer cable. I was about to fork out for the Phil Jones H-850's, but I read some reviews that slated the construction of them and that put me off. Basschat to the rescue! My only question is, which impedance? I'll be using with my Phil Jones Bass Buddy, which seems to be made of far sturdier stuff than the H-850's! There's a slight difference in price between the different versions, but not much. P.S. How long is the cable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Aha, a brief search online gave me this: "The Bass Buddy works best with headphones between 16-60ohms" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 I'm now wondering whether I could push the envelope slightly and get the 80's anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 30, 2021 Author Share Posted March 30, 2021 I think the 80ohm are best for most applications. I did consider the 120ohm (I think?) because I’m plugging them into studio gear but often I’ll use them for music out of my computer too. The cable is really long - I’ll measure it for you later but at least 2m I think. Also it uncoils straight and doesn’t want to curl up which is so much easier. Ive been listening with my headphones most of the day today and they definitely go much lower and higher than I’m used to which is t immediately obvious because they sound so natural. I sometimes find that ‘boosted’ and ‘boxy’ bass can give me a headache but these are very ‘wide’ sounding like listening to speakers in a room rather than headphones. Really happy with them - they’ve kind of confirmed just how good the Bose cans they replaced were, and shown that my suspicions about them being very accurate for bass were true, but they add a certain sparkle and balance in the mix that sounds ever so slightly ‘nicer’ to listen to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 44 minutes ago, ped said: I think the 80ohm are best for most applications. I did consider the 120ohm (I think?) because I’m plugging them into studio gear but often I’ll use them for music out of my computer too. The cable is really long - I’ll measure it for you later but at least 2m I think. Also it uncoils straight and doesn’t want to curl up which is so much easier. Ive been listening with my headphones most of the day today and they definitely go much lower and higher than I’m used to which is t immediately obvious because they sound so natural. I sometimes find that ‘boosted’ and ‘boxy’ bass can give me a headache but these are very ‘wide’ sounding like listening to speakers in a room rather than headphones. Really happy with them - they’ve kind of confirmed just how good the Bose cans they replaced were, and shown that my suspicions about them being very accurate for bass were true, but they add a certain sparkle and balance in the mix that sounds ever so slightly ‘nicer’ to listen to. Thank you. Amazon show the cable as 3m, which is 1m longer than I was hoping 👍. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 It was a toss-up between the DT770s or the AT M50xs and I went for the ATs. They sound great but they're bloody heavy. What are the DT770s like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 1 hour ago, DanOwens said: It was a toss-up between the DT770s or the AT M50xs and I went for the ATs. They sound great but they're bloody heavy. What are the DT770s like? Hi Dan, they are pretty light actually - I'd estimate about the same as my iPhone, maybe a bit less. The exact weight is probably on the website. Failing that you could attach some balloons to your ATs! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 1 hour ago, ped said: Hi Dan, they are pretty light actually - I'd estimate about the same as my iPhone, maybe a bit less. The exact weight is probably on the website. Failing that you could attach some balloons to your ATs! The 80ohm are 270g. I remember that as I read it just before I checked out 😀. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 And my phone is 188g - I was miles off! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatcoupe432 Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 So the ATH m50x are 284 without cable So 14grams heavier with cable around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 Just watching ‘Roadkill’ with Hugh Laurie (he’s in it, not watching it with me) and he’s wearing some Beyer DT770s in the section where he’s in a radio station studio 👍🏼 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 10 minutes ago, ped said: Just watching ‘Roadkill’ with Hugh Laurie (he’s in it, not watching it with me) and he’s wearing some Beyer DT770s in the section where he’s in a radio station studio 👍🏼 Ah, good little series that. I was scratching my head right up to the end trying to remember where I had seen the actress who played Madeleine before. I don’t like using IMDB midway through a series in case I bump into a spoiler. Looked her up after finishing it and the penny dropped - Sidse Babett Knudsen played Cullen in Westworld. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 I’ve just seen episode 1 and recognised one of the prison guards, turns out she was one of the two motivational speaker providers who recruited David Brent in the Office! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Just weighed my Final Audio Sonorous VI's, which I only use for listening rather than playing through - 530grams 😂 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 On 31/03/2021 at 14:40, DanOwens said: It was a toss-up between the DT770s or the AT M50xs and I went for the ATs. They sound great but they're bloody heavy. What are the DT770s like? Same here. I have a thread somewhere about them. I really, really wanted to like the DT770’s, and i did for a while, but just as I’d decided i was going to keep them, they started hurting my temple, and I realise i was sweating quite a bit due to them being so comfortable and snug. I just think they weren’t liking my head shape. I also found them quite neutral. This was what i was looking for, but found them a bit too flat and I wasnt enjoying recorded music through them. I ended up getting a pair of M50X’s, sent them back, then brought another pair lol. But, congrats Ped. They are an industry standard so you cant go wrong with them as long as they are comfortable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 I think the resolution is I need to buy a pair of DT770s, just because... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 On 25/03/2021 at 15:45, ped said: Thanks for the recommendation BC! I'm not massively into headphones ... but when this Covid thing blows over, if I let you try my akg K240DF and I've got the Edifier version of the Phil Jones - can I have a shot on your celinder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 8 hours ago, LukeFRC said: I'm not massively into headphones ... but when this Covid thing blows over, if I let you try my akg K240DF and I've got the Edifier version of the Phil Jones - can I have a shot on your celinder? Of course, any time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 I've just bought a pair of Audio Technica WS1100is, because I've got big ears with behind the behind the ear hearing aids and they completely cover them, not cheap at £190 but the best bass I've heard from headphones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 16 minutes ago, PaulWarning said: I've just bought a pair of Audio Technica WS1100is, because I've got big ears with behind the behind the ear hearing aids and they completely cover them, not cheap at £190 but the best bass I've heard from headphones They look a bit good!! Inline mic so you can practice your backing vocals too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 I know what I’m doing this afternoon 😀. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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