Hello all,

I love my Bose TriPort's, don't get me wrong, but I want more bass, and, if possible, higher quality. I am going to be using these headphones on my PC (with Soundblaster X-Fi 5.1) and on my iPod with ALAC lossless. So, I want to tell the difference basically.

I would like to say the highest I would go would be $200, but I'm open to suggestions though. Anything lower or higher would be fine, just nothing ridiculous.

Thanks!

Take a look at Sennheiser's. Even their lower end models would be better than the Bose.

Any specific model suggestions?

You can get the Shure 840's which actually are top-of-the-line, for less than $200. I haven't tried them though, but any headphone is bound to sound different. What did you mean that you "want to tell the difference basically"?

Basically, quality wise. I'd like to hear the difference in quality, a richer tone to the audio. Same with bass, I want more bass as well.

The Triports are terrible. Absurdly hyped bass, terrible isolation. For $200 you can get into Shure or Etymotic, but even $20 Skullcandy buds would be a better move (seriously).

I disagree, but alright. Again, I'm looking for a replacement for them, so there's no need to diss them. I'm thinking about either Shure or Sennheiser right now. I need specific models for each, I'm particularly interested in Sennheiser, though.

Well, the point is that it won't be hard to top them with your substantial budget. Check out the Shure E3 or the Etymotic ER-4.

If the headphones he has already have "absurd" amounts of bass (a claim I don't doubt) and he wants more bass - are any of the (quality) products mentioned going to deliver what the OP wants?

In terms of overall quality, a $15 pair of Koss KSC75 clipons will be better than the TriPorts. I'm not exaggerating. The KSC75s have an amazing pair of drivers in them, developed back in the 80's that still rock to this day.

For more bass, you can use the mixer on your PC to boost the bass. If you cut the mid and high frequences and increase the volume, you can pump out a lot of bass without distortion (as opposed to just increasing bass which can distort after a certain point). On your iPod, I'm not as sure, but I don't recall any iPod I've used to have a very good equalizer. I'm sure your X-Fi can do this. And for what it's worth, the Windows 7 mixer does bass boost very well.

Maybe the AKG K 240 S? They aren't really "bass heavy" in and of themselves, but I imagine you can drive quite a lot into them with decent equalization. They are one of the de facto studio models used in the industry, and not too expensive.

The Sennheiser HD 555 and 595 have always been popular for their price point. I think there are newer models now, but I'm not familiar with them. Perhaps someone else can suggest what is roughly equivalent in Sennheiser's lineup these days.

I tried the Triports only briefly at home once, and they were really comfortable, though I didn't like the construction which seemed flimsy. If they are bass heavy, the bass is not very deep, like most Bose stuff. I don't know if the OP would mind in-ear earphones, but the ones with the deepest bass (by FAR) that I've tried (and keep them for movies) are the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5EB. They are kind of uncomfortable and flimsy (just had a pair replaced under warranty), but bass is just amazing (actually too much, but I tone it down on EQ with my PC). It goes VERY deep.

I have also tried the Shure E500 (now the SE530), E4, SE420, Westone UM2 (my favorite overall), and Grado SR80 (which are the open type so I use them when I don't want isolation at all). So, I don't think the Shure E3 will be of any help to the OP.

The Shure 840s though, its "specs" say it goes down to 5 Hz (!). Assuming it's not complete bullshit, they should have some deep bass too.

Thanks for replying guys, and sorry for my late reply. I'm not interested in in-ear headphones, but I'll look at the Shure 840's though. Thanks a ton for the info though.

How about: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...6-328-_-Product

Those look really good actually, I might try those out. Thanks!

I have tried a lot of IEMs. In terms of overall balance nothing could beat Westone UM2s. I settled with them. Haven't tried the new UM3 since then, but they would probably be over your price range anyway.

The UM2 are also my favorite, but from specs it seems that the Westone 3 aren't as loud, which would be a good thing for me. I usually have to use the UM2 with an attenuator. If it had come out like a year ago when it was supposed to, I would probably have bought it. I wonder what's the difference in bass extension though.

Those are earphones though, right?

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The problem is I'm not looking for earphones though. I want over-ear. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

If you want bass, I would not recommend buying Sennheisers. Especially their closed monitoring headphones are aimed at max. accurate and balanced sound, which is not something you want. I don't know about the HD 5** line but I doubt it would have exaggerated bass either.
Is not Koss the company targeting consumers like you? I would definitely try some of their headphones in a shop if that's possible.

Have you considered the Sennheiser HD 238?

About the SRH840: when I listened to the SRH440 (which is said to sound very much like the 840 iirc) I found it to be the bass-light/bright version of the AH-D1001, with nice isolation though.
The Denon doesn't have overly hyped bass, but it extends down to earth-shattering low frequencies with ease. So I'd recommend those, they are ultra comfy as well.

Ultrasones also have lots of bass.

I've only heard them briefly, but people say the Beyerdynamic DT770 is bass heavy. Another headphone that might be right up your alley, if you can find a used one and/or extend your budget, is the Ultrasone Pro 900. I haven't heard these and I hate to suggest headphones I haven't heard, but you should take a look at them to see what people are saying. I have the Edition 9 which is based on similar technology, and love them. The Edition 9 has a lot of bass, and people say the Pro 900 has a lot more. Based on my experience with Ultrasones and Beyers, I'd expect the Pro 900 to be punchier than the DT770. Just two models to check out, and again I'm not in a position to comment on their sound myself. Also, if you're using full-sized headphones with your computer and iPod, you might benefit from a headphone amp. It'll give you more volume, it may sound better, and even just having an analog volume control is nice. Finally, if you don't get any sort of amp and you decide on the DT770, go with the 80 Ohm version. The 250 Ohm version may not get loud enough without one.

I personally didn't like the Senn HD280. It had enough bass, but like a lot of Sennheiser headphones it was too laid back and, well, boring. Also, think about just getting an AKG K81 DJ. They're very cheap, easy to drive, and they should beat the Triports in terms of sound quality.

Do you have a suggestion for a headphone amp?

Amps vary a lot in price, and I have limited experience with portables, so I can only suggest a few to look at. The Practical Devices XM5 has very good measured performance, at least without a load, and has some interesting features, such as bass boost, treble boost and crossfeed. If you don't know what crossfeed is, long-story-short it's spatial processing that's supposed to give headphones a more natural sound stage. I've used both the Headroom and the Meier Audio implementations, and in my experience, crossfeed is nice. I preferred the Headroom version myself. Speaking of Headroom, you may want to check out their Micro line of amps. Another company to check out is iBasso. Their amps generally seem to be good bargains. The iBasso D10 is well regarded and has a good DAC built in, though the DAC won't be so much of a necessity since you have your soundcard (though it likely will be better than your sound card's internal DAC). Headamp and Ray Samuels Audio are more towards the high end.

If you end up getting an amp and the Pro 900, you'll be way over your $200 target, but you can be fairly sure that you'll get way more than you bargained for in terms of sound quality as well. BTW, you're a bass head now, but once you get into these higher-end headphones, most will have good, punchy bass that you likely won't be disappointed with, while still being well balanced. I suggested that you look at the Pro 900 and Beyer DT770 because they're generally regarded to have a darker sound signature. Again, you should seek out first hand accounts of their sound from reliable sources before you make your decision. If it were me, though, I'd go with the Pro 900s based on my experience with the two brands.

I have loved my Sennheiser HD-580s (discontinued ) for a few years now. My bf just got the Sennheiser HD-555, which are similar, for use with his iPod Touch and direct from his computer's soundcard (no amp). They are easier to drive than a lot of headphones using just the speaker or line-out of the iPod and the soundcard, and sound very nice. He carries them back and forth to work and they seem sturdy too. For sound quality and comfort it is hard to beat them at their price:

HD-555s @ Amazon.com

just a thought..

The Beyer DT770s are very bassy headphones!

I recently purchased a pair of Klipsch S4s IEMs. I find the bass to be VERY excessive so they might be something for you to look at. I've never heard the triports so I can't compare. I'm planning to return the S4s but I generally prefer only a slightly north of neutral bass response.