If you have an amp: Modhouse Argons. The Fostex t50rp is built like a tank, and while it’s not the most resolving planar in the world the sound signature is just a ton of fun. I’ve had various t50rp mods for 15+ years, none of them have broken and the argons are in my top 3 of all time. But they really do drink about 1 watt per channel, so if you’re not already in the deep end, just avoid jumping in altogether.
No amp: KSC75/porta pros are pretty bassy, they just lack sub bass. Plenty of impact though, and for most music it’s all you really need. Pick youself up an $10 apple dongle (apple sucks but their dongle dac is legitimately a great value) and you have about 90% of what an audiophile spent thousands to achieve.
Another no-amp option could be Monoproce retro headphones. It’s sort of like an akg 240 clone but fully closed. The stock pads are terrible, but with some xl leather pads they become very comfortable and super bassy. The pads and cans are like $25 each; it’s a pretty unbeatable value. But they are also a bit of a one trick pony, if you’re looking to daily drive something the akg K371 would be a better rounded option.
Get a pair of decent planars that take eq well, they do something special with the bass compared to a normal dynamic driver that I just fell in love with. My personal preferred pairs are modhouse argons and hifiman sundara and they both sound beastly when you crank the bass up but still retain very clear sound.
Both will require an amp though, which I realize will put a lot of people off, but it’s so worth it if you’re really into music. It was like discovering all my albums over again.
What’s funny is that the cheaper ksc75 (ksc75x) also by koss like the porta pros, are highly regarded as a great budget headphone by most audiophiles.
They can be modded like the porta pros with a headphone band, new pads and removable cable but as long as you look after them they don’t need to be.
They’re comfortable, cheap and sound great. Not for bass heads though.
Any suggestions for ones for bass heads?
If you have an amp: Modhouse Argons. The Fostex t50rp is built like a tank, and while it’s not the most resolving planar in the world the sound signature is just a ton of fun. I’ve had various t50rp mods for 15+ years, none of them have broken and the argons are in my top 3 of all time. But they really do drink about 1 watt per channel, so if you’re not already in the deep end, just avoid jumping in altogether.
No amp: KSC75/porta pros are pretty bassy, they just lack sub bass. Plenty of impact though, and for most music it’s all you really need. Pick youself up an $10 apple dongle (apple sucks but their dongle dac is legitimately a great value) and you have about 90% of what an audiophile spent thousands to achieve.
Another no-amp option could be Monoproce retro headphones. It’s sort of like an akg 240 clone but fully closed. The stock pads are terrible, but with some xl leather pads they become very comfortable and super bassy. The pads and cans are like $25 each; it’s a pretty unbeatable value. But they are also a bit of a one trick pony, if you’re looking to daily drive something the akg K371 would be a better rounded option.
Get a pair of decent planars that take eq well, they do something special with the bass compared to a normal dynamic driver that I just fell in love with. My personal preferred pairs are modhouse argons and hifiman sundara and they both sound beastly when you crank the bass up but still retain very clear sound.
Both will require an amp though, which I realize will put a lot of people off, but it’s so worth it if you’re really into music. It was like discovering all my albums over again.
With a bit of help from an EQ they have a decently punchy bass, but still lack in the very lowest frequencies.