What matters to you most when listening to your favorite music and audio on your headphones? For some, an average sound is just enough. But for audiophiles, every aspect of the audio is important. As in, talk about the lyrics, the instruments involved, the vocalists, and all the sound frequencies involved.
Headphones can create a cinematic and concert effect for your audio without disturbing anyone. And the real reason why they are a preferred choice to earphones is that they provide an immersive music experience, and the bass is just out of this world. You are also able to enjoy every aspect of your music effectively.
As you buy headphones, the sound enthusiast will prioritize the bass. If the headphone doesn’t produce more of these, they will dump them for another brand. But how do you identify a headphone with good bass?
Well, in this article, we are going to show seven ways to know whether the headphones you want to buy have the required bass or not.
But first…
What is deep bass in headphones
You can describe deep bass as the lowest bass frequency in sound output. It includes frequencies between 16-20 Hz, and they add excitement and fun to the entire sound output. Note that if you buy low-quality headphones, hearing deep bass frequencies might be impossible.
Here are some ways to know if a headphone comes with good bass
The quality of bass in your headphones is something you would like to test before buying any headphones. If you would like to identify the amount of bass for balanced sound output, here are some of the things you should check. By the way, some of the techniques don’t involve wearing headphones.
1. Check The Headphone’s Frequency Response Levels
A headphone’s frequency response refers to the actual range of frequencies that it can produce. Most headphones range between 10Hz to 40,000 Hz, with the first number (10Hz) representing the audio frequencies on the low end. That is the bass.
Values lower than 40Hz mean that the bass is deep. Headphones with a range of 15Hz to 20Hz on the lower end offer high-quality bass that suits many uses.
2. Consider The Type Of Drivers Used
The three most common drivers used in most headphones are planar magnetic, dynamic, and electrostatic drivers. Dynamic drivers are the most popular option because they are affordable to produce and provide deep bass. Nonetheless, the bass might get distorted on high volumes if the headphone’s quality is low.
Planar magnetic drivers, on the other hand, are expensive, but they offer a wider frequency range than the dynamic option. Hence, the sound is clearer than in dynamic options, especially if you have a good amplifier.
3. Boost The Bass To Test Its Limit
Nowadays, you can boost the amount of bass on your headphones using bass boost software if it can’t produce the amount you want on its own. Note that using the software will not affect other frequencies within the output.
Testing the amount of bass on a pair of headphones using this feature on your phone or computer will help you know how much bass you will enjoy, especially when you are about to buy a cheaper option that you are not sure about.
4. What Are The Headphone’s Sensitivity Levels?
A headphone’s sensitivity is how loud the audio is at a certain power level. Normally, we measure its value in decibels (dB levels). Headphones with higher sensitivity will produce a good bass output even at lower volumes, unlike those with lower sensitivity.
Note that sensitivity might be difficult to calculate when comparing bass levels in different headphones, especially since various manufacturers calculate it differently.
5. The Speakers Or Driver Size
Examining the size of the drivers also helps determine how much bass the headphones will produce. Headphone drivers come in various sizes, from 20mm to 50mm. If you want more bass on the output, go for larger options; essentially, any driver size between 40mm-50mm.
On the other hand, larger drivers might struggle to reproduce higher frequencies. That’s why they are an ideal choice for people that want extra bass for their output.
6. High or Low Impedance?
Impedance determines how loud your headphones will be at different power levels. Voice coils with low windings will have less impedance than those with more windings. Impedance in headphones ranges from 8 to 600 ohms.
Headphones with higher impedance will need more power to produce audio signals, including bass. Nonetheless, the higher the value is on your desired headphone, the higher the audio quality. Low impedance means that your device might need to use less power to produce bass, which means that the bass may not be clear.
7. Check How Many Drivers The Headphone Has
While in most cases, one driver is enough to drive the bass required by the listener, going for headphones with two drivers (otherwise known as dual drivers) can offer exceptional sound quality.
One benefit of having two drivers is that one will be designated to deliver bass, and the other will provide high and mid frequencies. Hence, you reduce distortion, and equalization is easier to do. The result is an accurate sound output and offers a refined listening experience to the user.
Relevant FAQ you may have.
What is bass sound in music?
You will hear sounds with different frequencies when listening to any audio. Bass sound is one of them. Normally, low-density instruments, such as kick drums, bass guitars, and bass saxophones, are responsible for producing low-end sounds you will hear in your favorite music.
Usually, these sounds lie on the lower end of the spectrum of the frequency range of sound output.
What is a good bass range for headphones?
For headphones, a good range could be 40Hz or lower. If the value is lower, the better the bass, and the deeper it will be. Although frequencies below 20Hz might be inaudible in some headphones, they can offer that extra punch you need for your headphones.