[Biscuitz]

I'm interested in picking up an open-backed headphone that pairs great with Trance and other Electronic. Seeing as maybe 50% of my listening is Trance, I thought it might be a good investment.

Already have Grados for other genres, and I'm completely satisfied with them. I even enjoy them for Trance, but I was curious if maybe there's another open-back headphone out there that is the Trance headphone. Suggestions? I'm not interested in closed-back phones, because I'm not even close to being a bass-head, and I've found closed-back headphones do not lend to the ethereal, airy nature of the genre.

I'm thinking maybe... DT990?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Absolutely. The DT990 loves EDM like Trance. If you don't have a powerful amp, I suggest getting the 32ohm with a portable amp. They sound very much like the 600ohm, and will sound great off almost any device. The 600ohm has a slightly better overall refinement, but it's picky with what you hook it up with, and will sound inferior to the 32ohm in all but truly great setups. Even then, I find the 32ohm to be 95% as good as the 600ohm, without needing to spend a lot to get them to sound that great.

Don't make the mistake of getting the 600ohm and thinking it's automatically better than the 32ohm. It's not. You have to pay to make them better. With the 32ohm, it's good to go all the time.

If you wanna save money, the 990 Pros are the cheapest, have considerably more bass (IMHO), and like the 600ohm, want a DESKTOP amp, but not as picky as the 600ohm.

I've owned all three. I still say the 32ohm is my fave one due to versatility. The 990 Pro had too much bass for me, personally.

 

[Biscuitz]

I'm going to order an NFB 15.1 fairly soon. I think that'll handle the 600 ohm versions well, and I only ever listen to my headphones at my desktop setup, so I don't exactly need the portability.

If I grab a 32 ohm pair, is it going to scale as well with an amp as the higher ohm versions? And what do you think of the 250 ohm version?
 
There are some seriously cheap DT990 PRO 250 ohm on Amazon right now. I'm tempted.
 
Note: I currently have NuForce Icon HD, but am working on selling it & replacing it with NFB 15.1 for vastly more power.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I think the NFB15.1 should definitely be good for the 600ohm. Same power spec as my NFB5 which is pretty powerful.

The DT990 Pro is seriously like the best deal in the headphone game for us trance lovers. Open + bassy = god yes. I'm just sensitive to mid bass, and for some reason, couldn't handle the 990 pro's bass. I think I'm just odd like that.

I don't think the 32ohm would scale as well as the higher ohms, but that's because it peaks quite easily, whereas the higher ohms need a push to get them to sound proper. Even so, I still feel the 32ohm to be remarkably close to the 600ohm, just with a smaller soundstage, and less refinement, but not obviously so. They really are 95% the same, IMHO. Still, if you're gonna be using them just for the desktop, no reason not to get the higher ohm ones, especially with the NFB15. I personally prefer the versatility of the 32ohm, since I have more uses for it than just off a desktop amp. I don't mind the very minor hit in SQ for more versatility. Still, the 32ohm is almost always more expensive than the other models, so it doesn't make sense to get them most of the time.

 

[alv4426]

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one who enjoyed Grados with trance. Those prices on amazon are actually a little high I've seen them drop to low $200 recently (I don't remember if it was the 250 ohm though)

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Oh, if you're not a basshead, I'd say to go for the Premium 990s over the 990 Pros. The 990 pros are definitely a 'basshead' can, while the Premium DT990s are more 'emphasized bass' cans.

The 990's really liked the warmth of the NFB5. It helped to tame the treble a bit. I think the NFB15 should behave similarly.

 

[Biscuitz]

Quote:

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one who enjoyed Grados with trance. Those prices on amazon are actually a little high I've seen them drop to low $200 recently (I don't remember if it was the 250 ohm though)

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-Open-Studio-Headphones-Ohms/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348022368&sr=8-2&keywords=DT990
 
And yeah, I enjoy Trance mightily on my Grados. The great openness of the sound combined with a punchy bass is very fun. One of the main reasons I'm looking for another headphone for Trance is because Grados are supra-aural. I'd love a circum-aural pair with the same sonic qualities so that the Trance can more fully "envelop" me. I've tried G-Cush already, twasn't to my liking.

 

[RushNerd]

Quote:

Oh, if you're not a basshead, I'd say to go for the Premium 990s over the 990 Pros. The 990 pros are definitely a 'basshead' can, while the Premium DT990s are more 'emphasized bass' cans.
The 990's really liked the warmth of the NFB5. It helped to tame the treble a bit. I think the NFB15 should behave similarly.

I sure as hell didn't have a nfb5 when I had my 990's (600ohm) but out of my essense ST card I thought I could do better. Trying my HD650's a month later out of the same source, I can say I like everything about them better, including the low end.
 
I suspect the 990's just needed the right type of amp to shine, but I really didn't care for their bass, I thought that was just a open headphone trait, but the 650's proved me wrong.

 

[Biscuitz]

What of the HE-400 for Trance?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The HE-400 is an all-rounder in every sense of the word. It's a jack of all trades. Trance is no exception.

 

[Biscuitz]

Quote:

The HE-400 is an all-rounder in every sense of the word. It's a jack of all trades. Trance is no exception.

Can it commandingly play rock, metal, and faster subgenres of metal? I've thought of trying the HE-400, but the dipped highs don't sound the best for these genres.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Lol, trust me, there is no such thing as dipped highs on the HE400. Dipped highs were a problem of the OLD HE-400.

This is what the newer ones sound like with velours.



Again, the HE400 can handle pretty much anything you throw at it. It's not the FASTEST headphone (it's not a Grado), but it does Trance exceptionally well.

 

[Biscuitz]

Quote:

Lol, trust me, there is no such thing as dipped highs on the HE400. Dipped highs were a problem of the OLD HE-400.
This is what the newer ones sound like with velours.

Again, the HE400 can handle pretty much anything you throw at it. It's not the FASTEST headphone (it's not a Grado), but it does Trance exceptionally well.

Oh holy cow. I've just been looking at http://www.headphone.com/buildAGraph.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=3651
 
The very last doubt I've had concerning HE-400 (their highs) may have just been lifted. I may now take the dive and try them! What of your experience with them playing rock/metal?
 
Edit: I just saw your edit. I do like the sound of that - "the HE400 can handle pretty much anything you throw at it." I've longed for such an all-rounder... 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

They sound great. I've since sold off all my other headphones, including the DT990s, Pro 900s, D7000, because I love the HE400 that much. Just make sure to spend the $10-$15 for the velour pads. It's worth it.

 

[Biscuitz]

Quote:

They sound great. I've since sold off all my other headphones, including the DT990s, Pro 900s, D7000, because I love the HE400 that much. Just make sure to spend the $10-$15 for the velour pads. It's worth it.

That's what I've read everywhere about the HE400. Man, you have no idea how excited I am to hear that the HE400 no longer has those "dipped" highs. Time to start saving up, methinks.