[KristianT]

I mainly listen to electro, trance, dubstep and other forms of EDM. I am currently running the following setup
 
- PC
- Matrix Mini-i DAC
- Lovely-cube premium amp
- Sennheiser HD650 recabled by ChrisHimself
 
I am very happy and love the 650's but when I recently told another headphile about my setup he found it very strange that I am using 650's for EDM. Would I be better off with a different pair of cans or are my 650's fine?

 

[NA Blur]

If you are happy with the HD-650 then there is probably no reason to change headphones, but if you want to try a few with different cans her are my suggestions:
 
1.)  Denon AH-D2000
2.)  HE-500
3.)  beyerdynamic DT990 ( 250 Ohm )

 

[LugBug1]

Are you enjoying the music? If so then they're good enough.
 
Imo the 650's are good with EDM. They may not be the bassiest cans for the job, but the overall warm tone and soundstage can be ideal. Some will argue that they arn't fast enough or are too laid back. I personally think that more u shaped hp's (emphasized bass and treble) can make EDM sound too boomy aswell as clinical and fatiguing. The D2000's spring to mind.. I enjoy EDM with the LCD2's these days and they have a similar sound sig to the 650's.  

 

[jackwess]

Quote:

 
I am very happy and love the 650's but when I recently told another headphile about my setup he found it very strange that I am using 650's for EDM. Would I be better off with a different pair of cans or are my 650's fine?

 
You can use another cans more suited to the genre, but if you're happy don't pay attention to him. 

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

I would say that if you are completely fine with the HD650's, don't go down the route of trying more out because it will ruin your wallet D: (Which is why I'm somewhat hesitant to give an opinion).  
 
 
 
 
I honestly think the HD650 do EDM pretty well. I would not consider them the best at it. On some songs they sound great but sometimes they lack a bit of energy and punchiness to me. Overall I felt like the HD600 did a better job with EDM because it felt a bit more energetic, punchy and the bass was more crisp. At the same time the HD650 bass had more weight and when vocals came up they were present more so. Its all preference but if you're already happy don't try it  
 
Overall I'd say the HE-400 are great for EDM since it does what the HD600 do but with even more crisp and energetic style. This is all my opinion and maybe I just hear things weird 

 

[SunshineReggae]

I think deephouse/techhouse, trance, ambient and lounge sound great on the 650. On the 600 as well by the way.
I experience none of this 'lack of energy', 'slow sound' or any of that mumbo jumbo. To me it's meaningless.

 

[jiggahwhat]

Quote:

I personally think that more u shaped hp's (emphasized bass and treble) can make EDM sound too boomy aswell as clinical and fatiguing. The D2000's spring to mind

 
Bingo. Exactly. U-shaped is rather dumb for EDM because the hi-hats will always be exaggerated, the bass will be boomy, and all that. 
 
The D2000 is a great headphone but its too fatiguing to listen to extended periods of time. Recessed mids also present problems. 
 
You want something with rolloff and with a relatively flat signature. 

 

[KristianT]

Yeah I am happy with the 650's but having said that I don't really have much to compare them with. The only two decent pair of cans that I have (and still do) owned are the 650's and HD-25.
 
I just took the HD-25's out of their retirement this morning to compare them to the 650's for EDM. I still prefer the 650's even though the HD-25 seemed somewhat faster on the bass, although that may have just been my imagination. I noticed that the HD-25 requires a lot less power to be driven. The volume that I had my amp on for regular listening on the 650's almost ripped the HD-25 apart when I first played a track. 

 

[razor5cl]

How are the DT990s for EDM? I can get some MANUFAKTUR ones for around the same price and the HD650.

 

[DJ The Rocket]

I'm another EDM listener, and I'm really thinking about getting the Massdrop HD6xx, because I have a great amp and I'm really curious to see how they sound, as I've heard they scale well. But I already have a DT880 (250) and an AKG Q701, which I LOVE for EDM. Will the HD6xx give me anything I don't have already? What about a Fidelio X2?

I also have the HE400, which has the best bass of everything mentioned so far for EDM

 

[TWerk]

Ultrasone for EDM. Beyerdynamic can do it, but depending on model can have harsh highs.

On the cheap a Creative Aurvana live has a great low end.

I wasn't a big fan of the HD650 for EDM. It is not exciting enough. Highs lack attack and lows aren't as tight and punchy as I like. Mids are too forward for it. It just is not ideal for electro. For me, I want highs that are crunchy, tight bass that can punch, good 3d imaging/soundstage, and energy.

However, I agree that all that matters is that you enjoy what you hear. If they satisfy you, it doesn't matter that they do not for others.

 

[kadrian]

Usually hd650 is great for classic music.

But if you are enjoying by using hd650 for EDM, it doesn't matter at all.

 

[chef8489]

Usually hd650 is great for classic music.

But if you are enjoying by using hd650 for EDM, it doesn't matter at all.

I dont think the hd650 would be my choice for classical. With the mids boost and the treble roll off and lack of sub bass I would say rock and vocals is the hd650 strong point. But whatever music you enjoy with them I say go for it.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm another EDM listener, and I'm really thinking about getting the Massdrop HD6xx, because I have a great amp and I'm really curious to see how they sound, as I've heard they scale well. But I already have a DT880 (250) and an AKG Q701, which I LOVE for EDM. Will the HD6xx give me anything I don't have already? What about a Fidelio X2?

I also have the HE400, which has the best bass of everything mentioned so far for EDM

DT880 has a bit more treble; Q701 has a little less low bass.

However it seems like you prefer the balanced all the way down to deep bass of the HE400i; HD650/6XX just rolls off a little bit earlier but comes off from a tall and wide plateau above that. Bass will sound a little bit louder but maybe not as deep, though chances are that tonal difference won't be as audible as the increase in how loud the bass is depending on how deep the bass notes actually go.

Ultrasone for EDM. Beyerdynamic can do it, but depending on model can have harsh highs.

On the cheap a Creative Aurvana live has a great low end.

I wasn't a big fan of the HD650 for EDM. It is not exciting enough. Highs lack attack and lows aren't as tight and punchy as I like. Mids are too forward for it. It just is not ideal for electro. For me, I want highs that are crunchy, tight bass that can punch, good 3d imaging/soundstage, and energy.

However, I agree that all that matters is that you enjoy what you hear. If they satisfy you, it doesn't matter that they do not for others.

It depends also on what kind of EDM, considering that's a whole slew of different subgenres, and might be more appealing to the kind that has a lot of vocals and not just beats. The HD650 might be preferred for this one, though not necessarily for this one unless they want the vocals less shrill on the original version or other remixes like this one (where the balance is different). I just use the HD600 and Aurisonics ASG-1.3 on all those.

Usually hd650 is great for classic music.

But if you are enjoying by using hd650 for EDM, it doesn't matter at all.

One other thing that affects preferences is reference and expectations. If one's reference is how it sounds in a club, where they really amp up the music and the bass to get people to dance - and you sure as hell will buy $10 cocktails rather than walk to the nearest 7/11 for $1 water, if not also because they like having more people in there buying ecstasy from the dealers walking the floor which enhances the full-body let's get horny vibrator effect - then the HD650/6XX will not have enough bass even in a very quiet room where there isn't much to get in the way of what it's spitting out.

By contrast somebody whose reference and preference is more like somebody singing on stage (and not necessarily standing out in front) along with the beats-heavy music (like the ones in the links above) then for some of those the more relaxed treble of the HD650/6XX might be preferable.

 

[fuzzybaffy]

I might be wrong about this, but based on my observation, a lot of modern EDM these days are actually pretty balanced, probably because the producers know they are being played on insanely loud club systems. If the songs were V-shaped, it would rip everyone's ear-buds to shreds. It was actually back in the 60's and 70's when people were listening to songs on the radio with their terrible car systems that producers needed to bump up the treble, in order for the songs to actually be heard.

That said, this is why I actually like to play EDM on neutral headphones, because it allows me to bump up the volume a bit and hear all those wonderful electronic sounds and textures. If they get played on V-shaped headphones, I can't raise the volume because the treble is already accentuated. I know the HD-650 isn't exactly neutral, but it isn't V-shaped either - it definitely leans on the neutral side when you compare it to something like a Fostex TH-900 (which I used to own as well).

I myself have the HD-650 and think it's great for EDM. Surprisingly enough, the TH-900 was reserved more for pop music than for electronic.