[tahwwhat]

I figured I would join this forum, as I am obsessed with my music and especially with getting the ideal headphones for listening to Trance/Vocal Trance/Progressive music.
 
I got a pair of Sennheiser HD595's, but though they sound great, they are flawed-- they are too clunky, much, much too leaky (they are open, so everyone else can hear what I am listening too nearly as well as I can), and the bass is rather lacking in my opinion.  I have tried a small portable headphone amp with my Senns but it doesn't seem to make any difference.
 
Ideally, I want a pair of headphones that I can use without subjecting other people in the room or on a plane to my music (noise cancelling would be even better), and that have the biggest bass possible but still have detailed trebel/mid.
 
 I'm willing to spend around $500 on new headphones.  Any suggestions?  Any advice would be much appreciated!
 
Thanks,
 
T

 

[NapalmK]

In my opinion it's hard to beat the Denon and Ultrasone sound sig for trance and the like. I don't know a lot about the $500 dollar range though. Maybe a D5000 and amp?

 

[Acix]

You'll be happy with the Ultrasones,

 

[Ypoknons]

Implicit in the OP's post is that he wants a transportable/portable, D5000 are too loose and isolate too little for airplane use. If you think the HD595's are lacking in bass then you'll want something that's got a strong low-end, in addition to what Acix said try some Audio Technica (ES10 and M50). I haven't heard about any active noise cancelling headphones with deep enough bass to impress with trance/electronic, try IEMs if you want an isolation win because even sealed headphones don't seal too well with low-frequency noises like jet engines. 
 
You see to be pretty well off though 

 You'll probably have enough left over after to get some of those new, cheap but good IEMs. 

 

[darckhart]

well "transportable" is subjective, so full headphones may still be acceptable. imo, to get good bass out of IEMs is difficult on the cheap/mid end. BUT, that vocal trance also means you don't want the mids/highs to get lost in the bass, so you're gonna have to compromise somewhere. if bass is your priority objective, i'd recommend some darthbeyers. (or the cheaper stock beyers.) get deep cup if you want more bass, but most mastering on trance is horrid. i've found grados give the best compromise for vocal/progressive... too bad they're open...

 

[Vergex2]

You can get new ES10s + a Mini^3 portable amp for under $500. Though I haven't heard the M50, I doubt the ES10s offer as much price/performance compared to sub $300 headphones. I do however, believe that they are in a different league. Without a Mini^3 they still work fine, but the difference is very large and well worth the extra money and effort. The sound is a lot fuller, especially for the highs. Bass has more impact, and seems tighter. The phones also seem to be faster and have a shorter decay, surprisingly enough. Vocals are extremely silky, sweet and smooth with the added amp. This is out of my S9's headphone out - if you use a line out it will probably be even better.

ES10s extend very low and do convey the feeling of a subwoofer. Bass is very tight and punchy as long as you have decent amplification. It isn't especially picky on tracks (compared to extremely analytical phones), but the ES10 does output what it is fed and if a track was mastered poorly, they will show, very obviously. For trance, it probably is more of a non-issue. The highs can get sparkly if the track calls for it, and the mids will seem recessed in comparison to the bass and treble due to the heavy emphasis on bass and lesser but still noticeable emphasis on treble. The v-shaped frequency curve is a fun curve only, absolutely useless for 'reference' listening, studio work or monitoring. However, it is great for fun, and classical doesn't sound bad (though other headphones of a similar price range do classical, jazz, acoustics substantially better, I'd assume).
 
Noise isolation - the passive attenuation is probably marginally better than most active noise canceling solutions. It probably blocks a similar amount of noise from coming in (the dulling effect can be quite cool, actually) to make listening in crowded environments much, much more appreciable. They also don't completely isolate cars (except for very quiet, slow moving cars) and sounds that are essential to hear, such as sirens (unless you are playing at damaging volumes). I'd estimate that the isolation is greater than -10dB and less than -20dB. You will have a problem carrying on a conversation with them. The only way they bleed sound is if you play them near volumes that would damage your hearing - and I have absolutely abysmal hearing.
 
When you first get them, they will have a lot of clamping force and the pads need to be softened. Comfort improves drastically over time of ownership. They're still not good for sessions over 4 hours, or over 10 hours a day (so far, I haven't owned them for months yet so they may improve in comfort). Stretching them out on a pillow-like surface can help reduce clamping pressure more quickly. They will leave your ears with some temporary redness, however. They seem to stay completely put when running (I've sprinted a few times catching the bus with these with no problems at all) but I don't know about exercise or working out. However, they ARE supra-aural (on-ear), as opposed to circumaural (over ear) and most people think that is a disadvantage. However, even at ~25 degrees celcius for 4-6 hours straight, they still stay appreciably warm, but definitely not hot, sweaty or uncomfortable, though exceptionally cool either. On a colder day, they keep your ears warm, and I do love that.
 
The build quality seems like it could be flimsy, but nothing has happened yet. The titanium exterior is a very nice touch, and great for bragging rights and is a bit of a rarity and a singularity.
 
They look extremely nice, in my opinion, if you care about looks. In my opinion, they are one of the most aesthetically pleasing headphones that I have ever seen.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[borgia]

You could check out the Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO/80. They cost about $200 and have a LOT of bass and good islolation. Mids and highs are also there. You can turn up the volume quite a bit without disturbing your surroundings. I use them a lot on the train where the bass doesn't get lost (!). On a plane good noice cancelling headphones would be better but the DT770 Pro still sound decent (not all trebles). I enjoy listening to trance (Anjunabeats) with the DT770 and my Cowon D2. You can check them out at the Guitarshop (if you are in the US).

 

[loopfreak]

For trance you need fast tight punchy bass , senn hd 25 1 or dj 1 pro. Think that dt770 are too slow with flabby bass  therefore not good with trance but again thats very subjective .

 

[gomincha]

Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000 or EarSonics SM3

 

[apatN]

I recommend something closed because it will give you more "oomph" in the music. The ultrasones I heard should handle trance quite well.

 

[klekk]

I use D5000 + ibasso D10. Perfect for trance, techno, electronica.

 

[mk351e]

I listen to trance as well, and owned HD600's (terrible), DT770's (excellent), DT990's (even better but open, so not good for you), a few others, and currently, Denon D7000's. There's no doubt that any of the Denon's would be precisely what you're looking for. Precisely!

 

[Ham Sandwich]

If considering the Deonons be aware that they are not very closed.  There is about a 1 mm air gap between the cup and the driver.  The gap acts like a port.  Sound leaks in and out of that gap only a little less than an open headphone.  If you're looking for a true closed headphone look elsewhere.  If you can handle some leakage in and out they'll be fine.

 

[earerror]

Dt770 pro's. 
They do have a nice bass punch..treble and mids are good. They can sound similar to a high end Hifi setup (in sound quality)

 

[Mochan]

Just remember that "best for trance" isn't necessarily the same for everyone. Your idea of what is good for trance might well be different from that of someone else.  Your basic description of what you feel is best for trance sounds like a closed phone with strong bass and prominent highs.
 
WIth this in mind the following, as noted by many here, should be on your short list will be the Beyers, Denons and Ultrasones.
 
Beyers DT770/DT990/Darthbeyers
Ultrasone HFI 780 or some other model
Denon D2000, D5000, D7000
 
And as a special plug check out the Shure SRH750 DJ. Might be what you're looking for, on the cheap.