[SoundFreaq]

Finally, a group of people that know what the heck they're talking about!

I'm sure you get new poster questions like this all the time, thanks for your patience.

OK guys, here's what I want. I want a pair of headphones that well, simply sound mind-blasting glorious. I know you guys have listened to a lot of cans and can give me a recommendation.

I listen to ALL kinds of music, mostly however I listen to Electronic music. So, I need a 'phone with a great, rich, powerful, extended bass response, but NOT boomy. I want clean and detailed response through to the highs as that genre spans across the board. I need a warm presence and a sound stage/presence that is impressive. I have been to music events all over the country with some world-class, state-of-the-art sound systems that are truly awe-inspiring. I want to mimic and replicate that as close as possible and I don't want to spend $2,000 on a home stereo system.

I would love to keep the price under $300 (less if possible). I know I won't achieve audio bliss at that level, but I want your recommendations nevertheless.

Music and sound quality are of premium importance to me. In addition, I do some music writing and production.

Sorry for the long post, any insight you can give me is much appreciated.
Thanks

-Chris

 

[blessingx]

Welcome to Head-Fi.
Any open/closed requirements?

 

[Dimitris]

Welcome on board. Sorry about your wallet. What is your source going to be?Are you willing to spend money on an amp?

 

[SoundFreaq]

Thank you.

Preferably closed, but sure doesn't have to be at all. I also would prefer the comfort of over the ear opposed to a canal 'phone, but nothing is out of the question.

I could do an amp, but that would restrict me to home only, but I anticipate not wanting to take those anywhere other than home.

 

[spike33]

lol ur like describing the perfect headphone

maybe beyer dt880 and you'll know need a good amp to drive that. or go with hd595 which is easier to drive. Both are warm and have extended bass, not boomy, and have nice soundstage. 880 has clearer highs, while 595 has lusher mids.

 

[spike33]

you can get a portable amp that can also be used at home

 

[SoundFreaq]

I bought a pair of Triports today because of the size/weight factor. I travel a lot with my job and I figured they would sound OK. Boy, was I wrong! THose things suck! Sound quality lacks and the design is flimsy. I think I will be returning them. If something matching my criteria is portable, that would be a bonus, but it doesn't have to be.

 

[Dimitris]

You can always buy a portable amp. Some of them are as good as home amps. If you travel a lot especially with airplanes maybe you should consider canalphones like the Etymotics ER-4s or ER-4p. The ER-4p you can use without an amp too cause they have low impedance.

 

[SoundFreaq]

cool.

Sound quality is of more importance than portability for me. If a pair of canals are the best quality, then awesome. I don't want to sacrifice much quality at all for portability. Especially with canals, they seem to suffer in the bass response department and comfort (I can be listening for extended periods)

 

[kramer5150]

My unamped favs...

DT250-80
AKG K240s 55 ohm model
SR225
MDRV6 (I use EQ to cut out upper mid harshness)

Garrett

 

[SoundFreaq]

The ATH-A900s caught my eye. Any opinions? Or the sr225s, tho may not be best suited for my genre preference

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

I recommend grado sr225's.

Biggie.

 

[catscratch]

Yes, the A900 is a good bet. They're very clear, detailed, and have nice bass, though not overbearing. They also don't need amplification. The downside of that is that they don't benefit as much from it.

I've found that bright, detailed headphones work really well with electronica. You'd think that warm and dark would be better, right? Not really. Most electronica is produced with a lot of bass and a ton of treble detail, but not a whole lot of midrange. Warm, dark cans really lure you into their sound with their seductive midrange, but a lot of trance/ambient/whatever is missing that midrange, so it simply sounds dull. Something that has a sparkly, hyperdetailed treble and a crisp, punchy bass response on the other hand sounds downright fantastic.

A lot of electronica sounds amazing on the ER-4P, provided you have a good seal and EQ them for more bass. They really can hack it in the bass, they're just not EQ'd that way, and when you factor in the fact that most portables sound bright and thin, they usually don't get recommended for electronica. With subractive rather than additive EQ, and the proper seal/fitting, they sure do bring a lot of psytrance and ambient music to life.

What you also need is soundstage, and instrument separation. A lot of ambient music is really soundstage-dependant. The A900 does well there, too. The ER-4P has a very compressed soundstage, but razor-sharp imaging and very good instrument separation, so on the whole, it performs pretty well.

Other ideas might be the Beyer DT770, DT880, and the new Sony MDR-SA5000. If it's really like an ER-4 in a full-sized can, it will be perfect.

The best for ambient that I've heard so far is the Stax SR-404. The Stax works well with trance, too, but the trance has to be recorded with a lot of deep bass, or it'll sound thin. The 404 has a whole load of deep bass, but it's a bit lacking in the midbass, and if the recording emphasizes midbass or relies on midbass bloat to sound bassy - it'll come out thinner than it should.

If you want to drop a whole load of cash, and the above disclaimer doesn't apply, then the Stax SR-404/SRM-313 combo will be a good bet. A truly high-end system, and one that handles most genres well, though it's not too bassy. I expect it to cost something around $850-ish from audiocubes and EIFL.

Yet another idea is the Stax SR-001 system. It does really well with electronica, with it's deep, powerful bass, silky smooth sound and excellent clarity and detail. The treble is a bit rolled-off, but with some more proper use of EQ, you can bring the treble out. This will be both a portable system under battery power, and a transportable system under AC power. The only downside is that it's not very comfy, but if you can live with that, it's a suggestion. It is, IMO, the best sound quality for the buck, full-size or canal.

 

[dknightd]

For about $330 you can get Senn hd650. I think they are great all around cans, and should meet your needs. They are open though (which I actually prefer). They do benefit from a good source and amplification, but so do most cans.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dknightd For about $330 you can get Senn hd650. I think they are great all around cans, and should meet your needs. They are open though (which I actually prefer). They do benefit from a good source and amplification, but so do most cans.

I dont think he will have budget remaining for the amp/source/cable upgrade necessary to justify those 650s....

Garrett