[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shike /img/forum/go_quote.gif While I disagree with Dexon too I think the above comments are going a bit too far.

Although his description is rather blunt, I would have to agree with Duggeh based on the few weeks I spent with them.

 

[Shike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by subtle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Although his description is rather blunt, I would have to agree with Duggeh based on the few weeks I spent with them.

I don't know, but either way I don't go around insulting headphones just because I don't like their sound. Equally accusing someone of bad hearing on these forums just because you don't agree with them is pretty low. That's just my two cents though.

 

[dcpoor]

making up stuff and giving out bad advice on headphones you've never heard is pretty low too. :3

o2's and sr003's have silly/plenty amounts of bass.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

With the Woo GES I'd pick the HE Audio Jade.

With the Woo WES it would be the O2 Mk1.

 

[bada bing]

Koss ESP950 is nice with a proper amp. Very nice bass extension if the amp has ballz. Kind of like a faster, slightly brighter HD600.

O2mk1 is pretty revealing for a lot of trance recordings that don't stand up to a microscope too well.

 

[majkel]

O2 MkI is better overall for me than the O2II but I voted the latter due to more massive bass. If somebody's looking for more finesse, the O2 is the right choice IMHO.

 

[krmathis]

My vote goes to the SR-007.
Although I admittedly have not heard the SR-Omega, SR-007A (or MK2) or HE60.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brighten /img/forum/go_quote.gif Without a doubt the K-1000. Wonderful imaging and soundstage. The vibrations in the music are incredible. The O2 does it pretty well too but the air around the different sounds isn't there like it is with the K-1000.

What? The K1000 is moving coil not electrostatic...

 

[Brighten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif What? The K1000 is moving coil not electrostatic...

Oops... I meant an "other" headphone besides an electrostatic one.

In that case I'd stick with the O2. As catscratch said, this bass myth is absurd.

 

[MrGreen]

There's a few members here suggesting that bass is the most important frequency in trance which is pretty far off. I'd go so far as to say that bass in trance is less important than a lot of other genres (classical, rock etc) because in the other genres it gives a sense of progression and tonality, but in classic trance bass can be rather homogeneous and thus non-essential to the music in the sense that it must dominate or be felt, but it must simply be there (ergo the 'trance' effect).

Trance is about the mids and highs if anything.
Trance becomes boring fast if you listen to headphones with bloated bass but remains entirely dynamic if you listen to far more balanced (or even bass light) headphones, particularly when you start venturing into genres such as goa where 90% of the sound manipulation occurs in the mid frequencies for that mind-boggling "trip".

Ill-founded and sweeping accusations all-round, both in regards to trance and in regards to electrostats.

 

[catscratch]

I agree that trance is not all about bass. I will go further than that - I think trance, at least the good stuff, is one of the hardest genres to get right (here I'm talking about stuff like Hallucinogen, Jaia, Spectral, old-school Infected Mushroom and Astral Projetion, etc.).

Really complex albums are pretty much the musical equivalent of a sine sweep - they engage all frequency ranges simultaneously and have a lot of layers one on top of the other. Here you need tonal balance, to make sure that nothing is given undue emphasis; speed, to make sure that no single layer interferes with the clarity and resolution of another layer; impact, to make sure that the tactile component of the bass is present at least to some degree; flat/linear highs, to make sure that the treble isn't harsh or sibilant and doesn't do anything to distract from the rest of the presentation, and you also need good imaging to make sure that the spatial cues and reverb, when they're there, are properly represented. Midrange tone isn't quite as important here since instruments are usually very heavily processed, but on some disks with well-recorded acoustic components bad midrange tone will make itself painfully known too, and I definitely prefer headphones with natural mids for trance (and for everything else for that matter).

Not a whole lot of headphones do all of the above. In fact most don't. A well-driven O2 is one of the few that do (whereas a poorly-driven one really can't hack it). The SR-003 is nice too if you get a good seal, and so, strangely enough, is the UM3x. Or maybe there isn't anything strange about it since balanced armatures combine speed and impact, while the UM3x's tonal balance takes care of the rest. Can't wait to hear the JH13, something tells me it should be wonderful with trance.

 

[webbie64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gomincha /img/forum/go_quote.gif Assuming they are at their full potential

This is the key - unless any of them are driven as well as they can be you're not really going to get the best recommendation here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif My vote goes for the O2, because it has a meatier sound than the HE60. I've not heard the SR-Omega.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the Woo GES I'd pick the HE Audio Jade...With the Woo WES it would be the O2 Mk1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bada bing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Koss ESP950 is nice with a proper amp. Very nice bass extension if the amp has ballz...O2mk1 is pretty revealing for a lot of trance recordings that don't stand up to a microscope too well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...I really like the O2 with electronica, but it depends on what sound you're after...if you do want a balanced, high-end presentation then I can't really think of anything that will be better, provided the O2 is driven well enough to wake up its bass and dynamic range - and therein lies the catch, unfortunately. The O2, when well-driven, is a truly versatile headphone. Underdriven, not so much. I also really liked the HE90 with the more downtempo stuff (like Shpongle); its massive soundstage and velvety mids work really well here.

These are the quotes I'd agree with, despite having no direct experience of the Jade/HE90 or O1. I'd also throw in the Sigma 404 as a contender to try and blend the HE90 and O2 benefits, which might reduce the risk revealing any recording issues so much.

It really is about the overall synergy and amplification to get the absolute best from these high end ESPs. I'd also go with the O2 Mk1, or the Sigma 404, in this instance, provided the amp is driving either well.

Good luck with your search.

 

[AtomikPi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can't wait to hear the JH13, something tells me it should be wonderful with trance.

Indeed, they're excellent since they combine deep, fast bass with the imaging, mids, neutrality, and the speed you need. They are a bit lacking soundstage-size-wise, they are IEMs after all, which is especially obvious in some types of electronic music.

I listened to Tales of the Inexpressible on the O2 Mk I's and was really impressed by the speed and timbre they produced - I listened on my 13's to make sure it wasn't just psychological. Of course, they're also in a different league in terms of soundstage. However, I did not think their bass had the same impact or extension of the 13's although the bass quality was certainly very high - textured and not one-note like the aforementioned and quite mid-fi D7000.

I'm not entirely sure about more uptempo and energetic trance on the O2's however; it's something I'll have to investigate.

Also, I listened to the HE60's at the same meet, with the same music, and did not think they were as good.

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can't wait to hear the JH13, something tells me it should be wonderful with trance.

Let us know (particularly if you have heard an ER4 with trance for reference).

 

[Duggeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shike /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know, but either way I don't go around insulting headphones just because I don't like their sound. Equally accusing someone of bad hearing on these forums just because you don't agree with them is pretty low. That's just my two cents though.

One: You can't insult a headphone. You can't be vulgar to it, bismirch it or commit slander or libel against it. It's a thing. You're transposing what I said to an anthropomorphic personification of an object. It's also something I normally reserve explicitly for the HD280. There are no shortage of "sounds like ass" calibre commentry on this forum.

Two: I disagree with what some people sometimes say on forums all the time. But very rarely do I find myself in utter and profound disagreement where, in the case of this forum, I cannot even come to see how someone might have thought something. My point was crudely phrased, but it was intended to convey the severity of that disagreement by drawing illustration in support for the idea that something must have been technically at fault to produce the sound described.

I apologise for any offence. But I'm not going to wishy-washy my vocabulary into diplo-speculation when an example is as glaring as that one. I'm also one of the people in the thread thusfar who has made a recommendation and then quantified it in relation to the other poll options.

 

[gomincha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreen /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's a few members here suggesting that bass is the most important frequency in trance which is pretty far off. I'd go so far as to say that bass in trance is less important than a lot of other genres (classical, rock etc) because in the other genres it gives a sense of progression and tonality, but in classic trance bass can be rather homogeneous and thus non-essential to the music in the sense that it must dominate or be felt, but it must simply be there (ergo the 'trance' effect). Trance is about the mids and highs if anything. Trance becomes boring fast if you listen to headphones with bloated bass but remains entirely dynamic if you listen to far more balanced (or even bass light) headphones, particularly when you start venturing into genres such as goa where 90% of the sound manipulation occurs in the mid frequencies for that mind-boggling "trip". Ill-founded and sweeping accusations all-round, both in regards to trance and in regards to electrostats.

x2