[spambob]

I have an RSA Predator portable amp and a Sony MDR-V6, and I'm considering to upgrade to a different set of headphones as my V6s are starting to fall apart, and I want something to really take advantage of the Predator. I am looking for something in the mid-to-high-end range ($300-$600 USD), which will be most suitable for the amp and best matched with techno, minimal techno, and deep house-type genres, as those are the only genres I listen to. Most of the high-end cam reviews I've read had used rock, jazz or classical music for sampling, but I am looking for something that's best compatible with the amp and my preferred genres of music. Unfortunately I live in a rural area and don't have the ability to sample high-end headphones first-hand, so any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially from Predator owners who listen to techno.

Thanks

 

[CMasten]

Find a pair of used HD 600s or HD 650s up here in the for sale section, with the the RSA Predator your techno will thank you, truly a great pairing.

 

[ER4 Lover]

I would recommand K701s. They sound so natual.

 

[thread]

As nice as the Senns are, I would personally prefer a closed headphone for my ambient/idm/beat-driven/other techno genre/pretty much anything except acoustic type stuff. I like the pressurized area inside the phone as it adds to real bass weight and a sense of "slam" that I find open headphones seem to lack... I mean the HD650's do have some serious bass, but it doesn't seem to really impact your eardrum like a closed headphone would. I also happen to like the isolation.

I love my Edition 9's through my Predator, but my picks in your price range would probably be the Denon D2000 (had, but sold cuz the headband didn't shrink enough for my small head) or the Ultrasone HFI 780 (haven't heard, but based on my E9 experience and the glowing reviews, I shall recommend it).

HD650/HD600 would be a good choice as well... I would definitely go for the HD650 between those two. I've owned the HD600 and I feel they lack in the already open (weak, IMO) bass department. I might avoid K701 as they are somewhat analytical and bass-shy. (They'll probably need more than the Predator to really come out.)

The Predator is a really great amp... it should make any of these cans sing. Good luck!

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ER4 Lover /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would recommand K701s. They sound so natual.

You are going to recommend K701 for techno?...Especially knowing that its digital music and what is natural is just plain questionable?

OP: hd600/650 is definitely reasonable proposition, others you might want to look include Proline 750, AD2000, DT880/990, and even d2000/d5000 may serve you well. Your choice depends on what tonality you are looking for.

 

[Rednamalas1]

AD2k gets my vote - its easy to drive and sounds wonderful for all type of music - especially techno IMO.

 

[e-dub]

my ray samuels audio hornet + ultrasone proline 750 are keeping me home from the clubs of late. i listen to (in this order) drum n bass, techno, and slightly SLIGHTLY less house exclusively. they offer a very powerful sound, and let you hear a lot of things you haven't heard before.

please follow up and let us know what you end up getting!

eric b

 

[nutkicker]

For that price range, see if you can maybe buy a pair of Sony SA5000s from a store with a good return policy and try those out (if you don't like them just say that they were broken or something

). I've never actually heard them but they have a good reputation for being good for techno so they might be worth checking out.

IMO, however, the HD600 (well, I heard the HD580, but close enough, they use the same drivers) and HD650 kinda suck for techno (they have a very laid back sound signature and their bass is kinda flabby). A pair of grado sr 225s are a lot better for techno, but their soundstage is too closed in for them to be ideal.

 

[slwiser]

One of the HFI-780s modified by ALOAudio would work very well, either the Vampire or Jenna Labs cable with his internal mods would be real nice.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif AD2k gets my vote - its easy to drive and sounds wonderful for all type of music - especially techno IMO.

As you are stretching your budget up to $600 I don't see any reason to settle for anything less than AD2000. With great details, amazing speed and super tight and hard bass they work extremely well for techno. (although I don't support that "phone for genre" view).
With lesser budget and if you need closed portable, my recommendation would be ESW9.

 

[spambob]

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. Right now I might consider these, but they all have potential flaws that other users have reported, so I'm still in the process of sorting everything out. The flaws that I'm mentioning here have all been reported by other users:

Denon AH-D2000 - I've read the build quality isn't so great and too "plasticy" like the cheaper sub-$50 Sennheiser's, which is a turn off because I want my new pair to last. Some say the bass is a bit too pronounced as well, but it's hard to judge the severity of this since many listeners have different tolerances. Also read that this drives easily without an amp, so I don't know how much of an effect my amp will have with this.

Audio Technica ATH-AD2000 - I've read positive things about this, but this may not sound well with beat-driven music, or techno/deep house. Might be geared more toward softer or acoustic music, not sure.

Sennheiser HD600/HD650 - Many people seem to prefer the AH-D2000 over these from the comparison threads. I also may need to buy a separate cable from moon-audio, ZuCable or Stefan Audio Art and balance them to make these worth my while, but this probably applies to all headphones. I'm also used to closed-type headphones, coming from the V6s, and I don't know how I'd respond to the openness for my preferred type of music.

Audio Technica ATH-A900ti & Beyerdynamic DT880/990 - All these look comfortable and I read a lot of positive things, but a lot of previous owners seemed to have had upgraded to the headphones I mentioned above for some unknown reason, which I'm still trying to figure out. But some have mentioned that the bass becomes a bit muddied or distorted for certain types of music (probably techno?) for the BD DT models.

I am trying to find more info about the Ultrasone ProLine 750 now, since this user and e-dub claim it's good for the type of genres I listen to, but I read some conflicting opinions on how well these pair with amps, which is partly the reason why I'm purchasing new headphones, to match well with my Predator.

Here are a few flaws that I found so far:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4039179-post3.html
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4012235-post8.html
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4008769-post26.html

Decisions, decisions... too many conflicting opinions.

 

[Rednamalas1]

I dont want to sound like a AD2K fanboy.. but..

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f13/re...ad2000-199747/

Quote:

Originally Posted by spambob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. Right now I might consider these, but they all have potential flaws that other users have reported, so I'm still in the process of sorting everything out. The flaws that I'm mentioning here have all been reported by other users: Denon AH-D2000 - I've read the build quality isn't so great and too "plasticy" like the cheaper sub-$50 Sennheiser's, which is a turn off because I want my new pair to last. Some say the bass is a bit too pronounced as well, but it's hard to judge the severity of this since many listeners have different tolerances. Also read that this drives easily without an amp, so I don't know how much of an effect my amp will have with this. Audio Technica ATH-AD2000 - I've read positive things about this, but this may not sound well with beat-driven music, or techno/deep house. Might be geared more toward softer or acoustic music, not sure. Sennheiser HD600/HD650 - Many people seem to prefer the AH-D2000 over these from the comparison threads. I also may need to buy a separate cable from moon-audio, ZuCable or Stefan Audio Art and balance them to make these worth my while, but this probably applies to all headphones. I'm also used to closed-type headphones, coming from the V6s, and I don't know how I'd respond to the openness for my preferred type of music. Audio Technica ATH-A900ti & Beyerdynamic DT880/990 - All these look comfortable and I read a lot of positive things, but a lot of previous owners seemed to have had upgraded to the headphones I mentioned above for some unknown reason, which I'm still trying to figure out. But some have mentioned that the bass becomes a bit muddied or distorted for certain types of music (probably techno?) for the BD DT models. I am trying to find more info about the Ultrasone ProLine 750 now, since this user and e-dub claim it's good for the type of genres I listen to, but I read some conflicting opinions on how well these pair with amps, which is partly the reason why I'm purchasing new headphones, to match well with my Predator. Here are a few flaws that I found so far: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4039179-post3.html http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4012235-post8.html http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4008769-post26.html Decisions, decisions... too many conflicting opinions.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Consider the Darth Beyers too.

 

[NeObliviscaris]

what iems out of curiousity would people reccomend with the predator for techno?

 

[morphsci]

Actually I second the recommendation for the Denon D2000. I find the build quality quite acceptable. I would recommend a recable as the stock cable limits the phone quite a bit. Even with the recable it is within your budget.

I would also recommend the Senn HD-25-1-II with a cable upgrade to the stock Senn HD650 cable (and turning the drivers/cups upside down). The stock cable is built for durability (steel) not sonics.

A couple of other points. 1.) Just because a phone can be driven acceptably without an amp does not mean they will not benefit from one. IMO the Denons do benefit greatly from a good headamp. 2.) Balanced phones are an advantage with a balanced amp. The predator is not balanced so there is no advantage to using balanced phones with an adaptor over single-ended phones.