[hadouken]

Hi,

I recently bought an ASUS Xonar Essence STX sound card and have been pretty impressed with the jump in sound quality from my old Prelude. I currently have a pair of Senn HD650's and Ultrasone Proline 2500's, they've served me quite well but I think they both have some shortcomings:

HD650: Too warm, they used to have the notorious veil but since upgrading my sound card that seems to have subsided mostly but the bass is still too boomy with not enough texture, mids are really nice and the soundstage is great but they just don't seem energetic enough.

Proline 2500: I use these for 90% of the time, they have lots of energy and the bass is excellent, very refined with texture but still lots of oomph. The mids seem a little recessed to me and the highs are just too harsh and perhaps a bit shrill, it can easily give me temporary tinnitus after a long listening session.

I guess what I'm looking for is a halfway point between the two. High and mid freqs are important but bass is critical, it needs to be refined and textured like the Ultrasones. I like hearing all of the little details in music but I also want it to be fast and energetic, there are many times with Ultrasones where I notice my feet are tapping along with the beat without even realising but the highs are killing my ears.

I'm looking to spend around £150 $230- £250 $370 on headphones alone. I would rather not have to buy a seperate amp/DAC unless absolutely necessary, or at least until my bank account has gotten its second wind.

As per the title, I listen to trance 90% of the time (A state of trance, global dj broadcast, trance around the world etc).

So what do you guys think? What currently gets your toes tapping?

 

[Rakooon]

My call.... HFI780 ! No more shrilling problem, still energic , maybe more and always this fabulous thumping bass Ultrasone style ! Maybe less "warm" if i rely on my PRO vs HFI experience.Plus you can eventually recable em witch supposely make real serious headphones out of em. I too listen almost exclusively trance music and i think these cans were made for this genre !!

Btw , great radio show selection !! Mine is slighly different though... (A state of trance, global dj broadcast, Club Life).... and i wish Deadmau5 would have one !!

 

[hadouken]

Thanks for the reply Rakooon.

Haven't really considered HFI-780 but I've now added them to my list

I noticed you have the Beyerdynamic DT990 as well, what are your thoughts on those? I hear they've too much bass and the highs are a little too powerful, that true and if so, have you considered the DT880's instead which are apparently more neutral?

I haven't given Club Life much of a chance, last time I listened, it just sounded too housey and minimal, way too much tech in there as well. Not a big fan of Tiesto's at all really, although his productions rock.

I'm more of an uplifting/epic trance guy, hard beats, massive breakdowns, lots of emotion. Currently listening to (and loving) Stoneface & Terminal - Stardust from ASOT402.

Thanks again.

 

[nnotis]

Its price might be drifting out of the range you listed, but a Denon D2000 would give you all of the bass and impact a person could want. Do the markl mods to them to get great speed and detail across the spectrum. At the very least, they'd give the HD650s a proper shin shoryuken!

 

[Rakooon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hadouken /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the reply Rakooon. Haven't really considered HFI-780 but I've now added them to my list I noticed you have the Beyerdynamic DT990 as well, what are your thoughts on those? I hear they've too much bass and the highs are a little too powerful, that true and if so, have you considered the DT880's instead which are apparently more neutral? I haven't given Club Life much of a chance, last time I listened, it just sounded too housey and minimal, way too much tech in there as well. Not a big fan of Tiesto's at all really, although his productions rock. I'm more of an uplifting/epic trance guy, hard beats, massive breakdowns, lots of emotion. Currently listening to (and loving) Stoneface & Terminal - Stardust from ASOT402. Thanks again.

DT990 are indeed bassy.But TOO much.... i think it depend on the preferance from whom you've heard this.One thing i could say, they're far from too bassy for trance.And this bass isn't bloated or uncontroled, it actually hitting just fine IMO.Its true though that their high are a bit bright.... But its something that can be perfectly fix with EQing. Already told you about that in my PM... I mean, this "brightness" thing should'n keep you from considering those at all !!!! Trance benefit A LOT from their soundstage and vocal quality.
For DT880, i never been attract by them. Im always scared by whatever called "neutral".I must FEEL my music, that's why i always think neutral HP could sound .... boring for me.And everytime i see a comparison between DT880 and DT990 , what i read tell me that DT990 are for me. Maybe I'll eventually have the opportunity to try the 880 model and see for myself.

I must admit that Tiesto's show is a lot more house/club sounding, he's even making sets for Radio FG now !!

Who would have guessed !! But i keep listening to it since he's always throwing some interesting track not played in ASOT or GDJB.

 

[Sway]

I am a trance and house junkie. I mostly listen to DI.fm and 1club.fm myself. I currently use a pair of Denon D5000's and I absolutely love them form EDM. If you don't mind spending a little bit more, then the D5000's will not disappoint. If not, then I recommend either the D2000's or the HFI-780's. You really can't go wrong either way. IMO your final choice should be between one of these two without question. Eventually, no matter what you finally decide on, I definitely recommend a good amp to complement the sound.

And check out 1club.fm if you haven't already. They spin great sets there.

 

[KONAKONA]

Lots of (happy) hardcore here, although smidgebits of other EDMs every once and a while. (Italio disco and eurobeat.

)

I really like my Q40s for the shear bass impact and weight. The mids and the highs work well enough for HHC, but I was listening to some solo piano stuff the other day and it sounded a bit compressed, although it was about the 20th time I had heard that piece in a day, and the source file is 256kbps anyway. :\

Don't know how they would fair for trance though, as methinks it focuses on the lead synth/vocals more than the bassline. (Although I focus on the synth/vocals when I listen to HHC....) Plus if you listen to something with a lot of vocals that was encoded poorly, the sibilance will come out.

 

[CDBacklash]

For trance you are looking at an ATH AD900 (or 700) or my personal favourite currently the DT770 pro (80 ohm).
It doesnt slam as much (slamming bass on every beat is annoying....) and has blanketed highs...
its got midrange suckage, but it can be warmed up fairly well with an amp, and they seem more prominent than they are because of the lack of highs (theyre extremely subtle - bordering on understated).
Depending on what you listen to the 770 might make the music boring (if repetative bass is annoying to you). It'll be loud but it wont make a sudden statement due to the slam issue ^ It's a very fun can to listen to though.
I mention the pro because its what i have, and in my opinion the consumer/premium has too high a treble spike for trance applications (so they dont suit me for any genre).

For a more commercial application (dancey stuff) I like the er-4p because of its speed and okay presentation. It struggles with the bassy stuff in my opinion (sub bass it sometimes struggles to produce).

(Happy) hardcore, eurobeat, trance, goa.

edit: as a side note, the 770 is very fun on comercial pop with electronic bass or vocoders
and again: you could also mod your prolines.
Adding some extra padding to the front of the driver (Inside the pads) or at the back will tame those highs.

 

[techfreakazoid]

For your trance-heavy listening preference, I would lean towards phones with good attack and decay. I've never tried the Ultrasone PROs, however, have tested the HD650s, D5000s, DT990s, DT880s and DT770s. I prefer the sound signature of the D5000s and DT880s for my electronic dance music preferences. I listen to more freestyle and eurodance, which is slower than trance. I've been meaning to try out the SA5000s, which are highly regarded for their speed.

 

[Rakooon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by techfreakazoid /img/forum/go_quote.gif For your trance-heavy listening preference, I would lean towards phones with good attack and decay. I've never tried the Ultrasone PROs, however, have tested the HD650s, D5000s, DT990s, DT880s and DT770s. I prefer the sound signature of the D5000s and DT880s for my electronic dance music preferences. I listen to more freestyle and eurodance, which is slower than trance. I've been meaning to try out the SA5000s, which are highly regarded for their speed.

Sorry for busting up this thread but i really want to know how would you compare D5000 and DT990 for trance related music ?? Or anyway you want.
I always wonder how D5000 would do for those genre. They could be in the race for my next pairs !!

 

[Charles_1985]

I have the Denon D2000s (sig) and I use them for 90% Dance&DJ/Trance/Electronic. They're incredible - beautiful vocals, decent highs, reasonably fast, and of course the bass is excellent - a little bloated, but I personally prefer that. As noted, make sure you get a good amp.

 

[hadouken]

Wow so much good advice!

I've recently purchased the Beyerdynamic DT990's and I really like them at the moment, the bass and highs are great with just the right amount of "boom", they really get my feet moving. I've heard a lot about the Denon D2000's, the D5000's might be a little too pricey for me but I will definitely keep both of them in mind for my next upgrade (if there is one... ah, who am I kidding, why else would I still be here

). I've also heard about the AD900/A900's too but not that often... I will add them to the list anyway.

I've considered modding my ProLines but I think I'll probably end up selling them instead, I made the mistake of going 2500 instead of 750 and if (or when) I go Ultrasone again, I'll probably save up a bit and get the PRO 900's.

The Q40's sound OK but you seem more into happy hardcore and I haven't listened to HH for agggeees (Bang! - Shooting Star brings back memories though

) and I've moved away from that sound signature. I think you may be talking about too much bass for my liking.

The SA5000s are another high priority set of cans on my list too, although I've heard they're a little bit too much on the bright side, although the speed and bass quality intrigues me. I also can't help thinking: "Sony... really?" though, they don't seem to have the best reputation for audiophiles, or at least I've not heard a lot about them around here.

Thanks guys.

 

[Charles_1985]

You could go with the D2000s now and then upgrade the cable later. At stock they are already a very good headphone, and with a cable upgrade they can sound significantly better. So, you'll have great sound and something to look forward to.

 

[KONAKONA]

Yeah, you can't like the Q40s if you don't enjoy a bit too much bass.

Glad to hear you found something you enjoy though. Fight the upgrade-itis!

 

[techfreakazoid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rakooon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry for busting up this thread but i really want to know how would you compare D5000 and DT990 for trance related music ?? Or anyway you want. I always wonder how D5000 would do for those genre. They could be in the race for my next pairs !!

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not a hardcore trance listener (more old school hip hop, electro, freestyle, eurodance); however, I have a number of techno and trance tunes and am familiar with the beat. I found the DT770s to be overly boomy lacking texture. The DT990s are less boomy and would have been happy with them until I tried the DT880s. The DT880 has quality bass and when properly amped, has nice impact, tightness and speed.

Testing the D5000, they could simply be summed up as 'fun cans' with excellent PRaT. More bass quantity than the DT880, but less refined and not as detailed. All my listening was through stock models with the beyers at 250 ohms. Apparently, the markl Mods tightens the bass considerably. I will probably go with the stock D5000, D7000 or LA2000 for my next cans as I could use a closed pair without sacrificing too much soundstage. Plus, they are really comfortable. Other cans that I'm considering are the SA5000, AD2000, and Shure SRH840.

If your listening preferences are strictly trance, speed and bass are the key criteria followed by the highs, details, and soundstage. Between the stock D5000 and DT990/250, I prefer the former as the latter is more amp dependent. If you listen to other genres, then look for all-arounders that scale well with good amps and sources. Trust your ears and make your decision based on your listening / sonic preferences, amp, source, and budget (including $ to pursue can and cable mods).