[Brain Hack 70]

 

Hello thanks for reading my post...
 
I've been reading a lot of  posts on the best headphones for electronic music  and have been very keen to  decide on which ones to buy soon.....I mostly listen to electronic music   I am after an organic, analogue type of sound...imagine listening to Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene on Vinyl with  a tube amp. I am wondering, what headphones would suit the bill?  My budget is around 1000,  but would consider  LCD3/ TH900 if its worth paying the extra...
 
and this is my  main concern : diminishing returns...is it really worth paying so much for  maybe a 20 percent improvement? especially as, unlike jazz and classical, detail retrieval isn't so important, although clarity is. My current headphones are way to horrible and  harsh for electronic. ( Grado 125i) and I can't stand the  glaring  treble and brightness of them,  so even the HE 400 would be an improvement. 
 
My short list is: 
 
Fostex TH 900...seem to be highly regarded for electronic music. But find it hard to justify paying so much! But they look so good!!
Fostex TH 600 maybe these would do the job 
Audeze LCD 2 or LCD 3...I like the fact that these are " deep and lush"
Hi-Fi Man HE 400 and HE 500
Beyerdynamics DT 880s
 
 
 
 
Any advice much appreciated!

 

[davidsh]

Not the dt-880 or the HE-400...

 

[Lorspeaker]

http://www.mp4nation.net/brainwavz-hm5-studio-monitor-headphones

THe hm5 is terrific for electronic music....v comfy...isolates v well...hardy.
Even if u buy the LCDsXYZ, pick this up ;p

 

[Brain Hack 70]

Thanks Lorspeaker! Will check those Brianwaves out!  might be ideal as a head phone for the office!

 

[3X0]

Quote:

and this is my  main concern : diminishing returns...is it really worth paying so much for  maybe a 20 percent improvement?

Yes and no.
 
Yes because the improved refinement is quite apparent, and will enhance your enjoyment of your music.
 
No because if you get caught up in going top-of-the-line, you might miss the sound you are truly looking for. Sound signature is far more important than technical capability in my opinion.
 
I would say the improvement from something mid-fi (e.g. DT 880, HD 650, Q 701 et al) to something ToTL (e.g. T1, HD 800, LCD-3, TH-900 et al) is far less than 20%, but this isn't really quantifiable.
 
Really above $1,000 (and below $5,000, just to remove glorious sets like the SR-009, MDR-R10, HE-90) you're working with subtleties and tastes.

 

[arteom]

As strange as it may sound the ALO K701 I had sounded great with non dance electronic music. It was smooth, no harsh top end, airy, displayed texture in electronic music really well. It doesn't have the low end for dance music, but for most everything else it was a pretty cool listening experience. The Beyers I would avoid if you want a warm analog sound, I would call them cold and clinical as opposed to warm and analog. Though for something like techno that works really well. The ATH-AD2000 do EDM really well, had a very enjoyable midrange to them. As stated by 3X0 it might come down to tastes, if you are worried about diminishing returns it might be wise to shop around the FS forums, try some of the mid-fi phones HD-600/650, K701, DT-880.. Resell what you don't like and go from there. I've only tried the top of the line phones at the 2011 rocky mountain audio fest, the Hifiman HE-6 and the Sennheiser HD800 would be on top of my list if I was looking to spend ~$1000. Currently I'm very much satisfied with MS-Pro's and a AKG K501. Also be weary of going too warm and "analog", the extreme of that is a sluggish and "syrupy" sound. 

 

[davidsh]

Ohh, suddenly got a suggetion. The HE-300 should be a good candidate too. Not that I have heard it myself, but look into it.