Advice for a Newbie About Headphones for Electronic Music

[Deaf_Owl]

Hey, everyone! If this is not the right place for my question, please tell me!

To preface, I'm very new to the audiophile world, high-end equipment, and detailed measurements. I have watched quite a lot of videos on the topic, but the amount of information regarding how to compare and choose the right equipment is simply overwhelming; I decided to post here to ask for some personal feedback on the issue I have.

Before properly looking into good equipment, I used some random, bulky <$100 Philips wireless headphones. Later, I switched to some wireless HyperX (the model of which I don't even remember). Then I decided to try proper cans designed and manufactured by an actual audio company. After some research, I went with what I thought was a safe pick: the Meze 99 Neo. At first I didn't hear much difference compared to my previous HyperX headphones, but over time I grew very fond of them.

Now that I have some more disposable income, I decided to upgrade to something that could last me for a long time (a "buy and forget for 10 years" kind of deal). With that being said, my overall budget for the headphones + DAC (if needed) is about $1k. I'm not willing to spend more.

The thing I'm most conflicted about is what exactly to buy. I predominantly listen to EDM and occasional rock and pop, so naturally I tried researching what would be better for electronic music. Most answers led to AKG, HIFIMAN Sundara, or Audeze LCD-2. AKG is largely unavailable where I live, I have concerns over the longevity of Sundaras, and Audeze headphones are generally much more expensive. One pair that I'm actually drawn to is the Meze 109 Pro, but that could be because I enjoyed my current cans quite a bit and am now biased towards Meze. I wonder whether there is something better out there. I also wonder how good open-back headphones are with bass-heavy music.

I would appreciate any advice you have for me!

Current setup: Meze 99 Neo + FiiO Q11.
EQ: I do equalize but don't know how to do it properly (I haven't touched any advanced settings in my EQ application). I listen to music for fun and configure the headphones so that they sound good to my ears. Out of the box, the 99 Neo sounded a bit too bass-heavy, so I EQ'ed them so that the bass and the higher frequencies would be roughly "on the same level" while I'm listening to music (I apologize for my wacky explanations).

Spoiler: EQ that I use

Band 1
Freq.: 30 Hz
Gain: -1.25 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 2
Freq.: 60 Hz
Gain: -0.8 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 3
Freq.: 119 Hz
Gain: -0.5 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 4
Freq.: 238 Hz
Gain: -0.25 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 5
Freq.: 475 Hz
Gain: 0 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 6
Freq.: 947 Hz
Gain: 0 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 7
Freq.: 1900 Hz
Gain: 1.0 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 8
Freq.: 3800 Hz
Gain: 2.0 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 9
Freq.: 7500 Hz
Gain: 2.5 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Band 10
Freq.: 15000 Hz
Gain: 3.0 dB
Quality: 4.36
Mode: RLC (BT)
Type: Bell
Slope: 1x

Spoiler: Examples of songs I listen to

EDM: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rock: [1] [2] [3]
Pop: [1] [2] [3]

 

[twsecrest]

Please list your location
Hifiman Sundara, currently $180, it's what I would go for.

HIFIMAN SUNDARA Full Size Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphone with NEO Supernano Diaphragm

Boasting the NEO Supernano Diaphragm, HIFIMAN SUNDARA is the best Hi-Fi planar magnetic headphone at its price with enhanced durability. HIFIMAN SUNDARA brings the beautiful music to your ears.

store.hifiman.com

I have three Hifiman/Drop HE5XX headphones myself.

 

[kemmler3D]

Welcome to ASR! As someone that's listened to a lot of headphones over the years and a lot of electronic music (currently have Eprom / Gjones on) I think you should be looking at planars with low distortion in the low bass. In terms of speaker / headphone performance, the most relevant thing about electronic is significant sub-bass content. The Sundara is not great for that but can be EQ'd to work well.

If you can find some Audeze LCD cans secondhand that might also be good. I am really happy with my LCD-XCs.

 

[drewdawg999]

Too bad AKG isn't available, or else the K371 is great for EDM. You want Harman tuning that doesn't roll off in the sub-bass. The comfort and build quality aren't great but sound quality is top notch, EQ is unnecessary. The next best thing though is the FiiO FT1, don't have actual experience with it but I was considering it before springing for the K371.

I have 3 sets of planars and 2 of them (Audeze LCD-2 and Hifiman HE-400) need major EQ corrections to hit the Harman target, with huge bass shelves. Then there is the Modhouse Argon mk3, a modded Fostex that winds up a closed back planar with huge basshead special sauce and slam, visceral impact. Very nice, caveat being it's fairly hard to drive.

 

[Deaf_Owl]

Thank you for the responses and recommendations!

I'll definitely check what's available secondhand, especially regarding Audeze. Although I do wonder how my neck will fare with Audeze, considering they are more than twice as heavy as my Meze. Definitely will try to find a pair to listen to before committing, because I'm always wearing headphones when I'm at home.

I live in Europe.

 

[Mahir]

As someone into electronic music along with my morning coffee, planar headphones are the way to go IMO. I read your question totally and understood that you have a history with headphones. However that Fiio alone isn’t enough for planars.

So I suggest you to get a desktop amp and approach to planar oriented brands like Hifiman’s he400 or for Sundara which had a take there. I personally didn’t see an unhappy guy after the Sundara. Especially after being properly powered

 

[Deaf_Owl]

Thank you! I'll check what's available in terms of a new DAC/amp as well. Even if the new headphones aren't hard to drive, I'll still probably need a 6.3 mm input (or even XLR for Audeze).

 

[DSJR]

I'm a cheapskate pensioner now and headphones of >£/$100 aren't on the table for me. Maybe not the OPs intention at all, but the 7Hz Zero 2 have proved a revelation for clean undistorted and powerful bass (measured and audible), that doesn't colour-up the mids at all, as some 'audiophile' headphones I've heard over the years do - EM may be artificially generated music, but one can still hear colourations in the playback speakers or head/ear phones. The Zero 2s seem more reliable than the inexpensive Truthear Gate iems, as both my sets of the latter have failed, the second set within a week of collecting them.

Only potential difficulty with iem types is getting the seal right and longer-term comfort. I only mention them in this conversation because they're so darned good for this genre of music, can offer superb dynamics and offer clarity on well recorded music of this genre (high quality production does exist for those not 'obliged to space' ).

Good luck to the OP and hope something decent can be got without breaking the bank.

 

[BlueTunes]

I'm not convinced that when choosing equipment, the music you listen should have any bearing on it.

Select the equipment on the nuances in reproduction you prefer.

Electronic music is no more or less demanding on equipment than any other imho.

Most important factors for headphones are usage and environment.

 

[Johnkeizer]

Comfort is number1.
Best sounding closed headphones I ever used ( I prefer open usually) were Focal Elegis but were so uncomfortable I had to part with them.

 

[Johnkeizer]

And I have the Meze 99 and the Audeze LCD2 in my collection, yes the Audeze is a lot heavier but just doesn’t seem to feel it once you are wearing it.
And I am also a 67 year old pensioner.

 

[Rja4000]

I live in Europe.

AKG is widely available in Europe.
Look at music instrument vendor websites, like Musicstore or Thomann or...

AKG is, originally, from Austria, by the way.

 

[Johnkeizer]

But is now in Samsung’s hands unfortunately. Austrian Audio are their successor.

 

[Deaf_Owl]

Thank you for the replies, everyone!

@DSJR, I appreciate your kind words! Even though budget isn't that much of an issue (to an extent), it's totally great to grab something good for cheaper. Although they do look nice, IEMs are off the table for me. Maybe I don't like the feeling of my ears being plugged, or perhaps I was born with oddly shaped ears that don't hold anything in.

Actually, your mentioning electronic music as "artificially generated" reminded me of another concern I had while researching. People sometimes mention and compare headphones for their soundstage and imaging. I understand how this might be more important when listening to music recorded by, say, a live band or in a concert hall, rather than a purely digital track. I thought those qualities might be poorly realized in my music, or that I would fail to notice them while listening.

@BlueTunes, if you put it like that, maybe my request would sound like: "I'm not looking for neutral headphones for critical listening, but rather a fun pair that would sound great within this budget"?

@Johnkeizer, indeed! One of the benefits of my current Meze 99 is how light they are, so I can put them on and forget I'm wearing them for hours, if not for the whole day.

@Rja4000, I'll be honest, it's been a while since I've looked into the availability of AKG in my area. Thank you for mentioning the websites! I'll check them out!