What are your favorite headphones for electronic music and why?

General Headphone Discussion
62

I have to say the current two top headphones for me are LCD-4 and HE1000SE. they are top two cans take top spot for this genre for me. I give a slight edge to the Hifiman to the set bellow.

As you said Electronica and EDM need a headphone that can resolve the treble, but you also want a solid mid-range, here HE1000 SE renders both well. Layer on this the HE-1000SE is absolutely dynamic on the ZMF Pendant. The amp brings in the rich well-rendered bass.

Put this into Qobuz playlist Let there be a beat with few more songs

Old School Electronica as well

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63

So after several hours of listening and comparing, my list of headphones for my electronic music goes like this. (Top been my fav for Electronic)

HiFiMan Edition X: The low’s on this headphone is unbeatable. But that is the nature of this headphones. Is that type of bass that makes your heart race.
Edition X and HE1000 are basically the same HP and the cover on this headphones is just amazing, and thats nature of big planar magnets. I do EQ it a bit to bring the highs a tad down, it can be bright at times.
The weight on them is also something to talk about as HiFiMan has been able to make amazing planars (Not all of them) and keep the weight at a manageable point @399g.

The only issues I have had with this headphones has been the headband size. I had to improvise to make them fit. (This is fixed in v2)

Focal Elegia: This are my favorite closed back so far. Has very good controlled low’s and not too bright nor too dark. Is just right for me, They have become my daily go too headphones. I can use them for work and listen to music while doing some coding, most importantly I do not suffer from baked ears which most planar headphones will do after prolonged use (not all). Weight is @430g, which is not that much ahead from the Edition X so is tolerable.

Audeze LCD3: Amazing lows but a bit to dark for me, I do EQ them on that side of the house to make the brightness come forward a bit. BUT if you are after the LCD3 in general thats what they are known for. The only issue I have with this, You know it
 The weight. For extended periods of listening, it does not work well for me. Weight is @ 635g

Mr Speakers Ether Flow 1.1: This are amazing headphones for extended use as they are light weight (Probably the lightest headphones I own), though they are the lightest and awesome for extended use, they still get very warm after a while and bother my ears. The music presentation is ok as well but not my go too headphone. I do pad them using the black pads provided by Mr.Speakers 1.1 upgrade.

There, thats my list of headphones starting with “my go too” for Electronic music, to my daily driver.

(Music profile: EDM, DUB, Downtempo, Chill-out music, Dub, Lounge music, Electronica, Trip hop, Classical, Jazz)

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64

Is LCD 3 really 635g? How much does yours weigh? I’ve found Audeze’s site to be pretty far off the mark on weight for some of their models. My LCD 2F actually weighs 600g with the stock headband (I use the carbon fiber upgrade) and LCD Xs tend to be 680-700g.

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65

You are probably right, I did not weight them, I went more with specs from the review site.

I will get an accurate weight in later on.

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66

I find that I put on my M40x’s a lot of the time for that one song that needs the extra something, PortaPro’s also find a lot of use.

On the other end, I strongly dislike my K712 Pro and AD500X for electronic.

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67

I use them all the time for evening listening. Such a great headphone.

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68

The Rosson Audio RAD-0 is my go to for Electronic listening and it’s why it’s the one headphone I took from the office for home listening during these crazy times. The RAD-0 is like the Audeze LCD-X on steroids, fixing everything that wasn’t quite right with the LCD-X.

Its got just enough low-end and warmth that it’s relaxing to listen to but not enough low-end that it becomes overbearing. The tonal balance is smooth and natural and works so well with the particular electronic music I enjoy listening to (The Midnight, Lost 84, Sunlounger, etc
).

I’ve grown accustomed to the weight of the RAD-0 as they have become a permanent fixture of my head so comfort isn’t an issue with them. I have them paired with the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and it’s a very nice pairing although I think I prefer the Auris Audio Euterpe with it as it just adds a bit of extra warmth.

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69

This is my number one headphone I want to hear and potentially purchase if I love it as much as you do, when all this Covid-19 stuff is in the rear view!! The other headphones I am looking forward to checking out are the Arya and Verite Closed.

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70

Nah, I got lucky when @Torq sold his pair years ago

Aeon Close 2 comes sorta close for bass response tho it’s not quite as open

LCD X isn’t quite as good imo but the MX4 is, MX4 would be a nice upgrade to my PreFazor for my tastes

LCD 3s are hit or miss in my experience, but the 4 and 4z are both nice,

I’ve heard and see measurements of the 2 Classic with the discontinued “swede” pads as being pretty good actually. The pads are likely a lot easier to get than the original PF lcd 2s

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71

If you already don’t know this trip-hop album from 1996, I think that you might like Archive - Londinium.

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72

A fun sort of headphone that I found enjoyable with EDM is the JVC HA-DX1000/Victor HP-DX1000.

They look a bit funny and feel kinda clunky, but they sound alright albeit being fairly fatiguing. It’s a W-shaped sort of sound with a lift towards the sub-bass, a bump in the lower mids IIRC, and fairly peaky and harsh treble. They sound pretty wide though which was one of its main selling points I believe.

Not me btw. Just wanted to show how goofy they look on the head.

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73

The pads are bigger than the cups. That is goofy.

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74

I also agree with the likes of Fostex TH900 (especially modded) for electronic music. As someone very involved in listening / creating electronic music I personally think that closedbacks are almost always more preferable for the genre, with the exception of analog era recordings such as early krautrock/electo and disco. A good closedback just has an exceptional way of yielding robust punchy bass & vibrant mids in the enclosure for a controlled acoustic environment which often actually sounds better without extra large soundstage which actually wasn’t always intended in production. I’m currently rotating between Sennheiser HD-380 Pro, Neu HX-6000 and a modded Soundmagic HP-100 thanks to Lyova of Tru-Fi Speakers and the input I’ve given him. Each has their own time depending on the mastering of the album on hand.

75

Ive found the Hifiman Arya is really good for electronic music. the thing is the Synths in a lot of electronics are layered and give a wall of sound like quality to it. Sometimes in certain headphones all those sounds can get a bit congested. But ive found the large drivers of the Arya really help in separation.

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76

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77

Modhouse Argons with ZMF lamb skins. They’re stupidly energetic and slam unapologetically.

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78

I don’t have much experience but the two decent headphones I currently own are the ZMF Eikon and Aeon Flow Closed (v1). For most things the Eikon is superior tonally, with decent sub bass and a richness and punch down in the bass and lower mids but not a midbass hump (which is good). It just sounds richer than the Aeons and the soundstage is bigger all round. But electronic music is the genre where I most often find myself reaching for the Aeons instead. They’re a little weak in the bass though solid in the sub bass, so I sometimes EQ them to raise the bass a bit. But the Aeons have this wonderful airiness in the treble that the Eikons don’t have, and I get a lot of pleasure from the subtle metallic edges to sounds and nuances of space and reverb that are conveyed in the Aeons’ treble. In some contexts the Aeons are too much tilted towards the high end tonally, but for electronic stuff I really like it. The Eikons feel like they stop a little short up there - more a matter of speed, air and nuance than absolute frequency response it seems.

I also find that the slight dynamic softening of the Aeons works well for a lot of electronic music over long listening sessions, while the Eikons are so punchy they’re tiring sooner. So a weakness can be a strength in some situations. For big fat synths though the Eikon is bigger and fatter.

My fantasy quest now is to find a headphone that marries the low and mid robustness, spaciousness and general control of the Eikon with the airy and exciting treble of the Aeons. If it exists I fear it won’t be cheap.

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79

Replying to myself as a follow-up to that comment: After reading many reviews I got myself a VĂ©ritĂ© Closed (monkeypod). Early days yet so the jury is still out. First impressions: with the Universe pads it can do the heft like the Eikon, while capturing that metallic ringing edge of the synths that the AFC could do and the Eikon smudges slightly. The Eikon can excite my imagination with epic soundscapes, and adds a slightly crackly edge to sounds that can be exciting or romantic or harsh, depending on the track. The VC is cleaner, more invisible and more intimate. Tonally the VC feels darker and more natural than the Eikon, though the low mid-bass area’s just a touch more emphasized than my ideal (with Universe pads, which trade soundstage for speed and oomph).

Tracks that depend on massive sub-bass, vast reverbs or an epic wide soundstage can do better on the Eikon. Tracks that depend on snap, liquidity, ring and zing and tonal heft can do better on the VC. For tracks that are a bit midbass-heavy or treble-muddy, the Eikon does a cleaner job. For tracks that are a little thin with the Eikon the VC can bring some warmth and body. The AFC is left out a little bit at this point - between them the two ZMFs cover its ground pretty well while both sounding more solid and more spacious.

Sometimes I find myself just enjoying the music and can’t remember which of these ZMFs I’m wearing. You might say the VC is technically “better”, but the Eikon stands up remarkably well alongside it as an overall headphone experience. Each one delivers “wow” moments that the other one can’t. Now I have to use them for a few months to see whether I end up with a favourite.

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80

For me it’s definitely the Meze Empyrean. It has the slightly elevated planar bass that hits hard and extends all the way down in linear fashion, recessed upper mids and neutral-relaxed treble which allows you to turn the volume up just a bit more


Since I’ve had the Empyrean, I’ve naturally started listening to more electronic music again. Probably around 60% of the music I listen to is something electronic.

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81

Man I really have to hear them! Have you compared to the Rad-0 those are pretty awesome too for electronic music although the stage is not huge.

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