TH900mk2

Fostex th900mk2. The SJY carbon needs nuclear level power to get your money's worth. DCA has good planar bass but dynamic drivers are more bombastic. To me at least.

What's your budget?  My go to for techno are fostex th900 MK2 or th909 and zmf Atrium closed. I use flacs through plexamp, desktop and on the go.

Used th900 MK2 with zmf ori pads and you're good to go. But make sure your dac amp set up can drive them. Or a zmf Atticus used. Both within that budget. 

If that’s the case, give the Fostex TH900 a listen. I’ve tried all but 2 of the listed HiFiMans, and to my ear, the TH900 outslammed them all. And if you happen to fall in love with it, a used one can be had for about $600 for Mk.1.

The TH900 has a surprisingly large soundstage for a closed-back headphone while still keeping the V-shape and precision, physicality, and visceral nature of its bass, hence me recommending to give it a listen. I also was afraid that it would feel claustrophobic (because the TH610 does), but it’s really wide for what it is. The TH909 is even better at that while retaining most of the bass qualities (I really love it), but it’s way above budget and cannot be found for cheap at all.

Diminishing gains are real and they get brutal with the highest end headphones. It's up to you how much extra you're willing to pay.  For example, I recently picked up the Fostex Th900 MK2 as I heard they're supposed to be one of the best for bass.  They are very good, the best sounding closed back I've ever owned... but I'd rather keep using my Sony Z7m2. The gain in sound quality is not worth the loss in comfort or being triple the price.  On the other hand, the HD 800 S is my favourite headphone. It has the clarity and soundstage you're looking for. It's built beautifully. But for the majority of individuals it is in no way worth 2-3x more than a 660S2 or HD 490. Only enthusiasts with money to burn should consider it in my opinion.  With all that said. The HD 650 has major shortcomings especially if you use them for anything other than music, and an upgrade to the Arya Stealth or one of the above headphones is worthwhile in my opinion. 

Yes it is noticeably better, 32% more enjoyable based on my notes (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zQnL7R9RIE1Aqk4CLEnIp6QBuKeXVWR9aCfsSiNVClU/edit?usp=drivesdk). I am biased. I use my headphones for movies and gaming a lot so the poor imaging and bass response on the HD 650 hurts their score for me. That might not be a factor for you.  Whether an upgrade is worthwhile depends on your main use case, how happy you are with your headphones, and how much a little more enjoyment is worth.  The Arya Stealth I haven't tried myself but it's on the shortlist for my next acquisition, I've heard great things. 

Hi folks! I'm looking for planar headphones for slam with good bass up to $500. Do they exist? I had experience with the stocked Fostex T50RP Mk3 and while I liked them overall for clarity, neither bass nor enough speed were there. Currently I use Fostex TH900 with Schiit Lyr 3 (Mesh with 6N8S), they are my reference for good bass. After some googling there are some potential candidates: * Fiio FT5 * Monoprice M1060C * Fostex TH500 * Audeze MM-100 * Sigva Audio SendyAudio Aiva * Fostex T50RP MK4/T60RP MK2 (but they are somewhat pricy and need modding) Anyone who has had experience with these headphones, please share your impressions. Or add your own advice. Thanks!

TH-X00 purplehearts with an Audeze LCD headband conversion for the clamp force Hands down my favorite cans for sub bass production. I own a pair of TH900’s but the purplehearts with that headband still takes the cake 👍 I’ve tried just about everything except for most of the recent ZMF headphones.