I’ve tried a lot of headphones, but a lot of high-end headphones(HiFiMAN, Beyerdynamic T1 Original, etc.) don’t seem to sound as good as something like the HD660s(HD58X), most Sony/Bose/Beats headphones, X2HR. I don’t know how the sound signature is different, so I want to know what makes the latter group sound a lot better in modern 2010-2020’s music. Are the MDR-Z1R or LCD models the only options for mainstream genres in the high-end range? I want to know what are some other headphones that are good with these genres. Can I get some advice? BTW, the mainstream I’m talking about is mostly Pop, EDM(house), and Hip-Hop.
Yeah… It’s tricky. A few thoughts:
What source gear were you using when you evaluated the headphones you named? And which headphone models were they?
Also, what you’re hearing likely isn’t the fault of the headphones. They’re just showing you what’s in the signal, mostly. Much of mainstream music produced starting in the mid 2000s is not particularly well mastered. There’s a lot of dynamic range compression that can make it sound flat and harsh. It’s mixed to get noticed quickly so it hooks your ears in and drives up play counts. It’s generally not mixed to sound great on an HE1000.
In this reality I have found the Audeze LCD-2 prefazor to strike a good balance of resolution yet being forgiving enough it can handle such such mastering with some grace. They are discontinued but still pop up used for 500-600USD with some regularity.
Could take a look at ZMF, a lot our forum members have and love them, I’m sure they could to steer you in the right direction model wise when it comes 2010/20 music 
The HD660s are very good for those genre’s. They have a somewhat dark presentation that suits those types of music. That said they can also do other genre’s, but to find the perfect blend between them all you might have to make some serious changes in your sources. Personally I believe in separate devices for everything, anytime I have had an all in one it is even more susceptible to electronics issues. A cheap trick for instance is to use a USB to toslink converter before a cheap USB DAC like the Modi Multibit. Using toslink will get you isolated from a lot of the noise in the computer. But the computer sound card may still put out lame sound, in that case you are just beating your head against the wall approaching it from the DAC side of things, you need to get a sound card or a different source altogether. The expensive way is to buy a high end DAC and hope it sounds better, but I promise that you can spend thousands and still end up worse off than a $300 setup with a Modi.
Hmm, are you a Sennheiser dealer or something?
You keep on criticizing setups you haven’t heard yet, complain particular chains are not worth the money yet you won’t specify your own and you keep keep keep pushing the 660s, hmm 
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Even if you specify the genre, some people like their house music with elevated bass, some like it fast and detailed. Some peeps like their treble crystal clear on the edge of sibilant - some people are just more sensitive to highs… it is such a subjective thing.
Can you specify how you like your music presented to you?
Chill, warm & intimate? Engaging, fast & open?
I think people here need some more references to gauge specific headphones that you may like.
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You like bassy pop music and a full soft sound to go with it. Not a lot of mystery here.
Could you recommend a decent converter under 150$? I’ve never tried using one, so I don’t know what to buy. Also, do you think I should set my audio as PC-USB-Toslink converter-DAC-AMP-Headphone?
Using an adapter, or DDC (Digital to Digital Converter) can help to isolate noise that can come through USB. However, DACs now like the Modi 3+ and Magnius from Schiit use high quality Unison USB implementations that are already more clean than most people would need. ToSlink also limits the bit depth and rate of the signal passed into the DAC, so keep that in mind if you plan to use high quality lossless music files. Higher end DACs it can start making more sense to use a DDC where you can use either a AES, I2S, or BNC connector from the DDC to the DAC to improve noise and jitter. But again, the vast majority of people wouldn’t notice what this is intended to improve, especially if they don’t listen critically to intentionally identify those things or don’t have a trained ear to do so.
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I wouldn’t say the hd660s is that great for hip hop specifically, I personally have the hd650 and although I do enjoy it, its not suited to bassier music unless you’re ok with the bass kind of just being there in the background compared to the mids which is what the 6?? Series are renowned for.
I’d say something like a Foster biodynamic (intimate and aggressive) or the ZMF Atticus (wide and laid back) is very good for the genres mentioned from what I’ve personally found, although I am mainly hip hop focussed myself.
For other options, an LCD2PF or HEXV2 could do pretty well from what I have heard, they’re on my list to check out at some point.
If @Trinity0907 wanted to try out something a bit higher end than the ones I have mentioned, Lawton modded th900s or at an even higher end, something from abyss would definitely fit a bassier preference.
But as others have mentioned, you really want to look at what source gear you are using to drive higher end stuff especially, as source gear can really bring some headphones to life.
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Then maybe what I need is a nice DAC with a clean USB.
BTW, I have a question about DACs and AMPs. Do they affect the headphone’s soundstage and imaging? Also, which one is better between using a better DAC or sacrificing bitrate by using a DDC? Lastly, could you recommend a DAC or a DAC+AMP with a high-quality USB? I’ve seen ifi and Schiit using some of them…
Short answer is yes, the DAC and Amp do affect soundstage, imaging and other elements of presentation. They won’t entirely transform a headphone’s inherent character (barring EQ), but the right synergy with the headphone can bring out the best it has to offer.
I’d say higher quality DAC first, then down the line if you feel the need to add a DDC to the chain and can do it via AES or BNC rather than Toslink, go for it.
Honestly most currently produced models of DACs have decent to good USB implementation. What budget range are you considering for source gear to complement your high end cans? Keep in mind that the higher the tier of headphone, the more synergy and quality matter across the entire chain.
The Meze 99 Classics are ideal over-ear, closed-back headphones for pop, EDM and hip-hop. Very rich, warm bass that does bleed a smidge into the mids, yet the mids and highs are clear and separated with fidelity.
$309. Gorgeous materials and build quality – all wood and metal, with not a millimeter of plastic. Can be driven from almost any mobile source. And they sound a f*ckton better than Sony, Bose or Beats.
Rich, warm, fun. Very much a consumer sound signature with an audiophile’s touch.
I own more detailed headphones. I own more analytical headphones. I own headphones that cling much more closely to the Harman Curve. But I don’t own any headphones that are as fun as my Meze 99 Classics.
Then maybe I should look for that…Do you know any earphones that have a similar signature to the 99 neo/classic?
IEMs? No, I’m just getting into those. Don’t have the knowledge and experience that I do with over-ears.
I have Moondrop Starfields for IEMs. Wonderful balance. Good bass, but it’s not nearly as rich or warm as the 99 Classics as over-ears.
Still, I really think you would like the 99 Classics. The 99 Neos have a similar sound signature for $100 less. Hell, you might like them even more, as I’ve read they’re even a bit more bassy than the Classics.
The 660s are fantastic for hip hop… Literally one of the best genres for that headphone. No they don’t have a ton of very deep bass, but for me personally I find excessive deep bass highly distracting. The 660s have that nice full bodied sound which works great for the way most hip hop is mixed. The 660s are great for electronic music as well as they will take a little bit of the edge off a lot of this computer generated music.
What now?
How can lack in the bass department and the group of genres that rely on bass work out?
I’m just gonna throw AKG K371’s in here as a cheap try
If one listens to hip-hop for lyrical content, I think the Sennheiser 600 fam is underrated.
As not a super-bass-head and a lyricalist lyrically lyrical guy, I like my 58x a lot for the genre.
Some of the genre has pretty rough top-end material, the deep-V profiles oft recommended accentuate this and submerge the vocals too deep.
The Senns are underrated for this, but you’ll get a lot of the “where’s the boom boom?” feedback on this forum when mentioning this point. Thanks for this.
I never said they “lacked” bass. You used that word, lol. Learn english or stop making shit up.