I own the Image X10's; what next?

Should also state your budget, list your music preference, your source, and if you use an amp or not. And if its computer source, state if you use lossy 128 or high quality format. Umm, lastly with source should say what DAC you are using.

This will help people recommend you a headphone. I have never heard the X10, so cannot help you here without more information.

Your best bet is Westone ES2, if you have the guts to follow the custom route.




ps all those you put in the survey have nothing in common with the best qualities of the Image X10.
You might also want to check Audio Technica AD2000, which per Asr's admission are the closest headphones to sound like grown up Images. The guy knows his own.

I'd throw in an additional suggestion, based on my personal experience: I liked the babystax as grown up Image X10, bettering the Klipsch almost at everything (apart from deep bass, but that's all). The desktop version would be ideal, or you can follow the Audiocats-modded route if portability is important for you to retain (but it doesn't look to be the case).
The stock portable unit is hold back by its amp, which could be much better.

Hmm, you do have a good variety of headphones listed there. I'd like to know what you'll be using them for. I'm a big fan of my HD25s (won't sell them when I get ESW9), but they're not great bang-for-the-buck unless you're using them in noisy environments.

If you're just listening to these at home, and open headphones are OK, I'd say MS-1, from your list. Caveat is, I've not heard the Ultrasones.

I didn't notice that your price cap was 200$. If so I have no suggestions, since I couldn't find many cans bettering the Images X10 in that price range, and for sure not when being amped by a Fiio. :/

I just bought the D5000 and they are similar to the X10 because of the "smiley face" sound signature, however they are better in every way.

I'd say go with the D2000 (same driver as the D5000) or the HFI-780 (smaller sound stage, more punchy bass, aggressive mids and highs). Just a note, these two phones are infamous for being some of the "best" phones at improving from a recable. They're supposed to sound great stock (after 250-350 hours of burn in, the 780 needing the most), but because of their stock cables, they improve tremendously even if you do something as simple as upgrading a D2000 cord to a D5000 cord, for instance. Additionally, the D2000 can be markl modded to tighten up the overall sound, and if you really want to go all out, markl at his Lawton Audio website sells custom wood cups in the $200 range which you can order in and screw on yourself. From all reports in the full-size forum they're supposed to be another large jump in sound quality.

It's the least of my intentions to start an argument (and I have no will to lose time on it), but Denon D5000's treble is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my audio experience. It's not the bass Denons' real problem. While it might be overal "technically more performing" than a tiny Image X10, I would rather listen to the latter any day.

This is just to give the OP more than one perspective on the subject.

Not trying to start an argument as I'm honestly curious here, but can you describe what you found objectionable about the D5000's treble response? Also, was the unit new, fully burnt in, markl-modded, recabled, etc.? Amp/DAC/source used when you listened perhaps?

I used an iMod + Corda Headsix to drive them. The source is decent enough to make Stax sound very good, so it wouldn't be the problem. The amp could well be underpowered, but others have obtained great results with the old SR-71, so I am prone to believe it's a flaw of Denons. The Headsix is pretty smooth as an amp, and gave no problems with any other headphones.
Treble was very viscid and fakeish. Sibilant too. The overall feeling was that of "snakes diving in my ears". It's a feeling I never had with any other headphones, even though stock cabled Etys are pretty sharp (but not so painful), and Koss A250 have very steely highs.
I may be pretty sensitive to sibilance, but I don't think I have an oversensitivity to treble, since headphones vouched to sound neutral are, to me, neutral. I didn't have any problems with a recabled Sony CD3000 either (only with the iBasso T4 it was sibilant. Weird, since the T4 is pretty opaque as an amp, but the combo was a sibilant hell). With other amps the CD3000 were a bit trebly but nothing comparable to D5000.
My Denons were burnt in (around 400 hours), even if my experience doesn't let me believe there is serious burn in taking place with these (meaning that I don't think burn in tames the treble, otherwise how hellish could they be out of the box?). I bought them to perform markl mods, since back then I was pretty interested in something that ideally could have approached the R10 for so little money. Markl mods are thought to fix the bass. Though, in his words, they make the D5000 even brighter. Other people on other forums confirm that markl mods make the D5000 a lot harsher. To me, the stock form was more than enough to hate them, so I sold them. Two friends and fellow headfiers share my view of D5000/D2000 (auditioned with different gear than mine), but don't spend much time talking about them, just keeping enjoying other headphones.