It seems that a lot of the Head-Fi members (or perhaps those who write the most reviews) listen to a lot of classical music, which makes a lot of sense, followed by rock fans and (to a lesser extent) electronica. I haven't seen many reviews of gear by hip hop fans, however. This strikes me as unusual, since hip hop obviously has a pretty different sonic profile to most classical, so I would have thought there would be more discussion of what works well with hip hop (though I suppose there is a certain amount of overlap with electronica). To be clear, although hip hop is bass heavy and I love bass, I'm not a basshead looking for bass for the sake of bass, regardless of whether it is mushy and bloated. I like my bass tight, but I like it to pack a wallop when it comes time to hit hard.
I haven't seen (or been able to find) many amp reviews by hip hop heads. Are there any out there? What amps are you using (and with which cans)?
I've got a pair of Sony MDR-XB700s, a pair of Shure SRH840s and a pair of Denon AH-D2000s on the way (next year I plan on buying a pair of Sennheiser HD650s unless something else catches my fancy). I'm using a modded Beresford Caiman DAC at home, and a NuForce uDAC-2 at work. I've ordered a couple portable amps to tide me over until I buy a full-blown desktop amp for use at home. I plan on spending around $300 when the time comes (and I'm open to buying used), so it would be interesting to me to hear what others use.
For the sake of keeping the discussion focused, I would be most interested in hearing advice from people who actually listen to a lot of hip hop, as opposed to people who primarily listen to other music but which to provide advice on what they think would work well with hip hop. 
In terms of my own experience, I find the Sony XB700s to be an absolute steal at the price they go for. They are also relatively light and EXTREMELY comfortable. Those thick pads are great and they don't clamp at all. The bass is strong, but what I have noticed most about them is that the mids are not recessed or overshadowed at all. These benefit tremendously from being amped, even though they are very easy to drive. The big problem I have with the Sonys is that they leak tons of sound for a closed-back set of cans. And my wife isn't exactly a hip hop fan...
The Shure SRH840s have better build quality than the Sonys, have a detachable cable, replacement pads, etc. Everything seems to be a step up from the Sonys, except for the bass. Resolution in the mids is better than the Sonys, but whenever the music heads for some serious head-nodding, I wind up feeling like the Shures are lacking a bit. I'm hoping the Denon AH-D2000s will be the happy medium (and that the Sennheiser HD650s will be a revelation when I get them).
The Beresford Caiman seems like a great match for hip hop so far. It is very musical, has lots of power and can grunt when called for. The NuForce uDAC-2 feels brighter, more neutral, possibly with greater resolution, but it is early days with the uDAC-2 and I need to spend more time with it once the portable head amps arrive.
Best,
Adam
P.S. I also used to have a Fiio E7. I have to say that I thought it worked for hip hop pretty well as an entry point. Not the highest resolution, but the greatest separation, but it was a lot of fun and certainly packed a wallop for its size and cost - especially when connected via USB.
