If you had $300 to spend on headphones...

I'd say the K702 - it's a K701 with a removable cable.  It's the most accurate out of the three IMO, but does have some rolled off sub-bass.

Personally I'd cut the budget in half and spend the other half on a nice amp/DAC unless you have already taken this into consideration. Mostly the decision depends on what kind of music you listen to, whether or not sound stage is important to you and if you'd rather have an open or closed back headphone. 

Musical tastes? do you have any preference? 

You should also look into the various Grado models. Those seem to be popular around here for those that like your kind of music. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by heartofwinter 

What would you get and why?

 

I can't make my mind up between the AKG K701, Audio-Technica ATH-M50, and Beyerdynamic DT 880

 

HELP!

 

Is there anything else I should be considering? These are going to be for home-use/living-room use only for me and my girlfriend.

DT880 without a second thought.

The M50 don't belong in that trilogy good as they are.  If you don't have a great amp the K701 is a waste.

k701 needs an amp. Not sure if receiver would be good enough. I say go with the dt880. They are a little brighter but will settle down somewhat and they have a little more bass than k701.

Heya,

Going backwards, I'd get a used/sale SRH940 and a Digizoid ZO for around $300ish. It has a good sound stage for a closed headphone, it's closed, so it isolates decently, it's very comfortable, it's astonishingly detailed, clear and airy with forward highs and mids, but can be pushed high on volume and you still have little to no sibilance. It's a low impedance headphone and sensitive, so easy to drive, but benefits a little amplification. The ZO comes in to help the bass department, which is fine for most applications, but for bass-centric music, it needs a bump and the ZO provides that as well as just amplification in general. It is then an all around headphone that can be portable or desktop and cover everything fairly well.

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by heartofwinter 

Thanks for the info. Just bought a pair of DT880s on B&H's site for $230. Should be in my hands tomorrow. REALLY looking forward to them!
 

 

Congrats! Which Ohms did you go with?

already ordered the dt990

i guess grados 325 are next

Congrats, DT880 250 Ohm is fantastic. I have the 2005 version. I think they sound good straight out of my portable players. I think they sound much nicer than a Shure SRH940. I also prefer them to the overly bright (IMO) sounding K701. The M50 is a budget headphone that's several levels below DT880 in sound quality.. Good choice.