New to the audiophile world - M50, Pro700Mk2 or Other?

Over the past week or so I've been visiting the forums and other websites a lot looking into what'd be a nice replacement set of cans for my Sony NC-7 (actually thought these were good for a while, with the 'cancellation' turned on). I guess I owe it to my audiophile friend for dragging me in a bit, after seeing and sampling his higher end (from my perspective) headphones, Sony MDR V6 and Shure 440s (with 840 pads). I'm not sure my ears are trained well enough to discern the full difference but I'd like a more capable set of headphones regardless - sound isolation is also a big concern for me, as well as comfort and the subjective factor of style.

The often suggested M50's appeal to me a lot - I like what I hear about their sound, and they look great. Nowadays they sell for a little more than I'd like to pay, but still in the running.

More recently I've stumbled across the ATH Pro700Mk2, which are said to be real great for bass.

With the different sound signatures in mind, with the following artists and genres, will either have a significant edge?

Alternative, Punk, Progressive Metal, Pop Rock, Dance, J-rock, some orchestral, some dubstep

Artists: Tool, Paramore, Chevelle, Story of the Year, Uverworld, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metric

With the m50s being described as the best all rounders, are the Pro700Mk2 too much of a bass head can to do any good or comparable vocal work? When I hear that the Mk2s are less capable for vocals I wonder what sort of genres fall under this weakness. Will EQ be able to make up this?

Again comfort, and especially isolation (with alternative pad options considered), are also factors I'd like to compare on.

Open to other suggestions, keeping in mind 150s the max I'd like to spend... and I might just eliminate based on unappealing design.

Sort of odd inclusion but are there any chain stores I could look out for where I could try these headphones at out?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rawrbington 

yeah i woudln't order anything from that link.  let alone m50s which are already well known to be faked all the time

Wouldn't even consider it. Anyways wasn't looking for a site to order, already do my own searching for reputable retailers online. Was interested in a brick and mortar location to try these out- so without being specific on where I live, wondered if there were any chains. Are music stores (the type that sell instruments that is) worth a look?

^No deals on the M50 but the Mk2 are available on BuyDig.com for 134.95 and free shipping. Tempting. But a nice set of replacement pads (the few reviews I've seen recommend it highly, as they say the stock ones are uncomfortable) will put it up at the same level as the M50s. Oh well.. I'd buy the pads later when the cash is there.

Well I ended up going the usual route getting the M50s. Can't say I'm unhappy, but wasn't blown away. I guess I had set the bar fairly high for these phones. And maybe my source and other equipment isn't optimal for getting the full performance out of these... and of course burn-in is still a factor. About 10 hours in. I've heard some say realistically, that's as much as they need but other say up to 40 you can hear noticeable changes. Of course there's the possibility the sonic signature isn't to my liking but the amp EQs provide some options there. Bass heavy songs are definitely more enjoyable on these than any headphone I've owned in the past or had a lengthy experience with. That said, maybe the lack of wow being a touch too warm for me? Then there's other times I think the "clinical" adjective to describe them is fitting, but that doesn't seem to go with what I think when one says warm.

I think I've heard it said the mids become better over burn-in; possibly hearing that. Not sure if it's helping my impressions or not/ The bass is definitely more present it seems, which is definitely their strength for me at the moment.

Can't see how anybody finds the headband uncomfortable. Sure it's not luxuriously soft or feather light, but it's really not much of a factor. The pads themselves did have some uncomfort - but after wearing them a while and messing around with extender settings I'm getting them worn in. Taking some breaks from headphone wearing isn't terrible either anyway. The heat does build up over time, but since it's around-ear it's more tolerable than long listening periods on on-ears I find (like the Bose QC3).

My biggest problems I'm not sure what to do about include the LOD cable (L1, part of a bundle) from FiiO seems to be losing contact whenever the cable gets twirled/rotated too much or the slightly thicker insulation part near the dock end gets bent too much.

Then there's the issue of how to manage this mass of cables from using the straight version while on the go. I was a bit impatient and just went for the straight version they had in stock at Guitar Center. Might take em up on the return offer to have the coiled cable version ordered if this straight cable becomes too much of a hassle (I don't move around a ton while having the headphones hooked up to my computer, although I get them to reach long enough to lie down in the bed). They're primarily hooked up to a portable source so I should really have got the coiled cable for that reason.