HELP ! tried a bunch of phones. Haven't found the right sound yet. - Page 2

If you want really forward mids and musicality over detail or bass (without modding or spending a fortune), you might want to check out this thread.  The HD598's are supposed to sound pretty unlike any other Sennheiser headphones.  I haven't heard them, but their midrange and open soundstage are pretty widely praised.  They're definitely the first thing that came to mind when I read your preference.  The main sound quality complaints are that they're somewhat bass light, they smooth over detail, and the treble may be somewhat rolled off...but that also sounds like what you're looking for.  Beware that the headband is known for snapping in half though.

Edited by SobbingWallet - 11/3/11 at 12:25pm

I wish I could let you hear my modded dennons. Definitely more in your face and not the distant presentation of the Sennheiser brand, which I dearly love as well. The detail in the music instruments is to die for

I believe that's one hole, at least driver width. There's a thread with pics. OP for that thread tried it first with the cup removed and decided to go more permanent. Perhaps someone can assist with the link.

For the price, I also think that HD600 has very nice mids, and (with a good ss amp) a good amount of treble and bass.  By far the best mids I've ever heard were the HE-500- detailed, rich warm and very rewarding.  I like the mids even more than LDC-2.  Avoid Denons- their signature is the opposite of what you describe.

Pretty much yes you cut a circular hole from the cups, I'd say about 2 inches in diameter which gives the drivers room to breathe. These drivers are really being choked by the closed design and its actually taking away from the potential of these phones, they never should have been produced as closed, although they still do sound good closed. But once you hear them with the open back mod you'll think they sound muffled and anemic in comparison when closed. You don't even need to make the mod permanent to test it out. Just unscrew the screws from the headphone cups and take them right off. Then you unclip the ear-cups from the housing and let them rest on the frame instead of having them locked in place. I will be using Velcro to keep them in place instead of the plastic latches (this is what makes the bass super tight and brings out detail in the treble and mids). Taking the cups off expands the sound stage greatly and makes the mids (especially vocals) forward and alive.

Edited by lee730 - 11/3/11 at 10:50pm