How to hfi's compare to bose?

Bose are really not bad - they are just way overpriced for what you get. They will not be good matches for your stated music preferences. With that said - I'm not entirely sure what *would* be... since I don't listen to those styles. 

 

Maybe the Ultrasone Hifi-580, or Audio-Technica M50, Sony ZX-700 (or V6)... or if you like Bass - Sony XB-500

For dubstep, I prefer something that is bassy and slightly dark.  I would look for headphones that can perform without an external amp. What are you listening to music with ?

Sony XB500 is probably your best bet
It's not worth spending $150 on headphones for those genres in my opinion, as they are both generally low in detail

Premium hifi headphones are capable of producing sounds more accurately to the source material, this requires more precise parts, which raises the price
The problem here (not hating on your taste in music, I listen to a bit of dubstep myself) is that the music you listen to generally doesn't have nearly as much information for the headphone to put out, whether it be the quality of the recording, the compression, or something else
You may want to visit a place that sells hifi headphones and see if there's a huge difference when listening to your music between cheaper and more expensive headphones

Do you know what bitrate the audio files you're listening to are?
Edited by luvs2squizz - 11/13/11 at 10:34pm

Depends on the artist more than on the genre. As an example (ok, I don't think it's 100% dub step, but still), Burial tracks have plenty of details and are generally well recorded.

 

For dubstep, I'd pick headphones with a very good bass. Unfortunately around $150 I'm not familiar with any of them, but I would steer clear of anything that has "uber bass" like the Sony (that is to say, a raised frequency response in the bass) - with those genres it's going to get very tiring very soon. I'd rather pick a pair of headphones with very good extension (so not the Sony ZX700), and an nice balance between impact, texture, control. I think the TMA-1 might (not sure, haven't heard them enough) be an interesting response. I personally think they may a bit too dark, but extension is very good.

 

It would be helpful if we could know if those headphones will be used on the go (so good isolation and portability are important), or at home (many more choices). Also, if your definition of portability include bigger closed headphones such as the M50 from Audio Technica.

Not worth it in terms of price. If I were given a pair of Bose for free, I wouldn't use them. The free white buds that came with my iPod sound better. I actually kind of like the Apple buds - they sound OK and come free.

As for detail, it's the difference between looking out a window caked with dirt and mud and a window that is clean. Bose lacks detail compared to other headphones. Then thryzmre priced like a luxury good, which they aren't.

For the record, yes, I have heard Bose headphones lots of times. The first time I heard a pair was after I had a HD-650 for awhile. My initial reaction was that someone had broken the Bose since I didn't expect it to be that bad. And no, there's no brand snobbishness, either. I've owned somewhere close to 25 pairs from seven or eight manufacturers. If Bose made something worth listening to, I'd buy it.

Sennheiser HD25-1 II and your done. :)