Up to $300 budget, what would be best for my needs/prefs?

Greetings Head-Fi!

I've done a fair bit of reading already, but I wanted to know out-of-the-gate opinions without giving my thoughts concerning a new headphone choice.

I have a maximum budget of about $300 for the combination of a sound card (due to my gaming pc) and accompanied headphones.

In reality, most people seem to believe that most of that money should be spent on the headphones rather than worrying about an expensive sound card, so in all likelihood, ~$270 of that is headed toward the headphones (probably buying a Xonar DG), unless it would be better to save money and get something like the Xonar ST after getting some nice headphones and skipping the Xonar DG, keeping the on-board (which is rather new...P67 board). What do you guys think?

As for the headphones then, i guess anywhere close to $300 would be pushing it, ~$250 most preferable....but if a $180 pair sounds like it fits the bill, i'm not opposed to saving money ^_^, no need to spend for the sake of spending!

As for my preferences, I am a huge Dance/Trance/Electronica fan, and so rich and fulfilling bass is necessary/important to me (or more so, i don't want synths/highs overpowering everything else). However, it would be nice to have the flexibility for some jazz, strings, and of course, rock. I also game A LOT, so something that's going to give some girth to explosions in Battlefield 3, or the enrich the rattling of gunfire, for instance, would be nice. 

Another requirement: Comfort. A) Full Cans only. Open or closed. Nothing that lays on the ear (circumaural).

B) I currently use Sony MDR-V6's, and they get a little warm, and I guess my ears feel a little fatigued if i wear them for extended periods of time, so any headphone that would aid in staying cooler/helping with fatigue is really important as well.

Finally, does anyone think i'll notice a big difference between the MDR-V6's and $200+ headphones (considering this is an audiophile forum, this might be a dumb question to ask here ^_^)?



TL;DR 

1. UP TO ~$250 Price point pending sound card choice.
2. Sound card - Is Xonar DG worthwhile, or wait to invest in a Xonar ST?
3. Music of pref: Electronica/Dance/Trance. Lots of rock too.

4. Gaming flexibility.
5. Cans/Circumaural.

6. Long-term COMFORT and less fatiguing.
7. Worth replacing MDR-V6?

Feel free to skip the sound card Q if you have no knowledge concerning it! =)

THANKS!

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilyodysseus 

The V6 isn't bad, especially for the price. My two complaints about them are that they're somewhat physically uncomfortable because of the pad size/shape, and the sound is too fatiguing for extended music listening.
For closed, you might want to look at the KRK headphones. They're relatively easy to drive, and sound both more resolving and more pleasant than the V6. The comfort is somewhat better than the V6, particularly the memory foam pads on the higher-end KNS8400 model. I also find them pretty good for positional sound in gaming (although I mostly only play Minecraft these days).
The D2000 would also be good, if you can find it in your price range, and they might eliminate your hot ear problem.
I haven't spent much time with efficient open circumaural headphones in your price range lately. I'm tempted to recommend something in the upper end of Sennheiser's HD5xx line, but the well-regarded HD598 might not have enough bass for you.

The only worries i have concerning bass really stem from a fear of the high's being too dominant, which may or may not relate to a weakness in bass. Too often do i turn up my volume to achieve a "rich" sound, only to be overburdened by some fairly strong highs, such as synths, or high-pitched guitar parts (once in a great while...vocals too). Do you perhaps see what I'm getting at? I do love bass of course, but i do not wish to sacrifice everything else either....i don't want the sound to be murky, just controlled and rich.

The D2000's initially look the most tempting as both of you have suggested, but i fear for that screw problem. Is it fairly overblown?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DVDRey 

 

 

 

Some choice:

 

HFi580 + ST/STX

 

Pro900 (can be sibilant, but the faster and the bassiest of the three) + ??

 

D2000 + ??

I have not heard much about the Pro900 and I am intrigued...how do you feel about it compared to the D2000? 

Which of the three do you prefer?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southy013 

Ignore my DAC suggestions if an external DAC wouldn't work for your uses.

 

You can get on pre-order for the Brainwavz HM5 (equivalent to FA-003) and throw in a FiiO e10 DAC/Amp for a grand total of $185 and have a solid setup at a steal of a price.

 

http://mp4nation.net/catalog/brainwavz-hm5-studio-monitor-headphones-p-663.html

 

They're a neutral style of headphone with perhaps a very slightly warm DAC, and I've found the combo to give me a healthy amount of bass for electronica when it's in the mix.  It's certainly not a basshead headphone, but the extension and definition is quite good and since I like indie, acoustic, and instrumental along with the techno it helps to have the versatility.  The soundstage is exceptional for a closed headphone, so I imagine for gaming it would do well.  Also, the e10 has a bass boost switch, which does add some thump at the cost of some definition - good to have the option anyway.

 

There are certainly other threads discussing it so I won't gush over it more than I have already.  A good comparator to the KRKs and the D2000, similar to a Senn HD600 in sound signature, but closed.

 

Other things to consider since I'm well within budget:

 

AT M50's will give you a bit more bass quantity for a bit less extension and soundstage, but do excel in the aggressive EDM department.  $150

The NuForce uDAC 2 is a bit more colored than the e10 from what I hear, but is very popular.  $130

HRT Music Streamer II / Headstreamer is a nice little step up in quality on the DAC front for ~$150 (amazing price point for async) but if you're not driving an amp there's no analog volume control.  http://www.head-fi.org/t/582460/hrt-headstreamer-vs-hrt-music-streamer-ii

Thanks for your input. I have read about external DAC's vs sound cards, and many argue both ways in terms of which is better. Typically I have read higher end SC's like the Xonar ST/STX outdo many DAC's of equivalent or somewhat higher costs, but lower end ones do not. I have also read that for most purposes, even the Xonar DG can be sufficient and you face significant diminishing returns on anything higher than that, and its way more worthwhile to invest in your headphones at that point per dollar until you have have a nice set.

Are there any unbiased thoughts on which is best from those well versed in both? Keep in mind that I although I wouldn't necessarily mind having something external, the internal factor is rather nice in terms of a SC, and i hear they are much better suited for gaming.

Thank you for the DAC suggestions and descriptions, btw.

I have also not heard of that brand Brainwavz....i shall keep this pair in mind.

As for the AT M50's, they seem great....how much would they lack from some of the more costly counterparts? If i'm gonna go semi-big, might as well do it right. Of course, if the returns are pretty marginal from that price point, I suppose theres no need to spend the extra. And what is EDM?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DVDRey 

 

 

The pro900 is the best imo if you listen mainly to EDM, where the D2000 is a better all rounder headphone.

 

The HFi580 is a very fun headphone, but of course, with the big difference in the price, they don't have the same SQ.

 

 

If you don't mind answering, what is EDM?

On another note, it appears the main contenders as per mention thus far in my mind are: 

Ultrasone's Pro 900 - $305

Denon's AHD2000 - $285

(potentially) Audio-Technica's AT-M50 - ~$150



Any thoughts or recommendations on some others that come to mind, such as:

Shure's SRH940 - $280 (potentially the 840's too?)

Sennheiser's ???

Beyerdynamics's DT 990 600 Ohm - $245 (or how about the 250 Ohm version)
 

BTW, thanks for ALL of the responses so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AyeVeeN 

EDM = Electronic Dance Music. AKA Drum & Bass, Trance, Techno, Hardstyle, Happy Hardcore, etc.

Thank you for the clarification.

Anyone have any thoughts on my previous response? =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magick Man 

You live in the USA?

Yes indeed!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riku540 

I'm just going to leave this here...

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/527451/ultrasone-pro-900-appreciation-thread#post_7113840

This is starting to win me over...anyone know if this is reputable dealer? 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?Q=&O=&A=details&is=REG&sku=584905