Four cans in my cart: DT990, SR225, ESW9, D2000

SR-225: You obviously enjoy the SR-60... so this is obviously a shoe-in. It's probably the first Grado that has the full-flavor of the higher end models. It doesn't have any amp or power requirements and responds well to any source really just as long as it's not overly bright.

HD600: Great can, scales well with higher end equipment, giving you more stuff to shop for if you really enjoy this hobby and shopping for various sources and amps to pair with each other. It's a neutral can, so it's not dark, with emphasis on midrange and bass like it's HD650 brother. Moreso on upper mids and treble while still giving you a meaty bottom end when you're listening to harder hitting music.

DT990: Just mushy and sloppy in presentation compared to the other two. Now I tried to like this headphone based on the fact that it was supposed to be a more exciting version of the DT-880s but they let me down a bunch. One thing that they are awesome with is movies and games just because you really do appreciate the big boomy signature for those types of things but over the long run, you probably want something that does the job the right way the first time.

ESW9: I have nothing bad to say about these. I like the ES7, but it feels like they're held back a bit. The ESW9 and 10 change this and give the mids "breathing room". For a closed can they sure can breath and give you a natural midrange and the bass retention is good and bass is precise and controlled which I like. The treble is polite so it's not ear piercing with poor recordings that tend to be bright and screechy. These are more portable cans though and they lack the soundstage and engaging-ness of the bigger cans. Also because they're closed they'll never be as airy as some music demands.

D2000: Boomy, but great. Everything about this headphone except the construction (the cups hang from tiny screws that are prone to breakages randomly). Sounds wonderful, is very open to modding such as dynamatting the interior of the cups as well as replacing the cups entirely! Also notoriously easy to recable yourself with something like Mogami or Cardas and it actually can improve the sound sometimes.

As for Vinyl, it's pretty expensive to acheive the same level of sound quality that a decent quality DAC can provide. Again some people pay the price due to their romance with vinyl and how cool it is, but DAC's really have all the glory these days since most music is digitally bought now.

Hope that helps!

It's really a cointoss between HD600, D2000 and your choice of Grado really.

I'd upgrade to the 325i if you're considering the 225s, and like the Grado sound.  Its between the Grado and the Sennheiser for me.  I've heard the DT990 directly compared to my HD650s and 325is a few times listening to rock, metal, pop, and electronic and it just doesn't compare in my opinion.  Bass is fantastic, but it feels like a distinct component of the sound instead of meshing well into an overall sound.  I mean... they're good you wouldn't regret them, but in comparison.  Can't comment on the ESW9s but if you didn't like the ES7 that much I wouldn't expect a big difference( from what I've read)

Edit; just read your last paragraph about upgrade vs. different sound flavor.  In that case, I know where you're coming from and I would personally go with the Sennheiser's if i'm looking for a different sound, as well as an upgrade. 

To me the Grado SR60's shine the most, really the bump has to be up to 325 to make it worth it.  I've heard the 225's, 325's and RS1, and the 325 and RS1 are the only ones that made a notable difference from the SR60's.  Maybe it was the sources/amps, but my ears couldn't pick it up.

The other cans you mention in your cart, I cannot comment on...I've been wanting to pick up the DT990's but they do not get the love that the 880s do around here...

If you like the HD485, I feel an HD600 (my personal favorite can) would be a good step up...they do well with almost any music style and do well with a simple amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magnum22 

Excellent opinions, guys.  I think I can narrow it down to the HD600 and the SR225/325 at this point.  I have a feeling i will end up owning both.

 

I'm a bit surprised by the 325 suggestions.  It seems so widely agreed that the 225 is the sweet spot and you're not getting much for that extra $95.  Maybe that was before the "s" was added.

I've noticed this too and I think its been a change in the past few months.  Personally I heard the 225 which made me by the 325is and 225i and listen to them both.  325is is just imo better- more bass and less congested sounding 

I have owned all of the headphones talked about here and I prefer the D2000.  I do think that you have to drive them correctly or the bass is a tad boomy, but I really enjoy them for listening to Foobar2000 on random.  If you have a particular genre of music you listen to more than the others than perhaps one is better than the other.

Grado can are a lot of fun.  I had a pair of RS-1i a while back, but I could not justify the cost for such an uncomfortable headphones.  They also did not sound that great with jazz which is a huge part of my collection now.  The 325 is where the Grados really improve.  If you check out their specs on the Grado site both the bass and treble parts of the frequency response extend at the 325 level so you really notice the sound change.  The measurements show different results.  The SR-60 honestly has the deepest bass response due to the foam pads rather than the bowls.  I ended up selling my RS-1i and keeping my DT990.

The Sennheiser HD-600 and HD-650 are really nice headphones, but they are exceptionally laid back.  Just like the HD-800 the 600/650 suffer from a soundstage that induces a kind of muffling.  It always sounds like you are listening to music through a thick pillow.  It will end up driving you crazy and you may regret your purchase.  Yes the 650 is the better sounding can.  I have done many A/B tests with both through my m903 and the 650 was more pleasing, but both had that laid back sound.  This is again why I like the DT990.  The DT990 is much more up-front sounding.

The D2000 is a can than reaches many of our top 10 because it is a really fun can.  No it is not as flat as the LCD-2, but it is not $960 either.  When properly driven the bass mellows.  They remain on my top 10 list as well as the Top 10 list at Headphone.com.

Before I go to crazy on more expensive cans first try a pair of ATH-M50's.  They really performed better to my ears than the HFI-780.  See the charts below for some evidence of this.

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2941&graphID[]=3201

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/audio-technica-ath-m50.php

From there try a pair of Denon D2000.