I admit, I've seen posts asking similar questions.  However they all seem to impose a budget.  I'm wondering if I'm insane and need a little validation.
 
The question of the hour is:  Price being no object, which set of cans would come with the highest recommendation for a metalhead?
 
Preface this with my current low budget set up, K702 + Icon HD.  While I love the K702 it lacks presence in the lower spectrum for my tastes.  This combo is my first descent into higher quality gear.  I enjoy the detail when, on a Shadows Fall album, I can hear the individual drum locations as they beat around my head.
 
I've been leaning towards an LCD-2 but have lately come to wonder if that's complete overkill since my preferred genre often lacks the depth and detail to take advantage of everything they may have to offer.  From what I read they should serve to fill my missing bass impact while still providing that satisfyingly crunchy midrange detail.
 
I'm willing to shell out the clams for top tier cans right now (and eventually a higher quality DAC/Amp will follow, and then cables and tubes and on and on).  However, I'd like a little feedback if I'm going the wrong direction here.
 
The bands I will be enjoying most frequently include Soilwork, All that Remains, Shadows Fall, In Flames, Sylosis and the like.

I'm sure you'll get a million different answers, but my vote would be for an Ohrenholz Magnum v4 build, which will also set you back a lot less than LCD-2s.

I'd like at the mid-fi Denon/Ultrasone basshead offerings or a pair of HD-25 if you need portability.
 
Maybe i'll check out the K702 at the next head-fi meet, i find it hard to believe they would be good for Metal.

Thanks for the feedback guys.
 
Mozu, thanks, I'll definitely check those out after work.
 
Astrozombie, you're right.  Those K702s aren't necessarily the best for my purposes.  I found a decent deal on them and thought it would be fun to get my feet wet.  They blow away all the cheapo headphones I've had before but I find myself boosting the lower end of the equalizer, which is something I'd like to avoid.

I've tried a lot of cans looking for the best metal headphones, Alessandro MS2 are my favourite. I have magnum V4's as well, they're a bit more laid back, MS2 are fun, and not harsh at all for me.
 
MS Pro were not great for metal. Have tried many more expensive headphones than the MS2 but I keep going back to them...

Thanks marts.
 
Based on the responses I'm getting, seems that I might not be dropping some major change.  Sounds like the best tool for the job isn't necessarily the most expensive.

Quote:

horsethief said:

I admit, I've seen posts asking similar questions.  However they all seem to impose a budget.  I'm wondering if I'm insane and need a little validation.
 
The question of the hour is:  Price being no object, which set of cans would come with the highest recommendation for a metalhead?
 
Preface this with my current low budget set up, K702 + Icon HD.  While I love the K702 it lacks presence in the lower spectrum for my tastes.  This combo is my first descent into higher quality gear.  I enjoy the detail when, on a Shadows Fall album, I can hear the individual drum locations as they beat around my head.
 
I've been leaning towards an LCD-2 but have lately come to wonder if that's complete overkill since my preferred genre often lacks the depth and detail to take advantage of everything they may have to offer.  From what I read they should serve to fill my missing bass impact while still providing that satisfyingly crunchy midrange detail.
 
I'm willing to shell out the clams for top tier cans right now (and eventually a higher quality DAC/Amp will follow, and then cables and tubes and on and on).  However, I'd like a little feedback if I'm going the wrong direction here.
 
The bands I will be enjoying most frequently include Soilwork, All that Remains, Shadows Fall, In Flames, Sylosis and the like.

Click to expand...

Heya,
 
Personally, for metal, I would absolutely set a budget. If any thing, metal, depending on what kind it is, can sound like a mess because it's just.. well, a mess... and a ton of it is not well recorded or mastered. Some is, naturally, but a lot of it is not. It's one of those genres that has a lot of low quality stuff and some higher quality stuff. Totally depends on what kind of metal we're talking. If you're into underground, obscure, new-startup metal that is recorded in basements, then, well, nothing will save it. But if we're talking very well produced stuff like John Petrucci, Buckethead, Opeth, Mastadon or In Flames's latest offerings, they can be very well done (just examples, I have no idea what you call metal since there's at least 20 sub-genres, if not more). For example, when I listen to the aforementioned, I'll use my high-ends even, they are that well done. But when I'm listening to some lesser metal recordings, even though I like them, there's just no saving it, it sounds like a mess. I'm sure you know what I mean since you listen to the stuff.
 
Also, there's the matter of taste. If you're a metal head from the 80's, you probably don't care much for deep bass, but if you're more into recent metal with the orchestral components and stuff, the down beat stuff, you may absolutely love big time sub bass in your metal. Some people like the attack, grain and brightness of some metal shredding, others might cringe and want it toned down. So again, it's all about taste here.
 
Sounds to me like you're someone who likes the latest metal offerings, and you want some bass in there. I'm actually surprised you could tolerate the K702's for metal. Bad recordings show up like a sore thumb in those things, especially with some low quality metal. But, maybe all your stuff is really well mastered and all.
 
Instead of going to the top shelf, I'm going to suggest some simple things: Denon D5000 on a Fiio E10, and call it a day, it will cover all your needs and provide that low end you want while giving you the great attack and sound stage you probably like. Alternatively, the Sennheiser HD650 with a NFB-12 and call it a day for something with less spiked treble, and a lot of mids and a good low end with a smooth overall listen and a good sound stage. 
 
If you want to step it up, look at the Grado GS1000 (research it big time first), look at the new Sennheiser HD700 (this looks very promising for all genres), and check out the Hifiman HE-500. Powered by NFB12, Schiit Bifrost+Lyr (or Asgard if preference) or something along those lines. No need to have a $3K source setup for metal, honestly.
 
Very best,
 

A big thanks to you MalVeauX, you've given me a lot to chew on.  You definitely hit the nail on the head.  I'm a bigger fan of more recently, better mastered, metal recordings.  I definitely hear the muck in older In Flames recordings, not a bad thing, but most of what I love is higher quality.
 
While I'm a raving fan of a good guitar solo I have the sensibilities of a subwoofer enthusiast at times.  Nothing will ever replace that, nor does it need to.  Anyway, thanks for the great explanation here, time dive back into research mode.
 
I suppose, on the positive side, I'll still have the K702s when the time comes to enjoy something a little more... organized.

malveaux said:

Also, there's the matter of taste. If you're a metal head from the 80's, you probably don't care much for deep bass, but if you're more into recent metal with the orchestral components and stuff, the down beat stuff, you may absolutely love big time sub bass in your metal. Some people like the attack, grain and brightness of some metal shredding, others might cringe and want it toned down. So again, it's all about taste here.

Click to expand...

Hence my recommendation of the Magnums. The best of both worlds.

I agree that there's a lot of terribly-produced metal, but there's quite a bit out there worth having more revealing headphones for as well, with some of the bands you mention (Heritage sounds incredible on them, much as I don't particularly like Opeth), and especially with some of the good-to-excellent-quality remasters of older material (Blind Guardian and King Diamond both come to mind here). Hell, The Ruins of Beverast - Unlock the Shrine is one of my favorite recordings, and lo-fi as it is, it's incredibly well done, and more revealing headphones have made it even more of an experience.

I suppose it really does come down to personal preference, but I can't see doing a lot of metal listening on "veiled" headphones (my HTF600s are laughably bad in this respect), and along this line the Denons are definitely a good recommendation as well.

My $0.02.

Ultrasone for metal. I love my HFI 780's for it.

I enjoy metal with my AD2000. It's my best headphone for fast-paced music. My only complaint is that it lacks bass punch.

A sincere thanks to everyone.  The plan now is to go for the Denons and start worrying more about source control.  I've enjoyed my Icon HD, but am still looking forward to something dedicated, like the Bifrost.
 
You guys have created a great environment here at Head-Fi, and I really appreciate your input.

Sorry for asking a question in your post, horsethief, but I don't feel like starting a new thread while we're on the topic of cans for metal.
Can someone please make a comparison among DT 880, DT 990, AHD2000, HFI 780, SR 325i, Q701, in terms of definition, speed, and aggressiveness? Any comment is greatly appreciated.

Don't overlook planars, especially electrostatics. Metal needs speed most of all, especially the more extreme stuff, and electrostatics are the fastest drivers there are. This can be a two-edged sword since they're also generally too revealing for badly produced music. However to combat that you can use something with a relatively tame top end to keep excessive recording brightness under control. The Omega 2 does that well and price no object it would be a good contender for metal. Of course you need a beefy amp to really wake up its dynamics and control its bass, so you're looking at a BHSE or something similar, but hey, you did say price no object, right? Though even with a 717 or similar amp I think it does fairly well for metal too.

The Grado headphones are better match for these genres music and will recommend to try RS1i(warm, more upfront mids, highs and has good bass respose), GS1000i(warm, bassier than RS1i but still very detailed in mids highs and has wider soundstage) and they offers peed, details and overall punchy, warm soundsignature and they are easy to drive. The other cans like Ultrasone Pro2900, Edition 9, LCD-2, ATH-AD1000 are recommended too.