Sennheiser HD650 or AKG K701

k701 is known for lacking bass at least for rock,
and sennheiser mid-fi headphones doesn't handle that good "heavy" genres.

The 650 is the better choice. 

 

In the U.S. the Q 701 (improved and with stornger bass than the K 701) costs almost exactly half the price of the 650.  The AKG Q 701 is by for the better value here.

 it's very annoying how the old HI-FI are now MID-FI.... but that is another matter...

 

neither 702 nor 650 are good for your genres

 

go check out the D2Ks or Grado. they are more fitting for your preferences. But keep in mind that Grado HPs are pretty uncomfortable to wear.

Tough to say - I liked the K701 with classic/modern rock more than the Sennheisers, but I liked the Sennheisers more with grunge. Why? Because one is brighter and one is darker, respectively.

The Sennheiser are ultimately more forgiving and relaxed, and more listenable with a variety of genres. The K701 are more analytical, and may render some recordings fairly lifeless (albeit very technically well). Both are good choices at the end of the day. Neither are portable headphones. They neither isolate nor survive portable (ab)use. I would be cautious with the "Grado for rock" hypothesis as well - just because they're very bright doesn't make them the ideal here. They can be a lot of fun though - certainly would consider it. Would also look at the Sony MDR-SA5000. Again, neither are portable.

Based on your post that hit after I posted mine (>.<), I'd suggest the Sennheiser HD 600 or HD 650, or the Sony SA5000. I think that there should've been a "Michael Jackson Edition" SA5000 - it would've been very suitable. They do well with other genres as well, but don't have a ton of bass extension, and were recently discontinued; so finding a set is probably going to take a bit of looking (I think HeadRoom still has them, they pop up from time to time on the FS forum, you might find them on Amazon, etc).


If we're talking in the realm of portable cans, you want something that's closed and compact, that will handle being smacked around a bit. And I'll always come back to suggesting IEMs for such use.

Also, can we not have the "mid-fi v hi-fi" discussion, yet again?

EDIT
Oh, and OP - thanks for mentioning Michael Jackson. I was on the hunt for a new album to load up.
Edited by obobskivich - 6/11/12 at 4:50pm

 

I (mostly) disagree--although the Denon (the D5000 & 7000 would be even better) and are Grado excellent cans in their own right and would work well for OP's intended use (assuming he's OK with a "v" shaped EQ in the case of the D2000 & a very bright and forward house sound of the Grado SR line).

 

The K 701 is a bit bass light.  However the the Q 701 (which is cheaper than the K 701 in the U.S.) has better bass.   The Q 701 bass is equal to or batter than all the SR Grados, except perhaps for the 325.

Edited by KG Jag - 6/11/12 at 4:50pm

Good for everything, doesn't mean it excels in anything. Heavy genres are not exactly mainstream.
If you want good "all rounder", sennheiser hd650 is popular, but I believe you won't be happy while listening to metal.
Well depend of your taste too.
I liked the srh940 for fast paced music, but I'm unhappy regarding their built quality.
Now, I have the hd800, but I prefer them for classical above anything else.

Except for the $700 Sony, all the cans we have talked about are open and not well suited for portable/out-in-public use.

 

Good points about the closed 940.  I would add that is a bit bass light (for many)--even when compared to the down line SRH 840.

From memory (and someone chime in if I'm out in a field ) - the 650 is darker/bassier. I'm more comfortable suggesting the 600 or 580 (I lived with the 580 for half a decade; they're unavailable new anymore though - basically identical to the 600 sans grilles), because I feel that they come with enough bass/darkness as-is. The 650 also costs substantially more due to the MAP, and at $500 I'm really not impressed by any of them; save up another hundred or so and go big - Koss ESP/950 (don't need to worry about an amp either; comes with it's own). Again, none of this is for portable use. But the 600s for $300-$400; that's a bit more passable. I still cringe at those prices ( the HD 580s were $300 SRP in the early 1990s and sold for around $200-$250 new for most of their life (and at some points that included their amp/DSP box), I think I paid like $230 for mine including taxes (this was years ago mind you) - it's just disgusting to see that at almost TRIPLE the price for marginal improvements and a fancier box).

Do you mean the MDR-SA5000? They're open as well, and have one of the longest fixed cables of any headphone I've ever used (and it's reportedly not the most durable thing - never had issues with mine, but who knows if that's typical). Otherwise another can got mentioned, and the only $700-ish Sony I can think of that's recent is the Z1000; those are certainly portable cans, but I haven't heard them.
Edited by obobskivich - 6/11/12 at 5:02pm

I think the HD600 is worth checking out. It handles all genres well and sounds a little more exciting than the 650.

it feels so wrong to not mention DT880 when a discussion involves both 701 and 650... oh well...