Advice: Upgrading from ATH-M50

I think you should add the KRK KNS 8400 and the upcoming V-MODA M-100 to the list of possible cans to pick up.

Both would be good but the 550's will have less bass and the 880's are semi open but both should sound "better" to you.

 

Id also recomend the Shure SRH-840 or 940's. Not even a year ago I think most people would have said the D2000's.

Open is supposed to have a bigger soundstage usually. And you should probably get an amp... try getting a dac/amp combo... and about the k550 and dt880 I don't have them, so can't tell you anything about them

What music genres do you listen to?

 

I have the Audio Technica ATH A900x and pretty much enjoying them for music mainly classical, vocals, j-pop, k-pop (just to give you a rough idea of what music genres sound great on them) and games.

 

What I heard about the AKGs are they are better suited for male vocals due to their deeper bass while the a900x is better for female vocals. But I can't justify that since I haven't tried the k550s.

a very good all-rounder portable from A-T would be ES10. soundstage isnt that big but the imaging it produces is quite nice. can be used indoors or outside, movies, gaming (i played CS with it last time i used it and it works well), and it sounds great even if the headphone is unamped.

 

it fits your budget as well if you can get a used pair! *points at the FS section*

I think he should try to nab a pair of D2000's
 

For a few bucks more the PRO 900's. 

I am also in the same category as you, upgrading from the m50. From some of my reading a few that i have been speculating have been Denon AH D2000 (with mods), Beyerdynamic DT880, ATH A900x and AKG K701 (these are supposedly a bit difficult to amp though)
 

Even if there not mine I would say that that is the next logical step if you can spend up to $350 but it sucks that they were discontinued and thus prices have gone up.

 

With the D2000's being over $300 I would say the 550's are probably better head phones and I would suggest them if you would have come from less bass heavy cans like the 280HD PRO or something.

 

He came from the M50s which I consider slighly above average bass quantity. Probably bassier than the k550s. (haven't heard the akgs, only heard the m50s which I gave to my friend as a birthday gift.)

 

One thing to take note is that if you are choosing the k550 or a900x you have to ensure good fit. Some people can't seal properly with the k550s while some people keep getting their a900x slipping off their head. (I'm on the lucky side though)

Edited by HYHY - 9/6/12 at 11:26pm

One advantage of the 880s is that you'll have a nice level of comfort for long gaming/movie sessions. They are just as comfortable as the T1s and I can wear my T1s for hours.