Making First Big Purchase Tomorrow.

I would go with the AKG Q701 instead of the HD-650 and the HE-500 instead of the HE-400.  The HD-650 has a terrible veil and the only way I could get adequate sound out of it was to turn the volume up where it starts to hurt my ears.  The Q701 has a very similar sound signature, but is much more up front sounding and thus has no veil.

 

The HE-400 is one of those compromise headphones that I just cannot recommend.  It is far inferior to the HE-500 which I find worth every penny.  If you want something with a slightly warm sounding go with the Sennheiser Momentum.

Edited by NA Blur - 12/7/12 at 1:50pm

That isn't true. I don't know what kind of rock you listen too, but I own the q701's and I ONLY listen to rock. The bass response is a bit low, but if you equalize it right, they are awesome headphones. I am not going to blame you for choosing other headphones, but I am really trying to battle that stereo type.

I recommend the denon d600

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Denon-Music-Maniac-AH-D600-Audiophile-Grade-Over-Ear-Headphones-Open-Box-/271111995554?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item3f1f88c0a2 (yes it is ebay, but they are an authorized retailer and they aren't charging the insane 500 dollars that amazon is asking for)

The denon 2000 (I know that they can be found for under 400, but amazon is overcharging for them....by a lot. Heck, they are even charging over the MSRP, maybe someone can help out with a link)

Lastly, if you want to wait, AKG is going to be releaseing the K267 which is supposed to have an extremely good bass response.

650 is veiled to most ears, but i have  a friend who just love to snooze in this dope of a can.

If u have the patience$$, maybe  some gears-tweaking will bring out the magic for u.

I love the hd600 though, the bass isnt accentuated...so am not sure if it will ROCK u...your ears i mean.

 

Momentum has small "circumaural" earcups...so be careful. How big is your earflaps..?

Quite balance-sounding, Not sure if this will have enough basskick for u too.

 

At the moment, i am quite struck by the Beyer DT1350, it is a portable...

but the tesla driver sound is super-clear, and the bass in this tiny can is surprisingly strong.

Clear n precise enough for classicals, jazz is lively.. if u need the bass its there.

 

The flavor of the month is the akg k167...supposed to sound like a "500bucks" can...lol...i havent heard it..

u can be our informer. :P

Led Zeppelin, Queen, Doors, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Foghat, Cream, Jimmi Hendrix, Pat Benetar, Joan Jet and the Black Hearts, Alice Cooper, Deep purple, and many Japanese rock bands sound great.

Now please keep in mind, I paired my headphones with the asus essence stx sound card, and I used the electri-q equalizer to dial these headphones to perfection, and I can feel the percussion and the bass guitar extremely well without it overshadowing the mids and highs. I would say that these headphones are great for well balanced rock experience. To me, the type of songs that give the K7xx a bad reputation seem to be stuff like dubstep or they are simply fools who haven't equalized the headphones.

The other two headsets that I really like for rock are the audio technica 900x and the music series two headphones from http://www.alessandro-products.com/main.php?p=headphones here. (essentially alessandro headphones are upgraded grado headphones, but in this case, the upgrade is actually well worth the money. )

To me in my personal experience. 900x=good sound/max comfort. Q701=great sound (unless you listen to rap or dubstep)/good comfort. Alessandro MS2= Best sound (for your budget and the type of music)/lacking in comfort, but NOT uncomfortable.

The 900x doesn't have a lot of punch. The music seems a bit washed out, but it can be gained back with a lot of equalization. However, the equalization that I tend to prefer is on the border line of distorting the sound, so be careful. The headphones make up for it and then some with their comfort. You can easily fall asleep in these things (i say that from unintended experience ).

The Alessandro has the best sound out of the three. There isn't even a competition. However, I really don't care for the ear cups or the head band. I prefer it when my ears aren't being touched and only my head is the only thing supporting the headphones. Now technically there are some cups you can get the help that. I haven't messed with that though. The other thing is the headband doesn't have a lot of give. I find it a tad uncomfortable. At the same time though, it could just be my headphones. A lot of people say they are super comfy, so maybe I just need to fiddle with the headband adjustment.

The AKG headphones are a hybrid between the two. The sound is much more present and more clear than the 900x, but it is not quite as good as the alessandro's. The comfort level is also pretty high, but not as good as the 900x. Yet the only reason I haven't been able to fall asleep in these is because the music captivates your attention too much. This combination is why I like them so much. It is comfy AND sounds good.

Please keep in mind that the comfort of these headphones are solely my opinion, but I haven't seen many people argue with where I rank the sound quality between the three headphones, and I can tell you for absolute certainty that the alessandros have the best sound quality by far, but you might have to add some cups and some extra foam to the headband if you are anything like me.