I do love deep sub-bass but also would like a decent amount of clarity as well. I like a darker, warmer, fun sounding headphone to listen to internet radio stations with. I do listen to my cd collection on occasion but not that much. I have had the XB500 for the last three years and have really enjoyed it. I would like to move up to a better quality headphone but stay in the $150 range, give or take a few bucks. I listen primarily to EDM, hip-hop, and pop and have a Vali/Modi stack if the headphones need some help.  My source is my Acer laptop which has a pretty decent sound card. Sound isolation is not a consideration since I will only be using these at home.
 
As mentioned in the title I am trying to choose between the L1, the HD 380 and XB700 based on various threads on this forum. Is there any of these that stand out or should I be considering different phones?  Thanks for any help you can give me!

What's up. I will start of off by saying that really only one of those headphones on your list will be very bass heavy. That being the Sony xb700's which by the way as far as I can find is actually about $250 due to the fact that they are discontinued. The xb800's are about in the $150 dollars though but they are fairly hard to find and not as bassy . Anyway, that's not the point, the point is that any of the Sony Xb series (other than the xb1000 which are also discontinued and are being sold on ebay for $600) will have pretty bad mids even though they do have a lot of bass. However, I do think that the HD 380's and the fidelio L1 will have better mids and highs but not as bassy than the xb700's. I do have two recommendations that may match what you are looking for better. The first of the two would be the Skullcandy crushers. Don't laugh because they are skullcandys though. They will shake your face off with bass but not only that, they have a fully adjustable amp in the earcup that allows for harder bass or softer bass. They are certainly not good at mids and highs, they are one of the best for the money and for the bass that you get. They are sold at around $100 give or take depending on the place. The second recommendation that I have is the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S. They are actually very cheap at $30 but they sound like they are $150 headphones. Great bass along with great mids and highs. These really are a steal and I would pick one up today if I where you. You can get the crushers and the Panasonic's for under your budget of $150. I would recommend getting a small, cheap amp for the Panasonic as it tends to give it a fuller sound. DON"T use a amp for the crushers though. Using a bass boosting eq setting on a amp would be suicide with the crushers. Anyway, I hope I was helpful.

Bassbanger - Thanks for that response!  Excellent suggestions. I know the XB700s are more than my budget but I have an opportunity to buy them lightly used for $150. However, I will look into both of your suggestions and will most probably purchase the $30 phone anyway. How can you go wrong with that??? I have actually heard good things about the Crushers on this forum despite the bad press that Skullcandy gets. I'm not too thrilled with having to use AAA batteries though. That's the only thing holding me back and wanting to hear better mids and highs. Thanks again.

Go for the ES FC300. I have the XB500 and L1 and the FC300 DEFINITELY wins out imo. Best bass too.

By all means I would go with the xb700 if you can get them used. They will probably be worth a LOT of money down the road. I would also say just go with the $30 Panasonic too. You cant go bad with them. The crushers actually take 1 AA and I have had mine for a couple months now and I haven't had to replace the battery once and I have used them heavily.  I notice that the mids and highs are better than xb700's though due to the fact of the adjustable bass however the crushers do have a echo about them which is supposed to magnify the bass but can give some distortion to the sound due to the boomyness . But, lets not forget that there are Eq's and at least mine can save the crushers as well as my friends xb500's and other bassy headphones that I have listened to.

Trunks - Thanks for that suggestion. That is a headphone I never would have known about. I will definitely look into it.

Bassbanger - You are right about the XB700s being worth something down the road since my XB500s have increased way over the $50 I paid for them. I have used an EQ with them and have vastly improved their sound. Good to know about the Crushers battery life though. I wonder if a DAC would help with them to clean up their sound? Thanks again for the response - very helpful!

The entire XB line has gone the way of the MDR-V6/7506.

Taobao is flooded with XB500 for sale at $44 to $93 and the XB700 priced at $12 to $20.

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.3.BUAGYN&id=16798875707

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=21361167031

Marone - Wow! Thanks for those links! I have to say I would love to get my hands on a pair of XB1000s but the price tag would sink my wallet. I will definitely check out those links.

Bassbanger - I know this thread is kind of old but I wanted to thank you for your reccomendation of the RP HTF 600s. They are amazing! I have had them for almost a month and they are my favorites! I also bought the Crushers but returned them. I didn't like the bass slider and they were too uncomfortable for me. Just thought you would appreciate the feedback.