[burningv]

I've been looking through a lot of best headphone threads and it seems that the RS-1i are the best choice for metal. I listen to a lot of 80s thrash, 80-90s death metal and third wave black metal. I also listen to other metal subgenres like heavy metal, doom metal and other music genres such as hardcore punk, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and post-rock to lesser degrees. With that being said, are the RS-1i the best choice or are there any headphones in the $500-$700 range that perform better? Treble is of utmost importance to me, but bassy headphones are welcome too so much as they don't get muddy in the mix. 

 

[Gwarmi]

RS-1 or 325i. Get a spare set of flat pads from Grado so you can see what is best for you
across all metal material between the standard bowls and flats.
 
If you want a closed can instead then the Ultrasone Pro 990 would be worth a listen.
 
 

 

[Bojamijams]

I'm a metal guy and found that the SR-225 is the sweet spot for me.  325 was too bright and RS-1 was too expensive.  Metal genre, in general, doesn't have the fidelity that the RS-1 can extract over the 225 so might as well save money.  Especially with modern music, with it being brickwalled by digital compression, the RS-1 simply isn't utilized to its maximum.
 
Now, if you were to listen to blues/classic rock then I'd say get the RS-1.

 

[Ouspensky]

Another headphone famous for its speed and sounding great with fast metal, like thrash and death metal is the sony mdr-SA5000. I own the sr225 and I prefer the sa5000, but it is a bit more expensive for me.

 

[espandon]

Record quality is also important when it comes to upper class Grados.
 
Sometimes it is very painful to listen because of noise and weird signals due to poor record quality. And it is a well known problem with most of the metal bands especially if you listen to lots of underground or less famous bands. So my advice is: Unless you are considerably confident with the record quality of the groups you love, RS1 might be a bit too much for our genre. Stick to 225 which is also great.
 
Just my 2 pence.