[wroachbarrette]

Dear forum,
  I am currently using the ath-m50's and the ath-a500x's for a majority of my listening needs. I use the a500x's while I am at home and the m50's while on the road because of their durability and portability. I love the m-50's and think that the a500x's are also a good headphone, but I am looking to upgrade the a500x's to something a little better. I've got to say, I love my bass, however, I am really looking for headphones with great sound-stage. I game allot and when I do I prefer to use headphones as I am currently living in dorms through college and don't want to irritate my roommates. So I am wondering, what's the best pair of headphones, preferably closed back headphones to help with sound leakage, that will fit my needs?
 
Other notes: for an amplifier I am using a turtle beach earforce DSS "I gamed before started seriously listening to music and it has suited my needs thus far" and I am in the process of restoring an old tube amp to become my new primary amplifier.
 
Thanks for any advice and help in advanced, I have done a fair bit of research in this so far but could use all the help I can get from individuals more experienced than I

 

[TenMoonsNorth]

Beyerdynamic DT770

 

[Me x3]

I don't know many closed headphones with great soundstage (Beyerdynamic T5p for example).
 
I have a pair of Fidelio L1, which are semi open, and don't leak much sound, but its soundstage is probably not as wide as you might expect.
 
Beyerdynamic DT880 is probably a good option to consider. This are semi open headphones with a smooth and well extended frequency response and a quite bright/detailed sound signature.
 
If you decide buying open headphones, there are a lot of good ones for soundstage lovers:
 
AKG K701/K702
AKG Q701
Sennheiser HD600
Sennheiser HD598
Pioneer Se-A1000
Audiotechnica Ad1000x
Audiotechnica Ad900x
 
Best Luck!

 

[CJG888]

Audio Technica ATH-A900X (the AD900X is the open version).

 

[cocolinho]

Quote:

If you decide buying open headphones, there are a lot of good ones for soundstage lovers:
 
AKG K701/K702
AKG Q701
Sennheiser HD600
Sennheiser HD598
Pioneer Se-A1000
Audiotechnica Ad1000x
Audiotechnica Ad900x
 
Best Luck!

I would not say that HD600 have a wide soundstage, they are very good though

 

[blueangel2323]

I don't know many closed headphones with great soundstage (Beyerdynamic T5p for example).
 
I have a pair of Fidelio L1, which are semi open, and don't leak much sound, but its soundstage is probably not as wide as you might expect.
 
Beyerdynamic DT880 is probably a good option to consider. This are semi open headphones with a smooth and well extended frequency response and a quite bright/detailed sound signature.
 
If you decide buying open headphones, there are a lot of good ones for soundstage lovers:
 
AKG K701/K702
AKG Q701
Sennheiser HD600
Sennheiser HD598
Pioneer Se-A1000
Audiotechnica Ad1000x
Audiotechnica Ad900x
 
Best Luck!

 
The AKG K701/K702/Q701 have the biggest soundstage out of any headphone south of the HD800. However they are quite bass light so it might not be to your taste. Alternatively you can get the iFi iCAN amp which has a great analogue soundstage enhancement function that sounds great, which cannot be said for most soundstage enhancements.

 

[wroachbarrette]

Thanks for the list and thanks to everyone else who responded. As I understand it, open backed headphones tend to have some slightly better sound stage, but do tend to leak. Also, and please correct me if I'm wrong, open cans tend to be less responsive in the bass range in comparison to their closed back relatives? If this isn't true and there are open cans that don't leak very much I have no reason to not consider open headphones instead of closed

 

[FraGGleR]

All open headphones will leak.  Most quite a bit.  In general, completely closed headphones won't have a soundstage comparable to open headphones without some sort of artificial enhancement.  Open vs closed doesn't impact bass as much, as there are plenty of bass-heavy open headphones.  
 
A good headphone that might be in the sweet spot for you could be the Denon AH-D2000.  They are a vented closed headphone meaning that they don't completely seal, they leak more sound than a completely closed headphone, but not as much as open or semi-closed headphones.  They also have a good soundstage for a closed headphone and have very good bass.  
 
For an open headphone that could be good for you if you are ok with more sound leakage is the K702 Anniversary edition.  They have a very good soundstage, but with the added bass that they have over its family members, a nicely balanced presentation.
 
Really, you need to rank your requirements since I don't think there are any perfect headphones for you in your price range.

 

[Me x3]

Quote:

Thanks for the list and thanks to everyone else who responded. As I understand it, open backed headphones tend to have some slightly better sound stage, but do tend to leak. Also, and please correct me if I'm wrong, open cans tend to be less responsive in the bass range in comparison to their closed back relatives? If this isn't true and there are open cans that don't leak very much I have no reason to not consider open headphones instead of closed

 
Most Semi-Open headphones don't leak much sound.
 
Frequency response isn't everything, but often you can get some useful information from it.
 
In this graph, DT880 (Semi-Open) vs DT770 (Closed)

There you can see that DT880 has a smoother frequency response thanks to its semi open design, while the DT770 is not as smooth but is louder when reproducing bass notes (from 20Hz to 150Hz)

 

[wroachbarrette]

Thanks for the reply and recommendations, I have begun to realize that my price range really is the limiting factor. If I raised the amount to five-hundred however, would my options change.

All open headphones will leak.  Most quite a bit.  In general, completely closed headphones won't have a soundstage comparable to open headphones without some sort of artificial enhancement.  Open vs closed doesn't impact bass as much, as there are plenty of bass-heavy open headphones.  

A good headphone that might be in the sweet spot for you could be the Denon AH-D2000.  They are a vented closed headphone meaning that they don't completely seal, they leak more sound than a completely closed headphone, but not as much as open or semi-closed headphones.  They also have a good soundstage for a closed headphone and have very good bass.  

For an open headphone that could be good for you if you are ok with more sound leakage is the K702 Anniversary edition.  They have a very good soundstage, but with the added bass that they have over its family members, a nicely balanced presentation.

Really, you need to rank your requirements since I don't think there are any perfect headphones for you in your price range.

I have heard good things about the K702, is the anniversary edition actually better than the normal though?

 

[xkonfuzed]

I'm surprised the DT990 hasn't been mentioned yet. It has excellent bass with a very wide soundstage. It does require amplification though.

 

[GearMe]

' I've got to say, I love my bass, however, I am really looking for headphones with great sound-stage...preferably closed back headphones'
 
Quote:

Beyerdynamic DT770

 
+1
 
If open is possible then the DT-990

 

[blueangel2323]

Yes most open headphones are weaker in the sub-bass department than closed headphones. However if you like bass and want an open headphone there is the Philips X1 - Google InnerFidelity's review. Lots of bass and soundstage is pretty good, not quite Q701 huge but more like an HD600. The biggest sound stage in a closed headphone I know of is the AKG K550, but it's also light on the bass if you don't get a good seal, and the clamp is very light so it's difficult to get a good seal.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Audio Technica ATH-A900X (the AD900X is the open version).

+1 ATH-A900X
And as they are only 40-Ohm, very easy to drive.

 

[wroachbarrette]

Thanks for every ones input, I know they fall a little under the price I quoted, but after doing some more research I stumbled upon the  Philips Fidelio X1.  They are supposed to have good soundstage and bass, what do you think?