[whosaidpigeon]

Hi everyone,
 
I'm an (almost) total noob when it comes to all of this headphone stuff. I know enough to get myself in trouble   Been lurking these boards for a while, but just joined up as I am seeking some advice.
 
A bit of background:
 
About 6 months ago I got a pair of Sennheiser HD598s for a great deal. I grabbed them based on the fact that I wanted a pair of open cans and a lot of people on Head-Fi and other sites gave them great reviews. It also helped that I own an old pair of Sennheiser MX270 (i think) ear buds and I think they sound great.  6 months in and the HD598s are great. I use them for gaming and music and they are super comfortable for long sessions, have great sound detail and I'm finally getting used to the colour scheme, BUT... the neutral sound is a double edge sword. I find with some of my music it is lacking any sparkle and sounds a bit dull.
 
So in summary I love my HD598s, but sometimes I want something with a bit more oomph. I listen to a reasonable range of music genres, most sound great, but I find that hard rock & alternative really suffer under the 598s.
 
From reading around I'm thinking that maybe the Grado SR80e or Alessandro MS-1 (depending on which I can find here) might be a good option. I'd also be willing to go with ear buds, but I've found in the past that canalphones don't seem to fit my ears too well and I find them uncomfortable. I'd be willing to try them though if anyone can suggest a comfortable pair.
 
Now for the tricky part. I'm in Australia and that means getting access to a lot of headphones is either difficult or too expensive. I certainly don't have any decent shops around me that I can just go and try headphones.   The Grados run around $150 down this way. That is pushing the upper limit of my budget as I don't want to spend a lot. For reference the 598s RRP for around $260; I picked them up for $229.
 
I wondering what advice the sages can lay on me. It might be that I can't get anything within my budget and I'll have to live with what I've got. Which is also fine by me. As I said the 598s really are a great headphone for me.
 
Cheers,
Matt.

 

[Rhamnetin]

The Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro would compliment the HD 598 well.

 

[JoshMo]

I do not know if a lateral move will necessarily make you any happier. Have you tried amplifying the headphones? What is your current source? Often low impedance headphones like the HD598's aren't getting enough juice to live up to their potential.

 

[obobskivich]

I think Grado would be a good choice - there is the SR-60 if that's any cheaper; they're also very good. Ultrasone, like the HFI-2400, would also get you a very different and punchier sound. Beyerdynamic, as previously mentioned, is worth a look too (its been so long since I've heard one that I'm hesitant to suggest a specific model though). You might also consider Audio-Technica or Koss if those are available at good prices; kind of shooting blind without knowing what's available to you though.

 

[alynx]

+1 for the DT 990.
 
If u want to go cheap, the Superlux HD 681 Evo maybe an option, too.

 

[whosaidpigeon]

  I do not know if a lateral move will necessarily make you any happier. Have you tried amplifying the headphones? What is your current source? Often low impedance headphones like the HD598's aren't getting enough juice to live up to their potential.

 
True about the amp.  I generally listen to music direct through my iPhone (either high rate aac or lossless), but when I'm gaming (PlayStation) I normally listen through my low end Pioneer A/V receiver with headphone out.  Maybe I should try music through this as well.
 

I think Grado would be a good choice - there is the SR-60 if that's any cheaper; they're also very good. Ultrasone, like the HFI-2400, would also get you a very different and punchier sound. Beyerdynamic, as previously mentioned, is worth a look too (its been so long since I've heard one that I'm hesitant to suggest a specific model though). You might also consider Audio-Technica or Koss if those are available at good prices; kind of shooting blind without knowing what's available to you though.

 
It is not that I can't get access to a range of headphones, it is just that I have to buy online without the ability to listen first and I have to pay "Australia" tax. i.e. things are more expensive here just because the manufacturer can. A good example was Adobe suites. You could literally get a return flight to L.A and buy the software there, cheaper than you could buy it here. Anyway I digress...
 
Thanks for all the advice so far. I'll check out pricing on a few of the mentioned options. As for amping maybe I'll add a Schiit Modi2 to the consideration list, too.

 

[obobskivich]

I haven't heard the Schiit, but some other amp makers to look at (again trying to aim wide to give you more to work with) could include CI Audio, Musical Fidelity, Creek, TEAC, Rolls/Bellari, the Objective2, Fiio, etc

Many stereo receivers and integrateds have decent-to-great outputs too, but IME AVRs can be more hit and miss.