sennheiser momentum may be worth a try. Classic sennheiser sound and really block out ambient noise. may not cut it on your comfort requirement depending on your ears...

I may be in the minority here, but buying a portable amp for those headphones is a waste of money. I get "GAS" - gear acquisition syndrome - I have a bad case myself. But you will not see an improvement and you'll just have to carry around an extra box with you.

I got the seenheiser short cable in a few days ago and it's great. It's just like the stock cable, only it's 4.5' long and terminated with a nice 3.5 plug. it's perfect for putting your phone or iPod in your pocket and walking around.

Quote: I got the cable in last night.  I have not had a chance to take a picture of it - but it is perfect.   It is the same type of cable as the stock cable, only it is about 4.5' long and it has a nice mini plug at the end.

no, no mic. I'll post a pic when it shows up.

thanks I found out today that the shorter cable with the smaller connector is available from sennheiser now. call them up and ask for the us5x8shortcable. it is $12.95.

OK -   Sennheiser has released what many have been waiting for.  A 4.5' long cable with the 3.5mm plug.   I just got off the phone with Sennheiser and ordered it today.   Part number is "US5X8shortcable"   They have to type it in as one word like that for it to come up in their...

Quote: Let us know how that cable turns out - thanks

So does the momentum cable fit?

I would say you dont need one.

I was kind of like you, I have had HD600 and HD650 in the past - I have sold them and only had my shure SE530s for a while.  But of course, I came back and bought more headphones, tried the HE300 and didn't love them.  Now I have the fostex t50rp.   If you like the shure sound, I would...

I was listening to my HD238's yesterday and was thinking "these are way under-appreciated"   I got mine for like 30 something bucks a year or two back at Best Buy on clearance.  I'm sure you can find some cheap on ebay now.   If you want to check out the sennheiser sound on the cheap, i...

Check out: Hifiman HE300 Sennheiser HD600   You should not have a problem with most Sennheisers, I have not heard the HD598, so I can't speak for them.  They may be a little brighter than the rest of the lineup.   I think the term you are looking for is "bright" when you are talking...

Shure se530 can be had for around $150 now. They sound amazing from my iphone. If you like the hd600 sound you will like these. I cant reccomend them highly enough.

Hifiman HE-300 has a surprising amount of bass. I recently purchased a set and they have more bass than I was expecting.  Definitely more than the HD600/HD650.  These are the newer HE-300 I'm talking about. May be worth checking out...

You mention you play bass guitar. That's funny because I used to have the MS1 headphones, and no lie, my reaction to them was, "who kicked the bass guitarist out of the band??"   I found the bass to be almost non-existent, - forget about listening to the bass line in a rock song.   You...

Quote: Heck no you're not maxed out.   Don't tell anyone, but I've listened to HD-650's straight out of my iphone 4s and it sounded great.  Do you like the sound sig of the MS1?  If so, why not try a Grado a little higher up the food chain.  If you want something with a little less...

I had the MS1's and could not stand them.   If you want the exact opposite type headphones to complement them - get some senns.   It will be so different though, it will be jarring to switch back and forth...

The safest bet would be the ATH-M50.   They are closed. Do not need an amp.  They sound just great right out of an Ipod. Work well for travel. Nice well rounded sound that works well for many types of music.

Quote:   That guys review was a big reason I bought the zx700's.  Everyone's hearing is different though, and all i can figure is he is a little older than me and evidently his ears are not as sensitive to that treble spike as mine are.  If you overlay the graphs for the zx700 and m50 on...

I would not agree with the sonys being laid back. I had a pair for a while and sold them because they have a nasty treble spike that wore me out. If you are used to the laid back sennheiser sound, you may find them too bright. However, it you like grado or dt990 levels of treble, you may...

Quote: Yeah - I'm interested in the HD558. It looks the most similar to the HD600 out of the 5x8 series..

I think i will eventually get the HD558 when i can find a good deal.  I have seen that headphone graph before and the HD558 and HD600 are almost exactly the same.

Headphones are such a subjective thing - I would try to buy a few sets used until you find the type of sound sig you prefer - then you can move up the ladder into the nicer headphones that deliver that kind of sound.   For instance - I know I do not like bright phones - Grados, DT990...

I've owned both the M50's and the DT990s.   I preferred the M50's.  I found the M50 to be more natural sounding.  The DT990 sound like someone turned the bass and treble up to 10.   Of course when I bought the M50's a few years back they were only $90 or so..   When you get in a car...