If you're looking for an upgrade I wouldn't go with the M50's, since they're in the same price range as the Shure's. Are you going to be listening to these at home, or on the bus/in public as well?

They look like Sony headphones of some sort, not sure which though. 

I've got a pair of the ATH M50's myself, and I think they're a great headphone. Good bass, but not too strong, sound quality is great for the price. Only complaint is that they clamp a little tight, but it hasn't been too much of an issue personally. 

Quote:     It is a great budget headphone. I think the problem with it though is that it's become sort of an automatic response for anyone looking for a budget headphone. It's definitely not the only one out there, and doesn't suit everyone's needs and wants. 

Chrono Trigger 9.5/10

Quote:     I agree with this. It really surprised me when I got it just how nice and solid the packaging was, also surprisingly large. 

I know with a lot of higher end headphones, just a portable player like those isn't always enough to power the headphones on their own, and they require an amp. I'm not sure if that would be the case with the 439's though, since they're not as high end as others. 

Hey guys, quick question. I've got a pair of the HD 600's, and I absolutely love them, but I'm looking to get an amp for them. What would be a good starter amp to power these cans, preferably around the $200 range. I've been looking at the Fiio E7+E9 and the O2+ODAC (which I know is going to be...

I picked up a pair myself a couple weeks back, and I've been quite enjoying them. The clamp is slightly annoying when wearing for long periods of time, but I've found I've gotten used to it. 

Currently reading a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol, as well as Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. 

Emancipator is my personal favorite music for studying, great relaxing trip hop. 

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92

I've got:   Sennheiser HD 600 Sennheiser HD 428 Audio Technica ATH M50   I've been looking into getting a pair of Grados, just to try out, but I'm torn between them, or a new amp for my HD 600's. 

Quote:   Ah, that makes sense, definitely would agree with calling that unethical.

How so?

Quote: Sounds like a good choice, I've heard that the highs can be a little sharp, but I don't think it's too severe of an issue. 

Say what you will about Beats headphones, but whoever they've got in their marketing department is doing a fantastic job of getting them into the public eye. 

Quote:   You will never be satisfied with only one headphone, such is the Head-Fi way. 

I showed my girlfriend my HD 600's, compared to the iPod earbuds she uses, the other day. At first, she definitely thought I was insane, and after, while she still thought I was insane, it made a little sense to her at least. Pretty much the same thing goes for other friends/family who actually...

Quote:   Well, you could look into the Shure SRH940's, as well as the AKG K271. I've never owned the AKG's, but I've heard they take quite a long time to properly burn in (around 300 hours I've heard, but this seems a little excessive), so that's something you'd have to consider. 

The LCD-2 would definitely be a poor choice for you. If you're going to be spending $1000 on a pair of headphones, and you're going to be driving them out of a $70 amp, you're going to be wasting a lot of money. At the risk of suggesting what everyone tends to suggest, have you looked into the...

I just upgraded from the 428's to the M50's myself, and I'm loving the decision. The sound quality is fantastic for the price, the bass is much more prevalent, but the highs and mids don't really seem missing at all. 

Quote:     I don't think the SR-80's would be a good choice. He said that sound isolation is important, and the Grados are an open headphone, so won't they be leaking quite a bit of sound? I also don't own a pair, so I can't say for sure. 

I've got a pair, and I find them to be fantastic. For the price, they do everything extremely well. Like everyone else has already said, they've got some backlash because of their popularity, but I wouldn't be discouraged by it.

I've got a pair of HD 428's, and a pair of HD 600's, and I've experienced no issues with cracking. Only isse I've got is that the wire on the 428's is starting to get shot, so sound only comes out of one earphone sometimes.