I doubt any closed headphones could produce sustained high bass SPL accurately, but I would be open to a closed design (no pun intended) if my assumption is wrong.  I went ahead and ordered DT 880 250 ohm since it is the cheapest option and should work with our current amplifier.  If it doesn't...

Thanks for the replies!  Based on this info, I'm leaning toward the Beyer 880s since they are probably less picky about amping than the HE-500s. Regarding the Senn HD 650, the frequency response plot looks good, but their reputation for being "veiled," "lush," and "distant" sound like the...

I am a researcher in human factors psychology, as well as a big fan of headphones and good sound in general. My question is this: What headphones would you recommend for scientific research? Specifically, I am making binaural recordings from inside a moving vehicle and playing them back to...

I, for one, very much appreciate disastermouse's thoughts about the HE-500 and O2.  Nwavguy himself wrote that the O2 had plenty of power for the Hifiman orthos, so when I read some people saying it was a bad pairing I wrote it off as people who just wanted a more colored amp.  But there are...

Thanks for the advice, everyone.  While I do like the excitement of the Grado sound with rock and indie music (and they pair incredibly well with warm recordings), I agree that they're overly bright and they can definitely become grating, which is why I was looking for something new.  I'd say...

I have a question for the HE-500 experts.  I received a pair about a week ago and I've honestly been disappointed with the sound. I hear hints of greatness, but there's a slight bloom/boominess across much of the frequency spectrum, and I mostly notice it in the mid/vocals range.  It's slight...