Just get the Fostex HP-P1 (B&H Photo has it and a good return policy if you don't like it) and you are good to go. It was built to be used as a high quality DAC/amp combo. It extracts and reads the data on your phone, making for a better listening experience, if you have high quality music on...

Well, there is plenty said by others here if you leave the egos behind. The HD25-I-IIs are excellent,minus they don't fold up. The M50's are one the the best under $300,but they they are too big for public use unless you want to look like a major dork (only good for use in your office or cube)...

OK. The M50s are perfect. But if you want to step it up a notch an cry and be inspired at the same time with the same sound preference x2 get the Denon AD-H5000. These will shock you at how good they are, especially for a M50 lover. They even provide a new layer of bass that finds the weakness...

I have seen used 600s on this site for 200. Might be worth your while to look around here.

I had high hopes for the ESW9s, but was not impressed. They sounded muffled to me.

I can tell you that if you really like the Denon AH-D2000, you will really really like the AH-D5000. I was pleasantly surprised by the difference, tightness of the response, natural tones and bass. 

All I can say is that you really need to try them out for yourself to really know. We all have our personal favorites and thoughts on all the others. I would suggest you buy them all and return the ones you don't like. Use Amazon and make sure to buy from them, not another dealer on their site...

Yes, the E7 can significantly increase the overall base of the listening range. It will "warm" up everything. I think this is what many are referring to. The M50 has great bass response, but it is clean and not overly warm. If you are looking for more warmth, check out the Denon line of...

Try the Audio Technica M50 or the Denon AH-D1100. Give them a shot. Most likely you will love one of them.

Please try the Denon AH-D1100. Let me know what you think. I found them to be the best deal around $100. 

Not so long ago I did a shootout against my M50s. I found it almost impossible to beat them. I bumped up to the 200, 300, 400, 500 dollar level to finally find a better unit (my tastes of course). The Sennheiser 600, 650, the Denon AH-D5000 and the Denon AHA-100s were my new favorites. So, in...

I was doing the same thing. I had an M50 at work. Buy a headroom amp or an E7 DAC to clean up the sound and tighten things up. I just use an E7 at work. I have the E9 as well, but have resorted to not using it at work, although it gives the E7/E9 unit better volume adjustment and smoother sound...

The M50s have some of the strongest bass response of many of the headphones I have owned. They provide a clean bass response that extends down well. If you are looking for warmth in music there are other choices. Let your M50s burn in and you will notice a difference. If you don't want to...

If you want smaller, go for the Denon AH-D1100. If you want larger, go for the Denon AH-D2000. I found both to be superior to the M50 (personal taste).

I tested out these three pairs against each other as well, for a two week period. I could not find a winner against the M50. The AIAIAI was too bassy, recesseed mids and highs (although they have an indestructible design) and the Shures were close but lacked the liquid range of the highs down to...

The M50s are more accurate and have tighter bass response, mids and highs. I owned the M50s for some time and even compared them to my coworkers Beats. The Beats look cool and are compact, but the sound is terrible. The bass really drowns out everything and they have to be seriously equed to...

Ha. One of my coworkers wears and listens to the Beats Solo. After I gave him a listening to about six different pairs of headphones I was testing out, he was upset that he had the Beats! Don't worry about what others say. It's all marketing and product endorsement. The only Beats that has any...

Thanks for the review. This pair was suggested to me, but as of now, I have not bought them. They are in my mind when I shop around for new phones. Now they are higher on the list of portables. Thanks!

Definitely look at the Sennheiser HD25-I II, But also try the ATH ES10s from Japan. You will like these. They are very similar to the M50s, although limited by being on-ear. I found them to be better performers than the ESW9s. I ended up returning those. I keep repeating this, I feel like a...

I also compared the ESW9, ES10 and the Denon AH-A100s. The Denons take the cake by far. But these are compact over the ears as well. I bought them regardless of the high price. I also own the ES10. I returned everything else I compared as well. I am still deciding what to do with the ES10s. I...

They are monitoring headphones, so the sound is more accurate to how it was recorded. I prefer more natural sound-wood cups usually (not always). Also might be the fact that they are high-pressure on-ear headphones. The sound blasts directly into your ear from a very short distance. I did not...

The Sennheiser HD25-I IIs are good-but don't fold down. They a little tight on the head, but will relax over time. You might want to look at the Sennheiser IE8-you can adjust the bass on these. This might be a future purchase for me. The Audio Technica ES10s are good too. Big bass with still...

Try the very compact over-ear Denon AHD1100. Let me know what you think. It's in your price range and should give you the sound you are looking for. Cheers.

If you want a good set of headphones with bass-tight punchy bass, try looking at the Sennheiser HD25-I II, the Audio Technica ES10, and the Denon AH-D1100 (personally, I don't think these need to be EQ, although they can give you the analytical sound that many people like if you prefer that).

Fantastic! Thank you so much. I loved comparing your notes to what I remember of all the portable headsets I tried out. Your highest scoring headphones are inline what with I found (although I did not listen to all of the ones you did). Thanks for sharing.