[sacrifice13]

Buy some CAL!'s, best for under $100 and they sound like they should cost way more

 

[KCxSmacker]

Quote:

 
it did make them better but it still sounded completely "wrong" with every song and I don't think I should have to spend hours adjusting them to get them to sound slightly more decent.
and I'm not sure if I want to put those on again, I had a headache for 14 hours after trying them.
 
kc isn't DT770 awfully expensive? I've already spent most of my money on bad headphones so I can't afford those anymore
 
is there a good reason why HD465 has disappeared almost completely?

Well you said under 200 dollars. the 770s can be had for 150 bucks at the right place. But truthfully "bad headphones" is just your opinion. Many headphones are loved and hated by people. The best way to know if you like a headphone is to find a higher end music/headphone store somewhat around your area that will have many headphones to sample. Bring what you will be listening to, like a laptop with the files you will be using. Everyone has their taste in headphones but there are headphones that people find on average to be positive. A quick search on the forums and you can find the most liked headphones.
 
cheers

 

[streetdragon]

HD558 can be had for the same price too, far superior and a better value compared to the HD518 imo, i was pleasantly surprised to see how much nicer it is after sampling the HD518

 

[obobskivich]

Good headphones don't always mean "moar bass!!!oneone" - the Sennheiser model you picked is something I would also describe as "boring" ("flat" or "neutral" is a less value-loaded phrase I guess) in general, but I would never expect lots of bass impact from that line-up (or most Sennheiser cans). As far as the 465 (and ritzier 485), they were discontinued a while ago.

I'd look at Ultrasone, Creative, that sort of thing - should get you more than enough bass.

 

[ThomasLi]

What you will find "good" is very subjective, I think it's also heavily based on what's familiar to you. If you have been using the same bright and bass-heavy (v-shaped) hi-fi for years then this is probably what you will like and what will sound "right" to you. This is why I think "burning in" headphones is 99% psychological, rather than mechanical. Rather than trashing all modern hi-fi headphones for being more neutral (and imo, more high fidelity) than what you like, you should try and evaluate the sound you want your headphones to make, and then people can make recommendations based on this and your budget. But even then, we're back to the whole subjective sound thing, as what one person might recommend to you as exciting or involving headphones might be really boring to you; one person's idea of sweet highs might be an ear piercing screech to someone else.

Anyway, if you really want a super bargain bang-for-buck headphone, look at superlux headphones, I was really surprised at how good the HD681 sounded, I mean, really, really.