[leonzill]

I'm saving up money for 'phones. The problem is...I don't know what I'm saving up for. I'd been set on the Ultrasone 780's, but now, I'm just not sure. I've added a lot more downtempo stuff to my library recently, and I'm not sure how good the 780's are with that kind of stuff.
 
What I know about them
+Good all-arounder
+Good bass
+Short cable
-Uncomfortable for long periods (bad earpads, get hot during extended use)
 
...that's about it.
 
My musical library consists primarily of alternative rock (Relient K, Tokyo Police Club, Coldplay, things like that) with a few different electronic genres (primarily experimental/IDM but with drum & bass and a few dubstep songs which I listen to religiously thrown in there). As I said before, I've recently gotten into some more downtempo music as well as instrumental music. The new stuff ranges from nu jazz to acoustic, ambient to instrumental, and to say the least, I'm currently at a complete loss.
 
Sometimes I like to rock out to my music, while other times I prefer to relax and wind down. I'm listening to music constantly so I'd like something comfortable and relatively easy to carry around with me, whether I'm going out for a walk or just heading to another room in the house.
 
Whatever I end up getting will be run out of a Nationite S:flo 2, so I'm not looking for huge, juice-sucking cans. A pair of headphones with a detachable cable or a shorter stock cable with an extension (like the 780's have) would be optimal, although I suppose if need be I could get them re-cabled. However, I'd really rather not.
 
New headphones will need to be at least semi-closed, and I'd really prefer circum-aurals. Supra-aurals tend to get uncomfortable pretty quickly for me.

 

[leonzill]

Bump...
 
Something at $300 or under would be preferred.

 

[joelpearce]

If you are wanting the Ultrasone sound, you might want to look into the Pro line, which is supposed to be more neutral.  There are quite a few decent all-rounders out there, though, that you could definitely find for under $300.

 

[wantmyf1]

Are you specifically wanting Ultrasones?
 
I know you said semi-open but if there's anyway you can go open I'd say to give the Senn HD600s a try.  They are a great all-rounder and relatively neutral.  They're very comfortable and their cable is easily detachable.  Except for them being fully open, I would say they are closest to what you're looking for.
 
Another possibility would be the Shure SRH-840.  They are completely closed and don't experience much leakage.  They are a great headphone for the price.  Being closed bass quantity isn't a problem and it's fairly well controlled (Keep in mind, this is being written by someone who owns & loves the HD800s.  Just about every other dynamic headphone manufactured is less controlled than the HD800s).  Good mid and decent treble.  The cable is long but it is detachable and they are easy to drive.  These are also pretty competent all-rounders though they are not the fastest.  If you listen to anything with some very fast bass thumping the bass will get a little muddy.  But these sound great with jazz!

 

[MomijiTMO]

Hmmm the SRH840s are pretty good but they aren't that comfortable. The earpads are a bit shallow so your ears rest on the padded driver cage. Being a closed headphone, the synthetic leather pads can make your ears sweat after prolonged use but it depends where you live. I happen to live in sunny Australia so this was a small problem for me. The coiled cord would be a plus and they are durable. I didn't find the bass to be that muddy with my selection of electronica but it wasn't as focused as some open headphones which is to be expected. I think they are quite well rounded and are able to be used with rock and electronic.
 
Don't consider the D2000 - long cable, no isolation.

 

[wantmyf1]

Yeah, I think the 840s would be a good choice.  Though I'm surprised that I don't see them recommended more often.  I haven't used them for long enough periods to have experienced the discomfort or sweat though.  But if they're like the GMP 8.35Ds (another set that uses synthetic leather) I know exactly what you're talking about!  I really do wish that manufacturers would just forget that faux leather exists!
 
The times I found the bass to be a little muddy was on some of the more extremely fast double-bass in some of the metal I listen to.  If there was an extended line of it it got hard to differentiate between each separate kick-drum strike.

 

[leonzill]

To be honest, I'd actually completely forgotten about the 840's. I'll look more into the other suggestions. I might have some comfort issues though because it gets a bit hot over here in Southern California.
 
I'm not specifically looking for any sound signature. I wish there were someplace nearby but I've run a few quick searches and haven't been able to come up with any audiophile stores or anything with a worthwhile selection of headphones. I also haven't seen any news of meets around my area.
 
joelpearce, which model should I look at in the pro line?
 
 
I've also heard that the comfort on the 780's can be improved a great deal by replacing the pads with Ed 9 pads. How much would these run me, and where would I get them?
 

 

[Mr Joboto]

The Beyer DT250 is a great allrounder as well It's comfy and has a neutral, relaxed and smooth sound sig.

 

[leonzill]

Still hunting. I've heard that the Ultrasone's don't have very good soundstage. Something about it being...2-dimensional? Something like that.
 
Anyways, what I've been looking at:
 
Beyer DT250
ATH M50 (I'm honestly not sure about these. They seem to be a bit of a FotM kind of thing, would probably get SRH840 pads for them as they seem to give it better soundstage)
Shure SRH840
Ultrasone 680/780
 
I've also recently added craploads of Benn Jordan/The Flashbulb to my music library. Some of the stuff he makes can get a bit crazy, and IIRC, drivers can blow out from getting too stressed. Would I have any trouble, or am I just being paranoid?

 

[leonzill]

Bump. :/

 

[NapalmK]

I'll second the Ultrasone Pro suggestion. The Pro 750 or 650 would be great. They are more balanced than the 680/780 so they should do pretty well with most genres if you don't mind coloration. They are more comfortable than the 780s but not the best for comfort by a long shot, adequately comfortable though. Reasonably portable, they come with a nice carrying case for traveling. I wouldn't wear them around my neck outside though. The cable is detachable and they come with a coiled and straight cable. They do like a decent amp but can do relatively well without one. The other options mentioned in this thread are definitely worth checking out though. If you have a guitar center close by you can try out the 840s and M50s and see if they're to your liking.

 

[shake]

Quote:

Still hunting. I've heard that the Ultrasone's don't have very good soundstage. Something about it being...2-dimensional? Something like that.
 

ATH M50 (I'm honestly not sure about these. They seem to be a bit of a FotM kind of thing, would probably get SRH840 pads for them as they seem to give it better soundstage)

Hmm that's a little off, because if anything, the soundstage of the Ultrasones are very good because of their special placement of drivers.
 
And I agree with you very much about the ATH-M50,  I actually just sold mine off so I could get the Ultrasone 780 myself.  The 780's are also supposed to get even better after a simple recable.  The M50 just lacked the kick I wanted from it.  From my experience, I'm no longer going after "studio monitor" headphones, instead, I'm going after fun and colored entertainment headphones.

 

[leonzill]

Took a look at the Proline, what's the difference between the 750/650? How durable are they? To me they look kind of...cheap? I suppose. They look a bit TOO plastic-y, kind of like a children's toy or something. Also, what do you mean by coloration? From my understanding, it's basically like saying the sound from the headphones sounds like just that, sound coming out of headphones, as opposed to sounding like real life. Is this correct? If so, I'm not too sure.
 
I'd probably opt for the 680s over the 780s after reading up a bit more. The 780s apparently can't handle very "crowded" music from what I understand. I suppose the person that had problems with the soundstage is just one of those exceptions, as everything else I've read points to the soundstage being fairly good.

 

[shake]

 
Quote:

Took a look at the Proline, what's the difference between the 750/650? How durable are they? To me they look kind of...cheap? I suppose. They look a bit TOO plastic-y, kind of like a children's toy or something. Also, what do you mean by coloration? From my understanding, it's basically like saying the sound from the headphones sounds like just that, sound coming out of headphones, as opposed to sounding like real life. Is this correct? If so, I'm not too sure.
 
I'd probably opt for the 680s over the 780s after reading up a bit more. The 780s apparently can't handle very "crowded" music from what I understand. I suppose the person that had problems with the soundstage is just one of those exceptions, as everything else I've read points to the soundstage being fairly good.

I won't comment on the difference because I don't know enough, but I do know that Ultrasones are engineered in German and made in Taiwan.  You don't get much better than that!  What I mean by colored is that what comes out of the headphones is music+some.  It's more to listen too.  Imagine bopping to the latest boyband vs sitting in a recording room.  But this is a personal preference, like preferring latin women to caucasian  women .
 
The soundstage with the Ultrasones is unique, largely because it appears that only some people can hear the effects of "S-Logic" (look it up), and the people who can appreciate it very much.
 
Since you're listening to more downtemp stuff, you might want to try the Denon D2000, which is supposed to be a direct compliment to the 780s, where the D2000 are relaxed and the 780 are more agressive.

 

[Mr Joboto]

Quote:

Still hunting. I've heard that the Ultrasone's don't have very good soundstage. Something about it being...2-dimensional? Something like that.

From my experience with just the HFI-780s, I can attest to that, the soundstage is extremely linear and got to me real quick. Couldn't feel any depth to my music, everything just sounded like it was coming from the left and right.