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Any full size cans that have the dynamics, speed, energy, and awsome bass of the M50s, but with a less congested and more open and airy sound to them ?   How about under the $250 price point ?
 
Thanks

 

[TMRaven]

How much of that bass are you willing to keep?  You're not going to be keeping all of it that's for sure.  Something like the Denons will retain nearly all of it while providing even greater bass impact, yet still giving you more airy highs and soundstage.  Ideally you'd want to go with an open headphone but you'll lose out on bass extension.

 

[downsize]

Quote:

How much of that bass are you willing to keep?  You're not going to be keeping all of it that's for sure.  Something like the Denons will retain nearly all of it while providing even greater bass impact, yet still giving you more airy highs and soundstage.  Ideally you'd want to go with an open headphone but you'll lose out on bass extension.

I would agree, except the Denons sound a bit slow to me. I do not have to have ALL of the bass, but a good bit of it would be nice.
 

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

I would agree, except the Denons sound a bit slow to me. I do not have to have ALL of the bass, but a good bit of it would be nice.
 

I find the Denons sound nice at first, then you realize they sound like everything is held together by gravy or chocolate sauce.
 

 

[Mad Max]

You might love HFI2400.  I've no idea if you've got a powerful enough amp for it from looking at your profile.  Very open, very airy, very deep, abundant bass, plenty of speed, aggressive, dynamic, but its treble could use more clarity.  Looks pretty cool, too.

 

[fabio-fi]

Quote:

You might love HFI2400.  I've no idea if you've got a powerful enough amp for it from looking at your profile.  Very open, very airy, very deep, abundant bass, plenty of speed, aggressive, dynamic, but its treble could use more clarity.  Looks pretty cool, too.

X2
for the price its exactly what you need. 

 

[zazex]

I haven't heard the Ultrasones mentioned above, butI highly recommend the Sony MDR Z1000.
Shortly after getting them, I realized I would not be listening
to the ATH M50's any longer - and have never looked back.

 

[roma101]

Quote:

I haven't heard the Ultrasones mentioned above, butI highly recommend the Sony MDR Z1000.
Shortly after getting them, I realized I would not be listening
to the ATH M50's any longer - and have never looked back.

Hey, can you compare the overall presentation of the Z1000 vs the presentation of the M50? I would really appreciate that. Specifically, I'm looking for a much more natural sound. 

 

[zazex]

Quote:

Hey, can you compare the overall presentation of the Z1000 vs the presentation of the M50? I would really appreciate that. Specifically, I'm looking for a much more natural sound. 

I'm not sure that I can do that, at least without writing something very lengthy.  
But for the short version, which may be enough, 
the Z1000's have a much more natural sound than the M50's.
They're superior in every regard, actually.  And I do think the M50's
are very good headphones in their price range.
 
The Sony's have a broader soundstage, softer yet more extended highs, a deeper and tighter bass,
and a smoother midrange.  One thing that gets me about the Sony's is their coherent sound, the
resulting effect is one of incredible smoothness bottom to top.  
 
Also I think worth mentioning is their exceptional comfort; one of the most comfortable headphones
I've ever had on.  Surely the most comfortable closed headphones.  Only headphones that can beat
them for long term wearing comfort IME are the AKG K70X and Beyerdynamic DT880's.  
 
Hope you find this info to be useful.

 

[roma101]

Hey thank you so much for the comparison, very helpful indeed!

 

[MattTCG]

The d2k at $200 is a very very nice upgrade to the m50's with a decent sound stage but it is closed and not open and airy. The dt900 has good bass and is open and airy and could be in your budget if you buy used here. Now at $400 the he400 would rock your world!! Bass, soundstage...the whole package.

 

[OmarCCX]

The HE400 might be a bit over budget. Maybe the HE-300?

 

[MattTCG]

Worth every penny. Save up be patient and get the right ones. I don't know how long the coupon code is good for though. There is  vast difference between the two with completely different tech. There is a member here who is about the post a review of the 300/400/500 in a few days. You might wait on that.

 

[Bill-P]

I'd also say DT990. I have the Pro version, and if by "open and airy", you mean "layering instruments and other sources of high-frequency sounds and then make them more prominent", then I think you'll like it very much. The bass won't be retained, though. The impact is there, but the sub bass and texture will be all gone.