[bkchurch]

Seems my plans keep changing. Originally I was going to look for a nice pair of open back cans I'd be content enough replacing my Ultrasone PROline 750 with. Then I couldn't part with the 750 because I love em so damn much. Currently I've decided I want to go drop more money than I should on a higher quality set of open back cans and a solid pair of IEMs to boot. Now the IEMs I think I've got covered but I'm running around like a sad, confused, and overwhelmed little child trying to make up my mind on what pair of cans I want.
 
Let me note this right now: Of utmost importance is comfort. Half the reason I'm buying these is for those long session where I've got cans on nearly all day or all night. My headphones see far more use than my speakers and it's not uncommon for me to have them on for four + hours and sometimes eight or more if I'm having a particularly lazy weekend.
 
Here are my uses in order: Games (both PC and console, both competitive and non), music (literally every genre except country, my playlist has been known to jump from The Beatles, to Basshunter, to Frank Sinatra, to Lady Gaga, to Disturbed, to Adele, to something orchestral, so on and so forth), and finally movies and whatever HBO/Showtime show I'm into at any point in time (very occasional headphone use in that department, unlike games and music). I'm looking for something with a really spacious soundstage that will make it easy to tell where any given thing is at any given time in a game; as well as give my music that open, airy, "sitting front stage at a private show" feeling that you just can't get with a pair of closed cans.
 
Sound signature preference? Well I'm terrible at describing this sort of thing but I suppose above all I'm looking for clarity, and something that's a little warm in the mids and highs without sounding way too bright and shrill. Bass is important but it's accuracy and depth that far outweigh how powerful the bass is (a little thump in my techno or a game of Battlefield is good but not if it's muddy). Really I suppose the best way to describe what I like is I really love my Ultrasones. They're crystal clear, mids are extremely revealing and pleasing, and the depth of the bass is fantastic. I will say the power of said bass could be dialed back a bit and they are a little too bright in the really high frequencies.
 
Anyway I've rambled for far too long so thanks for sticking with me, I'll try to wrap this up.
 
Basically these are the cans I'm looking at right now: Sennheiser HD598, Sennheiser HD600, Audio-Technica AD900, and Beyer-Dynamic DT990. I would really prefer to keep the budget as close to the $200 mark as possible but I'm willing to the stretch it. The DT990 seems the best deal at about $170 at B&H, the HD598 and AD900 push the $230 mark but seem to be my neck and neck front runners right now, and the HD600 far exceed my price range at around $350 but everywhere I look for information on the HD598 it seems people are always saying just pay the extra for the HD600 it's totally worth it.
 
So yea, I clearly need help because I'm all over the place. I appreciate any responses I get. And remember, comfort is the key factor.

 

[Skanda]

I love my DT990's. The big cups with the velour padding makes long listening session comfortable. I find that they do vocals well and that combined with the highs and sound stage make them a joy to listen to. I find these headphones to be very fast, especially when compared to my senn hd555's. The best way I can describe it is that there is a sense of urgency i.e. the phones can call on the speed when needed. To these ears, the bass is just fine. I haven't heard the older DT990 though so I cannot comment on that.