[angle_sh00ter]

Budget is $300 - $500

I want phones that will be able to handle the complex passages of heavy rock music with ease and clarity. I like clean detailed impactful bass but don't want it to be overpowering or muddy and sloppy. I like detailed sparkling highs but not too bright or forward and definitely I don't want piercing/fatiguing highs. Also I don't like recessed mids, I like the vocals to be up front and prominent.

So I am considering the following:

Ultrasone Pro 750
Ultrasone Pro 900
ATH-AD2000

I know that a lot of people say the Grados are good for this type of music but I am worried they will be too bright for me. Which Grado would be the least on the bright side... something like RS1 or MS2?

 

[Head Injury]

Judging from others, the Alessandro headphones are basically Grados with a slightly more laid-back sound. They probably wouldn't be as bright. I think I've seen others say that the HF-2 has less treble than other Grados.

But besides the highs, th 325is sounds like the perfect headphone. You'll have to try them to see whether the highs are too bright for you or not. Some say they can't stand them, others say they're much more beautiful than they are painful. I think they're the top contenders for my next upgrade because their resolution and detail sounds heavenly. But that's what I get for reading the 325 Appreciation thread.

 

[wnmnkh]

From my experience, Ultrasone is even more brighter than Grado SR325i, the brightest Grado of all.

I suggest grab MS2, which have rather good bass and smoothest high compared to other Grado and spend rest of 200$ on amp and/or amp/DAC combo.

 

[angle_sh00ter]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I read that ultrasones are on the bass side, not the bright side.

What about Denons? They seem like they could be up my alley.

 

[clarinetman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head Injury /img/forum/go_quote.gif Judging from others, the Alessandro headphones are basically Grados with a slightly more laid-back sound. They probably wouldn't be as bright. I think I've seen others say that the HF-2 has less treble than other Grados. But besides the highs, th 325is sounds like the perfect headphone. You'll have to try them to see whether the highs are too bright for you or not. Some say they can't stand them, others say they're much more beautiful than they are painful. I think they're the top contenders for my next upgrade because their resolution and detail sounds heavenly. But that's what I get for reading the 325 Appreciation thread.

+1.

I would recommend the RS-1, like you said. They're much better than the 325 (especially in terms of brightness) and also have a somewhat warm character. FWIR, the AD2k is comparable to the SA5k in speed and detail but much less cold and analytical with a smaller sound stage.

 

[angle_sh00ter]

BTW I should have mentioned I have got a Shanling PH100 which is a slightly warm amp designed for low impedance phones.

 

[Palpatine]

RS1i if you stretch your budget a tad...

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palpatine /img/forum/go_quote.gif RS1i if you stretch your budget a tad...

Eh, he could grab a non-i RS1 for 450 used. Unless the market's changed.

 

[tisb0b]

Kees Modded Ultrasone Pro900's or Grado RS1i's both are excellent choices when it comes to heavy metal.

 

[wnmnkh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tisb0b /img/forum/go_quote.gif Kees Modded Ultrasone Pro900's or Grado RS1i's both are excellent choices when it comes to heavy metal.

They are out of his budget.

 

[atothex]

I vote AD2000 with proper amp and source; RS1s with flats aren't quite as good, but they're very different. If you don't want to spend on an amp, then Grado 225s with flats. Need a good source no matter what.

 

[tisb0b]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnmnkh /img/forum/go_quote.gif They are out of his budget.

Used Pro900's easily go for less than $400 in the FS/ft forums and there are threads of people getting them new for $350 iirc.

 

[donunus]

Listening to metal on my hd580 I get what the OP wants. Everything enumerated on the list is a check

Grados are too uneven for me to hear all the nuances in the cymbals with metal.

Listening to Ihsahn and Meshuggah earlier comparing my hd580s to the beyer dt150s, The 580s let me hear everything and the bass is well blended to the rest of the spectrum. Mids are spectacular and highs are perfectly blended in. Ive never heard metal sound as good as they do on my senns.

 

[punkaroo]

Grado HF-2

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f36/hf-2-b-stock-472640/

 

[angle_sh00ter]

My shortlist has gotten longer:

D2k, D5k, ATH-AD2k, Pro 750, Pro 900, RS1

For some reason I am prejudiced against grados - I just think they will be a fatiguing harsh sound even though I have never heard a pair before.