[Firmestpiano]

As I loved the m80s I'm considering buying the XS since from what I've read they're a slight upgrade, and they're pretty good value.
 
However, I want to explore my options and having looked around on these forums the last couple of days I'm also considering closed over ear headphones since I'll mostly be using them at home for music/movies through an iphone5 and Mac.
 
Looking at both new and used. Would probably not want cans with less bass than the m80, definitely like the fun sound of the m80's as well. So are there any closed over ears that are "better" than the XS?
 
From what I've looked at so far.
 
Beyer dt770 80ohm: Great value but might not be a definite upgrade on XS?
 
B&W P7: Mixed reviews, and might be too heavy on the bass.
 
Denon d2000: Probably most interested in, wary of them being discontinued and possibly very fragile.
 
NAD HP50: Awful design so probably not one I'm considering even thought I've read great stuff about them.
 
Sennheiser Momentum: Could be a problem with their size.
 
Shure SRH840, MrSpeakers Mad Dog and AKG 701/702 among other AKG's. 
 
Might sound negative but in reality looking at all of the above as they seem like great headphones just struggling with filtering out which would be a definite upgrade over the XS.
 
Please recommend any other headphones I might have missed.Also, are there any new closed over ears coming out in the near future which might upset the balance in this competitive price bracket? 
 
Would appreciate any help and opinions. 

 

[Firmestpiano]

There's got to be one for ~$350 though right, even though it might only be a slight upgrade? 

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

Well pretty much all of the ones youve mentioned are "better" than the M80/XS. These are highly regarded over ears that cost more at msrp, so yeah most will outdo the Vmoda, some by a lot more than others. The XS improves comfort, it folds, increases sub bass and pushes upper mids forward compared to M80. Up to you to decide if thats worth an upgrade. The AKGs are the only ones from that list that have considerably less bass, but those are open and practically have zero bass and you need a capable amp. I personally dont like the Beyers due to mids recessed and peaky treble, but otherwise smoke the Vmodas in technicalities. All the others should be a noticeable improvement. My faves are: Sony MDR 7520, Focal Spirit Pro, Momentum, Nad Viso, SoundMagic HP150, UE6000, M50x, Sony 1R in that order. And thats just a few. The Denon D2000 if you can find one would probably slot somewhere between Focal Pro and Momentum.

 

[gr34td3str0y3r]

If it was me. I own the M100s. I would go with the NADs. but I can't get them in Japan. They have dealers in Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam... but not Japan. Sure I could import them, or just get 50 other models they do have here. 
The Momentum would be great, but sidestep I think. 
 
A lot of the headphones you are listing are not better or worse, just differnt. 
I have M100, q701, and x1s. None of them replace one another. 
 
The q701s are great. But you need a good strong amp and holy Christ do they leak sound. Are the drivers on these facing outward?! 
 
I can't speak from persoanl experience but with the DTD770-990 line I have been turned off on them becuase I have read here on head-fi and seen the response graphs they have all have a frequency spike here or there. The m80s and m100s are much smoother across the line. 
 
Dennon. Hell YES! But can you find them new? And if you can they are going to be way more than MSRP. 
In Japan they are nearly 100 to 200 more for the 2000-7000 line of Denons. I would buy those for sure! 
BTW they got discontinued because Fostex, or Foster used to make them for Denon, and some idiot at Denon decided to cancel their partnership. Denon wants to compete with the causal "beats" market. Dumb if you ask me. Beats and the like pretty much have that market cornered. They should have stuck with the niche audiophile market. 
 
Personaly I have my eyes on the Alpha Dogs, w1000x, and A1000x, MAYBE the T70s for close back as my next purchase and the HE-4 or HD-650 for open back. 

 

[Firmestpiano]

Well pretty much all of the ones youve mentioned are "better" than the M80/XS. These are highly regarded over ears that cost more at msrp, so yeah most will outdo the Vmoda, some by a lot more than others. The XS improves comfort, it folds, increases sub bass and pushes upper mids forward compared to M80. Up to you to decide if thats worth an upgrade. The AKGs are the only ones from that list that have considerably less bass, but those are open and practically have zero bass and you need a capable amp. I personally dont like the Beyers due to mids recessed and peaky treble, but otherwise smoke the Vmodas in technicalities. All the others should be a noticeable improvement. My faves are: Sony MDR 7520, Focal Spirit Pro, Momentum, Nad Viso, SoundMagic HP150, UE6000, M50x, Sony 1R in that order. And thats just a few. The Denon D2000 if you can find one would probably slot somewhere between Focal Pro and Momentum.

 
I've heard tyll mention that problem with the beyers and that did put me off a little bit even though it has such great reviews around here. I've looked at MDR 7520 as well but unfortunately they aren't available in Europe, and if I did find a used pair they would be at the top or over my budget which is a shame. Focal Spirit Pro, will have to go and test them I think because of the tight fit but definitely like the look of those. So if you had to choose you'd rather have the Focal instead of the Denon's? Really looking for a fun neutral sound with a slight bass emphasis. Don't want them too flat or neutral as the AKG's seem to be.

  If it was me. I own the M100s. I would go with the NADs. but I can't get them in Japan. They have dealers in Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam... but not Japan. Sure I could import them, or just get 50 other models they do have here. 
The Momentum would be great, but sidestep I think. 
 
A lot of the headphones you are listing are not better or worse, just differnt. 
I have M100, q701, and x1s. None of them replace one another. 
 
The q701s are great. But you need a good strong amp and holy Christ do they leak sound. Are the drivers on these facing outward?! 
 
I can't speak from persoanl experience but with the DTD770-990 line I have been turned off on them becuase I have read here on head-fi and seen the response graphs they have all have a frequency spike here or there. The m80s and m100s are much smoother across the line. 
 
Dennon. Hell YES! But can you find them new? And if you can they are going to be way more than MSRP. 
In Japan they are nearly 100 to 200 more for the 2000-7000 line of Denons. I would buy those for sure! 
BTW they got discontinued because Fostex, or Foster used to make them for Denon, and some idiot at Denon decided to cancel their partnership. Denon wants to compete with the causal "beats" market. Dumb if you ask me. Beats and the like pretty much have that market cornered. They should have stuck with the niche audiophile market. 
 
Personaly I have my eyes on the Alpha Dogs, w1000x, and A1000x, MAYBE the T70s for close back as my next purchase and the HE-4 or HD-650 for open back. 

NAD's seem great and for a fair price as well, but can't imagine myself wearing them as the design is pretty weird. Almost goofy like. Shame you can't get them, same problem with MDR 7520 for us in Europe. Nowhere to be found. 
I've seen used Denon d2000 around for 250 dollars in decent condition, so that kind of a deal is very tempting. Read about that when I was looking around, awful decision. The guy who decided to compete with beats should be fired for stupidity.