[antsin3d]

Hey there! I've been using a pair of Sennheiser HD545's for about 15+ years and love their sound. The past two years I've been using them at work, powered simply by my Macbook Pro without an amp. Still love the sound (not quite like through my receiver at home, but still). We switched to an open office plan where we're all in a smallish room, so I need some closed cans, and although I know I can't get something that'll replicate the open sound, I wonder if anyone has thoughts on what would be closest to the airyness and clarity of the 545s. Some thoughts so far:
 
I tried the Bose QC25s thinking noise isolation would be fun. They were muddy sounding, which I might have lived with thanks to their comfort level, but the active noise cancelation applied a constant, horrible pressure to my ear drums. Returned!
 
I then got the Sennheiser Momentum 2's since I liked the Senn sound. They're.....OK. Much better than Bose obviously, but had to EQ out some of the base and boost the vocals a touch to keep them from receding into the background. I'd probably live with the sound but the damn ear pads are really small. They're not nearly as comfortable as the Bose, and especially not the 545s (I love the close they use on some of the old Senns, it breathes better than leather and pleather). 
 
I listen to: putamayo/cafe del mar, sublime, bach, iron maiden, huey lewis, daddy yankee, beatles, dispatch, pavarotti...Don't care so much about putamayo or daddy yankee since there's less instrumentation and the vocals aren't as relevant. If bach or iron maiden sound bad I'll be sad. Trying to stay around $300, but ok with refurbished or good quality used. Considered Senn HD380 but heard the high vocals can be clipped and sound really bad. Some ones I think *might be possibilities include Sony MDR-1A, Oppo PM-3... any input is highly valued and thanked in advance! I appreciate it

 

[antsin3d]

So I got a pair of Sony MDR-1As to try, and they're not bad. Compared to the M2s they seem heavier on bass and not quite as clear on highs. I don't notice more differentiation of instruments on one over the other, and I still find myself EQing vocals (probably a little more on the M2s, the Sonys seem to do a hair better on that by default). I *think I like the M2 sound a little better, but I'll give them both a little more time. Any others you think I should throw in the mix?

 

[antsin3d]

I was disappointed that no one seemed to have any thoughts on these headphones, but I'd like to share my result anyway. I ended up getting the Bowers and Wilkins P7s. Back around 2000 or so when I got my Sennheiser HD545 headphones I plugged them into my amp and played a DVD of Pavarotti singing Ave Maria. That was a far more impactful religious experience than any sermon I'd seen. I've been disappointed while messing with the M2's, Sony's, and Bose. The P7's gave me that old sensation again, this time listening to Moonlight Sonata. In fact I played just about every genre of music I like, which is very broad, and they excelled at all of them. They even sound amazing powered by my Lumia 1520. The best part is they sell them through Verizon Wireless rewards, which means instead of $399 they were about $265. Absolute no brainer at that price. They are tight on my oversized sconce, but stretched over the box for a couple hrs fixed that. Now they're comfy, sound incredible, and are just lovely crafted pieces of equipment. Good stuff.