I had a good listen to some of these headphones this morning at a store I found in Wellington - Sound Expressions for any locals. All headphones were driven from a Samsung Galaxy S4, as that's what I plan to use to listen to music at work - I have LCD2 and a DAC/PPA at home. Note that these headphones haven't had a lot of burn in time - quite variable amounts between 30 minutes and a dozen hours. I took my LCD2 and Beats by Dr Dre in for comparison - don't judge me for the beats, they were free review samples. Just for comparision's sake, the beats are a bit bass heavy, lack detail and the highs are rolled off, but overall they're not as bad as their reputation. Great for on a plane.
First up, the S4 isn't a great source/amp. Listening to the same mp3 on my home setup with the LCD 2 vs powered by the phone the the home setup sounds quite a bit better. Clarity's a little better, highs, bass is lower and stronger, everything's better really. So the results I find probably don't apply to good source/amp setups. Comfort rated while wearing reading glasses... because I wear reading glasses.
About me - I run a headphone reviews website, I've owned and listened to all sorts of things, good and bad. I like stuff like Michael Buble, Norah Jones, dance music like Generation Trance (vocal trance), Joss Stone, and a bit of rock. I'm listening to Buble live on the LCD2 through a PPA while I write this review. I'm looking for closed headphones for work to replace the stolen A900s (see more about that below).
Now on with my impressions! Remember, all my opinion, and all driven from the S4 phone.
PSB M4U 1. I found these quite bright and a little sharp in the treble. The bass wasn't that low or that strong. Clarity was good to very good throughout the range. Comfort was good. Build quality seemed ok, but they don't seem super robust. I don't know why they made them folding, they don't get much smaller when folded. I found the M4U 2 much the same. Overall the lack of bass made these a "no" for me.
Sennheiser Momentum. I was really disappointed with these, I expected much more from Sennhesier. The ear cups are quite small, even to me with smaller head and ears, you kind of fold your ears into the cup. They're only just circumaural. The highs are rolled off a bit, they're quite dark. The bass is strong, but extension is poor, and it's quite muddy. Overall clarity wasn't great, not near what it should be at this price. They're quite comfortable despite their small ear cup size, and look reasonably well built. These are a fashion piece, not a high end headphone. A definite "no".
Yamaha HPH-MT220. These were quite outstanding, initially my pick of the bunch even though they weren't perfect, though I think they're second now. Bass extension and impact was excellent without being too strong. There was good highs, and detail and clarity there was good. The midrange sounded recessed and lacked clarity, which was the main drawback of these headphones. I've asked the very helpful guy in the store to burn them in a bit for me, I'll go back in a week or two and try them out. I probably wouldn't get them with the recessed mids, but if they come out a bit they'll be an excellent headphone at a great price. I listen to a lot of vocals so the recessed mids wouldn't suit me, but for some music they might be great. Comfort was good, and they're quite light. They're plastic, but good solid plastic, build quality's good. I don't like the coiled cord and the cord isn't detachable. These get a conditional "yes" from me.
Yamaha Pro 500. Poor bass, poor clarity, comfort not very good. Not recommended at all.
AKG550. These were interesting. They're a good all rounder, if they fit you. I found the ear cups too large so they didn't seal, which affected bass - pushing them to my head bass got better. The support system wouldn't let the bottom of the ear cup seal on me without me pushing it. Not suitable for people with smaller heads. Bass extension was good, but strength low - better if you push them in. Bright in the highs, but not in a bad way - good detail. Good midrange, well balanced, good clarity. Well balanced, overall a good headphone, but with some size/fit issues. Not recommended unless you have a big head and can try them before you buy, or return easily and cheaply.
Sony MDR-R1. I listened to these at the Sony Store without any headphones to compare them with. I was pretty impressed! Strong bass with good extension, but not too strong. Good detail in the highs without being too bright. Midrange was well balanced. Clarity I find a bit hard to judge without a comparison, but I felt while it wasn't perfect it was pretty good - better than the Momentum or M4U 1. They're definitely made to be driven by portable devices, not high end hifi gear. Decent build quality, plastic but robust, I wouldn't want to drop them too often though. Comfortable, pads a bit thin but totally fine. Other than clarity these seemed like really nice headphones, my pick of the bunch, and quite good value as well. A definite "yes".
Sony MDR-R1NC. Largely similar to the non NC version. They were a lot brighter to my ear, to the point I couldn't listen to them for too long as they'd be fatiguing. The highs are just a bit sharp. Good noise cancelling though, at least in the store. These are a "maybe", only if you can return them if they're too sharp for you.
Audio Technica A900s were probably better than most of those headphones, and better value too. Very balanced sound, good bass, good treble without being too bright, good clarity. The A900X support system SUCKS, the 3D wing really provides no support at all so they slip down and rest on your ear if you move around at all. However at $200 they're amazing value, and if anyone can work out a way to mod them to provide good support without using a stupid ugly rubber band then these are probably my pick of the lot. They're not at all portable, they look stupid, but they make great music. The next best to this is the basic MDR-R1.
Also listened to, open headphones today:
Sennheiser HD598. Impressive sound at this price point. Well balanced sound, good bass with good extension, not super strong but balanced. Mid and highs were nice, clear, balanced. I really enjoyed these, but they're open and I need closed for work.
Grado PS500. These are interesting. The sound is a bit colored, but in an enjoyable way that's hard to describe. You'd never call them accurate, but more like fun. Everything's well balanced, good bass, good clarity. Slightly on the bright side, but not in a bad way. Very comfortable for a supraaural headphone. I was impressed. I wouldn't buy it, but if you like the grado sound you'd probably like these.
So what am I going to buy? I had no idea. Maybe the Sony's, but I want to go in and compare them with the Beats and LCD2 first. Maybe the A900X again, if I can work out a way to mod them to put a decent headband in there. Maybe the Mad Dogs, though I think they're a bit expensive given they're a (much) modified $70, and these probably need a small amp as well. They'd cost me US$500 shipped from the US once you count shipping and having to buy another headphone amp, which is more than I want to spend, and for work an amp is a pain in the butt with cables and packing it away every night so it's not stolen.
If I had to buy something right now it'd be the Sony MDR-R1, my only slight concern being clarity.