[D-Sev]

Okay, I have narrowed it down to these three cans. I can get them all around the same price (100-120).

What I am looking for is a good headphone to be used for rock ranging from classic/blues to progressive as well as metal, mostly powery metal. Satriani, Dream Theater are at the top of my playlist, followed by Skynyrd, Allman Bros, Pink Floyd, Stratovarius, Kamelot, Nightwish, etc.

My music is split maybe 50/50 "good quality" and "bad quality" (256/320 and 128), so I don't want a headphone that makes bad recordings sound worse.

I really want guitar to shine through most of all. I listen to a lot of Satriani.

I also want a lot of detail. I hear people say they hear things in their favorite tunes they have never heard before, and I want to experience that. Possible with all three of these phones?

I don't want overpowering bass. I will usually be wearing the headphones for extended amounts of time (homework/study). Because of this, comfort is also a BIG factor, and its why I have decided to not get ES7's.

No, I don't want Grados. I know they would be good for me but I really want a closed can right now. I will buy Grados in the future.

And I don't want to spend more than 120 or so, and appearance matters to me because...I'm like that. It's a curse.

And I will likely be buying a cheap Fiio amp if necessary.

So basically....my criteria are....

1a) Price - around 120
1b) Closed - don't need a lot of isolation/leakage prevention...just some. Denon's would be adequate.
2a) Comfort
2b) Sound quality - detail, good guitar, not overbearing bass but present bass, "fun" cans but not overly colored

And aesthetics, but that's more personal opinion than anything (of course the other two are as well...but I can't tell those until I try them on).

I have done plenty of research over the last....three months. And I just want to buy some friggin headphones. But I am terrible at spending money, ie, I hate it and overly anal-yze every purchase over 50 bucks.

 

[D-Sev]

And of course I am open to more suggestions but...I probably won't like them as much as those three, because I have been researching a lot. MAYBE the Ultrasone HFI-450's, if their SQ is worth it - not a huge fan of their aesthetics, but they are passable. Same with the A700's. Damn that metallic blue/black.

 

[D-Sev]

Bump =(

Also I will be using them out of the headphone jack of my XPS M1530 laptop.

 

[nealric]

Quote:

Also I will be using them out of the headphone jack of my XPS M1530 laptop.

Perhaps the XPS series has a better sound output, but I found my Inspiron series to have a god-awful sound output when plugged into quality phones. Lots of static/buzz and hard drive access noises. Ended up spending another $60 for a DAC (basically works as an external sound card) to get a clean sound out of it.

I don't have direct experience with the other phones you suggested, but I am very satisfied with my M50s in the detail department.

 

[PG21]

DT770's mids are a bit recessed which I don't like. Probably gonna sell them and find something with better/more forward vocals. There's plenty of bass from them though and they can get pretty sibilant depending on the source.

 

[D-Sev]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nealric /img/forum/go_quote.gif Perhaps the XPS series has a better sound output, but I found my Inspiron series to have a god-awful sound output when plugged into quality phones. Lots of static/buzz and hard drive access noises. Ended up spending another $60 for a DAC (basically works as an external sound card) to get a clean sound out of it. I don't have direct experience with the other phones you suggested, but I am very satisfied with my M50s in the detail department.

Well I will cross my fingers and hope it isn't bad on the M1530...

Regarding the comfort of your M50's...that is what I am most concerned about, because I have heard the Denon's are incredibly comfortable. How are the M50's? Can you listen to them for hours at a time? Is the fit fatiguing, do your ears get warm? Is the sound fatiguing (ie overbearing bass not suitable for extended/background listening)?

 

[KONAKONA]

There was one dude who bent the metal bits of his ES7s and made them comfortable, might want to search for that.

Also, I don't know if you can really do background listening on closed cans. I tried once on my Q40s and quickly ended up turning off the music. I do it all the time on my portapros though.

 

[nealric]

Quote:

Regarding the comfort of your M50's...that is what I am most concerned about, because I have heard the Denon's are incredibly comfortable. How are the M50's? Can you listen to them for hours at a time? Is the fit fatiguing, do your ears get warm? Is the sound fatiguing (ie overbearing bass not suitable for extended/background listening)?

Fitwise they are a bit fatiguing after 2-3 hours. However, I can wear them more or less all day if I give my head a few breaks from them. For me it's a small price to pay for the great isolation. Listening at average volume, normal conversations 10 feet away are inaudible.

The sound is not at all fatiguing. Base is very tight and controlled, not overbearing.

 

[D-Sev]

I do what I consider background listening with my HD202s and with my CX300s, so I don't think closed would be a problem for me. Although that is why I was thinking the Denon would be better, since it is, er, less closed than the M50, if you know what I mean.

Apparently I need to give the M50 some serious thought. The Denon was winning, but now I'm going to go to a Guitar Center to try out the M50s. Of course I don't mind going to Guitar Center for other reasons either.

Also...can you wear the M50's around your neck relatively comfortably?

 

[Rex81]

I've never heard the M50s, but I think the Denon's would suit you well.

 

[Captivate]

Comfort? Denons sound like they're for you. I can wear mine for hours on end and still be fine. The sound is great and there isn't an overwhelming amount of bass either. I'm currently listening to my FLAC System of a Down and it sounds really good. The instruments are separated quite well. It's not just a vomit of distortion.

 

[p956lh]

M50 would do well with an amp. The bass becomes much more controlled. And yes, if you have a normal-length neck, you can wear it around the neck easily.

And I'd agree that they don't sound fatiguing at all. I've got a Sextett LP at home (which most people consider to be very pleasant-sounding) and I can still stand doing extended listening hours with the M50. And fitwise they're more comfy than my Sextetts.

 

[iGig]

These are my personal impressions on these phones with prog rock and metal:

DT770 are comfortable and fun, I loved them at first, until I realized that guitars and vocals are too recessed and I was missing a lot of the music. Better with an amp.

M50 are a lot better, all the instruments are there and this is the first time I could focus on the music instead than on the headphone. It gets a little garbled (congested?) on busy passages and they made me cringe now and then but it's not fatiguing at all. Fairly comfortable, but the pleather gets hot after an hour or so. Needs an amp.

Haven't listened to the D1001 but I read they're fine without an amp... ?

 

[D-Sev]

When you said they need an amp...would a Fiio suffice? Or would I have to spend a bit more?

I definitely don't want to spend more than Cmoy money on an amp. Prefer to spend none at all.

I really wish I had access to try these 'phones out before buying....but I have no idea where to try the Denon's.

 

[nealric]

The M50s don't need an amp, but they benefit from one

It may depend quite a bit on your source.