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What I care about - Resolution, Clarity, Detail, Soundstage, Balance, Neutral, Natural, Analytical." - I can almost definitively say that there's no way you're going to get all of those in one headphone, especially in one under $400. Even one of the best headphones I've heard, the Stax OII MKI (on the HeadAmp BHSE), didn't cover all those bases—it certainly didn't have an expansive soundstage (at least that's what I'm getting from that part of your post, as most people look for "large" soundstages), and it wasn't what I'd call "analytical" in any sense of the word.
"What I listen to? Pretty wide range of stuff there. Rock, Metal, Alternative, Jazz, Classical, EDM, Electronica, Techo, Indi." - Along the same lines, I listen to some of the same genres (rock, metal, jazz, classical, electronica) and have never heard a single headphone that can cover all of them equally well. You're going to have to make a compromise with at least one of those genres.
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I suppose Oppo isn't from a Western country, and the vast majority of Asians have smaller, attached ears. This makes sense if they're operating from there." - Oppo is an American company based in Silicon Valley (Northern California).
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I'm especially interested to hear about the R70x as it is so new and not really talked about yet, with few reviews seeming to exist, but the few there are regard it as exemplary." - I previously owned the R70x for a while a few months ago and have a fairly negative opinion of it. I don't know if I'm going to bother writing up a formal review (I did put together notes for one and just haven't aggregated them into review form yet), but if I did write a review, I'd rate it 3 stars at most, and not 5 stars like all of the other current reviews. IMO, it's one of Audio-Technica's worst recent headphones and I certainly wouldn't recommend it for anyone with studio recording, mixing, or mastering applications.
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Return Policy: I'd feel much more confident about my purchase if there's a way to return them if I want to. The thought of being stuck with what I've gotten is one that keeps me off of buying." Can't you buy through Amazon? They have a great return policy. Or you could try to buy used on the FS forums and re-sell for minimal loss, no need for you to be "stuck" with anything.
Reading through your post, I can't help but think that Audio-Technica's MSR7 could be right up your alley if you wouldn't mind a closed headphone. Out of what you care about, it'd likely cover your resolution, clarity, detail, and analytical bases; the other aspects not so much. It's not very balanced-sounding and is definitely not neutral or natural, as the mid-range and bass don't balance against the treble that much. It's primarily a treble-dominant headphone, but you did say that you wouldn't mind "harsh" headphones.
I especially like the MSR7 with electronica and metal, and less with jazz & classical, but it's not terrible with those, just not as good, since it lacks the mid-range presence that instruments like brass and woodwinds need to sound full-bodied & textured.
I've also done gaming with the MSR7 (first-person shooters) and it's really good for that too. I really like it with Crysis in particular.
It's possible the MSR7
could be too small for your ears, but the only way to know that for sure would be to try them for yourself....
