Alright, let's assume that I am a newbie aspiring audiophile, had up to somewhere around $600-$800 to blow on headphones and amp, have a pair of Sony MDR-V600's, which, while extremely comfortable and very non-ear fatiguing, and actually produce some soundscape, are thin and leave me lacking that warm, rich, simply amazing, resonant, clear bass that I just heard at Best Buy on the Solo HD's while maintaining relative clarity of mids and highs (consider my limited reference points here and be kind if you can), which I compared to some Sony MDR-XR500's (which I found somewhat dull and muddy sounding), though the bass was better by far than the MDR-V600's. I also just went to the Apple store and tried some V-Moda Crossfades, Klipsch Image One's, and Skullcandy somethings (can't remember now, cost about $150), all of which did nothing for me at all. I also tried the Monster Beats Studios and in comparison to the Solo HD's found them somewhat more flat and clinical sounding and heavy but still comfortable and better than the MDR-V600s by a long shot, though not my cup of tea.
However, I kept going back to the Solo HDs and at the end of the day, as to this woefully ignorant ear they sounded and felt really, really good, and their clear, potent, undistorted bass just did it for me completely, and so I thought I would buy some, but then read this thread and decided to learn what other options the opponents of these headphones would consider superior. Assume I have no possible way to get to a place where I could actually try something for myself and had to rely on your opinion for this multi-hundred dollar purchase, as no store around here carries the sort of high-end stuff that hopefully someone will recommend. I read on another thread that someone thought the Sony MDR-XR700's were superior to the XR-500's and the Beats, but I suspect that at this price range other cool options become available.
Let's say that I wish to avoid perpetual ignorance and avoid foolish purchases, and wish to draw on the experience, wisdom and elite ears of this group so as to better myself. I saw no specific recommendations on this thread, but merely hints of that there was good stuff to consider beyond these.
What headphones or earphones would you substitute for those who want a deep, rich, bass-heavy option like the Solo HD's who listen to multi-layer electronica/ambient/trance/dance with mostly female vocals (think Caroline Lavelle as reference point), source mostly Pandora and from iTunes (many AAC, some high-res MP3's, some AIFF, etc.) on iPhone 3GS but don't want to sacrifice mids and highs? I realize that the source is going to throw some people here, but do the best you can and assume that soon enough I will get something much, much better on the source end, as money is not as much of an issue as good sound at this point in my life (finally!).
Big soundscape is very important to me, as is something that can't be heard externally by a nearby sleeping person. Low ear fatigue and comfort are also important: consider 1-2 hour listening sessions somewhat regularly. I guess I should post questions about what amp to drive them on another forum, but that is an important question, if one would be inclined to answer it in relation to recommend headphones, as I realize that an iphone can't drive many headphones all that well. Also, if you to take on the amp question, two outputs with independent volume controls would be a plus if possible, realizing that will probably cost in price and/or performance. Portability is not an issue.
In summary, assume this person wants to learn, despite liking the Solo HD's a lot is not a troll, wishes to have their ear and horizons expanded, and will take your advice seriously: what have you got? I am grateful for whatever advice you can provide. I have spent a lot of time looking through this site a well as www.headphone.com, and don't find anything that quite answers this specific question.
