[Captain Magenta]

I think Grado SR80i/Alessandro MS1i are the best I've heard for fast paced rock though I realise you don't want these.  Only other one I can recommend is the Goldring DR150 though I still would recommend the Grado option over this. I found the AD700 to completely lack any kind of bass and think they would be bad for rock and only good for some types of classical due to far to big a soundstage. I also found the K240S bass got muddled with rock - jack of all trades but master of none.  I have been through many $100 headphones recommended round here and despite having owned the SR80i have ultimately ended up with an Alessandro MS1i which I intend to keep.  Nothing to my ears had quite as much detail and musicality as these.

 

[Pianist]

For your requirements, I recommend checking out Shure SRH440. They are closed back, light, quite small and easy to drive - great for both home and portable use. They have a surprisingly excellent stereo separation for the price, a tight, well defined bass with emphasis on mid and upper bass and very present, lively upper mids/lower treble while maintaining good quality free of any significant harshness or grain. What I really liked about them is that they are vivid and exciting to listen to while remaining quite accurate, unlike many other closed studio monitors that often tend to be either overly colored or too flat sounding. The Shure cans strike a very good balanced between fun and accuracy IMO, arguably more so than their older siblings the SRH840 (which are quite warm and thick on the low end, perhaps too much so) and SRH940 (which are too bright and thin in the bass and lower mids IMO).

 

[CrystalT]

Quote:

I think Grado SR80i/Alessandro MS1i are the best I've heard for fast paced rock though I realise you don't want these.  Only other one I can recommend is the Goldring DR150 though I still would recommend the Grado option over this. I found the AD700 to completely lack any kind of bass and think they would be bad for rock and only good for some types of classical due to far to big a soundstage. I also found the K240S bass got muddled with rock - jack of all trades but master of none.  I have been through many $100 headphones recommended round here and despite having owned the SR80i have ultimately ended up with an Alessandro MS1i which I intend to keep.  Nothing to my ears had quite as much detail and musicality as these.

 
Bass is horrible for Metal. I always drop the bass on my equipment a good -12dB. I don't listen to any rock subgenre what so ever. I actually WANT headphones that are bass anemic.
 
 
Quote:

For your requirements, I recommend checking out Shure SRH440. They are closed back, light, quite small and easy to drive - great for both home and portable use. They have a surprisingly excellent stereo separation for the price, a tight, well defined bass with emphasis on mid and upper bass and very present, lively upper mids/lower treble while maintaining good quality free of any significant harshness or grain. What I really liked about them is that they are vivid and exciting to listen to while remaining quite accurate, unlike many other closed studio monitors that often tend to be either overly colored or too flat sounding. The Shure cans strike a very good balanced between fun and accuracy IMO, arguably more so than their older siblings the SRH840 (which are quite warm and thick on the low end, perhaps too much so) and SRH940 (which are too bright and thin in the bass and lower mids IMO).

 
Not to be rude, but you basically recommended the exact opposite of what I listed in my wants in the OP. Separation is nice, yes, but everything else goes against what I want.

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

 
Not to be rude, but you basically recommended the exact opposite of what I listed in my wants in the OP. Separation is nice, yes, but everything else goes against what I want.

 
Well, they are light on low bass, emphasized in the mids and lower highs... Isn't that what you are looking for?

 

[lilkoolaidman]

Quote:

 
Well, they are light on low bass, emphasized in the mids and lower highs... Isn't that what you are looking for?

I haven't heard the 440s but I assume the bass is just north of neutral compared to the 840 which probably isn't what OP is looking for.
 
If you want anemic bass OP, it doesn't get much more anemic than the AD700s. Instrument separation isn't amazing since they're fairly laid-back, but it's not bad either.

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

I haven't heard the 440s but I assume the bass is just north of neutral compared to the 840 which probably isn't what OP is looking for.
 
If you want anemic bass OP, it doesn't get much more anemic than the AD700s. Instrument separation isn't amazing since they're fairly laid-back, but it's not bad either.

 
Actually, it's the other way around - SRH840 bass is a bit north of neutral, whereas SRH440 is quite neutral in the low end. Both roll off a bit in the sub bass.

 

[lilkoolaidman]

Quote:

 
Actually, it's the other way around - SRH840 bass is a bit north of neutral, whereas SRH440 is quite neutral in the low end. Both roll off a bit in the sub bass.

Oh, well like I said, I haven't heard the 440s

 

[soundstige]

KNS 6400 KNS 6400 KNS 6400
Quote:

 
Bass is horrible for Metal. I always drop the bass on my equipment a good -12dB. I don't listen to any rock subgenre what so ever. I actually WANT headphones that are bass anemic.

 

[rhiga]

I own the SRH440 and they're indeed very good cans, i agree in everything Pianist said.
 
The only problem is the stock pads, it's really uncomfortable, but the SRH840 pads make a big difference in comfort. You also get more isolation, bit more bass and less brightness, i think it's sounds more balanced overall.

 

[soundstige]

You can also put SRH840 pads onto the KNS 6400. No you can't lol.
 
Quote:

I own the SRH440 and they're indeed very good cans, i agree in everything Pianist said.
 
The only problem is the stock pads, it's really uncomfortable, but the SRH840 pads make a big difference in comfort. You also get more isolation, bit more bass and less brightness, i think it's sounds more balanced overall.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

You can also put SRH840 pads onto the KNS 6400.
 

Are you sure about this? I don't think it's possible unless you've tried it.
 
The 6400/8400 pads click in place and don't secure around the edges of the cup. They're a proprietary pad design.
KRK pads also can't be used with any other headphones.

 

[soundstige]

Thanks for reminding me, you're right. I was thinking about another headphone!
 
Quote:

Are you sure about this? I don't think it's possible unless you've tried it.
 
The 6400/8400 pads click in place and don't secure around the edges of the cup. They're a proprietary pad design.
KRK pads also can't be used with any other headphones.

 

[CrystalT]

Imo looking for bass-light, mid/trebble emphases, and open can. I have a neutral iem in the sm es18. I'm looking specifically ff something with better instrument separation, and headphones that emphasize string instruments.

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ricerocket]

You should get the Jaycar clones of the HM5/FA-003s. I auditioned the HM5s and I thought they were very close to what you're describing.
 
They're $50 + shipping last I checked that thread. They're sold for almost triple that as the HM5/FA-003.

 

[obobskivich]

Imo looking for bass-light, mid/trebble emphases, and open can. I have a neutral iem in the sm es18. I'm looking specifically ff something with better instrument separation, and headphones that emphasize string instruments.
Sent from my LG-VM670 using Tapatalk 2

Sony MDR-F1 perhaps, if you can find one. They're sort of mid/lower-treble emphasized, one of the thinnest (but best extended) headphones I've heard/had, and they don't burn your eyes out from the back with resonance. They're very listenable "happy" headphones. Again, if you can find one (that's the problem - if you find prices in that $400 range that I've heard about recently; walk away - original SRP was supposed to be like $200). Double for the MDR-SA5000 (brighter, less extension, faster/more "analytical").

Beyer T70 (I know we're *way* over budget now) would probably get you what you want in spades (and it WILL burn your eyes out from the back). Just something to keep in mind down the road is really the only reason I mention them.

Other considerations in the "cheap" category might include the Pro4AA (I have not tried them, but they are consistently reviewed as very top-heavy or n-shaped in their response, and they measure that way as well: http://www.geocities.jp/ryumatsuba/pro4aa.html - they also weigh like 600g so I've stayed away). Good availability and warranty on these. CSD doesn't show tons of ridges up high, so they probably won't burn you to death. $99.99 from Koss direct or Amazon - should be FS on both in the USA (these get hilariously expensive outside of the US; I've been told by some Okinawan friends that these run the equivalent of like $250 US in Japan).

Grado is the other manufacturer I'll suggest - and while they aren't circumaural/around-ear, the comfies that come on the SR-60 will not be bothersome for long-term usage imho (they're better than the bowls or the lambskin pads on the ESW9 (I would not suggest the ESW9 even be thought about btw; they're bass HEAVY)). They'll hit up high quite readily, and are relatively "airy" (but it's not the same as the ethereal presentation of the F1).


Finally, and this will take some looking on your part (and probably a lot of patience) - track down a used electrostatic set. TMK the only "dark" 'stats are the older Koss ESP models (ESP/10 for example), most of the rest of them (including the new Koss models, which go out of your budget) are fairly mid/treble driven with "thin" and "airy" bass and excellent separation/tonality. They also don't burn your eyes out. You'll probably end up with a transformer box and headphones, and need an outboard power amplifier, but I'm guessing you (like many people) either have one, or have access to a thrift shop and can pick up a used stereo receiver for $10-ish dollars.


Based on all of the above, taking your personal preferences and biases into account, the Pro4AA is probably where I would start; Amazon has a 30-day return policy, so it's more or less "risk free" if you're unhappy with them for whatever reason (fit, sound, etc). Otherwise I'd save pennies or scrounge up an old ESP.