[MarkyMark87]

...So I've asked a few questions, started a thread about getting new headphones and I think I'm all over the place  After ALOT of searching, I think I figured out there is no PERFECT headphone for me, so instead of paying full price for something that doesn't completely meet my needs, I have narrowed it down to a list of headphones that I can get a discount for through my friend.  My goal is to get the headphone that BEST suits my needs without sacrificing too much.  So can you guys please help me pick the best headphone FOR ME from this list.  

What I want:  
-Bass (lots of it) without getting muddy or distorted
-good mids and highs but not fatiguing treble
-very comfortable, able to wear them for hours (~6hrs+)
-I will not be using an amp, will be plugging them directly into my laptop
 
My only quality headphone so far is the Klipsch Image S4 which I like but get itchy after a few hours and despite what the FR graph says, even with a good seal (tried all eartips and even wear them as directed by Klipsch on their website to get a "good seal"), I don't get enough bass to satisfy me (bass seems to have decreased with natural burn-in).  
 
The list below are the headphones I get at discount (exact price not known yet) and what I know about them so far.  Out of these, which ones would BEST suit my needs?
 
-Sony MDR V500DJ (Don't know anything about these)
-Sony XB500 (good bass and mids and highs can be fixed with EQ, but can this be done with the EQ on itunes?)
-Sony XB300 (Don't know anything about these)
-Sennheiser HD 202 II (Don't know anything about these)
-Sennheiser HD 205 II (Don't know anything about these)
-Sennheiser HD428 (maybe not enough bass)
-Sennheiser HD 438 (Don't know anything about these)
-Sennheiser HD 228 (Don't know anything about these)
-Shure 750 DJ (good bass but seem to be regarded as uncomfortable)
-Shure SRH 440 (maybe not enough bass and not as comfortable)
-Shure SRH 840 (maybe too neutral without enough bass and maybe not comfortable)
 
These are ones that a lot of people hate on this forum because they are overpriced and don't deliver for their price but I do get them at discount:
 
-Bose QC15 (very light, ears got hot when trying on)
-Boss On Ear (Don't know anything about these)
-Monster Beats By Dre Studio (comfortable, good bass, price with discount has risen to $225 though instead of $150 initially)
-Monster Beats By Dre Solo (too muddy? not particularily comfortable)
 
I know this is a long list but hopefully some good advice will help me finally make a decision on a good pair of headphones so that I can FINALLY do something else with my time, or atleast for a while anyways My goal is to get what you guys recommend sometime next week and hopefully I'll get enough good advice by then.
 
Thanks everyone

 

[I3eyond]

Do you work at Best Buy?  Most, if not all of these models, look like things you can get at BB.

 

[Andrew_]

Honestly, only you can pick the best headphone for yourself. You can only use other people's experiences with headphones as a reference, as all ears are different. I was gonna recommend the S4's and then I saw that you already owned them so my whole addition to this thread is moot.

 

[MarkyMark87]

Quote:

Do you work at Best Buy?  Most, if not all of these models, look like things you can get at BB.

My friend works at a retailer, but for saftey reasons I don't wanna say which one.
 
 
Quote:

Honestly, only you can pick the best headphone for yourself. You can only use other people's experiences with headphones as a reference, as all ears are different. I was gonna recommend the S4's and then I saw that you already owned them so my whole addition to this thread is moot.

Yes but I can't try them myself, some but not all anyways so I'm hoping people who actually have experience with some of these will be able to help me.

 

[I3eyond]

The Sennheiser HD428s are pretty bad, IMO.  They don't scale well with higher end sources/amps/etc.
 
If your friend does indeed work at Best Buy, have him order you a pair of high end Sennheiser cans.
 
HD600 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sennheiser+-+Over-the-Ear+Stereo+Headphones/9265109.p?id=1218071606593&skuId=9265109&st=sennheiser&cp=1&lp=3
 
HD 650 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sennheiser+-+Hi-Fi+Stereo+Headphones/6635974.p?id=1218098592913&skuId=6635974&st=sennheiser hd 650&cp=1&lp=1
 
Neither are available in store, however, if your buddy is a BB employee he should know how to get those ordered in for you and still use his discount on them.


 
Quote:

Quote:

Do you work at Best Buy?  Most, if not all of these models, look like things you can get at BB.

My friend works at a retailer, but for saftey reasons I don't wanna say which one.
 
 
Quote:

Honestly, only you can pick the best headphone for yourself. You can only use other people's experiences with headphones as a reference, as all ears are different. I was gonna recommend the S4's and then I saw that you already owned them so my whole addition to this thread is moot.

Yes but I can't try them myself, some but not all anyways so I'm hoping people who actually have experience with some of these will be able to help me.

 

[MarkyMark87]

Quote:

The Sennheiser HD428s are pretty bad, IMO.  They don't scale well with higher end sources/amps/etc.
 
If your friend does indeed work at Best Buy, have him order you a pair of high end Sennheiser cans.
 
HD600 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sennheiser+-+Over-the-Ear+Stereo+Headphones/9265109.p?id=1218071606593&skuId=9265109&st=sennheiser&cp=1&lp=3
 
HD 650 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sennheiser+-+Hi-Fi+Stereo+Headphones/6635974.p?id=1218098592913&skuId=6635974&st=sennheiser hd 650&cp=1&lp=1
 
Neither are available in store, however, if your buddy is a BB employee he should know how to get those ordered in for you and still use his discount on them.


 
Quote:

Quote:

Do you work at Best Buy?  Most, if not all of these models, look like things you can get at BB.

My friend works at a retailer, but for saftey reasons I don't wanna say which one.
 
 
Quote:

Honestly, only you can pick the best headphone for yourself. You can only use other people's experiences with headphones as a reference, as all ears are different. I was gonna recommend the S4's and then I saw that you already owned them so my whole addition to this thread is moot.

Yes but I can't try them myself, some but not all anyways so I'm hoping people who actually have experience with some of these will be able to help me.

 

Sigh, these aren't available in Canada.  The only options I have are the ones listed

 

[Nubster]

Even at discount I would stay away from these. I really, really like my Beyerdynamic DT 770/80 Pros for really good bass and plenty of it and they will completely DESTROY anything with Dr. Dre's name on it. At 80 ohm they are not too hard to power and sound pretty good off the computer/iPod. Of course they sound a lot better amped. The 770/80's can be had pretty cheap new ($150ish) and sometimes less than $100 used. That would leave plenty of money to consider an amp.
 
Quote:

 
These are ones that a lot of people hate on this forum because they are overpriced and don't deliver for their price but I do get them at discount:
 
-Bose QC15 (very light, ears got hot when trying on)
-Boss On Ear (Don't know anything about these)
-Monster Beats By Dre Studio (comfortable, good bass, price with discount has risen to $225 though instead of $150 initially)
-Monster Beats By Dre Solo (too muddy? not particularily comfortable)
 
 

 

[MarkyMark87]

Quote:

Even at discount I would stay away from these. I really, really like my Beyerdynamic DT 770/80 Pros for really good bass and plenty of it and they will completely DESTROY anything with Dr. Dre's name on it. At 80 ohm they are not too hard to power and sound pretty good off the computer/iPod. Of course they sound a lot better amped. The 770/80's can be had pretty cheap new ($150ish) and sometimes less than $100 used. That would leave plenty of money to consider an amp.
 
Quote:

 
These are ones that a lot of people hate on this forum because they are overpriced and don't deliver for their price but I do get them at discount:
 
-Bose QC15 (very light, ears got hot when trying on)
-Boss On Ear (Don't know anything about these)
-Monster Beats By Dre Studio (comfortable, good bass, price with discount has risen to $225 though instead of $150 initially)
-Monster Beats By Dre Solo (too muddy? not particularily comfortable)
 
 

 
So you don't think there is even a headphone on the first list that is worth buying such as the XB500 or the 750 DJ?
 
Thanks
 

 

[Slaughter]

The 750DJ is the only one on the list that gets any praise here.

 

[Nubster]

I can't comment on your list other than the Bose and Beats. The others I have no experience with. The Bose and Beats I have demoed and while the Bose sounded better to me than the Beats, neither are worth the price. IMO the Beats aren't worth anything. I would take them if given to me and I would quickly throw them up on ebay or Craigslist. As far as the Bose, depends on how cheap you can get them for. They are not terrible sounding IMO, just WAY over priced.

 

[MarkyMark87]

Ok so last night I did some hardcore searching, and based on the frequency response graphs from all of the ones on the list, I think I've narrowed it down to 3 headphones that would give the bass I'm looking for and not sound so harsh in treble, I'm new to this audio thing but if I'm right, I think I'm looking for something warm and relatively dark but not too dark.  So the best five options I have based on this list is: the Shure 750DJ, the Sony XB500, the Sennheiser HD 228, the Bose QC15 and the Monster Beats By Dre Studio.  Now the last two on the list are ones I would only consider if I get a VERY good deal, the Sony and Sennheiser I'm guessing I could get for under $50 and the Shure would probably be right around $100-125.  So lets forget the Monster and Bose and compare the first three.  I built a graph of these three compared to the Klipsch Image s4 but I need some help getting the best description out of the graph.  Can someone please describe how each of them compares to the graph of the Klipsch Image S4.  How would the sound of each headphone compare with the S4 I'm listening to now?  The Graph is below:

 
They all seem to have alot of bass but maybe I don't know how to read this because according to other graphs I made, the Sennheiser HD 228 would have more bass than the Beats By Dre Studios and that doesn't seem entirely right to me, but I'm a noob so I wouldn't know better.  Here's what I can note from this graph:

Sony XB 500 - most bass of the bunch, higher bass throughout the sound (i think)  Mids and highs can reportedly be fixed with EQ but can this be done with EQ on itunes and no amp? 
Sennheiser HD228 - only slightly less bass than the Shures
Shure 750 DJ - good bass, but there are a lot of bumps in the higher region, according to their site it means that the sound is coloured, what exactly does that mean, would I consider that as "harsh" or "screaming in my ear" or does that mean it has a better ability to show details in the higher range?  
 
I think out of the three, the Shure would have the best sound but I'm extremely worried about comfort as there seems to be a general agreement on this forum that Shure headphones are not extremely comfortable, due to their flat shaped headband.  The Sony has the best bass, so much that it beat the S4s, can the mids and highs really be fixed with the eq on itunes and no amp?  Also although the big ear pads will reduce clamping and will be comfortable, I'm worried that it would cause my eras to sweat and it would not be wearable for the amount of time I want. The Sennheiser HD 228 seems to have the best overall package, decent bass but the fact the its extremely lightweight and the pads rest on my ears instead of enclosing them seems to make them extremely comfortable for extended listening and that's what is being reported in customer reviews.  Maybe the Shure 750DJ with velor pads would be the best, are their velour pads that would fit it?
 
Please help guys, especially with describing the sound relative to the Image S4s based on the graph, i would appreciate it greatly

 

[I3eyond]

I have the S4s, and I don't know about your, but for me, getting a proper seal isn't hard, but getting it to STAY is sometimes hard, especially while walking.
 
Therefore, IMO, the bass isn't quite as... reliable?...as a set of on-ears is going to be.
 
Just something to keep in mind...

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Just keep in mind that quantity does not always equal quality. If you look even on the first two pages...you will see that MANY people thing the Beats are not good and even though they are designed (poorly) as rap music headphones, they don't even do that well. So unless you are getting them for like $50 or something I would seriously consider marking them off your list. I can only give you my experience as far as the short time I demoed the Beat lineup...short demo because I couldn't stand the sound so I only had them on my head about a minute each. That was enough for me. YMMV.