[AudioLurker]

Hi All,
 
   I have been lurking for some time here and this is the first post I'm making, so any patience is greatly appreciated. I've been owning a pair of Sony MDR7506 for around 2 years now, and so far I'm satisfied with my results, where I only listened from laptop, relying on high end encoding (aka WAV, Apple lossless, etc.) to get by.  Nonetheless, sometimes I felt in certain points its a bit lacking, such as vocals, bass, and especially its rather sterile way of presenting things. I've felt a nagging feeling that there must be something significantly better over the horizon if I can just stretch my budget a bit.  Now the day has finally come, and based on what I've researched so far, I have three options:
 
1. Stay with the Sony MDR7506s, and get a DAC/Amp to go with my laptop
 
2. Switch to a complete, superior new set of headphones only, with laptop
 
3. Get a new set of headphones AND a DAC/Amp with laptop
 
My current budget is around ~$110-120 range.  What would be the best option of the three, and which brand/models would you guys suggest? After two years I'm finally ready to upgrade again.
 
 
 
 

 

[Kukuk]

I just know someone is going to jump in suggesting the Audio Technica ATH-M50's, while a good can, I personally feel they would be a bit of a step back if vocals are one of your concerns, as their mids are more recessed than the 7506's.
 
From what I've read, I'd bet the AKG K240S's would be a, upgrade in just about every way. I've heard they are considerably bassier than AKG's other offerings, so I'd imagine they'd have a bit more bass than the 7506's. Not to mention AKG's are know for their excellent vocals!
 
Should be able to find them for $100-$120.

 

[mikop]

I would go with FiiO E7
If you want more bass, you can always use the bass boost function which is actually pretty good.
 

 

[AudioLurker]

Quote:

I would go with FiiO E7
If you want more bass, you can always use the bass boost function which is actually pretty good.
 

Thank you for this suggestion. How much is the FiiOE7?
 
I also want to say that one of, if not the most, important criteria for me is the degree of improvement in overall quality and clarity.  Ideally whatever amp/new headphone I buy (within ~$110-120) should be at least a tier or more above the Sony MDR7506.  if the improvement is not significant then I'm afraid I'll save up until later.

 

[Deep Funk]

I am not sure if the MDR 7506 will change much with different set ups. With your budget you could also go DIY with a cMoy, save up and have money left for whatever you need. An E7 could be a good bet also...
 
You could audition different headphones, the MDR 7506 was meant to be a studio headphone so sterility in its presentation should not surprise you. In the realm of sub 100 dollars headphones you have plenty of options
 

 

[mibutenma]

2 for now.
 
Nothing will get rid of its sterile sound.
Just like the MDR V6 it has a really nasty spike around the 2k region that just ruins it.
 
You might want to save up a bit more on a headphone but there is also a lot of good choices at your budget limit as well.
You could search read around about AKG,Audio Technica,Beyerdynamic,Denon,Grado,Sennheiser,Shure,Ultrasone see which one fits you. You might also want to consider open air headphone just its presentation style is an upgrade over closed back. A site like headphone.com (not the best prices I think they will price match though) sometimes there what we think of a certain headphone parts give you a good description.
 
For bass I'm not really sure what your wanting Ultrasone is the only headphones I've heard who knows how to do it right.
They do have flaws in proper fit is needed and some might not be able to get one and long burn in period.

 

[AudioLurker]

First, a big thank you to all the posters above with their suggestions.  After seeing them,  I went and did a bit of research. Here are the options I've currently compiled and am interested in:
 
Either I get a DAC/Amp (I do not have any currently):
 
Fii O7 USB DAC/Amp
~$100
 
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E7-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B003E6K1VK/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1296431967&sr=1-2
 
NuForce Icon Mobile Headphone Amp
~$80
http://www.amazon.com/NuForce-Icon-Mobile-headphone-amplifier/dp/B001NXSS9S/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1296433039&sr=1-3
 
Or I get these one of these headphones below:
 
AKG-K240 Semi Open Headphones
~$100
 
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Acoustics-K-240-Studio-Headphones/dp/B0001ARCFA
 
Denon AH-D1100 Over Ear Headphones
~$120
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AH-D1100-Advanced-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0042ETXRQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1296352540&sr=1-4
 
Grado SR80i Stereo Headphones
~$100
http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-SR80i-Stereo-Headphone/dp/B000G3LCQC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1296034343&sr=8-2
 
Audiotechnica ATH-M50 Studio Headphones
~$116
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296432836&sr=8-1
 
Shure SRH440 Studio Headphones
http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH440-Professional-Studio-Headphones/dp/B002DP1FTU/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1296432886&sr=1-2
 
Again, I currently listen from a Sony MDR7506 straight out of my laptop, relying on high quality encoding only.  I have no amps or any other audio enhancing equipment. I have a budget of ~$100-120 (max).  It looks like I can either get an amp to go with my 7506, or a whole new headphone listed above, without any amps, to replace my 7506.  My question is, which above option would give me the GREATEST degree of improvement from only listening to the Sony MDR7506 w/laptop?  Again, any help will be greatly appreciated!
\

 

[Deep Funk]

If you can find an older AKG from the replaced series you could be out much cheaper, the same goes for Beyerdynamic, Audio Technica, Sennheiser etctera... The older K141 and K240 headphones are not that hard to find. The realm of vintage headphones and new over stock can surprise you by its price/quality ratio...
 
At one point I bought a HD428 and it replaced my MDR V6...