NOTE: If I don't answer your question, it's not because I don't like you, it's because I don't know enough to give you a useful answer.
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What deals thread, I cant seem to find it.
I've looked at retailers here in Canada and these sell for $300 or more. What kind of improvement would these be over the 555's, is it significant like 50% better, or would you say less than that?
If you're in Canada, the prices are bound to be a bit higher. However, you might be able to utilize a mail service or something like that to get the lower price. The deals thread is this one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/505970/the-deals-thread
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Been looking at a tonne of headphone reviews in a <$150 range, so far I've come up with the infinitely popular ATH-M50's, which are starting to seem like pure basshead headphones.The other I see is the AKG K240's, with a semi-open back and more focus on the mid's and treble with a larger soundstage. I really appreciate well defined mid's as vocals are truly important to me, so I doubt the M50's, with what seems to be a heavy V-shape, to be ideal for any rock music. I listen to alot of indie pop/rock, but also mix electronic and house and enjoy listening to a variety of other genres, but those are the emphasis in my library. I figure buying a FiiO E7 amp as recommended by another member and purchasing the AKG K240 for my rock/pop library, and later on down the road also purchasing the ATH-M50 for my bass and electronic library. Does this seem like a good setup?
The M50s are not really basshead cans. Sure they have a V-curve, but it's not that drastic, and the sound actually works quite well for rock music. Based on your genres, the M50s actually sound like they'd fit quite well. The bass is more punchy than boomy, so it won't interfere with the other frequencies.
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I'm nearly set with my headphone lineup (yeah, right!) with the Q701s sitting on my wish list waiting for the funding to pull the trigger. What I need first is a desktop amp suitable for driving the Q701 without breaking the bank. I already have SR60i's, M50's and V-80's.
Primary source would be my desktop PC. For the moment I'm using the X-Fi Go as the DAC, although running digital out to a spare A/V receiver is also an option (I have a 10 year old RCA A/V receiver I just removed from TV duty after finally convincing my mom to accept the HDTV I bought her).
Tubes or no tubes makes no difference. If I can get away with spending under $150, that's the goal. $200 if I absolutely have to.
On a budget, the Fiio E7/E9 combo is the perennial favorite, and you can get both for <$200, and the E9 alone for about $100 if you don't need the E7's DAC.
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I've been thinking about upgrading my audio rig. I'm currently using either my uDAC-2 + AD700 or Xonar DX + AV40. I've been looking at the DT990 250 Ohm and the Denon D2K. I would also like to upgrade my DAC/AMP department as well. I've been curious about the E9 + E10 combo for the 990? I listen to a lot of progressive metal (if this will help http://www.last.fm/user/Squa7ch), mostly Dream Theater, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, etc. I'd say the majority of my music library is some form of metal (tbh I think the last 20 or so CDs I've bought are all metal lol), don't need crazy bass, though but I would like for it to be there in the mix, hear/feel it or whatever you want to call (tight, punchy?) but not boomy/bloomy as I've heard it sometimes described on here before. Sorry for the rambling.
I've always heard that the Grado sound signature is very good for listening to metal. However, they are open, so if that's an issue they might not be the best choice. Also, did you mean the E7/E9 combo? You could theoretically do an E10/E9 combo as well, but it's less neat and seems a bit redundant.
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Yeah, the long cable on the M50 makes it problematic for portable usage, and they look a bit silly as well. For portables, you could look into the V-moda M80s, Beyerdynamic DT1350s, or even the Phiaton MS300/400. The P5 makes an excellent all-around portable, though.
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Hey guys, I'm new to the forums, so don't kill me if I write something stupid. =)
I'm no audiophile (I don't think I even have the ear for it), but I do enjoy music a lot and am thinking of buying something a bit better than the10$ stuff, the thing is, my budget is pretty small.
I was thinking about the Shure SRH440, but I'd like to find out a bit more before hand. Thing is, I currently own an In-Ear set of AKGs who's model I never bothered to find out (I believe after two years they're on the verge of falling apart), I also own a Skullcandy GI something or other, which cracked about a month after I bought them (it?), don't know if it's my fault, or just crappy build quality, although the sound quality seems decent to me (Like I said, not an audiophile).
My question is, will the Shure be better? Considering the dislike of Skullcandy I've noticed while lurking and doing my research (not very successful, in all honesty), I'd expect them to have a big WOW factor compared to the Candy's.
I listen to a pretty large selection of genres but the main ones are Rock, Metal, DnB.
On an unrelated note, is there any sort of FAQ or Wiki that would explain the basics of what's what in the Audiophile world?
First off, what's your budget? That really helps to narrow down the suggestions we can give you. Also, in what conditions will you be using them? Just at home, or will you be using it out and about too?
Regarding the Shures versus the Skullcandies, you'll notice a difference if you listen to the detail retrieval they put out, as Skullcandies are generally muddy and cover up a lot of fine detail that the music has. Looking at your genres, it looks like you might appreciate a bit of bass emphasis for the DnB, but also a bit of treble energy for the metal. In that case, a slightly more v-shaped headphone like the M50 or HD25 might suit your purposes well, but to suggest more, a price range is needed. The SRH440s have a decent reputation though.
If you read enough on the forums, you'll eventually pick up the terminology, as a lot of it is pretty intuitive.
( guess I don't require too much bass? ) 
