[JPresz]

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I sold off my K271MKIIs within a few days of buying them- they have great mids and soundstage but the bass was completely absent imo.  For your budget, D5000 are very nice but are wooden so might not handle travel very well.  Mediocre soundstage aside, SRH840 really are amazing headphones.  In your shoes I'd wait a few weeks to see if the upcoming SRH940 improve on their sound and get one of the above 3 headphones.

the D5000's are nice, but i only see them for around $600. i'll be carrying any new HP's in a case in my bag, so care won't be an issue. i'm not looking to spend over $400 (including shipping)

 

[jm2392]

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Also I have the M-Audio studiophile av-40's and im pretty sure they have a 1/4 inch jack on the back of them.  Hypothetically if i did get the HD 598's would they sound better if i plugged them into these speaks?
 

They have a headphone jack on the front, not the back. It's a 1/8" but you can always just get an adaptor.
 
When you ask if the 598 will "sound better", what are you comparing it to?

basically if it will sound better plugged into the m-audios as opposed to just into my computer. not sure if they act as an amp (dont know what they do lol) but just curious

 

[estreeter]

I know that I am very late to the party, but I have only just received a pair of KSC-75s. I had previously thought them to be severely over-hyped, and I didnt like the look of the clipon design.
 
While I am still not a fan of the clipon approach (durability has to be an issue), I can only say this to anyone contemplating moving beyond iBuds :
 
- if you want warm, dynamic and 'fun', get these ridiculously cheap cans (39 AUD delivered - that is the territory of el-cheapo crap from Phillips here in Oz..)
 
- if you want a taste of the Grado sound, ignore the brand on the side and get the KSC-75
 
- if you only have cheap source and no amp, get the KSC-75
 
- if you want to blow your friends' minds, get several pairs and they will owe you, big time
 
I believe the PortaPro is a bassier version with a better headband, but the bass on these is just about perfect for mine. They aren't detail hounds like my A-Ts and they aren't an exact replica of the Grado sound, but I am gobsmacked - if Koss could build ten times the headphone for ten times the cost, they would have an absolute screamer of a top-level headphone at significantly less than their competition. I know it doesnt work that way, but its a nice fantasy.
 
The big downer, for me, is that everything else I have bought suddenly seems massively overpriced - we talk about the law of diminishing returns, but I had no idea that it kicked in at $40 ....

 

[Eric_C]

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basically if it will sound better plugged into the m-audios as opposed to just into my computer. not sure if they act as an amp (dont know what they do lol) but just curious

They will indeed act as an amp. But then again, there is an amp behind every headphone jack--the only question is how good, and does it matter for your headphones. 
 
I'm gonna have to ask you to be specific about what soundcard your computer uses, because unless people know exactly what you're comparing the AV-40 to, it's not possible to say whether it's better or not.

 

[jm2392]

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basically if it will sound better plugged into the m-audios as opposed to just into my computer. not sure if they act as an amp (dont know what they do lol) but just curious

They will indeed act as an amp. But then again, there is an amp behind every headphone jack--the only question is how good, and does it matter for your headphones. 
 
I'm gonna have to ask you to be specific about what soundcard your computer uses, because unless people know exactly what you're comparing the AV-40 to, it's not possible to say whether it's better or not.

im looking for the exact soundcard as i post this, no luck yet.  im on my 15 inch macbook pro, it only says 'intel high definition audio' under the system specs tab 

 

[Eric_C]

OH. You have a Mac. Mac headphone outputs are usually just fine, far from terrible. The 598 should sound fine on them.
 
But didn't you say that those headphones were over budget? And you like rock and alternative, which are both guitar-heavy genres--look for a Grado. SR-60 is their entry-level model that has a great price-performance ratio. You could also consider estreeter's recommendation above, for the Koss.

 

[Doorbell]

Has anybody ever ordered from avlgear.com? Are they a legit site?

 

[jm2392]

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OH. You have a Mac. Mac headphone outputs are usually just fine, far from terrible. The 598 should sound fine on them.
 
But didn't you say that those headphones were over budget? And you like rock and alternative, which are both guitar-heavy genres--look for a Grado. SR-60 is their entry-level model that has a great price-performance ratio. You could also consider estreeter's recommendation above, for the Koss.

thanks for the input.  initially the 598's were appealing to me, i fell in love with the looks of them.  the fact that i had to use the adapter for my computer was a turn off but that was the only flaw i could see personally. they are out of my price range however the headphones will be a gift to me so who knows.  right im pretty sure im going to be getting the ATH M50's, and ill just go from there. i mainly listen to music with bass, so cans with a heavy bass would be my choice.  not too heavy like the beats, in my opinion they sound dumb after i tried them at the store.  

 

[Eric_C]

jm2392: good man, that was my impression of the Beats vs M50 too. Anyway remember to decide between straight or coiled cable for the M50; coiled seems shorter but creates tension, straight gives more slack and is useful for plugging into a TV 8-9 feet away.

 

[jm2392]

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jm2392: good man, that was my impression of the Beats vs M50 too. Anyway remember to decide between straight or coiled cable for the M50; coiled seems shorter but creates tension, straight gives more slack and is useful for plugging into a TV 8-9 feet away.

thanks man you definitely know your stuff.  at first i was leaning towards straight cord but now that i think about it, i dont really need 10 feet of slack on the ground while my laptop sits on my lap.  but my computer monitor is sitting on my desk and theres probably two feet between me and the monitor. do you know how long the cord is for the coiled cord or how thick it is? i might just end up getting a straight cord just incase.  im trying to make my first headphone purchase perfect haha ive been lurking here for at least a week now

 

[Eric_C]

I don't have an M50. You could, however, just look up the specs for cable length on Audio Technica's website or any other e-tailer, or ask in one of the M50-specific threads where the owners hang out.

 

[stranger812]

 
Hi All, my first post in Head-fi.
 
I'm a long time IEM user. I just decided to look for a good quality headphone for a change or may be for home use. I listen to a variety of genre but mostly rock or alternative. My budget is around 500$. At the moment I'm torn btw HD650 and Denon D5000. My current gear are Cowon J3+Headstage Arrow + Shure Se535 (gonna sell soon to upgrade to Westone4).
 
 My criteria is good bass, good sound stage and comfortable cause I'm gonna use it for a long period of time. Any more recommendation is welcomed. Thank you

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Hi there everyone. I created a few threads but I didn't get as much info as I'd like from them. Anyway, in order from most needed to least needed, my needs are: 
 
 

1. Clarity
2. Deep Bass, Strong kick (I don't want a 'dark' headphone though!)
3. Detail overall
4. Does not Leak sound or Let too much sound in. (Noise Isolation and Noise Reduction)
5. Portability is a concern, I would like to take these to college and on transit, or on walks etc. If possible.
6. Preferably closed (Goes with "Does not leak down or Let too much sound in")
7. Can be Full-size, On-ear, In-ear, or even IEM's. I just want the best headphones I can get.
8. Max price is $250. 

 
I'm looking at the:
 
Audio Technica ATH-PRO700Mk2's - Detachable cable and they have a bigger driver than M50's = Better?
HD-25's - Universally recommended for these kinds of needs.
Ultimate Ears TripleFi10 - An In-ear earphone, I don't have much experience with earphones.
 
What are people's thoughts? I loved the M50's before, just the cable was a bit long. How are the Pro700Mk2's?

 

[maverickronin]

Maybe Ultrasones  Most of them are supposed to have strong bass with enough treble that they're usually described as bright.  Most of them are closed, and all of them but the ED10 are halfway portable.
 
The HFi-780 fits your budget, but I can't actually remember what it sounds like from the one time I heard it.  Forgot to take notes...

 

[wongkey]

I'm looking to upgrade my set of headphones.  I currently own the Sennheiser hd202's.  I'm looking for a set of cans that are a little clearer with better mids/highs and have more bass.  They will primarily be used for music(40%) gaming(40%) and watching movies(20%).  I mainly listen to hip hop, jazz, trance, and some rock.  On the gaming side I mainly play FPS's and Street Fighter.  I currently do not own an amp and would mainly be using my PSP/laptop to listen to music on.  I'm currently investigating the Sennheiser HD555 and HD438's. 
 
I have chosen the HD555 as a candidate due to the praise they have gotten from reviews raving about the clarity of their mids/highs, decent bass and overall usefulness.  The HD438's on the other hand have been chosen because their reviewers say that their lows/mids are much better and importantly have more bass.  However everytime I seem to finally figure out which set I want I stumble upon a review that claims the HD555 have no bass or too much, same goes with the hd438.
 
My price range is under $100 new/used.  If there are better sets of headphones to do the bidding I have described please let me know.  I also have to make a decision asap because I actually need to order these today.  Thanks for all your help!