[DarthUnnamed]

Looking for something on the go, portable, foldable and for $50-100. Foldable isn't a must but it would be nice.
I'm not a total basshead, but i would like decent bass, without sacrificing the highs and mids. Anyone got a recommendation?
Oh, and they don't need an amp to sound good.

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

 
Good points!
 
Regarding genre, I guess my goal was to have a do-it-all hp, so I'd like something that could reproduce anything well.  Realistically though, I listen mostly to indie rock, and maybe a little electronic, but nothing like dubstep that would warrant true bass-head equipment, especially not at the cost of accurate reproduction in the mids or highs.  I don't mind a little "character" in the frequency response, but nothing too unbalanced.  I like detail.  The D2000 is definitely high on the list of candidates.
 
I've sort of accepted that soundstage isn't going to be as good with closed-back hps, so I'm not really factoring it in here.  It would be nice, but when I can afford another big hp purchase I'll get an open set for that purpose.  For now, I just want something accurate and detailed with a good seal that I can use in the living room without disturbing others. 
 
Walking into J&R is phase 2 of my plan!  I live in NYC and love that place, but I wanted to do a little more homework first to narrow things down.  The listed prices were the best I saw on Amazon, but I realize that in some cases the listed price was from a third party because Amazon's warehouse didn't have any stock. 

Ok, the first thing I would say is cross the Pro 900 off of your list. It is great for EDM, but is not the best choice for an all-rounder. The Pro 750 wouldn't be a bad choice if you want that Ultrasone bass kick but with more balance.
 
I currently own the Denon D5000, so I can speak to the D2000 sound signature. They will have a slight recess in the mids but give a nice full bass that goes quite low. I think this is a very good choice for an all around type of headphone, and it won't require an amp to drive it either. Something to note though is that it is not very good at isolating, especially for a closed phone. I don't find leakage to be too bad though, which seems to be more of your concern.
 
I used to have the Shure SRH940. The 940 have amazon sound, with detail that raival cans up to the $1000 range. Some find their bass to be lacking, but I never had any complaints while I was running it through my FiiO E7/E9 (I also did not expect great impact on the low end, as I did not purchase them to use on bass heavy genres like dubstep or hip-hop). These were absolutely wonderful and they come with spare earpads, 2 cables and a case. The only downside, and the reason I sold them was due to the discomfort of the headband. I found that the bumps would put pressure and after about 30 minutes I would have to adjust it to relieve my aching head. However, sometimes I would get it just right and was able to wear these during all night study sessions (6-7 hours with occasional, quick breaks). If I had found a solution I would have kept these. I don't know if this affects everyone as much as me, but it is something to consider based upon how long you will be usually wearing them.

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

Looking for something on the go, portable, foldable and for $50-100. Foldable isn't a must but it would be nice.
I'm not a total basshead, but i would like decent bass, without sacrificing the highs and mids. Anyone got a recommendation?
Oh, and they don't need an amp to sound good.

A nice option is the Monoprice 8323 with Beyerdynamic DT250 velour pads and a beyer headband. Total price is $28 + $22 + $10 = $60.
 
They look kinda bulky and cheap, but sound wonderful and nice solid bass, with just slightly rolled of highs. You can also get something like this to cover up the Monoprice name and make them look classy (or choose another design).

 

[DarthUnnamed]

Quote:

A nice option is the Monoprice 8323 with Beyerdynamic DT250 velour pads and a beyer headband. Total price is $28 + $22 + $10 = $60.
 
They look kinda bulky and cheap, but sound wonderful and nice solid bass, with just slightly rolled of highs. You can also get something like this to cover up the Monoprice name and make them look classy (or choose another design).

Eh, i would prefer if they would be a bit smaller

 

[LazBro123]

Eh, i would prefer if they would be a bit smaller

Ultrasone HFI 450, Sennheiser HD 280 PRO, Shure SRH 440, Audio Technica A700 (if you can stretch your budget $30-40 more), Sony MDR 7506, Sony MDR V6, Denon D1001.......Denon D7000 (if you can stretch your budget $800....lol jks).

 

[DarthUnnamed]

Quote:

Ultrasone HFI 450, Sennheiser HD 280 PRO, Shure SRH 440, Audio Technica A700 (if you can stretch your budget $30-40 more), Sony MDR 7506, Sony MDR V6, Denon D1001.......Denon D7000 (if you can stretch your budget $800....lol jks).

I've also been looking into various AKG headphones, like the k450, k518 and the Q460, how are they?

 

[LazBro123]

I've also been looking into various AKG headphones, like the k450, k518 and the Q460, how are they?

Never tried them, but seem good. My recommendations suit your needs perfectly

 

[Empire1]

What makes you interested in the Bose QC15? If you want isolation from ambient noises, then these are the best; soundwise these are a poor choice for anything above $150. Also, the Denon D600 is supposedly not all that bass heavy based upon the review here on Head-fi, so it may not suit you. The older Denon line (D2000/D5000) may be better aligned with your tastes.

If you are a basshead, it is important to know if you like the thumping bass, or the deep bass that shakes your head, that is not as audible. Check out this thread for some recommendations to satisfy your basshead cravings at your appropriate budget.

The only reason I even added the Bose QC15s is that they were already gifted to me.

That's weird, I read in some threads that some people actually rejected the new D600s because it has too much bass.

Do they really have less bass than the D2000s?

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

The only reason I even added the Bose QC15s is that they were already gifted to me.
That's weird, I read in some threads that some people actually rejected the new D600s because it has too much bass.
Do they really have less bass than the D2000s?

Oops my mistake. I mixed them up with something else; too much going on today. I can't say which would have more bass then as I haven't tried the new Denons.
 
Since you already have the Bose, you might consider trying to go to a store and listen to some headphone and compare them. It's hard to really know what you'll like until you hear them. You could also take the Bose so that you could do side by side comparisons. You will likely hear a big difference in comparison to the Bose (depending on what headphones you can demo).
 
Another thing you might consider is getting something in the $200-$300 range and spending the remainder (or part of it) on a DAC and maybe an amp. This will help maximize the potential of whatever headphones you use. It's important to remember that there are diminishing marginal returns in audio quality as you increase the price of your headphones. A $500 headphone will not be 2x as good as a $250. Realistically it may be 10%, though the difference might be lower if you have lower quality music or the source that you're playing it from is poor. Just another thing to consider.
 
I highly recommend the Denon D2000 or D5000 if you have some extra cash. They have a fun sound with deep bass, are very comfortable, and seem to perform most genres of music well. The downsides are that they are big and a bit fragile.
 
Here's a question for you. Have you had a chance to try out your QC15s? If so, what were your thoughts about how it sounded? Bose gets bashed around here (and they do deserve some of it) but there stuff is still usually much better sounding than a lot of the mainstream junk that is marketed to teens.

 

[dragonxx21]

Someone offered to sell me a pair of brand new Shure 840's for $130, this is a flat price, no S&H considering they are nearby and can deliver them to me personally. Good deal?

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Someone offered to sell me a pair of brand new Shure 840's for $130, this is a flat price, no S&H considering they are nearby and can deliver them to me personally. Good deal?

New from Amazon third party seller is $145 shipped--you decide.

 

[dragonxx21]

Quote:

New from Amazon third party seller is $145 shipped--you decide.

Shipping to Canada probably costs more, plus I save $15 by buying from this guy. Any pros to ordering from Amazon?

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Shipping to Canada probably costs more, plus I save $15 by buying from this guy. Any pros to ordering from Amazon?

If you buy from an authorized dealer, you get the warranty--at least in the U.S.  In my experience Amazon is good at addressing any problems you have shortly after purchase--even from third party sellers.  I guess all of that is better than buying from person "X".

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

Someone offered to sell me a pair of brand new Shure 840's for $130, this is a flat price, no S&H considering they are nearby and can deliver them to me personally. Good deal?

A couple cheaper ones on the forums here too.
 
Edit: Didn't see that you were in Canada. Cheapest I saw was $130 shipped on the forums to Canada, but not new. Sounds like a good deal, though I am not familiar with the average street price of 840s in Canada

 

[Empire1]

Quote:

Oops my mistake. I mixed them up with something else; too much going on today. I can't say which would have more bass then as I haven't tried the new Denons.
 
Since you already have the Bose, you might consider trying to go to a store and listen to some headphone and compare them. It's hard to really know what you'll like until you hear them. You could also take the Bose so that you could do side by side comparisons. You will likely hear a big difference in comparison to the Bose (depending on what headphones you can demo).
 
Another thing you might consider is getting something in the $200-$300 range and spending the remainder (or part of it) on a DAC and maybe an amp. This will help maximize the potential of whatever headphones you use. It's important to remember that there are diminishing marginal returns in audio quality as you increase the price of your headphones. A $500 headphone will not be 2x as good as a $250. Realistically it may be 10%, though the difference might be lower if you have lower quality music or the source that you're playing it from is poor. Just another thing to consider.
 
I highly recommend the Denon D2000 or D5000 if you have some extra cash. They have a fun sound with deep bass, are very comfortable, and seem to perform most genres of music well. The downsides are that they are big and a bit fragile.
 
Here's a question for you. Have you had a chance to try out your QC15s? If so, what were your thoughts about how it sounded? Bose gets bashed around here (and they do deserve some of it) but there stuff is still usually much better sounding than a lot of the mainstream junk that is marketed to teens.

 
I'm still very very new to the high performance headphone world, hence, I'm not sure how an amp would work. I do know it's something that vastly improves the sound quality coming from a source. 
My current source is a 4th generation iPod Touch. I stand to be corrected, but amps can hook up to iPods and the headphones can hook up to the amp, right? 
My music files are mostly 320kbps, though there are a few tracks here and there that are 256, 192, or even several that are 128kbps. 
 
I was actually planning on purchasing the D2000s until I found they were no longer available by searching the Denon website. There, I found the D600s.
 
Yes, I've been using my new Bose sets for the past few days. The bass is a little muddy I think, and I certainly wouldn't call the sound quality amazing. They are good, probably not worthy of all the bashing that's true, but they are not exceptional. I was expecting to be blown away by clarity and precision of sound for a $300 headphone, but instead, it sounded about as good as my UE IEMs. I can confirm that the QC15s are about a whole level better than the Beats Studios. I tried them both at the store, and all I got from the Beats was a tidal wave of bass and the clarity of a Skullcandy IEM. The Beats' sound quality to price ratio is much lower than the Bose's. Studios are worth no more than $80.
 
My question now is if the D600s will have enough bass to satisfy my basshead leanings. How would you compare the power of the bass of the D600 (or D2000s) to that of the Bose offerings, or even the Studios? I'm not talking about clarity and punch and stuff, there's no comparison there, but I'm wondering about the power, the thump - will they have comparable power when called for?
 
Thanks! 
Empire