[Aaron1006]

Let me start by saying I am not interested in the ATH M50's, I'm not a fan of lots of boomy bass which I have heard is present in these. (Had to make that clear since every thread that mentions $100 they come up lol).
 
I like a sound similar to my RE0's, neutral, accurate fast bass, detailed etc. Comfort is also extremely important because they will be used for hours every day. They need to be full-sized circum-aural headphones, doesn't matter if they are open or closed. So far the best that I've seen similar to what I'm looking for are the Sennheiser HD555's. I don't know too much about them but based on a few reviews I've read they sound similar to the qualities I am looking for. I also want something where an amp is not necessary as I only have a Fiio e5. They will be run from a Hotaudio Dac Destroyer. If anyone has input on the HD555's or any other suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. P.S I absolutely can not spend over $100 at Ebay prices, I'm 17 with only a $100 gift card to use lol.
 
Also I have heard about a mod with the HD555's which make them sound very similar to the 595's, is it actually worth it and does it make much of a difference?
 
Also ear space is very important to me as well, if they crunch up my ears it's very uncomfortable for me
 
One more also, I listen to mainly rock, electronic music, and acoustic stuff. Also a lot of female vocals, so hearing clarity in a females voice is important to me as well as the other characteristics stated above.

 

[wind016]

Audio Technica ES7, or A700

 

[Aaron1006]

Which of those two are better? And are they both a better match for me than the HD555s?

 

[TheWuss]

i owned the hd595, and i would not describe it's bass as fast and tight.
it was rather slow, with decay, and very polite.
i assume the hd555, with same drivers, sounds similar.

 

[baka1969]

I would put the Grado SR-80(i) or the Alessandro MS1(i) on your list. I listened to the SR-225 yesterday and was reminded just how good the Grados and their models are under $200. I also listened to the Senn 595. I'm listening to the Shure SRH840 right now, and they're great closed 'phones for the money. To me, they just don't compare to how truely special Grados are at those prices.

I offer my grain of sand. .

 

[wind016]

A700 should be better. A friend of mine bought it. He agrees it sounds great but he's not used to the highs of the headphones. He noticed that cymbals in low quality files hurt his ears. Sennheisers should be smoother compared to Audio Techica, but they should also sound more veiled also. I thought the A700 just sounded simply great for the low price. The bass was also thumpy.
 
Quote:

Which of those two are better? And are they both a better match for me than the HD555s?

 

[Aaron1006]

 
Quote:

I would put the Grado SR-80(i) or the Alessandro MS1(i) on your list. I listened to the SR-225 yesterday and was reminded just how good the Grados and their models are under $200. I also listened to the Senn 595. I'm listening to the Shure SRH840 right now, and they're great closed 'phones for the money. To me, they just don't compare to how truely special Grados are at those prices.

I offer my grain of sand. .

I've always heard that Grado's aren't very comfortable, otherwise I would be interested.
 

 

[Endless]

Oh hey, I'm 17 too with a set of RE0's.
+1 for the HD 555's.
 
It was my first pair of decent headphones and my favorite. The mod to change the 555 to 595 does work imo, I think I've heard somebody in Head-Fi say that "the 555 driver and the 595 driver was the same." Either way, doing the mod gave a HUGE improvement to my 555's, bigger soundstage and brighter treble that can rival the RE0's. 
 
Don't hesitate. Get it. 

 

[Aaron1006]

Quote:

Oh hey, I'm 17 too with a set of RE0's.
+1 for the HD 555's.
 
It was my first pair of decent headphones and my favorite. The mod to change the 555 to 595 does work imo, I think I've heard somebody in Head-Fi say that "the 555 driver and the 595 driver was the same." Either way, doing the mod gave a HUGE improvement to my 555's, bigger soundstage and brighter treble that can rival the RE0's. 
 
Don't hesitate. Get it. 

Ahh thanks I've been hoping to hear something like that that would help make this decision easy
 

 

[Bigrock2150]

I'll go ahead and put in my usual vote for the ATH AD700. Very comfortable, Very large soundstage, Very beautiful all around sound. Bass is light but not noticeably lighter than the hd555. 
 
The hd555 mod is worth doing because you are literally just removing a peace of dampening material that Sennheiser purposely uses to dull the sound. The hd555 and the hd595 use the same driver. 
 
The ad700 is the overall favorite over the hd555 among most Head-fiers, Both for versatility (gaming) and for sound. I sold my hd555 awhile back but it wasn't easy and easy choice. Either way, these two are the only headphone under $100 that i'd recommend.... unless your a closed headphone bass lover.  

 

[Aaron1006]

Quote:

I'll go ahead and put in my usual vote for the ATH AD700. Very comfortable, Very large soundstage, Very beautiful all around sound. Bass is light but not noticeably lighter than the hd555. 
 
The hd555 mod is worth doing because you are literally just removing a peace of dampening material that Sennheiser purposely uses to dull the sound. The hd555 and the hd595 use the same driver. 
 
The ad700 is the overall favorite over the hd555 among most Head-fiers, Both for versatility (gaming) and for sound. I sold my hd555 awhile back but it wasn't easy and easy choice. Either way, these two are the only headphone under $100 that i'd recommend.... unless your a closed headphone bass lover.  

So the AD700's > HD555 for the qualities I am looking for? By the way these will be used for music only, nothing else matters to me.

 

[Bigrock2150]

The majority of Head-fiers believe so. All the loyal hd555 members will tell you otherwise but you can't go wrong with the Majority. There's a ad700 vs hd555 poll that you may want to check out but last time I checked it was ad700 favored almost 4 times to 1.  

 

[Aaron1006]

Quote:

The majority of Head-fiers believe so. All the loyal hd555 members will tell you otherwise but you can't go wrong with the Majority. There's a ad700 vs hd555 poll that you may want to check out but last time I checked it was ad700 favored almost 4 times to 1.  

Oh man, that's an overwhelming number in favor of them, sounds like they are probably going to be the ones for me. I have a few days to think about it before I pull the trigger since I have to sell some things first. Started reading the appreciation thread on them and they sound great for what I'm looking for

. I can't believe how cheap they go for on Amazon, at the moment they're going for less on Amazon than on Ebay lol

 

[Endless]

Well, I can't really speak for the ad700's because I never heard them, but I can say that Amazon is a great place to buy headphones. Very, very good return policy. Good luck with whatever you get. 

 

[wind016]

I personally tried the AD700 and the A700. I thought the A700 was better. Not because of the sound. I thought they sounded similar. But I thought they were better simply because they were closed. They are a great value for the money. Open headphones are seriously a pain in the a-hole if there's noise. Also the A700 had better bass.