[Stalinski]

No, it is overhyped and should not be a headphone recommended for metal at all unless you like torturing your ears with bright treble and non-existent bass. There is no impact from the AD700 at all, it lifeless sounding. Think of the AD700 of a girl suffering from anorexia. 

I use my LCD2's for metal as I like the thumping drum and guitar bass paired with the dark signature of LCD2's as it sounds "apocalyptic". But definitely check out Alessandro and Grado series headphones for metal and rock as they are good for these two genres. Start with something like MS2 for Alessandro and SR325 for the Grado's. 

But Grado's have harsh treble also?

 

[Assimilator702]

Quote:

Just some small input: bad recordings in metal usually aren't *that* bad so long as you don't listen to the super obscure bands or lots of black metal. Most bands actually have decent production, some better than others.

Huge Metalhead here also.....along with multiple genres....but Metal elitist/drummer first and foremost.
 
 
Remember the most important thing is getting a headphone thats not perfectly neutral.....but is not defficient in any passband. It's ok to have slightly warm mids.....or emphasized treble with Grados for example.....as long as what is suppose to come out of the recording comes out. A little more is ok....but not less. You can always EQ down a touch but when you EQ up that just opens up a slew of problems since we don't want our driver to be operated outside it's safe operating range and boosting can do that.
 
In my experience because of the limited numbers of cans I own I tend to NOT listen to Metal on my home rig and listen to slower pass genres like Jazz/ Fusion where a lesser can do a nice job. IEM's on the computer is where I listen to 95% of my Metal.
 
I need a headphone that does METAL really well and from my experience owning a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A700..... the newer ATH-A900x sounds like the PERFECT headphone since they are tuned with a non recessed and rich midrange....have sufficient midbass kick without being boated and clear treble response. Along with deep bass response thats sufficient for EDM and other bass heavy genres.
 
The A700 has emphasized upper mids/treble along with a nice treble spike in the 10k region(possibly 12k) which can make Metal a bit painful and a bit shrilly.....especially which some of the Black Metal guitars players who tend to have a very compressed thinner and treble emphasized guitar tone. Thats a situation where a Grado will not be a good thing....as is the case with my A700.
 
The A900x should be good for multiple genres and is a good place to start considering they're under $200.....they'll be my next purchase....recommeded by some VERY knowledgeble members that own truckloads of cans..... along with a Fiio E17 in a few weeks.
 
Keep in mind I was also considering a pair of M-50 since they are a good all arounder can but most everyone thats heard both say the A900x is just a better and more refined can with no passband defficiency along with a good amount of detail retrieval.
 
With your budget I would deffinately allocate a portion to a decent headphone amp and stay under budget to see/hear what type of sound signature you prefer since everyones ears/bodies vary and the way we percieve sound is different.

 

[Assimilator702]

Quote:

Just some small input: bad recordings in metal usually aren't *that* bad so long as you don't listen to the super obscure bands or lots of black metal. Most bands actually have decent production, some better than others.

I touched on that subject a bit before I read your response but yes the best thing is to just NOT listen to the bad recordings on your good cans.
 
Get a decent headphone amp/DAC thats compatible with your system/systems and  few pairs of reasonably priced high performing iem's like the Audio Technica CKM or CKS series so you have all your basses covered.
 
Personally for me right now I need something I can use as a UBS DAC/amp on my computer rig.....and also move to the bedroom on my H-Fi setup. With the USB inputs along with the coaxial and Toslink inputs the Fiio E17 is a great bargain.
 
 
Headphone meets are my to-do list since thats the best way to expose yourself to the cans/iem's that are difficult to find unless you buy them....once you find a setup that works for you you'll know be able to cut to the head of the line so to speak.

 

[Stalinski]

Huge Metalhead here also.....along with multiple genres....but Metal elitist/drummer first and foremost.


Remember the most important thing is getting a headphone thats not perfectly neutral.....but is not defficient in any passband. It's ok to have slightly warm mids.....or emphasized treble with Grados for example.....as long as what is suppose to come out of the recording comes out. A little more is ok....but not less. You can always EQ down a touch but when you EQ up that just opens up a slew of problems since we don't want our driver to be operated outside it's safe operating range and boosting can do that.

In my experience because of the limited numbers of cans I own I tend to NOT listen to Metal on my home rig and listen to slower pass genres like Jazz/ Fusion where a lesser can do a nice job. IEM's on the computer is where I listen to 95% of my Metal.

I need a headphone that does METAL really well and from my experience owning a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A700..... the newer ATH-A900x sounds like the PERFECT headphone since they are tuned with a non recessed and rich midrange....have sufficient midbass kick without being boated and clear treble response. Along with deep bass response thats sufficient for EDM and other bass heavy genres.

The A700 has emphasized upper mids/treble along with a nice treble spike in the 10k region(possibly 12k) which can make Metal a bit painful and a bit shrilly.....especially which some of the Black Metal guitars players who tend to have a very compressed thinner and treble emphasized guitar tone. Thats a situation where a Grado will not be a good thing....as is the case with my A700.

The A900x should be good for multiple genres and is a good place to start considering they're under $200.....they'll be my next purchase....recommeded by some VERY knowledgeble members that own truckloads of cans..... along with a Fiio E17 in a few weeks.

Keep in mind I was also considering a pair of M-50 since they are a good all arounder can but most everyone thats heard both say the A900x is just a better and more refined can with no passband defficiency along with a good amount of detail retrieval.

With your budget I would deffinately allocate a portion to a decent headphone amp and stay under budget to see/hear what type of sound signature you prefer since everyones ears/bodies vary and the way we percieve sound is different.

Too bad the A900x doesn't appear to have a good wing-system...

 

[tannerbnd]

UE 6000 is awesome for metal and rock plus the ATH-M50 is awesome too

 

[Stalinski]

I also forgot to add that I won't be needing a DAC, my PC's sound card will do just fine.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

I also forgot to add that I won't be needing a DAC, my PC's sound card will do just fine.

 
If I'm in the same boat I'd consider the HD600 or MS2i (get a pair of the SR60i pads and try them on too) and the Magni. BTW I'm listening to my HD600 with a D-Zero right now as my Cantate.2's transformer had a meltdown last month, still waiting for the replacement transformer that I'm shipping with a bunch of other things from the US. D-Zero gets loud enough, but it's been so long since I listened to the Cantate.2 that I'm not noticing its warmer, more congested sound as much as I used to.

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

But Grado's have harsh treble also?

Not all the Grado's, only the entry cheap line up sound unbalanced and bright, SR-60,80, 125 and the older 225. 325 and RS1's are very nice for rock and metal that could fit into your budget. The Alessandro's are just as enjoyable (made by the same company).

 

[CC Lemon]

RS1's fit the budget? Even used would take up the entire budget or more. Also, I'd hardly call the 225 entry level. That said, I didn't really like mine and the couple time's I've tried the 325, I wasn't fond of them at all. I might have liked them less. Most people say the 325 is brighter, and I'd agree. I never enjoyed either, including for metal.

 

[Stalinski]

RS1's fit the budget? Even used would take up the entire budget or more. Also, I'd hardly call the 225 entry level. That said, I didn't really like mine and the couple time's I've tried the 325, I wasn't fond of them at all. I might have liked them less. Most people say the 325 is brighter, and I'd agree. I never enjoyed either, including for metal.

I'm looking for a comfortable full-sized headphone, I have a very sensitive head when pressure is applied in the wrong ways and therefore I'd rather avoid Grado's altogether.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

I'm looking for a comfortable full-sized headphone, I have a very sensitive head when pressure is applied in the wrong ways and therefore I'd rather avoid Grado's altogether.

 
That's why I sold my SR225. Not only were the sound from both on first listen very similar with the HD600 being technically superior (smoother response, better positional cues and stage size, stronger bass impact thanks to the isolation), but at some point I've been wearing them a lot more than the SR225. I didn't want to keep it and not give it any headtime, I suppose the buyer though is still having fun with it - AFAIK he still has it.

 

[Theogenes]

These threads asking for recommendations for metal-friendly cans pop up pretty regularly, and it seems like there is a lot more good information in this one than most of the others I've seen. Interesting reading. 
 
I also listen to metal significantly more than anything else (although I tend to listen to more extreme stuff, Dillinger Escape Plan, Psyopus, Meshuggah, etc), and to my ears the orthos do really well with presenting the music in a clear but listenable way. Within (or at least close to) your budget, I would point you towards two cans in particular: the Mad Dogs (which someone else already recommended), and the HiFiMan HE-400. I got to listen to both of these for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I was highly impressed. The Mad Dogs are closed and seem to be a bit more forgiving (although a bit dark-sounding) if that's your preference, while the HE-400 is open and seems more treble-tipped than the Mad Dogs. Either one of these would require an amp to really get good sound, but you could probably pick up an O2 amp used at a decent price, which I would think would drive either pretty well. 
 
Regarding recording quality: people tend to muddle up the logic on whether good or bad headphones are better or worse for poorly recorded music IMO. Yes, the better you gear is, the more able you are to hear the flaws in it. But you're also able to hear a lot of other positive stuff you might otherwise miss: the sound of a really good guitar tone and texture, the pick flicking across the strings, and a better idea of what some of the more technical wizards out there are actually doing with their instruments. Ultimately, poor recording quality just sucks no matter what you listen to it on, and having crappier headphones doesn't change the fact that you're listening to poorly recorded (or mixed, or mastered, whatever) music. As an example, there were two excellent metal albums that came out recently: Dillinger Escape Plan's One of Us Is The Killer and Leprous' Coal. The DEP album is noticeably compressed, and while it gets annoying in several specific passages on the album, it really starts to add up as you listen to the entire album and makes you want to turn down the sound because your ears get fatigued. In contrast, the new Leprous album is very well done and sounds great the entire way through, and you never really find yourself wanting to keep creeping the volume lower and lower-- you just want to listen to the subtle complexity that lies behind their more straightforward approach on this album. As an aside, this is one of the major reasons I collect vinyl albums for metal bands I like-- when I finally get around to picking up an ADC that I like, I can rip the vinyl albums into digital and sidestep the compression effects of the loudness wars and thus enjoy the music as it was actually meant to be heard, without idiotically restricting the dynamic range of the music as some albums do. Sigh. [/rant]. 
 
And as a final aside on recording quality, nothing is ever going to make some of the early black metal stuff sound good. The music itself is pretty great on a few of them, and the technical chops possessed (ha!) by some of those guys is really impressive, but they were intentionally recorded to sound bad-- it was part of the whole 'no scene, no mosh, no core' movement at the time. Silly, I know, but them's the breaks. 
 
As far as what types of sound signatures work well with metal, my experience is that the more clear, transparent, and detailed the sound, the better for all types of music, metal included. I absolutely love my T5p with metal, for example, even though it's a bit lacking in bass quantity, because it is so unbelievably clear and detailed. I'm actually a bit more likely to reach for my T5p for metal than my LCD-2 a lot of the time because of that addictive clarity. (Although the LCD-2 is still awesome, and I still love it with metal). 
 
Ultimately, if you can get to a meet and get a chance to hear some of this stuff, it's going to be your best bet. You won't know what you like until you actually get a chance to listen to a few things, and your preferences might surprise you-- I found that while I thought I would prefer a lush, PRAT-ty approach, I actually just enjoy the most neutral sound I can get. Whoda thunk? 
 
Keep us posted on your progress, and good luck man

 

[Stalinski]

Can someone also explain to me the difference between the 250 and 80 ohm versions of the DT770?

 

[Netforce]

170ohms /joke

The 250 ohm pair will be more detailed but will need an amp though I'd say use an amp for both versions. The 80 ohm pair for me straight plugging into my source is bit too quiet for me already. Honestly I wouldn't recommend the dt770 for metal since at your budget you'd be able to get some more transparent headphones with not so intrusive bass.

 

[Netforce]

Edit: extra post