I would also recommend the HD25's, I personally haven't listened but for their price range I would go with them.. But I prefer Sennheiser over most manufacturers
Audio Technica M50s are nice all-rounders but their V-shaped sound isn't for everyone: some find it harsh in the highs while others love the somewhat laid back upper mids, some find it bass-heavy while others don't like the bloated and uncontrolled base when unamped... And so on. :rolleyes:
I had some comfort issues when I tested it... These cans have a pretty strong clamping force.
I would consider the HD 558, too. If you can spend a little more and the weird color scheme doesn't bother you, take a look at the even better HD 598.
At around $200, assuming you're in the US and have Amazon, I would walk right past the M50. From the CAL you won't notice an "upgrade" - just a less comfortable and worse-imaging side-grade.
I would suggest either the Grado SR-225i or the Ultrasone HFI-2400 (the HFI-2400 are around $185 right now, they can go as high as $300 (MSRP is $329 and not enforced) - use the Camel and figure out if you should buy them a month early or not). Much better imaging/staging, more natural tonality, more comfortable, etc and both are still easily driven and well built like the M50. I would take either of these over the Sennheiser, personally, but the Sennheiser aren't bad headphones (they're just really...really...boring). You should also consider the AKG K701 (or whatever this week's version is named), which can sometimes be had for around $230-$250, and are a very (VERY) good headphone, and would absolutely be an upgrade from the CAL! (or the M50, or whatever) - less bass though. I'd put the Ultrasone and Grado on the same level, just not as well-rounded (the Grado have better tonality but worse staging, the Ultrasone the inverse, basically).
This was my price point as well-- ended up getting the DT-990 for $150 from Amazon warehouse, so I have $50 left for an amp of some sort if what I have on hand doesn't drive them adequately.
One thing I realized listening to my ATH M-30 yesterday at work is how much ambient noise they're actually blocking out (mostly stuff coming in from the street during high traffic times). So I'm hoping that the open design of the 990 doesn't cause issues-- if it does, they'll be going back and I'll be looking at the A900 and maybe upping my price range a bit to consider stuff like the k550, m-100, and the forthcoming Tiesto-branded cans from AKG.
at the $200 price point the UE6000s will give you the most complete package. Good sound, high end build quality and design, and a sweet carrying pouch for mobile use.
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