[sonex]

need advice on closed headphones I have not bought any in 15 years and need to get good choices for under 120 bones. I have old sony v6's that are ok but don't have much bass extension and are boring (not very musical). I also own grado sr60's I like these alot but need closed headphones so I don't bother others. I will be driving anything I choose with vintage recievers so efficiency is not a concern. My music preferences are classic rock,rock,jazz,blues. Was looking for fairly balanced frequency response with decent bass extension but not over emphasized or muddy. nonfatiging is a must for long listening sessions. Don't mind doing some mods if I have to but keeping mostly stock would be nice. I was looking at CAL's or fostex t50's are there better options in the $120-$130 and under range that I should check out? Hoping for some experienced phone heads will help. thanks for your time.

 

[flatmap]

Both CAL and Fostex worth checking out, for sure.
 
In this price range there is also the Shure SRH440.  Closed, monitoring type headphone and
the quick listen I had made it seem pretty musical.  Wouldn't say it has real bass extension, however.
 
It's been years, but I seem to recall liking the tone (timbre, body, whatever) of the 
Sennheiser HD 448... I guess now replaced by the HD 449.  That should have more bass sound
if I recall correctly compared to the Shures.

 

[sonex]

flatmap thanks for the senn hd448-449 suggestion, doing some reading on them they look like a possibility I'll put them on my possible list. If I up my budget to $150-175 will There be a significantly better choices of cans? 

 

[flatmap]

The HD558 might be with your grasp, then. Rich tonality but good definition and clear. The ATH M50 also in this price range -- I use this one at work since it's closed & provides very good isolation, and I like its versatility across musical styles. But for home I generally lean to an open headphone --- for me it has a more natural listening experience.

Edit: Does amp use the 7591 output tubes? Sorry, somehow I jumped to
the idea that you were using a Fisher tube amp. Getting confused in my old age.

 

[Magicman74]

For your music taste, like mine. I'll toss out the HD 439, More bass then the 449 and a better mid, The 449 better in the treble tho:
Plus the 439 comes stock with Velour's the 449 pads are cheap. Not that that matters..$99 for the 439.  Skip the M50's don't fall for it.  Much better cans at the same price or even cheaper. Hell the Cal does everything better, Bass, Mids' Highs and comfort. And is dirt cheap.

 

[sonex]

been also looking at the akg k240 but heard the switch to china manufacture has hurt the SQ and build quality. any truth to this?