[and1500]

Hey everybody! I'm new to this site. I'm looking to buy my first "real" set of cans for pure music listening at home. My budget can't exceed $200. I listen to mainly electronic, hip hop, pop, rnb, rock, alternative....basically everything except for classical, country and jazz. My source will be my ipod/ PC audio jack, MP3. I currently have Beats studios but I realized that they don't sound very clear and are very bass heavy. As a result, I'm planning on selling my Beats. I'm looking for an alternative. I've read countless reviews but there are so many phones to choose from.Lastly i do prefer a strong bass presence in my music but not too overpowering. Lastly I won't be using an amp. The headphones that I'm considering are:
 
ATH M50
AAIAI TM1
Sennheiser HD 518
Sennheiser HD 280 pro
Sennheiser HD 380 pro
Grado SR60i/ SR80i
Shure SRH 440
Shure SRH 840
Sony MDR V6/7506
 
Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Ronion]

Open cans will generally have a larger soundstage. Any reason you list so many closed headphones?

 

[and1500]

I listed several closed headphones because I read that they are plentiful in bass and are generally good for the genres i listen to ( hip hop, pop, rap, rock). If I only listen to these genres, should i ignore open headphones because these genres don't really have as wide a soundstage compared to jazz, classical, blues...etc

 

[inthere]

First off, none of the headphones you mentioned are going to be as loud as Beats Studios on the sources you mentioned, so please be prepared. 
 
Ultrasone 750 is great all around sound, nice separation but I can't remember if they're under $200 or not.
 
Marshall Major FX 50 (about $175) comes close and sound great on everything, but they're on ears, not over ear. They also can have a very long burn in period (250 hours for my last pair) before they sound great. 
 
The Shure SRH 840 is great too, but not as good as the Marshall imo. 
 
ATH M50 is a bit heavy, the earpads crack over time, bad separation and soundstage, and a pretty sterile and boring listening experience imo. It's more suited for professional monitoring.
 
My Grado SR60i blew a driver the 1st day, and before it blew it sounded thin and trebly, but they needed burn in so I'll reserve judgement.
 
 Sony MDR V6/7506 are not the headphones to follow Beats Studio with, very plain sounding on the sources you mention.
The Sennheisers sound better than the Sonys, but for your sources you'll want something louder. 
 
The AIAIAI TMA 1 are the worst about of the bunch and very overrated. Definitely stay away. They're going to be very thin and hollow sounding after the Beats, and that's even after burn in. Well, actually people say "recessed mids" but I say hollow sounding. And some of your harder more fun frequencies, the TMA 1's attempt to buffer in an attempt to protect your hearing, which I'm not going to comment right now on how stupid a concept that is.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[and1500]

Thanks for your time to respond. I'm not an audiophile by any means. I just want to get the most out of my music which consists mainly of 320 kbps MP3. My local best buy has the 280s, 380s, TM1. I think i will head over to my local Guitar center, as i was a bit disappointed with the small selection of headphones at best buy. I'm not sure if this is how you describe my musical taste, but i like a "fun" and "exciting" type of sound, like the beats but with more clarity and less muddiness. Also, at what point will i get diminishing returns? I've read that $100-200 is "no man's land", and if i were to choose a headphone to buy it should either be around $100 or $300+
Like for example, would it be a worth it to spend an extra $100 to jump from a Shure SRH 440 to a 840?
I'm interested in the 440s, will they be noticeable better than the beats studios?