[proteinpig]

My post was buried deep in another thread and didn't get any attention. So, I thought I'd paste it over here
 
So, is there (or rather can there be) a consensus winner? I currently have a M50 that I power through a Musiland Monitor 02 DAC (no amp yet - scouting for one) and I can't imagine anything sounding better than this. I absolutely love the sound signature. But, I see and believe that there are far better options if I am willing to spend a bit more for a better headphone (I can afford ~$200 but no more this year). I would love to get a headphone (closed / open) with *punchier* bass and a *very good* mid range and *decent* highs. I am very sensitive to metallic / piercing highs and wouldn't really mind rolled off highs if the headphone has superb bass and mid range to make up for it. How do you guys rank these based on these criterion
1) D2000
2) Hfi 580
3) Hfi 780
4) Pro 2500
5) Pro 750
6) XB700
7) DT770 - Pro80 (I believe that is the punchiest Beyer)
8) DT990 - Pro
Assume that the system would be foobar -> Musiland monitor 02 -> Some Amp (<$150) -> headphone
Also, it would be great if you can suggest amps (Tube/solid state) that would give me a warmer sound and are < $150.
Waiting for replies .....

 

[leng jai]

First off, I don't think the M50s benefit greatly from an amp. Running them out of my Touch vs the Darkvoice amp doesn't sound much different and the Cambridge amp sounded even worse.
 
Secondly I don't think you're going to find a significantly better phone than the M50 for $200, especially unamped. I would advise waiting until you can spend more money, as the setup I am using right now would provide you with the sound signature you want but cost close to $700.
 
The HD650s definitely have a great midrange and plenty of bass impact when properly amped, and the treble will definitely not be metallic.

 

[1Time]

FWIR... and for what you seem to be wanting, I suggest considering the M-Audio Q40, ATH-M50, HD25-1 II, or HD600 (if busting your budget) instead of the headphones you listed. 

 

[SoSpecial]

Quote:

FWIR... and for what you seem to be wanting, I suggest considering the M-Audio Q40, ATH-M50, HD25-1 II, or HD600 (if busting your budget) instead of the headphones you listed. 

 
I can't think of better bass punch headphones, those were so good when I tried them.

 

[clou91]

FWIR, the DT 770/600 if you can find a suitable amp. Most of the headphones you listed have an emphasis on bass/highs. I don't find the mids on the 780s to be recessed, but they are thinner and not as full sounding as the bass/highs.

 

[mibutenma]

The Ultrasone PRO 2500 have amazing bass.No other headphone I've heard has bass like this(Never heard a Denon or DT 990)
I'm not a basshead at all but I do appreciate the bottom end of them what it does to drums,bass drums,bass guitar, its pretty special when done right because bass is suppose to exist whether you like it or not and when its done right and sounds like this you can't help but love it.
Unfortunately badly mixed/produced albums on the bass end can make them end up sounding disappointing and reaching for a bass light headphone.
The mids are pretty nice too and again depends on the album.
Treble is at I'd say 0 like when you play around on a integrated amp very detailed but not bright at all.
If the album is handled nicely or decently they sound just great but some albums have me reaching for the more forgiving Beyer DT 880's otherwise and some albums the slightly brighter sound of the Beyer works for them.
Although with some albums the Ultrasone is actually more forgiving.
 
I haven't put much time on them yet but they are nice.
Might not want to listen to them for the first 20 hours though as they can be disappointing out of the box.
 
overstock.com might get them in again they had them for like $200 new

 

[wind016]

Honestly, I would NOT recommend any open Ultrasones. I felt Grado highs are annoying and shrill and I feel that open Ultrasones have highs that are just as annoying. VERY piercing for me. Beyers in comparison to the other options do not have much bass impact, but the sound is quite pleasant.
 
I was particularly fond of the closed Ultrasones for awhile. The HFI 580 are my favorites when paired with an excellent mp3 player such as the Cowon J3 or the Samsung P3. These mp3 players are absolutely gems when it comes to sound enhancements and equalization. I would recommend the Ultrasone PRO 550 also, but not the 650 or 750.
 
If you can't get both the mp3 player and the HFI 580, then I would recommend you check out the Audio Technica ES10. I personally have not heard it, but FWIR it has a 53mm driver and the sound character similar to the ES7. Apparently, it has the same driver as the Audio Tech W1000X. It certainly looks like an excellent portable.
 
The only amp of that price that I can recommend you from my experience is the Ibasso D10. If you plan on further upgrading your audio gear, the D10 is excellent with it's optical DAC and amplifier section. I was able to take advantage of it's DAC after I upgraded to an excellent amp.

 

[earerror]

Quote:

 
The HD650s definitely have a great midrange and plenty of bass impact when properly amped, and the treble will definitely not be metallic.

True...thats why im happy with my current Setup...my HD650 with my desktop amp have a good synergy. 

 

[proteinpig]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have already read lot of posts on the forum and realized that HD650s or ES10s or Pro900s might be the best upgrade for me (if I get a good amp too). But, I don't really want to spend more than $200 on HP this year. I am pretty sure I'll get a HD650 sometime next year.
I have read on the forums that the Q40 and HD25s are not really superior (in the departments I desire) to the M50s but are very comparable. Would HD25s really be considered an upgrade over the M50s as far as bass/mids go? How would D2000s compare assuming I run them through a Little dot I+?
One of the members was of the opinion that the Ultrasones have metallic highs. Is that a common observation among all the models? That would essentially rule out the entire Ultrasone line for me though they are supposed to have great bass.

 

[leng jai]

As I said before I don't think there are any worthwhile upgrades to the M50 for under $200 and unamped. The most cost effective path to take would be to save your money now until next year, and go all out on a nice system that would last you for years ie. HD650 + a Woo Audio 6 which would cost you close to $1K new.

 

[winma]

You can also add the HA-160 to that list. A nice amp for the 650's. 
If you have the chance to try it someday (maybe a meet) you wont be disappointed. 

 

[proteinpig]

Hmmm . I'll take that. I think it's going to be quite some time before I'm buying anything new then

I save peanuts every month from my fellowship.

 

[proteinpig]

Ibasso D10 looks excellent but I don't think the M50 is going to benefit much from it. I can't afford ES10s though they look gorgeous. I *can* afford the hfi580 but won't the musiland dac be good enough source for that? I find the DAC to be orders of magnitude better than the x-fi card I have on my laptop and probably even better than the Xonar card on my friend's desktop. Will that be a significant improvement over my M50 as they are in the same price range? Else, I might just wait and wait and get a HD650.
 
Quote:

Honestly, I would NOT recommend any open Ultrasones. I felt Grado highs are annoying and shrill and I feel that open Ultrasones have highs that are just as annoying. VERY piercing for me. Beyers in comparison to the other options do not have much bass impact, but the sound is quite pleasant.
 
I was particularly fond of the closed Ultrasones for awhile. The HFI 580 are my favorites when paired with an excellent mp3 player such as the Cowon J3 or the Samsung P3. These mp3 players are absolutely gems when it comes to sound enhancements and equalization. I would recommend the Ultrasone PRO 550 also, but not the 650 or 750.
 
If you can't get both the mp3 player and the HFI 580, then I would recommend you check out the Audio Technica ES10. I personally have not heard it, but FWIR it has a 53mm driver and the sound character similar to the ES7. Apparently, it has the same driver as the Audio Tech W1000X. It certainly looks like an excellent portable.
 
The only amp of that price that I can recommend you from my experience is the Ibasso D10. If you plan on further upgrading your audio gear, the D10 is excellent with it's optical DAC and amplifier section. I was able to take advantage of it's DAC after I upgraded to an excellent amp.