[Stompy]

The Bori did metal just fine. Personally though they were a bit too exhausting for long sessions, but they are really good all-rounders that suits all genres. ZMF cans are my favorite though for rock/metal since they warm/relaxing and everything just sounded right. Aeolus are my personal favorite since they sounded great on both of my amps (Valhalla 2 and Jotunheim 2), and Auteur sounded amazing on my Valhalla 2 but too wide on my Jotunheim 2, wide to the point of being distracting.

So honestly, if you wanna save a few hundred bucks, go with the Bori. If you can spend the extra and want looks as well as great sound, you can't go wrong with Aeolus. If you plan on getting/have a tube amp and can spend a bit extra, Auteur. There's really no right answer to this though since they're all great headphones and it becomes subjective at this point.

EDIT: Just saw your follow up post. It's a shame you didn't like the ZMF ones, but I can understand them being too laid back for some. I personally see it as a plus since I like to relax with my music. I would recommend the Borealis if you're wanting more exciting cans if those are still on your radar. As far as Audeze, I've only used the GX and can say they sound good with metal with no EQ, but great with metal after a boost in the upper mids. GX is the one widely regarded as having the best tuning of Audeze, so take this as you will.

Yeah I'm torn between the GX, the 2F and the X right now. I can only demo the X :/

 

[monkey4054]

Yeah I'm torn between the GX, the 2F and the X right now. I can only demo the X :/

2F is probably the best bet out of those three for metal. But I'm still personally in the Audeze sucks crowd. The only Audeze models worth touching IMO would be the LCD-24 (best FR and tonality of the whole lot) and the LCD-XC if you needed closed-back. They have really good detail, technical ability, and bass slam but sound muffled/hollow because of the tonally wrong mids....

 

[Stompy]

2F is probably the best bet out of those three for metal. But I'm still personally in the Audeze sucks crowd. The only Audeze models worth touching IMO would be the LCD-24 (best FR and tonality of the whole lot) and the LCD-XC if you needed closed-back. They have really good detail, technical ability, and bass slam but sound muffled/hollow because of the tonally wrong mids....

Yeah it looks like I'm going to get a Bori instead. I tried them again and I cannot stand the weight.

 

[LeDutch]

Is the DT1990 too tiring? Deciding between that and the Sundara at the moment, looking for something below 500$ that is fast and that is punchy for Death Metal.

 

[Stompy]

Is the DT1990 too tiring? Deciding between that and the Sundara at the moment, looking for something below 500$ that is fast and that is punchy for Death Metal.

The DT1990 gets very, very mixed reviews from people I know/trust. Just letting you know. Some say it's a good deal for the price, others say the percieved amount of details is higher than the actual detail retrieval due to the treble adding this artificial sense of details. I couldn't tell you (I've only tried the 990, can say it was not my taste for metal) but I'd def try to test them if possible but since you're asking if it's good I imagine you might not be able to, in that case order from a place with good return policies or buy a used pair.

TL;DR: Got a lot conflicting opinion on it, procceed with caution, test if possible, if not buy used or get them from a store with a good return policy.

 

[Terriero]

Is the DT1990 too tiring? Deciding between that and the Sundara at the moment, looking for something below 500$ that is fast and that is punchy for Death Metal.

For melodic death metal (Children of Bodom, Eternal Tears of Sorrow or Dark Tranquility) or heavy metal (Mägo de Oz, Warcry, Iron Maiden...) I usually prefer my Denon AH-D9200s. For gothic metal (The sins of the beloved, After Forever, Theatre of Tragedy or Epica) or doom (My Dying Bride or Draconian) I use normally the DT 1990 Pro... There are a few exceptions (albums or particular songs) that break that rule...

For power metal (Stratovarius or Nightwish) I alternate both headphones.

Althought there are a very little few exceptions, I don't like at all my HD 800s or my Sony Z7s for metal, but they really shine in other genres that I love

Now listening to Supertramp with the 9200s, lovely.

 

[Stompy]

I will personally be getting the Borealis, I can't wait. I'll give a review on them for metal specifically here, as well as which subgenres they do best and amp/dac pairings which suit metal when it comes to the boris.

 

[LeDutch]

For melodic death metal (Children of Bodom, Eternal Tears of Sorrow or Dark Tranquility) or heavy metal (Mägo de Oz, Warcry, Iron Maiden...) I usually prefer my Denon AH-D9200s. For gothic metal (The sins of the beloved, After Forever, Theatre of Tragedy or Epica) or doom (My Dying Bride or Draconian) I use normally the DT 1990 Pro... There are a few exceptions (albums or particular songs) that break that rule...

For power metal (Stratovarius or Nightwish) I alternate both headphones.

Althought there are a very little few exceptions, I don't like at all my HD 800s or my Sony Z7s for metal, but they really shine in other genres that I love

Now listening to Supertramp with the 9200s, lovely.

I think that the genres you mentioned differ too much from Death Metal. I don't think the experience would be the same sadly :/

 

[LeDutch]

Currently thinking of just pulling the trigger and getting the Sundaras, I cannot seem to find any other solid recommendations in that price range.

 

[monkey4054]

Currently thinking of just pulling the trigger and getting the Sundaras, I cannot seem to find any other solid recommendations in that price range.

Sundara is probably the best headphone overall under $500. Unless you can find a used Fostex TR-X00 or E-MU Teak...

 

[Stompy]

Currently thinking of just pulling the trigger and getting the Sundaras, I cannot seem to find any other solid recommendations in that price range.

What you really want to do is buy a used pair of headphones for 500, that way you can get ones that cost up to $1k new. This seriously improves your options. If you want something cheaper though people seem to like Sundaras, I personally don't know if I like them because when I tried to listen to them they didn't even fit because my noggin is too damn big haha.

 

[Aenemo]

Currently thinking of just pulling the trigger and getting the Sundaras, I cannot seem to find any other solid recommendations in that price range.

I personally find the Sundaras a little too clinical for metal. If you could get a pair of fostex x00 they are V shaped and really engaging.

 

[Stompy]

I personally find the Sundaras a little too clinical for metal. If you could get a pair of fostex x00 they are V shaped and really engaging.

IIRC the different variants of the x00 had pretty big differences in the FR with some being fairly close to harman and others were really V shaped. I haven't actually heard those but in my experience I V shaped cans can be "too much of a good thing" in metal.

I'm not saying not to get them, I just think testing V shapes ones before buying them can be good when it comes to metal since (for me) I felt like the kicks and bass were very overwhelming, they didn't keep up speed wise and they also bled into the mids, the mids were hollowed out, meaning the guitar was meh at best, and the boosted treble destroyed my ears due to the overwhelming sound of cymbals.

I've heard the x00 is a lot of fun with metal but as always I'd imagine it comes down to what kind of metal it is. One headphone might sound really amazing for more slow, chuggy, groovy metal whilst it might sound like a mess with something very fast, complex and technical.

All I'm saying to ledutch is to keep in mind the differences between the different woods in tonality (some pretty neutral others very v shaped) and to test at least a similar sounding headphone to get an idea of what v shaped is like for metal. What subgenres do you listen to ledutch?

Also I realize it might look like it but I'm really not trying to put this suggestion down, I'm just saying to be very cautious as in my journey for finding my ideal metal headphone I've almost pulled the trigger several times, but had the opportunity to listen to the headphones and thought "thank god I didn't buy those". Finding good headphones for metal is hard.

 

[DeweyCH]

Sundara is probably the best headphone overall under $500. Unless you can find a used Fostex TR-X00 or E-MU Teak...

You can get a new pair of Teaks for $500 + $30 delivery (to US) direct from E-MU. $450 + shipping if you're OK with non-removable cables.

 

[DeweyCH]

Verite Closed + Bottlehead Crack is just crushing Fragments of Form and Function by Allegaeon... just the growling at the very start of The Cleansing kind of reaches into your soul, attack is unparalleled, kick drum is amazing and the guitars bite like a crocodile. Only complaint is that Ezra Haynes does not need his vocals more clearly conveyed.