[notfitforpublic]

As much as I adore my HD600 and DT880, I find myself reaching for the rich,warm, bass enhanced Momentums more and more for a "fun" sound with some music (hip/hop, some rock/grunge and industrial). I liked to find a full size can (comfort on the Momentums is limited in comparison to the HD600/DT880) with a high enough impedance that can be run off my main setup Mac Mini>Bifrost Uber>Valhalla II. Price wise, I'm hoping to stay around the $300 mark (I don't mind spending more) and I have no issues buying used. I have no preference open or closed, but I'm assuming to achieve the Momentum style of bass, closed is the most viable option.

Anyone able to help me narrow my search for my "fun headphones"? I have no issues with sound sig of the Momentums and simply would like to find a more comfortable, higher impedance version.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[obobskivich]

I've heard the Momentum a time or two and didn't like them much (I say this not to denigrate them, but to let you know where I'm coming from), but responding to "rich, warm, bass" and thinking about the other Sennheisers has me thinking of the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000X. They aren't high impedance though; no idea if they're safe with Valhalla 2 or not. Most cans that will also fit into that "warm, rich, bassy, fun" genre are also going to be lower impedance/high sensitivity models (e.g. other ATs, Fostex, Grado, JVC, Kenwood, Denon, Razer, Bose, etc) as well. The Sennheiser HD 580/600 would be an example of (imho) "warm, rich, bassy" that's also high-Z. Another exception would be the Koss PRO4/AA (250 ohms nominal), but those aren't (imho) quite on the level of the 580/600 (and they're nowhere near as comfortable).

 

[Rhamnetin]

Warm, rich/lush and bass enhanced high impedance headphone for $300?  The closest thing I can think of is a used HD 650.  That fits your description well, but it's not much different than the HD 600.  This can be a good thing if you end up selling the HD 600 to make some of that money back.  
 
Ignoring the price limit I can only think of the Audeze LCD-3F or maybe even the LCD-2F at 70 Ohm.

 

[notfitforpublic]

The Sennheiser HD 580/600 would be an example of (imho) "warm, rich, bassy" that's also high-Z. Another exception would be the Koss PRO4/AA (250 ohms nominal), but those aren't (imho) quite on the level of the 580/600 (and they're nowhere near as comfortable).

appreciate the input and I guess kind of solidifies what I already figured. Seems most of the options with the sound sig similar to the Momentum are all low Z/High sensitivity. The 600's are fantastic and are usually what a I grab for most of my library. They just sometimes lack the sloppy bass punch thats kinda fun to have in some genres.

  Warm, rich/lush and bass enhanced high impedance headphone for $300?  The closest thing I can think of is a used HD 650.  That fits your description well, but it's not much different than the HD 600.  This can be a good thing if you end up selling the HD 600 to make some of that money back.  
 
Ignoring the price limit I can only think of the Audeze LCD-3F or maybe even the LCD-2F at 70 Ohm.

The 650's are on the list to addition to compare to the 600's. I know there's loads of threads discussing the differences but really, no way to tell till I get my hands on them myself and I agree, in the end it may not be worth the venture already owning the 600's.
 
Price was a hope more than anything I know, and I don't mind spending more, but with the LCD series being PM cans, I'm not sure the Valhalla 2 is going to be a great match for the money.
 
Nighthawks intrigued me, but the short audition I had with them didn't impress. Bass was solid, but lacked the slight sparkle in the treble I like to add some detail found in the Momentum. Perhaps a longer audition is needed.
 
That or what I'm looking for just doesn't exist and I should look at getting the Momentum v2 and simply deal with a portable source over my desktop... hoping otherwise though

 

[Rhamnetin]

I know the LCD-3F is said to pair well with OTL tube amps due to its higher impedance.  The LCD-2F is pushing it though, and the LCD-3F is $2k so that's probably out of the question.

 

[obobskivich]

Just another thought, Ultrasone HFI-2400 are around 70 ohms if memory serves, and are relatively bassy. Not sure if they're still in production though, or if 70 ohms is even high enough to be safe with that amp.

 

[notfitforpublic]

Don't think 70 ohms will be an issue on low gain. I'll check em out. Thanks
 
Keep em coming please!

 

[davidsh]

The ultrasones will not sound warm at all, though.

 

[obobskivich]

To my ears, HFI-2400 were relatively warm (don't misunderstand: they aren't ATs or Grados) - they're relatively different from the other Ultrasones I've heard and owned. Much more "hi-fi" voiced (which makes sense given that they're aimed at hi-fi use).

 

[mynameisdan]

Based just on the description of the sound you'd like, I think it'd be worth demoing some Audio-Technicas (except for the M50x's, which are sort of their own beast). They're low impedance, but the A900X and the AD900X are rich, bass-enhanced, and definitely fun. The A900X is a little more significant in the sub-bass—almost comically so if you look at the response graphs. I think you'd really enjoy them.
 
It's the shame that the good Denons aren't still around. They would have fit the bill even better, but they don't swap hands very often these days and wouldn't reasonably be in your price range. 

 

[Rhamnetin]

  Based just on the description of the sound you'd like, I think it'd be worth demoing some Audio-Technicas (except for the M50x's, which are sort of their own beast). They're low impedance, but the A900X and the AD900X are rich, bass-enhanced, and definitely fun. The A900X is a little more significant in the sub-bass—almost comically so if you look at the response graphs. I think you'd really enjoy them.
 
It's the shame that the good Denons aren't still around. They would have fit the bill even better, but they don't swap hands very often these days and wouldn't reasonably be in your price range. 

 
Uhh... the A900X/AD900X are not warm at all, and calling them bass enhanced is misleading.  No warmer than the DT 880, less warm than the HD 600, and they're on the bass light side.  They also have mediocre bass extension at best; the DT 880 murders them in this regard (HD 600 is better too), and both the DT 880 and HD 600 have more bass presence than the A900X and AD900X.  Bass is noticeably more forward on his current cans, while the A900X/AD900X places vocals and string instruments more forward.  Treble presence is similar between the A900X/AD900X and DT 880, perhaps slightly more forward on the Audio Technicas so they're the opposite of what he wants.  I A/B'd the A900X and DT 880 Pro plenty on my home rig, the DT 880 being one of the more neutral headphones around making it a great reference point.
 
The good Denons are probably close to what he wants sound-wise though.

 

[davidsh]

Could also look into some serious EQ. Or t50rp modding.

 

[notfitforpublic]

To be honest, not a huge fan of EQing nor much into modding. I'll take a look at the mod your referring to however.

Anyone able to compare the SM HP150 vs the Momentums?