[sn0o]

So I'm having trouble picking out some cans. I have a 150$ budget and looking for something closed back with crisp highs and vocals, fairly detailed mids and just enough bass..
 
 
I listen to all kinds of music, not much rap and rock tho... but I also watch a lot of movies.
 
So in the last 2 weeks I've taken the Senn HD449 for a test run, and I loved them, they were comfortable and the vocals really stood out, they were very clear and the mids were very detailed and present. It just didn't have enough bass.. it was there.. just pretty low in volume, but detailed and tight. It sucked with some types of music and made destruction scenes in a movie bland.
 
I got a refund on the HD449's and tried out the M-Audio Q40, I tried them out because I read the good reviews and they were the same price as the HD449s. Now these babies got BASS, LOTS OF IT, and it's very detailed bass.. makes movies very entertaining, but for music the bass is almost too much. I can fix it by turning down the EQ a little which isn't an issue. The issue is the vocals just aren't crisp enough for my liking and there's a slight hissing with S sounds, and it just becomes worse if you try to EQ it.. which drives me crazy because I notice it every time.
 
So I'm really trying to find the middle child of the Q40s and the HD449, I want a little less bass then the Q40 with comparable vocals and mids to the HD449.

 

[ZARIM]

The V-Moda M80 are amazing for the price (on ear or over ear), they are highly detailed in mids, highs with great imaging and tight punchy bass. Sony ZX700, JVC XX series headphones, Klipsch Image ONE are also great buy under this budget.

 

[Kukuk]

I think the Ultrasone HFI-580's do a good job of balancing mid-range detail and bass.
 
And... What else? In this price range it's a little tough to find a headphone that does mids and bass well. Usually it's one or the other.
 
But definitely check out those Ultrasones. The Sony MDR-V6's are also pretty nice for bass and mids. Some people find them to be a little artificial sounding though.

 

[sn0o]

I checked out the V-moda's they seem to have an issue with some part of it cracking
 
I've been checking out the Ultrasone on Amazon, they look pretty good, but there's 3 in the price range.
 
http://www.amazon.com/ULTRASONE-PROline-550-Professional-Headphones/dp/B0009FZJN4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top - Proline 550s 145$
 
http://www.amazon.com/Ultrasone-HFI-780-Surround-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00101XVH2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top HIFI- 780S-150$ these look good
 
http://www.amazon.com/Ultrasone-HFI-580-Surround-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00101UHS8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top HIFI - 580S - i think they were around 140$ also look good.

 

[sn0o]

o ya, i also have like 11 days before my warranty for the Q40s are up.. so hopefully that's enough time to find the right set of cans, I really don't want to return another pair after the Q40's lol.

 

[Kukuk]

I'm not big on the HFI-780's. I had only listened to them a little bit, but their treble seemed really harsh to me. The HFI-580's were much smoother in comparison, yet still retained a good bit of detailed.
 
Haven't heard the PROline 550's though. Maybe someone else can chime in on how they compare.

 

[sn0o]

http://www.amazon.com/Ultrasone-DJ1-PRO-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00101TBB2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top there's also the DJ1 PRO, for 140$ i hear these use the same drivers as the PRO550 and from the tech specs on the site it sure looks that way, except maybe better pads and maybe slightly better quality.
 
Does the 580s have any significant hissing with S sounds? and how are the vocals do you think they're comparable to the HD449? Do you think i'd be able to use the EQ to tame the treble if it's to harsh? It seems it's better to take away then try to gain with the EQ.

 

[Kukuk]

It's been a while since I've heard the 448's, but from memory, I'd say they are about comparable in regards to mids. The Ultrasone will likely have more treble energy, but I never found it to be too bright. If you do find they are a little harsh, you could easily EQ it away.

 

[sn0o]

sorry, I forgot to add how does the bass of the 580 compare with the 448? I hear the 448 and 449 are very very similar.

 

[Kukuk]

There's much more on the HFI-580's. Definitely a basshead headphone in that regard, but they're unique in that the bass doesn't really bleed into the upper frequencies, and even if they didn't have the bass they had, I'd still think they'd be noteworthy for their mids and highs. But of course if you find that there's too much bass, it's easily EQ'd down.
 
This was actually the upgrade path my friend Whitecrow took. Me and him both agreed that they were an upgrade in just about every way, though you could private message him and ask him about it yourself if you want. He, owning the headphones, put more time on these than I did!

 

[sn0o]

guess it's down to the hifi580's or the pro550's. If the PRO550s have better mids, sound stage, crisper vocals and just a little less bass vs the 580's then I'll get those. However if the bass on the PRO550's are low like on the 448/449, then I'll get the 580's. And it sounds like the 580s have better hi's and vocals then the Q40, so either way I'm probably ditching the Q40s.
 
Unless someone can convince me the hifi 780s are better then the others lol

 

[sn0o]

Now I'm reading the 780's have better mids and a wider sound stage vs the 580s, and still enough bass.. why is choosing headphones so difficult ><

 

[Kukuk]

If the Pro 550's are anything like the Pro 750's, the HFI-580's would have much better mids.
 
I owned the Pro 750's for a while, but ended up selling them because their mids were just too recessed. And it wasn't just recessed compared to my mid-centric headphones, I thought they even sounded recessed compared to the HFI-580's.
 
Ultrasone is known to have pretty differing sound between each step in a line of headphones, so it is possible that the Pro 550's are different from the Pro 750's.
 
Also, there's a lot of conflicting opinions about sound signatures. I might be able to see how a person would think the HFI-780's have better mids than the HFI-580's, but what you're looking for, I think the HFI-580's would be a better bet. The upper-mids and highs are very, very emphasized on the HFI-780's. Some people like this because it can be more engaging, but if you're sensitive to sibilance (that harsh S sound), then I'd definitely caution staying away from them!

 

[sn0o]

I believe the 550 and the 750 use different drivers, the 550s are mylar and the 750 is titanium, I bet the 750 had really bright hi's. I don't think it's a sensitivity to sibilance it's just the annoying hissss sound, I like my vocals a little more forward sounding and crisp. With the Q40's the the vocals are a bit recessed, and when you try to bring them out with the EQ every time the singer makes an S sound your hear a very pronounced HIIISSSSSSS, instead of a very quick and crisp S, and that's what's keeping me from keeping them. I do enjoy the bass I just want more forward sounding and crisp vocals and possibly better mids and sacrificing a little bass to do so is fine because it's almost too much lol.
 
Man I feel my cold starting to fade away, now I can think clearer and describe my needs better thanks for all your help so far!

 

[WhiteCrow]

I would suggest the HFI-580 as Kukuk is saying, Really the sweet spot of the HFI-line IMO...spare for the HFI-2200. They have GREAT bass, like XB700 level bass. The treble is not veiled and the mid range is balanced against both the bass and treble. The three ranges remain surprisingly independent of each other from what I remember.