[dsclaw88]

D2000s can get a used pair for about that...Creatives headphone cant think of the name supposed to be real good. Was going to say ESW10JPN, but that isnt in the price range. 

 

[JayB18]

The M50s don't lack bass. Its boosted over all the other frequencies so saying you don't want to get used to the lack of bass means to me you want something really bassy. The sony xb500/700  or q40 get recommended here for that. Personally more bass isn't indicative of better sound quality but if thats what you like go for it.

 

[Xattar]

I dunno what you dont like about the M50s, im listening to them now on my laptop without an amp and it sounds sick. it just depends on the song and the quality of it. with an amp itll sound even more sick.
thought if you just want to upgrade, Ive heard a lot of good things about Denon D2000s. More comfortable, higher quality bass. almost twice the price of M50s.

 

[Eric_C]

Have tried the M50 numerous times, have a pair of Ultrasone HFI-580. The 580 walks all over the M50 for bass, and for overall clarity, instrument separation. I thought the M50 sounded pretty average too.
 
For something smaller, try checking out Sennheiser's PX-100 and 200. I believe the 200 Mk I is to be avoided, and the Mk II is much better...I'm sorry I can't recall which one I tried (was a friend's), but it sounded great.

 

[Katun]

M50 isn't, and never will be worth what it is now. It's a decent $100 headphone, that is all.

 

[RayleighSilvers]

Quote:

D2000s can get a used pair for about that...Creatives headphone cant think of the name supposed to be real good. Was going to say ESW10JPN, but that isnt in the price range. 

lol forget the price range, is the esw10jpn even available

 

[Zulkr9]

The m50's are definitely better than Skullcandy hesh. Anyhow its better if you state what you want from your headphones then it'd be possible for a better recommendation

 

[peck1234]

Man I cant believe you didn't like the M50's.  Escpecailly with the genre's you stated you listen to.  Out of everything ive tried thus far, they still remain my favorite. 

 

[csf101]

The m50's are definitely better than Skullcandy hesh. Anyhow its better if you state what you want from your headphones then it'd be possible for a better recommendation

Oh well I think that's pretty obvious LOL. I never said that.

I just want something with good Bass but also good Highs and Mids. Great for listening to rock, but I also wanna blow my skull with bass when I want too.

P.S. I will be using these headphones primarily un-amped. Will that be okay for the Q40's?

 

[PlayerN07]

I vote for the Sony xb700...amped of course.

 

[ssrock64]

 
Quote:

I dunno what you dont like about the M50s, im listening to them now on my laptop without an amp and it sounds sick. it just depends on the song and the quality of it. with an amp itll sound even more sick.

Quote:

Man I cant believe you didn't like the M50's.  Escpecailly with the genre's you stated you listen to.  Out of everything ive tried thus far, they still remain my favorite. 

I don't mean to sound attacking here, but please refrain from this type of discussion that doesn't contribute. In a thread where the OP is absolutely dissatisfied with the ATH-M50, we should focus on finding alternatives instead of saying (or implying) that the OP is wrong. Sure, the ATH-M50 is still a nice headphone (I like it myself, though not at anywhere near the price it currently goes for), but if it wasn't to the asker here, then we should not try to "bring them around" to it. Focus on fixing the problem, not convincing the asker that they can't hear right.
 

So....back on topic:
 
Quote:

The M50s don't lack bass. Its boosted over all the other frequencies so saying you don't want to get used to the lack of bass means to me you want something really bassy. The sony xb500/700  or q40 get recommended here for that. Personally more bass isn't indicative of better sound quality but if thats what you like go for it.

In the new white-box ATH-M50, the bass is considerably less than on the old blue-box model. It is still a tad on the bassy side, but it's nothing like a Klipsch Reference One, M-Audio Q40, or Ultrasone HFI-580. All three of those have tons more bass than the ATH-M50, and with the exception of the Klipsch the bass is either of the same quality or of higher quality.
 
 
Another thing to consider is that the Denon D2000, which is oft-recommended as an upgrade for bass-emphasis fans, is actually not all that bassy. It has about as much bass quantity as the white-box ATH-M50, with the increase being in quality.

 

[csf101]

I vote for the Sony xb700...amped of course.

I though Sony stopped making them, didn't they?

Those were actually the pair of headphones I was going for originally, but they were sold out EVERYWHERE.

 

[obobskivich]

The Sony XB's went out of stock after the flood (Sony makes headphones in Thailand), and I think the entire series is going away. The XB500 is still available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-XB500-Diaphragm-Driver-Headphones/dp/B001RB24S2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334372058&sr=8-2
 
Here's the problem with what you're asking for - you want the sun, moon, and stars. And you're not stating it in clear terms. In other words, "good bass, good mids, and good highs" can qualify most people's personal favorites - I think the set I'm wearing right now, for example, meets that burden. It measures substantially less bassy than the M50, and I'm doubting you'd be impressed by them as a result (which is entirely your prerogative). If, however, you stated that you want lots of bass impact but also some midrange clarity, that'd be another story. Based on the "smash my skull in" comment, I'm guessing that's probably more in-line with what you want.
 
So, my best interpretation of what you're asking for is a "v-curve" headphone, and an all-rounder at that - you want a lot of bass slam and impact (and I'll tell you that even the bassiest headphones ever made will not duplicate what you can get from speakers or subwoofers, and that higher quality headphones' bass does not simulate that of cheap headphones - they don't rattle or buzz, and I've seen a few threads where people get all bent out of shape that their ~$5 "boom boom" brand headphones "defeat" some higher end monitor can that's quite clean - like Grado says "on a high end set, you're hearing undistorted bass"), but you also want some top-end sparkle for vocals and guitars. I say all of this to try and help, not to demean. 
 
Based on that, I'd look at any of the following:
 
- Bose AE2
- Denon D1000/Creative Aurvana Live! (CAL!) 
- Denon D2000 (blows your budget to pieces) 
- Ultrasone HFI-2400
The M-Audio Q40 is also a solid suggestion. 
 
Just found the XB700 from HeadRoom:
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sony-mdr-xb700.php
 
 

 

[bengoshi2000]

I think the earlier comment about one of your sources, Pandora, has gone unrecognized. At 64k AAC you're missing ALOT of information cropped in the compression scheme. That's probably making a neutral headphone like the M50 (which you may not have been impressed with anyway) sound worse... They are likely exposing the weaknesses of the extreme compression. That's an issue you will have with any good set of cans (at any price) when listening to Pandora and other Internet streaming music.

I'm actually re-ripping all of my cd's at 256k AAC vbr... with my headphones and amp I can hear the difference between that and 192k mp3 (what I had formerly ripped at).

Also, good, clean, tooth-chipping, bass takes juice... the average iPod, sound card, etc. just doesn't have the power to dig deep and clean. You may want to consider an amp to go with your headphone purchase.

I can't comment on the 'phones suggested as I have never auditioned them, but I think that once you get a pair that have the bottom end you want, and you drive them with a juicy amp, you'll be smiling for days...

 

[MattTCG]

Another vote for the d2k...provides great bass impact and extension but also sounds really good across the rest of the sound signature.
 
GL!!