Hi Jim,
Since you don't state a budget, nor a preference for open or closed cans and not your upstream components either, I assume we can throw as many suggestions as we wish
You've already received great suggestions indeed. Jazz is one of the genres I listen most since I conduct a jazz program online named the Jazz Sessions on Mod Radio UK, so you get the picture. I spend many hours listening jazz and many of those on cans. My favourite sub-genre is hardbop but I dig a lot bebop, classical swing, big bands, post bop, modern bop... almost anything that keeps that good feeling of a few cats playing together with some purpose. Maybe fussion and free are my least preferred sub-genres.
I have some cans and I cannot tell you which ones are my favourites to listen to jazz, it depends on my mood and who's the band leader, or the recording. I've been lately amazed by the performance of the JVC DX1000, some recordings sound really gorgeous with the extra oomph these cans give to the double bass, left hand chords on piano and drumkit kicks, but at the expense of losing some spark on the cymbals work or the spitting in your face blowing of a trumpet. Timbrically are very correct but they're not the best if you want to distinguish an alto sax from a tenor one for the playing of just a couple of notes. The soundstage depth creates a wonderful atmosphere on live recordings, you should listen to Bill Evans at the Village or Brubeck at the Carnegie... really nice, a great treat indeed.
The Senns HD600 (which I like better) or HD650 are kind of a "safe bet". Very balanced across the spectrum, everything is right, in place, a bit laid back, with a very correct timbre, more "air throughout the horn" than with the DX1000, but less bass weight and a flatter stage. A good balance between emotion and sound quality. They sound a bit faster and snappier than the DX1000s too. With the 650 you'd get a slightly warmer sound and some more mid-upper bass weight, which is nice for piano and double bass, but you'd be losing the snap and sense of speed in the highs. Take your poison. With a good CD player you could drive them, but a headphone amp is strongly adviced. The DX1000 scale well with an external amp, but you can enjoy them a lot without it.
The AKG K701 are also very good, they're the cans I use most with the computer while recording the talkies for the show and sorting out the tunes. I'm lucky my souncard's HP output is amplified and yields decent sound with them. I could bring in here a HPs amp, but I don't really see the need, I don't listen very loud. These cans do need an amp and don't expect any good result from a DAP unapmed, not even a decent CD Player unless it has a "serious" HP out. They have a good balance across the spectrum. Some say their midrange is great... I disagree, it's good, but nothing to really speak of. Their strong point is the highs above 4KHz or so. Crystal clear, never harsh or bright but energic when needed and smooth and extended. The deepest bass is very laid back, almost inexistent unless the recording has tons of it, which is not usual on hardbop recordings, so no worries on that. Mid and upper bass is good, timbres of double basses and pianos are quite right on those low areas, but maybe a bit more pronounced than with the HD600 and way more reticent than with the DX-1000. The "problem" with these cans IMHO is the transition from upper midrange to lower highs. There's something there which sound unnatural, nor really bright or distorted, just weird, which sometimes calls your attention and drives it off the music. Some people don't notice it and are very happy with these cans. I must say that mine have over 500 hours of burn-in, with less than 300 they sound quite average and still less involving. Nice cans anyway and very adequate for jazz.
Other great cans for jazz and almost any genre are the Denon D5000. I got a listen on them some weeks ago and have a pair on order which I'll mod following Markl's indications. Stock are good, but their bass is very pronounced, stage quite narrow and lacking depth, its highs extended and clean, but a bit in the bright side of things. Unmodded I found them a bit fatiguing, but not with jazz, playing jazz the results are very good. Once I have them modded, if you're interested, I might share more impressions.
Good luck with your choice. My advice is that you get your favourite disc and go out to try some of these cans, then you'll know which one is the best for you.
Regards.
