[Maieth]

(bump)

 

[EYEdROP]

From what Ive read, look into the audio technica M50 and denon d1001. Ive never heard these so dont take my word. Supposedly, the bass on these headphones is full and strong while still having decent detail for the mids and highs. And these headphones are easily powered by an ipod or soundcard, and dont necessarily require an amp (but will certainly benefit).
 
 I would stay away from grados, they sound bright and the bass may not be adequate for you. 

 

[Maieth]

Thanks EYEdROP, have researched them now.  Hadn't looked at Denons at all until now, but sounds like they match up really well to other suggestions.
 
I think I'm getting a fairly rounded picture of my options now. Currently I'm considering either the ATH AD700, or Denon AH-D1001.  M50 sounds promising, but is just too expensive over here. retailing at £134 pretty much everywhere.
Would appreciate any further feedback on the comparable strengths and weaknesses of these two headphones. Have read through quite a lot of threads on these phones now, reviews, crits and a lot of comparrisons between others, but few that give a concrete impression of their merits against one another.  here's what I managed to glean so far:
 
ATH AD700 -
Great, open soundstage, delivering good mids and highs for a very natural sound. Weak in the bass, but only in music and other media that demands bass. Where bass is at normal levels reviews suggest they still sound good.  Very comfortable,though very big. 
Rave reviews make them very tempting, but the bass could end up being an issue i guess  with the ammount of rock i go for when feeling 'creative' (lol).
Own opinion so far - very very cool design, uuuuugly colour scheme (simple mod on the grills though)
£115 delivered in UK
 
Denon AH-D1001 -
Closed, on-ear. reviews seem to suggest that with these phones, closed = slight muddying of sound. Don't know whether a newb like me would notice that tbh though.  Decent bass, though some still reckon they lack a bit of 'punch' (similar comments read on almost every set of phones below the $200 mark). comfortable and light.  Lacking the clarity of the AD700, but basicaly because of a more rounded, 'general' sound.
And i'm thinking - relatively boring to look at, but very tempting customisation possiblities with some acrylic and clear-coat...
Amazon have 1 left at £80 delivered, otherwise it's £95 elsewhere
 
 
Hopefully I haven't missed anything major and I think now I just have to mull over it for a bit.  Right now I'm leaning towards the denons, but 5 or 10 minutes ago I was thinking 'wouldn't it be nice to feel like I was right in the middle of a room full of sound', and dreaming of forking out for the AD700s.  fun.
 
yeah, any opinions on the differences between these cans would be cool to hear, and thanks again for all the advice so far.
(lol - can't believe I've got so far into this in a week)

 

[Maieth]

I've pondered on this for a few days now, and I think I'm going to give the Denons a shot.  I think Bass is too great a part of my favourite music to get phones that can't deliver it, and Although the look of the AT's really grabbed me at first, I'm really starting to think I'd prefer something a bit less in-your-face.   oh, and smaller.
Paycheck comes in next week and I hope it covers the cost easily enough for me not to think twice

 
If anyone knows any current deals that would be good to hear.  Price is looking like £85 for silver phones, £90 if i want black, at the moment.
 
 
Cheers for all the advice guys. Looks like you've saved me from BOSE

 

[googleborg]

HD555 are extremely good all rounders for the price - but they leak sound a lot, as any open phone will

 They are very comfortable to my head.
 
I have very limited experience with headphones though, just Grado sr325 and HD555 (and loads of other 'low end' random types), in part because the hd555 serve me well, and a few people I game with bought them on my recommendation and all were very happy!

 

[Maieth]

Well, I ordered the Denons at the weekend. Managed to try a few different things in BestBuy last weekend - a great pair of high-end Denons that are way past what I can afford, but said good things in the way of quality and comfort.  Bose quiet comfort were still veeeery seductive, just got to hope these cans really can match them.
 
Anyway, headphones were delivered today while I was out, so I now have to wiat to pick them up from the mail office on Saturday   -_-  not impressed. Want my headphones already!

 

[Maieth]

Thanks for all the advice guys, particularly eyedrop for giving some really focused ideas and feedback.
 
Finally picked up my Denons this morning.  Out of the box they sounded really good, certainly the best headphones I've owned.  Played for a bit, then went out for the day and left them burning in. They've only had about 8hours continuous playback as itunes stopped playback for some reason, but the difference is already profound and they sound incredible.  If they're only going to get better with time I've definitely made a great purchase

 
Disappointed in my Ipod now, as I had feared I might be - while the sound quality from this source is good the ipod just can't provide the power for any amount of real volume.  But on the computer, even with Dell's basic soundcard they are brilliant.
Tried a range of music and a couple of film snippets - very very impressed.
 
Biggest revelation has been the number of little details I'm hearing for the first time, and the amount I can enjoy music that's just never bothered me before. 
 
Cheers all