[xenetic]

I'm pretty new to high-end audio gear. Before I only used IEM because I would primarly be listening to music via my ipod and always on the move anyway, so full-sized headphones never made sense for me. I think I've had some pretty nice ones over time such as
V-Moda Vibes Duos - very nice clarity and good bass in a small package. However, they have a notorious problem with the internal audio wire breaking up at the plug in. Inexcusable for something that cost $100

Beats by Dr. Dre Tour - I know I know, they're over priced because of the branding, but they're pretty much on par with the sound quality of the V-Modas with a tad more bass.

Sennheiser CX300 - I use these a lot. They're not as good as the v-modas or monster beats, but for the price (around $20 on amazon) they were a great value for cheap buds

My first full-sized proper headphones are the Audio-Technica A700 (closed). I almost bought the Sennheiser HD555 because they were highly recommened on amazon, but then I stumbled onto the AT's in the same price range. I've read up on a lot of research of closed vs open, and found that people generally think open cans are better over all but I opted for closed because I'd be living with roomates and such. When I first got them, I was blown away by how much detail and how "wide" the soundstage seemed to be even though they were closed. I've had these things for almost a year now and I'm still very satisfied with the purchase. It still blows away every cheap/lame skull candy that I see people walking around with. However, after reading head-fi for some time, I can't help but want something more. I can't imagine sound getting much better after being so impressed with my A700's.

Here's what I'm looking for
- I'd like to try open headphones to see what the open, natural sound stage they have is like
-comfort is pretty important to me, the A-T wing design make the cans very light and easy to forget about on my head
-I've also read up on the A-T 900's line, and from what I've read they appear to be very similar to the 700's with a slight boost in quality, they're not totally out of the question, but I'd like to try something with a different "flavor" if that makes any sense

Primarily I'd be using these things out of my macbook pro. First and formost I'd be using them for listening to music, although I do game and watch movies occasionally. But I figure, If they're good for music, they'll atleast be okay for everything else. I'd like to try an amp to see how much they can improve the quality. However, no matter how much I read and research amps, I still have no idea of what to buy or how to match an amp with the proper headphone

Pretty much all of my music is encoded in 256VBR to 320CBR bitrates (I have some lossless files, but I honestly can't tell the difference even with my A700's). I listen to a wide variety of music but some of the things I listen to a lot of are:

A bunch of trip-hop and downtempo bands like Portishead, Massive Attack, and Morcheeba
A Lot of elecronica/drum&bass like Hooverphonic, Frou Frou, Moloko, and
Some obscure sounding groups that don't really fit into one category like Bjork and Florence + the Machine
And then a lot of female singer-songwriter types like Adele, Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, Tori Amos, etc..)

Not so much rock, pop, hip-hop, or any of the usual top-40 stuff. I do enjoy bass, but it doesn't have to be that strong as long as it's adequate

I've primarily been looking at these two cans

AKG 701/702 - I've read that things can be very "analytical" and unforgivingly accurate, exposing flaws in music. This doesn't bother me too much, but will these things make all of my lossy (although generally high quality for mp3s) sound bad. Another thing I've read is that these things can be very hard to amp and drive properly

Sennheiser HD650 - I think I'm leaning towards these the most. From what I've read these can be somewhat "dark" (I listen to a lot of somewhat "gritty" music) but also smooth in a sense. Sennheiser seems to be on of if not the best brand in high end headphones, and the 650's seem to be especially highly regarded.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what I should get? All help is appreciated

 

[Redo]

Well first and foremost, the AKG 701/702's and Senn 650's will sound terrible without an amp. So scratch those off your list unless you plan to buy an amp with them (and cheaper amps don't do them justice either, but a cheap amp will still be a massive improvement over no amp).

And the closed A700 is far different sounding than the open AD700/AD900's. Though for your preferences, you'll want something with a good bass kick with a nice open top end. Not to say the AD700's/AD900's are slouches, but their bass won't offer much slam.

I would consider looking at a used pair of HD600's and a used amp. You should be able to fit those nicely into your price range.

 

[beamthegreat]

Why dont you get a IEM? It blocks out more noise and is very portable. They also sound clearer than some headphones around this price range. The Sennheiser IE8 cost about 350$ and is one of the best IEMs.

 

[xenetic]

I've had my fair share of IEM. I do like and enjoy them, but I want the full-sized headphone experience for home listening. Plus I wouldn't want to spend more than $100 on IEM because eventually they always wear down on me, or get lost or stolen when out and about

 

[Acix]

Without an amp you can try the GMP 435 S. For $500 you maybe can get the K701/2 used and some used sound card, like the Apogee Duet.

 

[xenetic]

Any more suggestions?

 

[MacedonianHero]

Might I recommend Grado SR225i headphones. They sound great un-amped and are incredible open cans. For about $500 you can pick up used RS1s and for me some of the best cans I've ever heard.

 

[FlyingInABlueDream]

The AKG K701 are amazing headphones, as long as you can amp them. They simply won't play at any acceptable volume off an iPod. You can find a used pair on Head-Fi in the $180-200 range (and they seem to be available often).

I'm using a Pint-class HPDAC I bought used for $100 and the combination is great. Granted, now I want to upgrade to something with a tad more juice, but for all purposes it can get the K701 fairly loud, and my HD-595 have come to life when amped through it.

That being said, if $500 is your max, you should be able to get a nice pair of cans, and have some money left over for a DAC/amp. Check out the used forums here. I have had great success with several members, and have saved myself a good bit of money.

 

[midoo1990]

Scratch the k701 from your list,it is not good for this type of music,IMHO they are only good for classical,jazz,chamber... I have a senn.hd650 coming in the way,I will let you know what I think but if it is anything like the sennheiser ie8 then they are superb for this type of music,especially female vocals,they represent vocals in a thick full bodied way that I haven't heard in any other iem or even the k701 which mid is thin and sibilant.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Ultrasone PRO750 + Musiland Monitor 02 US = $400 total.
Apart from used Stax, the best value combo tbh.

Ultrasone PRO750 - $250 (usually sells for $390, seller = more than legit):
Ultrasone PRO-750 Foldable DJ Studio Headphones PRO750 - eBay (item 270482826126 end time Feb-07-10 13:08:01 PST)

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/tes...0-650-a-86109/

Musiland 02 Monitor US - sub $150 shipped

Choose your seller:
musiland monitor 02 us, Computers Networking, Electronics. Great deals on eBay!

There's massive thread on Head-fi about it here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/mu...-02-us-443786/

The PRO750 is portable as well and although it does benefit from amping, you can easily run it out of say an iPod as well.

This guy has the Ultrasone PRO750 + Musiland 02 combo, so it'll be good idea to PM them:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/members/ipc_skeeder/