[SubtleArt]

Hey guys, my first post on head-fi, here it goes:
 
I know that one of the biggest pet peeves on forums is new people asking questions that have already asked many times. I know these types of threads pop up quickly, but all of the ones I saw here from searching were pretty ambiguous, so I'll try to go into a big more detail.
 
I'm looking for new headphones that are around $150. They can be a bit over, because I can always get them used or something for a slightly lower price. I don't really know much about headphones, and so far I've stuck to ~30$ ear buds.
 
What I'm looking for: my main concern is sound quality. I want mid range sound (is that the right term?), no headphones that place too much emphasis on treble or base. I mainly listen to rock and metal, and some jazz fusion. This is the type of music I'm mainly concerned over for sound quality, so if there are any headphones that are better for this than please say so. I listen to a bit of rap / hip hop, but not enough to care or even be able to distinguish good sound from great sound  My favorite bands are Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rush, Megadeth, King Crimson, Jimmi Hendrix....etc.
 
The first headphones I looked at were Audio Technica AD700s, which seemed to fare well but lacked bass quality.
 
Right now I'm debating between Sennheiser HD555, Gredo Sr125, and AKG k240 MkII. Which of these would you guys recommend for sound quality for the music I listen to? A lot of people seem to love sennheiser, but I've heard some say they're overrated, and that they're not good for rock? Also that they don't have a good sound stage (what does this even mean)? On the other hand gredo is apparently better for rock, but lacks in comfort, and looks slightly ridiculous. AKG k240 I'm not really sure, but the reviews I have speak fondly of them. Which of these would be the best purchase?
 
Keep in mind I'm mainly going to use these for music on my ipod, and I won't be buying an amp so if any of these sound exceptionally worse without an amp please say so.
 
Thanks in advnace for any help!
 
*Btw, can the hd555s comfortably fit around your neck when you don't want them on your ears? They seem pretty small.

 

[blahblahblaster]

by your avatar, you look like someone that might like the shure srh-440's [because they are better than the 840's on portable devices]. from your description, they might actually be what you're looking for. also, i heard the ath-m50's are comparable but with their own unique qualities. good luck with your quest .

 

[SubtleArt]

My avatar was just one of the stock pictures of the 8 i could choose....as i said the only previous headphones ive had are $30 earbuds

 

[Region2]

Welcome to Head-Fi!
 
I didn't find the HD555 too comfortable around my neck (and they're bigger than you think) and I'm not too big of a fan of the Sennheiser veil and the bass was too bloated to my ears.  The K240 like the K271 need amplification, so I can't recommend it if you're only going to listen straight out of the ipod.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not slagging off the AKG's (I love my K271's to bits) but it won't be as good without proper amplification.  Big fan of the Grados, but the foam might irritate your ears if you use it for a while and if you're worried about the AD700's bass quality you might not find the Grados and the AKG's to be the headphones you want.  I'm not too troubled by mine but I don't use them for longer than an hour or two per session.
 
My friend asked the same advice recently and I told him to try out the Shure SRH-440 and the Audio Technica ATH-M50 and he ultimately went with the SRH-440.  But he listens to different genres than you listed and he only wanted closed headphones.
 
If you can, you'd probably be better off going to a store that will allow you to audition all the headphones and picking out the ones you like the best.  It's not a perfect solution since you need to spend some time with headphones to probably see if they're a right fit, but it'll give you an idea.

 

[SubtleArt]

Thanks for your help. Almost all professional reviews I read said that the sound quality for HD555 was really good though. Is it just personnal preference for you?

 

[Evelgest]

Perhaps Sennheiser HD25-1 if you're looking for more portability? I've seen it go on eBay for ~$150.
 
I'd take a look at this comparison review or this site in general:
http://www.headfonia.com/closed-cans-shootout-m-50-esw-9-t50p-hd25-1-beats-studio-srh-840-srh-750dj-k181dj-and-dj1pro/
 
Just a heads up, Sennheiser announced the HD558 and HD598, so chances are you'll see a HD555 price drop in a month or less, or perhaps you'd rather get the 558.