[Arcadez08]

Another newbie here 

. I just got into sound soon after I buying my a30's for gaming. Now I'm seeking out true audiophileism and need some help. 
 
Im looking for something purely for music. What I listen to is mostly indie, rock, folk, jazz, and some bluegrass. So probably need some cans good on highs and mids, although I do occasionally like dance, electro and hiphop so I'd like to have some decent bass.
 
I got about under $300 to spend. I'll be using in pair with xonar essence stx sound card. I also have my astro mixamp which I've read is a good amp.
 
oohh last thing I do prefer around the ears because my a30s kill after like an hour of usage.
 
Thanks in advance guys!

 

[macrocheesium]

Look at the Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990. The 880 has a more neutral sound while the DT990 has strong bass and treble. The bass on the DT990 doesn't seem that loud because it's so tight, though. I had to get rid of mine because I couldn't take the extreme highs, so make sure you aren't too sensitive to treble! BY FAR the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

 

[olegausany]

For the budget you specified i will suggest modded T50RP called Mad Dog by Mr Speakers but if you can streatch your budget up a little bit get HE-400 which are steal for their price

 

[Arcadez08]

I love this place such quick responses. 
 
@macrocheesium  I dont think I'm treble sensitive. I'm only going by the best headphones I ever owned which is the a30's 

. They do have good highs for gaming I believe, hearing footsteps and such, plus I have the volume high on them. So the dt990 seem good for me but what do you think about the agk k550?
 
@Olegausany  Do those fit comfortably around the ears? and where do I go about purchasing one of those? btw, they look pretty sweet.
 
Forgot to throw it out there but I think I'll need some closed-back cans. I live in a small apartement and my den (where im at) is connected to the living room where I got my wife watching movies and stuff. The distance is not that close so I think I could get away with some leakage.

 

[macrocheesium]

Quote:

@macrocheesium  I dont think I'm treble sensitive. I'm only going by the best headphones I ever owned which is the a30's 

. They do have good highs for gaming I believe, hearing footsteps and such, plus I have the volume high on them. So the dt990 seem good for me but what do you think about the agk k550?
 
Forgot to throw it out there but I think I'll need some closed-back cans. I live in a small apartement and my den (where im at) is connected to the living room where I got my wife watching movies and stuff. The distance is not that close so I think I could get away with some leakage.

 
I've never heard the K550, sorry. I know that it's a more natural sound, closer to the DT880. The DT990 is perfect for gaming, but it is open back.

 

[Arcadez08]

Anymore suggestions would be appreciated. 

 

[NA Blur]

I second the AKG K550.  They are really good sounding headphones and come close to the sound of the Denon AH-D2000.  The DT880 may end up bass weak and the DT990 has a lacking mid range.  I have owned both and the DT990 was the more tolerable.  The AKG K550 is an excellent choice.
 
AKG K550
Pros:  Neutral sounding with good bass impact, clear and somewhat up-front midrange, good highs
Cons:  Not bass giants, the headband is a tad sharp and will require some extra padding for extended use, not super portable.
 
Here is a comparison chart showing the frequency response of the 3 headphones mentioned:
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=3571&graphID[]=723&graphID[]=2241
 
See how the DT880 falls behind the other two below 100 Hz?  The DT990 has a very large increase is bass around 100 Hz and a wider treble curve making it sound bright to some people.  The K550 is an excellent balance between the two.

 

[Arcadez08]

Thank you NA Blur for your advice, but perhaps you can clear it up for me a little more I'm very beginner at this sorry. How does this graphic work? I'm seeing that the k550 drops at higher frequency is that an issue? I'd really like to learn more about this.
 
Also here are a couple other headphones I was browsing HD598 and the A900X

 

[macrocheesium]

That simply means that the highs don't sound as loud on the K550. On that graph, the x axis is frequency and the y axis is volume. But don't get caught up in these graphs. They often show results that contradict what the human ear hears. They can be good for showing the general outline of a headphone's sound, but personally I never pay attention to them. I'd rather hear peoples' opinions anyway.
 
I think the HD598 might be too light on bass for you.

 

[Arcadez08]

Thanks Macrocheesium for the quick sum up. Yea i'll see those graphs a just a reference but like you I'll go on opinions. 
 
Well I might be sold on the k550's still not sure yet lol. I'm still considering the DT880's but on amazon they're about $50 more. Also about the pro (250 ohm) and the premium (600 ohm, 250 ohm) could you help me compare them? with ohm is greater = better? 

 

[Zak117]

Gonna need an amp if you get the beyers.
 

 

[macrocheesium]

Quote:

Gonna need an amp if you get the beyers.
 

 
Not necessarily. From what I understand the STX is a very capable sound card, and I could easily drive the 600 ohm DT990 with my FiiO E10, which is by no means high end. They are much easier to drive than you would think; I only went to volume level 2/8 on the FiiO.
 
Quote:

Well I might be sold on the k550's still not sure yet lol. I'm still considering the DT880's but on amazon they're about $50 more. Also about the pro (250 ohm) and the premium (600 ohm, 250 ohm) could you help me compare them? with ohm is greater = better? 

 
Here's a great summary of the different Beyers: http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more

 

[Arcadez08]

I do have the Astro mixamp I'm not sure if that would suffice as I've have done no research on that. But, yes I do have the STX if I end up with the DT880.
 
Macrocheesium you are awesome! I'll go ahead and take some time right now to read that guide.
 
In the meantime I'm open to anymore suggestions guys.

 

[olegausany]

Be aware that DT990 have bright sometimes harsh highs. At the recent NYC meet i heard K550 with 3 different amps O2, CTH and Burson 160D (costing at least 3 times more than K550 itself) and with all of them they lacking deep sub-bass you would want for jazz or classical. Since you want closed headphones than HE-400 are not for you since they are open. Mad Dogs you can buy directly from Dan's website  http://www.mrspeakers.com/Audiophile-fostex-t50rp-upgrades-mrspeakers-mad-dog  for just $249

 

[Arcadez08]

Well, I think I came to my decision. Because I need to accommodate for my music selections I'm going with the DT770 80ohm/e17amp for when I want heavy bass and getting Grado 225i (xonar stx) when I want more highs, plus I'm usually alone here when I listen to those types of music so open backs are okay. Everything should cost around $500 and I'm okay with that. 
 
Thanks for everyone's help. I'll probably post something saying how it goes.