After getting a Sennheiser HD1 (wired) in 2017 and putting my SR80i away ever since, I finally knocked the dust off of it for the first time today and forgot how much I LOVED these headphones. After 2 hours I immediately remembered how uncomfortable these things are (even with the replacement cups) and how it gets distorted at higher volumes on my pc. So, I want something significantly comfier. And better. And I'm not a broke college student anymore so I can actually afford to spend a few bucks.
So, since I love open ear so much, I want to finally get my "endgame" setup for my pc. I've done a little research, and so far top options look like HD6XX / HD650 and Sundara. I'm leaning HD6XX since it's extremely budget friendly, looks comfy (all reviews I've seen ditto this as well) and everyone raves about it. I'm a total noob to DACs + amps, though I know I'll need to get one of each if I at least get the HD6XX (but I think a half decent one of each should be able to fit the $500 budget?). I'd rather have cans that fit the whole genre better as a whole rather than excel at a handful of specific subgenres.
One concern about the Sennheisers is they won't have that "eye-popping" effect on the percussions and the vocals moved farther forward (towards you) that Grados have. If your only problem with the SR80i is the comfort, maybe you'd be better off getting something like the Headphile C-Pads that allow mounting of Beyerdynamic pads on Grados. It will alter the sound a bit, but then you can also go for all-wood driver housings to get some of the bottom end back.
That said, it's not that the Sennheisers are bad for metal. I have the HD600 (older versions) and EQ out the 3500hz bump, making it sound closer to the HD650. Just that I'm not particularly fond of Grados for metal, because contrary to what most people like, the presentation sounds like Hulk is on stage throwing everything towards me.
One way to put it is: I prefer things to sound like I'm in the middle of the San Francisco opera house with Tarja Turunen or James Hetfield several rows ahead of me than me standing and craning my neck up at James' crotch (nor Tarja's...just....no) because if I look straight I'm face to face with the freaking bouncers while having the monitors literally pounding my chest. Not that that's bad either, just that 1) I can accept headphones don't do that and 2) there's a difference between a Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage doing that compared to how concert monitors and the actual drums hit you in the front row (and then barely hear anything else, because they don't tune the speakers for the front row much less being able to also hear the stage monitors).
Edit2: add HD560s to the mix. I'm seeing that this is cheaper, and some are even saying it's better than the hd6xx? I find that hard to believe at such a cheaper price though.
Think of it this way: the Kia Stinger gets to 60mph faster than a Ferrari 456GT, even with less power and worse power to weight ratio, because AWD is worth more than the weight it adds. And unless you had the Ferrari reupholstered and maintained the other bits well, it won't feel as nice as the Genesis G70 either. Might as well upgrade that Alpine stereo unless you want to switch out CDs (although the Ferrari won't have any warranty issues by now so unless you have an idiot destroying electrical bits, might as well install a fully custom sound system in case you hit traffic during that weekend road trip).
So now you can have a lower impedance, higher sensitivity driver (ie doesn't require as much voltage nor current) that doesn't have a worse response when it comes to headphones, and can have a slightly more expansive soundstage too.
On the upside having 150ohm or higher impedance has one advantage: amp output impedance is less of a problem.
As for the Sundara, are planar magnetic cans a massive difference maker, or not so much for metal? Or is it just "different" (neither better nor worse?)
It's just different and whether you like it. Do you want a flat 20hz to 1,000hz, but with deeper valleys and taller peaks from 1,000hz to 10,000hz?
There's one other benefit when it comes to amps, but not that relevant vs these Sennheisers: Planars are less affected by damping factor issues due to high output impedance. But if you're comparing it to a 300ohm headphone then the 300ohm headphone will still be less affected anyway.
Will that set need a driver?
Not sure what you mean, they both have two drivers. It's not like a home speaker for example where each channel can have two or more.
Does "too tame" mean too flat of a response curve?
It means not feeling the percussion strikes popping right in front of your eyes.
What's the difference between dark/warm?
It's a spectrum. Warm > dark > just outright nasal.
Think of it like this: Katherine Hepburn > James Earl Jones > Jerry Seinfeld coming out of a midwoofer (not a midrange) without a tweeter.
The Sundara though in terms of voices might sound closer to Jerry Seinfeld out of a fullrange speaker.
I really like the way metal sounds on my sr80i, but I just wish that there was slightly stronger bass (but not by a lot;...
If you mod the SR80 you'll get a bit more bass, starting with higher density Beyer leather pads on the C-Pads.
Then you can just upgrade to an RS1 or RS2 and transfer the C-pads.
...though I really like the crisp/clean bass over something muddy) and doesn't sound distorted at higher volumes on my pc.
You'll need a bunch of things for that.
1. Drivers that don't distort when pushed
2. Amp that won't distort in case you need to push the output
If your PC is distorting, no way around it, even with a Grado you may need to get an amp. Just be aware I'm not sure if that's all your PC or also the drivers just getting pushed too hard (or if your motherboard audio just has a high output impedance).
Will these sennheiser cans (whichever one i go with) have these same issues, or am I likely safe from them? I typically use spotify at the highest possible audio quality for streaming and downloads.
Depends on what the issue is.
If it was the impedance, but it gets enough power to push it to the output you want, then it won't distort.
If it was just lacking power at 32ohms or thereabouts, good luck trying to drive 300ohms with lower sensitivity with the same motherboard.
