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I see... so basically, it is a problem with the neutral gear in my price category not being good enough.
Be careful about getting sucked into the upgrade treadmill of diminishing returns. I can almost hear the disappointment in your words. If you'll allow me to be philosophical for a moment (think of it as the zen of audio)...
See, the so-called happiness, or sonic bliss, or whatever, is a state of mind. You probably have heard before somewhere that our ability to be happy is based on our ability to enjoy what we already have, not pinning after what we haven't got. But at the same time, having a goal is a great motivator in our lives--it gives you a sense of purpose--a path to follow, which makes you feel less lost and have a stronger sense of identity.
What I think happens a lot in this type of community, is that people are too easily influenced by the constant upgrading excitement they see and hear all around them, getting caught up in the hype, and end up spending a lot of money they really don't have, or could have spent on other things that are more meaningful or useful. I know a guy who's living on welfare and is still constantly buying and selling headphones and amps. Every time he finds something he really enjoys, he'll eventually become extremely picky about it and then start to hate the very thing he initially loved. It's almost like a disease. He's on this perpetual upgrade treadmill, and I get tired just reading emails from him. I keep thinking, "Dude, you're on welfare, and your main concern in life is to constantly buy and sell and try different headphones and amps? Seriously? Talk about messed up priorities in life!" And because he can't afford the higher-end gears, he's basically trying out all the low to mid-end products in his search, expecting to find a magical one that will suddenly be perfect for him. This guy even used to own a Grace Audio headphone amp (when he had money) and didn't even know how to appreciate it--he said it was too revealing and detailed and made the music he listened to sound worse. Grace Audio amps are considered some of the most neutral and clean amps out there, and he couldn't even enjoy that. I even taught him how to EQ his headphones, and still, it was like this never-ending drama of perpetual malcontent.
Don't become that guy.
Enjoy what is within your means, and learn about the hobby you're passionate about, so you can make informed, pragmatic decisions. If your hobby--the one that's supposed to bring you joy--is starting to make you feel bad, then something is wrong. The headphones in your price range are pretty good--even some of the most respected and famous mastering engineers use them in their studios to double-check what they're working on, such as the HD650 and HD600--both are quite popular. Some of them probably have moved on to higher-end headphones, but others have kept on using the HD6XX series. They may not find those headphones to be perfect, but they know how to assess their weaknesses and strengths, and know how to work with or around them. The point is, it's good enough for them. (Yes, they do also use high-end mastering monitors, but they are mastering engineers--that's their job. You don't make a living on audio, so it's a totally different context.)
Not everyone is supposed to own high-end gear, just like not everyone needs to strive to own a big mansion, a $200K sports car, a trophy wife, a private plane, etc. Learn to enjoy what you can afford, and that will bring you a lot more happiness than pinning after what you can't afford.
More expensive isn't always better. If that was the case, then I wouldn't have sold my Stax rig and kept the much cheaper LCD-2. When the LCD-3 came out, I could have caught the fever and all of a sudden thought that my LCD-2 was no longer good enough, and jumped on the LCD-3 bandwagon. But because I know how to EQ the LCD-2 into the perfectly ideal headphone for my standard, I already know that the differences between my EQ'd LCD-2 and the LCD-3 will be minimal--to the point that it'll feel like I just threw that extra $1,000 down the drain. I'm sure there are other improvements besides the frequency response, but really, are they worth $1,000? I could buy a really nice professional grade camera lens with that money, or a really good computer display, or a nice guitar, or tons of killer new music or movies or video games, or take some classes in things I really want to learn, like martial arts, flying an airplane, or scuba diving. Why would I spend it on diminishing returns so minimal that it'll actually make me feel bad, or have to convince myself to justify somehow?
So my advice is simply this: assess the priorities in your life. What other things are you passionate about or enjoy? What else in your life needs upgrading and replacing? What financial obligations do you have to yourself and those around you? When you look at headphones from that perspective, all of a sudden, they take on a different meaning.
