[DryHopped]

Hello fellow music lovers. I've been chasing sonic nirvana in car and home audio for the past few years, and it's an expensive, never-ending rabbit hole of constant upgrading and wanting to try out new components, so I must be MAD to want to get in the headphones game. But it's so thrilling, I just can't help but want to expand into this new domain! My friends think I'm crazy, but I think we can all agree here that THEY are the crazy ones!
 
Up until now, I haven't really used headphones much, save for some random occasions. However, my GF just got a new job and has to wake up super early now, but not me! So I turn the volume knob down while listening to music or watching shows, way down, and not surprisingly, the level of immersion quickly begins to approach zero. No dynamics, no enveloping bass, no fun. I mean, it is nighttime... most people wouldn't mind, but who wants to think like that?
 
So I grab my headphones... Sony MDR-XD100, which probably cost me $40 years ago... and they actually sound pretty decent, but naturally, the first thing I want to do is upgrade them.
 
My budget is ~$150 for over the ear, closed back headphones.
 
Sonic preferences -- Essentially, I'm looking for a super smooth signature that is somewhat forgiving, but not at the cost of too much detail or dynamics. I value SQ, but I'm not a purist. I enjoy a little extra low frequency output in the 20-60 hz region, a slightly recessed mid-range, and smooth highs. I don't want anything that will be too revealing or analytical (most of my favorite music is current, ie not the best recording quality), bright, edgy, dry, or potentially fatiguing. Slightly laid-back is cool, as is warmth, but I'd rather shoot for neutral. With all that said, I don't want the highs to be too veiled or dark, and I like a lush soundscape, but not at the cost of clarity. Oh, and did I mention I love bass? But definitely not boomy or overpowering- more like controlled, airy, articulate, tactile bass with nice transient response and tonality. Also, I have a big head.
 
My sources will mainly be my laptop, and a 160gb iPod Classic. I prefer something that will be fine without an external amp.

 
My musical tastes are kind of all over, but lately it's been mostly electronica,deep house, triphop, nu disco, synthpop, alternative r&b... stuff like James Blake, Caribou, Royksopp, HAIM, Kavinsky, M83, Sigur Ros, Crystal Castles, Son Lux, Alt-J, CHVRCHES, Flume, SBTRKT, Bat for Lashes, BANKS, Owen Pallett, Baths, Arcade Fire, Chromeo, Lil Silva, Ryan Hemsworth, Jerome LOL, Blonde Redhead, Future Islands, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend, Disclosure, Rhye,... ok we get it.
 
So there, that is me. I realize with a ~$150 budget, I'm going to make sacrifices somewhere, but I think I can find headphones that generally pair well with my musical tastes, along with your help of course
 
So far, I've been reading reviews and it seems like the Audio Technica m50x (leaning towards this one at the moment), NAD hp50 (over budget I know, but whatever), Sennheiser Momentum (budget again, whoops), and Sony MDR-1R (need to research this one more) are strong contenders for my preference. Brainwavz hm5 maybe, although build quality and bass output are questionable, and I read people throwing around terms like veiled and dark, so maybe not.
 
I'm going to search around the forum, already saw a kind of similar thread out there, but I figure this way I can finally say hey to you guys in my nice own, albeit probably too long, thread.

 

[volly]

Hi Dry, welcome to the neighbor hood!
 
It's a jungle out there but all roads lead to Rome (one day). The M50's have a big following for various reasons. Audio Technica make very good headphones and if you love their house sound then you'll have some very exciting headphones to try.
 
As for your budget, it is quite hard to advise you on which headphone may or may not suite. All I can part is trust in your gut instinct and jump!
 
Be happy with your decision but be prepared for your taste to change along the way.
 
Perhaps, I'll leave you with some idea's that you might want to research.
 
For your music taste, I'd say check out the Sennheiser HD202's. You'd be able to find these headphones in most retail stores for a very cheap price! They may fit your taste and if you do decide that you like the sennheiser sound then you're in for a treat. With the left over money from your budget, look into HifiMeDiy and research in to they're portable dac's and amp. A good place to get your feet wet! Or perhaps look into the Fiio range of audio gear, as their stuff is priced quite nicely and delivering quite a bit.
 
A good source and amp can make the difference between you, your headphones and the music!
 
Take your time with the new gear you acquire to truly enjoy this hobby, give headphones some time to mature and see if the sounds you hear grow on you.
 
Good luck!

 

[JoeDoe]

+1 to the above comment. It sounds like you'd be very satisfied with the ATH M50. Later down the road a portable USB DAC/amp like the Fiio E7 or E17 would serve you quite well. Could strap it do your iPod when you're on the go for some improved Fidelity, and then use it with your computer when you're stationary to improve the SQ from your onboard soundcard.

 

[DryHopped]

Thanks for the input guys.
 
volly, I was super surprised to see the HD202's for so cheap! I can't help but wonder how much of an upgrade they would be compared to my current ~$40 Sony's. I read some reviews and they get great praise, but I saw some mention that they might be uncomfortable for large ears. While I mentioned I had a big head in my OP, I forgot to mention that my big head comes with a big pair of ears lol. And I feel like if I went ahead and ordered them, I'd be getting upgrade fever real soon and wonder what kind of improvement spending an extra ~$120 would net me. I think I'd rather spend my budget on the phones now, and maaaaybbeee sometime next year do the amp/dac thing.
 
Thanks for the encouragement, JoeDoe. I'm definitely leaning towards them, plus they were just on sale for $127 from sonicelectronix, so maybe I'll jump next time I see them on sale somewhere. I haven't researched dac/amps yet, so I don't know what to expect for a, I hate to say budget, but budget setup. I'd never not have amps and a DSP in my car, so I suppose the same logic could apply to headphones, but I just figured they are so small and you are so close to the sound that it wouldn't really make *that* much of a difference. Before I get an amp/dac for my headphones, I'd probably want to get an amp, Emotiva maybe, for my home speakers (currently just using Onkyo 707 receiver). I've never thought about getting a DAC for my home speakers though, because I use my desktop as my source and have it connected to receiver via HDMI, so everything is passed through untouched to my receiver's DAC, which I figure should be good enough.
 
I'm not sure where I can go audition some headphones here... we have a Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Costco, and umm, that's pretty much it, and their audio departments aren't the...best. I do think we have a Guitar Center, so maybe that's my best bet. I wish we had a Crutchfield or Fry's.
 
I also read some more on the Sennheiser Momentums... and some people said they fit some people with big ears like on-ear-headphones, so I might have to eliminate those. They are above my budget anyway. Which means I'll probably also have to eliminate the NAD hp50 :/. Guess it's between the m50x and Sony MDR-1r... although what's this about a refresh (MDR-1ra) coming soon? Might have to wait and see how they are, or I might just get the m50x, lol :x

 

[DryHopped]

It's come to my attention that some people are describing the m50x's treble as harsh... which is the opposite of what I'm looking for! Maybe I need to restart my search, ugh, it's time for a beer. If anything, I'd prefer liquidy, velvety, buttery highs as opposed to any chance of harshness, but not overly, because I still want a level of engagement and fun factor. Researching speakers is the greatest, isn't it?

 

[sebajun]

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