[FlyingDolphin]

Found the pro 2500s on overstock for $190.  So the Ultrasones will be cheaper, but which is the best quality and the best for my preferences?

 

[AhokZYashA]

M50 and be done with it..

 

[sparker]

Meh. The Audio-Technica M50 is definitely a FOTM headphone, in my opinion. For $150, look at the Creative Aurvana Live (OEM version of the Denon AH-D1000) or perhaps some cheaper Grado headphones.

 

[AhokZYashA]

grado's harsh treble makes it hard to recommend to anyone..
M50's smooth treble and somewhat fun yet revealing sound signature ic much more acceptable than grado's
 
and no i didnt say grado is bad, its just its sound signature is not for everyone,
and yes M50's bassy signature is not for everyone either, but its more acceptable..
 
and M50 is a FOTY tbh lol
 
MS1i is pretty good to, bud soundstage wise, its bad for open cans.

 

[FlyingDolphin]

I probably would want to stay away from anything too bassy and want something more nuetral.  I'd also like to stay away from anything grado for my first 'phone, but would like to get one sometime.
EDIT: The real reason I didn't get these is because I'm a stubborn teenager and boycotted their price change

 

[FlyingDolphin]

Come on, dt 880 pro or pro 2500, the holidays are coming up and it takes time to ship.

 

[mibutenma]

The Pro 2500 and the DT 880 are my two main headphones.
 
Pro 2500 can be consider bassy by some.
Its just has bass and the way its suppose sound and bass guitar and bass drums are suppose to sound like that.
The bass is just amazing but some people might not like it I guess.
The treble is dead zero flat.
I think it works very well with older rock.
Its biggest flaw is the burn in takes awhile before it sounds like it should.
 
 
The DT 880
Its a great headphone and have slightly above dead zero treble which works very well with some stuff.
It has lighter bass and not the detailed bass layers of the Pro 2500.
The DT 880 is slightly above your stated budget.
 
Really its comes down to do you like flat zero treble or a bit of a treble push?
Both are basically equal in detail its biggest differences is the treble and bass regions sometimes the pro 2500 beats the DT 880 in the mids though.
 

 

[FlyingDolphin]

I listen to mainly older rock and guess the bass layers would be good, I do want decent mids and wouldn't care too much for treble, so I suppose I should go with the pro 2500.  It being cheaper is another good thing.  Thanks to everyone for all of your help!

 

[mibutenma]

I definitely realize its a tough choice of what to get.
 
But the Pro 2500 are really good they just need time to burn in before they sound great and that can be a pain.
 
If you don't like them you could always sell them and you'll very likely have a good understanding of what you want sound signature wise.
Not many headphones have dead zero treble so you'll likely like these.
 
I guess you could always amazon.com buy the Beyerdynamic dt 880 and return them if you don't like them.
They have the Ultrasone 2500 too but its more than overstock sells them. $240.10
 
 

 

[AhokZYashA]

therse always the HD600 or HD580 which is basically the same.
but the HD580 is way cheaper

 

[FlyingDolphin]

Unfortunately, since the hd 580s are discontinued, I doubt I could find them in time.  I also am curious to try out the ultrasones after hearing about their holographic soundstage.  I am slightly afraid of the bass, but as long as it's tight and true to life.  I listen to some older acoustical music that is very bass light, I have an equalizer on my phone and computer, so, if neede, I will tone it down.  How is it for classical, unamplified, that mainly focuses on the low woodwinds and brass (I play bass clarinet)?  I'll be getting these anyways to try them out and if I don't like them, I can always get rid of them and try other phones.  I have a feeling it will be a long strange trip in the realm of the audiophile. 

 

[olegausany]

I never heard Pro 2500 but heard Pro 900 and they have the signature i never heard before and i like it but they have a lot of bass which is quantity instead of quality. For rock, AC/DC for example i prefer tight well controlled punchy not overpowering bass which i was able to get on DT990 Pro 250 OHM which is just $180 in B&H ( they in New York city but it shouldn't take long to ship to your location) plus they have great details better than DT880 (i compared them side by side) and while DT990 are bright you can easily fix it by using equaliser ( i'm using foobar 2000 as my music player and used built-in equalaiser to adjust sound to my liking. Also i had comfort problem with Pro 900 after just of couple of minutes of usage and after i took them off it took another 30 seconds for the pain i had to be gone, also when returning them i spoke to somebody who experienced exactly the same issue i had, that is why i didn't even attempt to try to adjust bass using equalaiser

 

[Jibbie]

The Pro 900s do definitely have bass quantity, but to say it isn't quality is absurd.  It presents bass so textured and defined it's insane.  I vote for the Pro 2500. 

 

[FlyingDolphin]

Ordered them yesterday, overstock was out of stock so I bought them from guitar center for $180 price matched and got the pro coverage for a total of about $223 dollars including tax.  First they came down to $225, $250 with tax and shipping, but I am a stubborn teenager and they ended up giving free shipping also.  Overall they still were cheaper than the dt 880 pros and I am sure I will love them.  I can not wait to get them and try them out, but I do understand burn in takes forever.  A couple questions on burn in,  were can I get a pink noise generator for burn in? And  will burning them in at high volumes cause harm and low volumes not be effective? I really can't wait for these as my first pair of hi-fi headphones.

 

[Jibbie]

http://www.binkster.net/extras.shtml  This is a site that allows you to download pink noise, along with a bunch of other great frequency sweeps and burn in tracks.  I just used the pink noise file and let it play overnight.  The volume should be slightly higher than listening volume, and as long as you don't leave it going for than a day or two going on pink noise, non stop, it won't get damaged.  If you're worried, just give it 15 minute breaks every 12 hours or so.  Enjoy the Ultrasones