[audiocookie]

A good tip is.... Get a bandaid for your wallet because it will be hurting soon hahaha. I joined 1 month ago I'm already almost 400 bucks in lol. And I'm only 16

 

[DeadlyNeodymium]

Quote:

A good tip is.... Get a bandaid for your wallet because it will be hurting soon hahaha. I joined 1 month ago I'm already almost 400 bucks in lol. And I'm only 16

Well I'm 15 and the other problem is convincing my dad that it's worth it.  He's into pro audio since he plays keyboards as a side job, mainly for fun but it brings in plenty of cash.  The K240s are his and he's convinced that there aren't headphones much better than the ones me and him has.  I play saxophone and sometimes piano.  I'm convinced that there definitely are better headphones, way better.  I have to earn my own money though.  My parents won't buy me anything expensive except for my birthday and Christmas, so I have to work for it.

 

[audiocookie]

I bought the sennheiser hd 380s and I liked them, but they really came out when I got my fiio e11 amp. They are still neutral sounding, but everything sounds better and bass is more present. Believe me, the e11 is a great choice for 50 bucks on amazon. They drive my sennheisers easily and they are 54ohms impedence. I put the amp on my friends beats and it drove them too well. Since beats are lower impedence, they began to distort under the high setting on the amp. However, when I put the setting on low, it drove the beats perfectly with no distortion. The amp is awesome and has adjustable power output and bass. I also just got the Sony mdr xb500s and I love them. The bass is a little more agressive than my 380s, which I like a lot, but I like having the option. If I were you, I'd spend 50 on the amp, then go from there

 

[shiorisekine]

Well if you want akgs, I would suggest getting some Q701's, they are very good. They have a wide soundstage, deep and powerful bass and they are quite neutral. If you can get them for 300 or cheaper its worth it.
 
Also a FiiO E11 would do it a lot of good.
 
Andre

 

[DeadlyNeodymium]

Quote:

Well if you want akgs, I would suggest getting some Q701's, they are very good. They have a wide soundstage, deep and powerful bass and they are quite neutral. If you can get them for 300 or cheaper its worth it.
 
Also a FiiO E11 would do it a lot of good.
 
Andre

Dang... the Q701's look great!  Sexy too.  Funny thing is, on Amazon, one of the consumer pictures shows them sitting on top of the exact keyboard in my room (Fantom X8).  Question is... green, white, or black?  Only thing about these that concern me, is noise leakage/Insulation, and impedance.  As a side note, at least they are hyped by Quincy Jones instead of Dr. Dre.... haha.

 

[shiorisekine]

Me personally, I like the green. They aren't hard to drive, but amps are always nice I use a 600 Ohm DT880 out of my phone so its not impossible. They leak only if they are super loud and you could get the K550, which is like a closed back 701 however because its the Q series it will have a little bit less bass. 
 
Andre

 

[joeq70]

If you are looking for phones that are portable, then you might want to consider the V-moda M-80/M-100. The M-80 isn't as good as the Ultrasone HFI-780 in my opinion, but many people like the M-80 and you can demo them at Radioshack. If you are looking for deep bass, then the Q701 is OK but it needs ample amplification to get there. I'm not a big fan of the Denon D2000 but I think I'm in the minority. The Beyer DT990 is a nice sounding can and so is the DT880 but both need proper amplification to sound great. 
 
When it comes down to it, you just don't know how good something is until you hear it. This can be very costly and time consuming but it is worth it! For instance, I finally realized that I like the forward sound of Grados more than all other headphones (except electrostats), and I've heard the HD800, LCD-2, HE-6, Beyers, Ultrasones, etc.
 
Good luck with your journey!

 

[AZNracerx1989]

I would love to hear some of these other headphones. I am enjoying my m50's so far!

 

[flatmap]

Quote:

Well, it's like, I want a better, wider soundstage, not cramped like the M50s.  
The bass is good, but I want deeper, not louder. 

Generally, closed headphones simply don't provide as good a soundstage
as open headphones.  I suspect that you may prefer an open design.
But if you value isolation, then no doubt closed cans are superior.
It's all about trade-offs.
 
I love my M50s and use them every day at work, where I need isolation.
But at home, in the evenings I always listen to open headphones -- just
more relaxing and natural to my ears.  

 

[DeadlyNeodymium]

Well, I guess I'm gonna keep the M50s... but I agree, even though the AKG K240s are cheaper, I do think they, since they're open, sound more natural and are easier to listen to.  I'm gonna sell my Logitech G27 Racing Wheel since I don't use it anymore.

 

[kskwerl]

You should get some Mad Dogs and an amp to drive them and call it a day

 

[CirrusPilot]

Don't keep the M50s! Seriously though, they really don't sound that good. Problem is, there won't be much resale value at all. If you look around on the interwebs, most used headphones under $200 suffer from serious depreciation. There are always so many sales and deals to be had that it makes it very difficult to get anything near what you paid for them in the first place. 
 
I agree with the above suggestion on the DT770s in the 80ohm variety. Though the 770s don't necessarily need to be amped, they do benefit. I have an E11 amp and I am very happy with it. It would fit well into your budget if you considered the 770s.
 
IMO the 770s are better than the M50s in every way. Sound stage is better, they are way more comfortable, the highs don't make you want to pierce your own eardrums, and the bass is present and controlled. 
 
Good luck in your search!

 

[kskwerl]

Quote:

Don't keep the M50s! Seriously though, they really don't sound that good. Problem is, there won't be much resale value at all. If you look around on the interwebs, most used headphones under $200 suffer from serious depreciation. There are always so many sales and deals to be had that it makes it very difficult to get anything near what you paid for them in the first place. 
 
I agree with the above suggestion on the DT770s in the 80ohm variety. Though the 770s don't necessarily need to be amped, they do benefit. I have an E11 amp and I am very happy with it. It would fit well into your budget if you considered the 770s.
 
IMO the 770s are better than the M50s in every way. Sound stage is better, they are way more comfortable, the highs don't make you want to pierce your own eardrums, and the bass is present and controlled. 
 
Good luck in your search!

+1 For example, I use the M50s at work to watch movies lol

 

[DeadlyNeodymium]

I don't want to get rid of the m50s since they DO keep out noise pretty well and they're better than what most people have.  I'll let my sister use them  whenever she wants to since I wont use them all the time.  And that's the deal, why would I get rid of them if I'm not going to get a good return?  They're portable, and pretty good, but it is agreeable that they're over-hyped, cold, and have a cramped sound stage.  I've kind of made up my mind that I want some headphones that are semi-open/open... Preferably AKG (although I'm not sure if they have cans that fit my criteria but I like their style of headohones), with bass that can punch as well as the m50s.  I know I sound really indecisive, but lately I've sat down, and really listened to the m50s, and the k240s I have sitting around.  I've realized that a cheaper pair of headphones actually beat mine as far as smoothness and pleasantness to listen to goes, and they also have a vast sound stage compared to my m50s.  While I was having this session of judgment and comparison, it dawned on me that I'm not actually a bass head, but instead that I like a vast, smooth, rich, and detailed sound.  I'm a flathead, and I want some reference grade headphones that still have decent bass, lush mids, and smooth highs.  Basically, I want some headphones a lot like the k240s, but with better bass and smoother frequency response, better build quality, and a bigger soundstage.  I have grown to like the k240s, but unfortunately they're not mine, and I want something like them but with a higher price tag and better precision.  As of now, my budget is no higher than $250, with another $50 going towards a portable amp.  I have been considering the Q701/K702s, but I've heard they're much different than the k240s and don't have much bass.  I listen to theatrical orchestra music, classic rock, funk, jazz, and occasionally bass heavy dubstep and electronic music because every now and then I want to not be able to hear myself think.  The face massage is always enjoyable too, but pretty much all of the time, I'm not a bass head.  I DON'T listen to rap, hip hop, country, or any other stuff that makes me want to throw up.  Haha I'm I guess what you'd call a very opinionated person. 

 

[streetdragon]

i would suggest the DT770 80ohm/K550 for a closed headphone and the HD598 for an open headphone

side note: how would we know what made you throw up?