Newbie looking for purchase advice

[ColtMrFire]

I am not a headphone expert but I appreciate good sound and am looking to upgrade from my skull candy in ear phones to something much more substantial.
 
My price range is $100-$300...maybe more depending on how good the headphones are, but certainly nothing more than $500.  I have an iMac and watch alot of Hi-Def movies and listen to mp3/FLAC music in VLC player.  I don't like anything too bass intense or harsh...but with enough kick to really enjoy the experience.  Natural sounding I guess.  And nothing that will break in 12 months after the warranty expires (f-you Bose)...I want something solid that is worth the money, meaning it doesn't break easily and will last at least 3 or 4 years.
 
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
 
F

 

[fabio-fi]

Hello, 
 
Take a look at the Ultrasone Pro550. It does have all you need, spacious sound for movies. 

 

[samandhi]

V-moda Crossfade M-10 is a good choice if not a bit bassy.
Sennheiser Momentum very neutral, but also great accross the board, great defenition. A bit geared toward mid bass, but not intrusive.
Logitech UE6000 very cheap compared to the others, but sound very nice. NC mode off is very neutral, but somewhat veiled. If you feel the need for bass, and an overall v shaped sound, NC on will give you that. Most cost effective of the three mentioned.

There are many more out ther, and maybe better, but thise are the three I really like at that price point.

 

[ColtMrFire]

So I went ahead and got the Sennheiser HD600...should be here tomorrow.  In the mean time I got a an Audioengine D1 amp for my iMac which arrived today, and even my ****ty skullcandy headphones sound amazing with it, so I can' wait to hear the Sennheisers.

 

[DenonBeaver]

Quote:

So I went ahead and got the Sennheiser HD600...should be here tomorrow.  In the mean time I got a an Audioengine D1 amp for my iMac which arrived today, and even my ****ty skullcandy headphones sound amazing with it, so I can' wait to hear the Sennheisers.

Very cool, hope it's the sound you are looking for, i've only heard the 650's. HD600's do need some juice to really get their full potential. If you feel like the sound is veiled you might want to look into a more powerful desktop amp.

 

[ColtMrFire]

What's a moderately priced amp that would juice the 600s well?

 

[ColtMrFire]

So my 600s arrived just now; plugged them into the D1 and started with Jerry Goldsmith's 'Explorers' score in FLAC...and wow, I never knew headphones could sound this good!  It was like the orchestra was inside the headphones.  Then popped in some rock to see how it would handle that (Deftones 'Diamond Eyes' FLAC), and I was hearing instruments I never heard before in those recordings.  Next I tried some R&B (Justin Timberlake 'Suit And Tie' FLAC) and that was silky smooth, punchy but not harsh...I can hear bass but it's not overpowering or anything, very balanced.  I have a 24/96 recording of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' so I tried that too...it was alot more subtle than I expected but still impressive.
 
The highest end headphones I've ever owned were the Bose over hear headphones and those sound like **** compared to these.
 
I am a very happy camper right now.

 

[samandhi]

Quote:

So my 600s arrived just now; plugged them into the D1 and started with Jerry Goldsmith's 'Explorers' score in FLAC...and wow, I never knew headphones could sound this good!  It was like the orchestra was inside the headphones.  Then popped in some rock to see how it would handle that (Deftones 'Diamond Eyes' FLAC), and I was hearing instruments I never heard before in those recordings.  Next I tried some R&B (Justin Timberlake 'Suit And Tie' FLAC) and that was silky smooth, punchy but not harsh...I can hear bass but it's not overpowering or anything, very balanced.  I have a 24/96 recording of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' so I tried that too...it was alot more subtle than I expected but still impressive.
 
The highest end headphones I've ever owned were the Bose over hear headphones and those sound like **** compared to these.
 
I am a very happy camper right now.

 
  Awesome. Congrats. Im thinking about the 600s or the 650s for my next cans.