[Ritz1016]

Hello, I'm new to buying high quality headphones and this will be my first pair. I've been going crazy trying to find the best pair of headphones for my budget and I'm stufk between a couple choices. I listen to Dubstep, Electro, and also to things like Ellie Goulding or Ed Sheeran.
1st choice- ATH M50
I was 100% sure I wanted the M50s from all the great reviews they got. After a while, I stumbled upon people saying the M50's were over hyped. I asked a headphone reviewer if these would suit my needs and he replied saying that these were just amazing and that they would suit me well. I asked a different reviewer and he said that the M50's would be dull for my preference of genres. So I've got people just confusing me.
2nd choice- Ultrasone Pro 550
I see people saying these are way better than the Ath M50. I was going to buy them until I saw that the M50s actually looked high quiality and the 550s looked cheap and too plasticy. The thing that just holds me back from buying them is the earpads. Those look even cheaper than the ones on my dad's Sennheiser HD202s. The only thing I like about these is the 2 removable cables( coiled & straight) and all the accessories it comes with. Besides that I feel that they are cheaper than the ATH M50. 
3rd choice- Ultrasone HFi 580
upon reading several reviews, many people have said that these beat the M50s with better bass and better clarity. I fear that these will be too bassy and maybe not as clear as the M50s. 
I'm very iffy about both ultrasones because they just seem cheap to me. Something about them tells me that they will break easily. The M50s look alot better imo. I really want to like the M50s but I'm just confused as to what will be better. PLEASE HELP!! If someone who has owned any of these could do a comparison, I would much appreciate it!

 

[HeatFan12]

Welcome Ritz....
 
Only one post and you seem stressed already.  Wait til u stay on this site and blow all your money, then you can stress....lol....

 
Ultrasones all the way.  I own all three you listed in your title and all sound great.  What will u be plugging them into?  The PRO 550 and 650 sound better amped as well as the HFI-580, but you can get away with it with the 580...
 
Cheers!

 

[Ritz1016]

Lol I know! I'll be using my iPod Touch 5g and I think a JamVox which is plugged into my computer. I really haven't looked into any headphone amps lately. Will the 580s work & sound better on my iPod than the M50s will  I've literally got until tomorrow or the day after to decide which ones I want. I was leaning towards the M50s but for $10 more if the 580s are better I'll go with those.

 

[makiawa]

Quote:

Welcome Ritz....
 
Only one post and you seem stressed already.  Wait til u stay on this site and blow all your money, then you can stress....lol....

 
Ultrasones all the way.  I own all three you listed in your title and all sound great.  What will u be plugging them into?  The PRO 550 and 650 sound better amped as well as the HFI-580, but you can get away with it with the 580...
 
Cheers!

+1

I'm super happy with my HFI 580. Initially they sounded so piercing that I had to EQ the highs down for about the first 20 hours. But after that, they succeed to wow me every time i put them on (without the high reducer). They really do look weird, though.

 

[makiawa]

Quote:

Lol I know! I'll be using my iPod Touch 5g and I think a JamVox which is plugged into my computer. I really haven't looked into any headphone amps lately. Will the 580s work & sound better on my iPod than the M50s will  I've literally got until tomorrow or the day after to decide which ones I want. I was leaning towards the M50s but for $10 more if the 580s are better I'll go with those.

I auditioned the M50 before I went for the HFI-580 but I supposedly didn't find the music which could make the M50 the better can.

 

[Ritz1016]

Yeah the design doesn't really appeal to me. It kind of seems cheap, is it sturdy though? I don't want them to be all flimsy like lol. 

 

[shuman0101]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you are. I'm currently looking at M50 vs PRO 550 vs AKG k167 and just can't decide lol.

 

[Ritz1016]

XD sucks to be in this position. I think I'm just gonna go with the 580s since I like lots of bass( not too much) and great clear sound. Good luck on choosing headphones though !

 

[shuman0101]

Quote:

XD sucks to be in this position. I think I'm just gonna go with the 580s since I like lots of bass( not too much) and great clear sound. Good luck on choosing headphones though !

 
Tell me about it. There's literally thousands to choose from.
 
And I was dead set with K167s until I saw this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cewLLET0dHE

 

[Ritz1016]

I searched the k167 and was kind of liking them until I saw the video. Guess for you it's down to the 580s and 550s. 

 

[makiawa]

Quote:

Yeah the design doesn't really appeal to me. It kind of seems cheap, is it sturdy though? I don't want them to be all flimsy like lol. 

Yeah, they're quite plasticky but seems to be able to take many abuses in the next years. I don't find the build quality any lacking when compared to the M50.
What is cool about the HFI 580 that Ultrasone has released a new version with 1 m cord. I personally don't like the long cord of the M50.

 

[wje]

Have you also considered comfort from an on-ear vs. over-ear perspective.   Keep in mind. the AT ATH-M50 is an on-ear variety.  I know when it comes to my preference, I have little tolerance with the on-ear models because my ears tend to tire of them easily due to the pressure they apply on the ear.  Having the pad go around the ear, can mean for longer listening sessions.
 
To the individual who is considering the K167, I had a pair for about a week.  The pads softened up too quick and by the end of the week, my ears were literally resting on the actual speaker baffle.  I tried some small pieces of foam to push out the ear cushions a bit, but then the bass response really died off quick.  About 2 months later, I ran into a pair of the K67, so I picked them up.  Again, with that pair, having the on-ear fit, finally was the deciding factor for me that I'd never purchase another pair of on-ear headphones due to comfort issues.  It just isn't worth it from a comfort point of view.  Your views might be different, but I thought I'd toss out some observations to include in your analysis.
 
Best of luck !

 

[Ritz1016]

Do you have a link to the new version of the 580s??

 

[makiawa]

The HFI-580 doesn't have the best comfort, to be honest. But my pair has loosened up quite well after few weeks. Now I can wear it for like 3 consecutive hours without the ears getting hurt or heatened up.

 

[Ritz1016]

When I first set out to buy a high quality pair of headphones I was basically gonna go for a Bose OE2 which was on ear. After trying the  at Best Buy I really wanted them, but I ran into the M50s and I realized there were better choices to chose from for less.