[CyberGhost]

I have Sennheiser CX95, and while they are very clear and treble is great, I find the bass is lacking, the mids are also quiet and overall they sound distant, I like more in-your-face sound, like Grado.
 
 
Price limit: $150, but can stretch to $200, if there is something special.
 
Soundstage: Narrow, I don't like separating instruments, prefer to hear everything combined.
 
Sound: I like warmer sound, but with clarity.
 
Bass: Thumpy and soft.
 
Mids: They must be present, as I mentioned, with CX95s they are just absent.
 
Treble: I like treble, on the verge of hurting your ears treble.
 
Music: Variety, mainly classic rock and 80s pop.
 
 
I was considering Sennheiser CX985 or MX985, but I've read that Sennheisers all sound distant. I'm not sure how true that is.

 

[Zelda]

Hifiman RE-400 $100. but treble wont really "hurt". you can get the RHA eartips for them, make them more lively (with more treble)

 

[CyberGhost]

Thank you Zelda! I'll have a look at them.
 
Do you know how do they compared to CX/MX980s and PK2s?

 

[Zelda]

only had the PK1. 
but afaik, the CX980 are more lively (slightly more V-shaped)

 

[CyberGhost]

Thank You!

 

[CyberGhost]

  Hifiman RE-400 $100. but treble wont really "hurt". you can get the RHA eartips for them, make them more lively (with more treble)

Hey Zelda, I wanted to thank you again for recommending the RE-400s. I got them from eBay.
 
I haven't listened to them much yet, but so far they seem to be exactly what I was looking for.
 
I like that they don't have an angled soundstage, i.e. the sound is coming at you right at your eye level and the sound is in front of you, you're right in front of the band/singer, not distanced/in the audience like with Sennheisers.
 
Mids are VERY good, much better than CX95's!
 
The bass is good enough for me, I'm not a bass-head, I like vocals, so it has enough of the tight, controlled bass.
 
As for highs, they lack a tiny bit of sparkle and clarity but maybe that'll come once they're burned-in.
 
Finally, this is subjective but I found them to be very comfortable.
 
 
They sound better than CX95, which in comparison sound much tinier and more squeaky than the RE-400, with absent mids.
 
I'll look into RHA eartips you mentioned for these.

 

[Zelda]

  Hey Zelda, I wanted to thank you again for recommending the RE-400s. I got them from eBay.
 
I haven't listened to them much yet, but so far they seem to be exactly what I was looking for.
 
I like that they don't have an angled soundstage, i.e. the sound is coming at you right at your eye level and the sound is in front of you, you're right in front of the band/singer, not distanced/in the audience like with Sennheisers.
 
Mids are VERY good, much better than CX95's!
 
The bass is good enough for me, I'm not a bass-head, I like vocals, so it has enough of the tight, controlled bass.
 
As for highs, they lack a tiny bit of sparkle and clarity but maybe that'll come once they're burned-in.
 
Finally, this is subjective but I found them to be very comfortable.
 
 
They sound better than CX95, which in comparison sound much tinier and more squeaky than the RE-400, with absent mids.
 
I'll look into RHA eartips you mentioned for these.

Glad to hear you liked them!. And yes, they're very, very comfortable. and yes, highs tend to open more with the use.