[Sophonax]

Hi everyone!
 
I've been looking for a while for a pair of closed, portable headphones that will meet my criteria.  I'd like to try several different models and pick which is best for me, but at this point I don't have the patience or the cash to do that.
 
Reading around the Head-Fi forums, I noticed that there are a lot of threads started where people are looking for small, closed headphones.  However, these people seem to have been looking for different sonic characteristics than I am, which is why I started this thread.
 
My criteria are as follows:
 
1.  Relatively inexpensive.  Preferably under $300 -- but don't let that keep you from recommending any cans that may be more expensive

 
2.  Closed and portable.  By portable, I don't mean size so much as I mean easy to drive with a portable mp3 player.  I used to have a portable amp, and though it worked great, I didn't particularly like having to screw around with plugging and unplugging an extra device and cable every time I wanted to listen to music.  Ideally I'd just like to be able to plug the headphones in and listen away.  As long as they perform acceptably well straight from an mp3 player, and can be driven to sufficient volumes, I will be happy.
 
3.  Not IEMs.  I've tried IEMs, but I've never found them very comfortable, and I always seem to end up getting the left one seated differently than the right one, resulting in annoying sonic imbalances.  I much prefer on-ear or over-ear headphones for their comfort and consistency.
 
4.  Non-bass-centric sound.  The biggest problem I've found with the small, closed headphones I've tried up to this point is that to me they tend to have overblown midbass, at the expense of the mids.  While I like bass, I don't need a lot of it -- for reference, I really liked the bass on the Sennheiser HD800 and AKG K701.  I much prefer to keep the bass down if it allows the mids and treble shine through.  Maybe some good words to describe what I'm looking for are crisp, clean, and airy -- adjectives that I usually don't find associated with small closed headphones.  I really like the overall sound of my Grado SR60i, so if I could find something even close to those in a closed headphone I'd be happy.
 
5.  Good comfort is definitely a plus.  Generally I like over-ear headphones, but I actually did find my SR60i comfortable after I stretched the headband to lighten the clamping force a bit.
 
At this point, I've tried the Denon AH-D1001 and AH-D2000, as well as the Ultrasone HFi-680 and HFi-780.  I'd probably say that I liked the AH-D1001 best of the bunch, although they had a little too much bass for me.  I thought that the D2000's bass got boomy and muddy when they were underpowered by an mp3 player.  As for the Ultrasones, I found that they really emphasize the midbass, and that the mids seem to be recessed in the presentation.
 
Edit:  if it makes a difference, I listen mostly to rock music, both new and old -- which is why I'm looking for cans with great mids.

 

[tdockweiler]

I'd suggest looking into the KRK KNS-8400. They're about $150. They look big in pictures, but they're not too bad. One of the smaller studio monitor headphones. Much smaller than the M50, SRH-840 and SRH-440. They're also extremely comfortable for me. I guess they just came out this month.
 
They don't have a lot of bass. About the same as the SRH-440, but maybe a tad less. They have good mids, but they are very bright straight out of the box. After burn-in, the sound signature is much less fatiguing. It's overall sound signature is like the SRH-440, but seems to have better mids. Imaging and soundstage is about the same.
 
I amped them, but didn't notice any real changes when amped. I believe they're 32 ohm.
 
I'd also like to try the KRK KNS-6400, they have close to the same design, but are $100. Not sure if they have the same sound signature or not.
 

 

[Sophonax]

Thanks for the recommendation!  I hadn't even heard of these before -- but they definitely look like a compelling option.
 
In a similar vein, I was also looking at the German Maestro GMP 8.35 D, as well as the Fischer FA-003 or FA-004.  Anyone heard those?

 

[Sophonax]

Oh, by the way, I saw that the KNS-8400 has a replaceable cable...do you know what kind of connector they use on the headphone side of the cable?  If I got these and ended up liking them, I'd probably consider either making a shorter cable for them or shortening the stock cable, as I'd probably be using them almost exclusively for portable listening.

 

[tdockweiler]

It's just a standard 3.55mm jack, but they made it so that a regular cable won't fit due to notches (as far as I know). I think you'd have to buy a replacement directly from them.
 
BTW I just posted a long-winded review of them. Basically me rambling on about them. I think I like headphones a bit too much at times.
 
These are definitely ones that need burn-in BEFORE listening to them unfortunately. So far I really love them and I'm glad I bought them. Kind of bass light though.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

check out the AIAIAI TMA-1's, they might fit your bill.