[Psytex]

New: I'm looking for a good pair of headphones that suits playing Metal, for the most part I listen to Progressive and Death Metal, but also stuff like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Jane's Addiction etc.
I need something that has a good amount of bass, but with tight and controlled bass, the high also needs to be clear and detailed but not very sharp (as a lot of Metal tend to have very sharp highs, so the highs needs to be rounded off a bit). I also like rich/full and warm sound that gives an immersive/colorful feeling/sound, so nothing flat and dull.

Old: I'm looking for a good pair of headphones that suits playing Metal, for the most part I listen to Progressive and Death Metal, but also stuff like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Jane's Addiction etc.
I need something that has a nice amount of bass, but with tight bass and not something that produces muddy bass, the high also needs to be clear but not too sharp (as a lot of Metal tend to have very sharp highs, so the highs needs to be rounded off a bit). I also like rich/full and warm sound that gives an immersive/colorful feeling/sound, so nothing flat and dull.
I prefer to go for a more expensive headphone, so that I later can upgrade to a better and more expensive amp, but the amp should fit nicely within a large or normal size pocket. (so that I don't have a large bulge in my pants, I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea )
If on-ear they need to be really soft and comfortable, but preferably I want over-ear that creates a good seal.

 

[cel4145]

A "nice amount of bass" means different things to different people. Are there any headphones you have heard that you particularly like in that regard? Or that you feel were weak in bass?

Fiio E11K is a very good portable amp that would do well with many headphones.

 

[Psytex]

I live quite far away from any place that allows me to try audiophile grade headphones, so the only thing I have to go on is my Denon AH-D600 headphones connected to my Objective2 amp and Xonar Essence STX soundcard, so when I turn up the bass as much as I can without the bass getting muddy, I still think the bass is a bit lacking for my taste, but I hope that change once I switch to a tube amp.
But I'd rather buy something that produces a tight and full bass rather than something that produces a lot of bass, but sounds muddy, I want the bass to compliment the music and not just be all about the bass.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

Vmoda m100, bass is big but it's well controlled relative to the Denons. Highs are smooth and subdued but will begrudgingly deliver energy when called upon. And the upper mids are harsh free. I mean its a fun immersive listen and they look cool so there's that too

 

[Psytex]

Just the headphones alone are $30 over my price budget, as I said I might go higher than $300, but not if the headphones alone blow my budget.
If I could I would go for a pair of headphones that expensive, but I don't really have a need for such expensive portable headphones since I'm not going to use them that much, and if I were to buy these headphones I wouldn't be able to afford an amp.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

Just the headphones alone are $30 over my price budget, as I said I might go higher than $300, but not if the headphones alone blow my budget.

If I could I would go for a pair of headphones that expensive, but I don't really have a need for such expensive portable headphones since I'm not going to use them that much, and if I were to buy these headphones I wouldn't be able to afford an amp.

Why do you need an amp?

 

[Psytex]

1. So that I don't empty my phone of power easily and so that I can play music for many hours.
2. The onboard sound of most phones won't really do a lot of headphones justice, so with an amp I can unlock the potential of the headphones and help increase and give the bass more control. (at least that's how it is with car amps and home amps, not sure how big difference a headphone amp will do though, but I'm sure it'll be big enough of a difference)

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

1. So that I don't empty my phone of power easily and so that I can play music for many hours.

2. The onboard sound of most phones won't really do a lot of headphones justice, so with an amp I can unlock the potential of the headphones and help increase and give the bass more control. (at least that's how it is with car amps and home amps, not sure how big difference a headphone amp will do though, but I'm sure it'll be big enough of a difference)

Ya the difference in headphones is nowhere near, and the most important chain in sound quality are the headphones themselves. Especially newer closed back designs that are being engineered to to play from portable sources. Amp/Dac combos are still beneficial for high impedance full size headphones and balanced armature iems but don't handicap yourself to a lesser headphone thinking that an amp will make a huge difference, it really won't in most cases. Modern smartphones nowadays are also being equipped with pretty good Amps themselves.

M50x is often recommended and is within budget, much faster and tighter bass than the d600s and also more detailed in the highs.

 

[Psytex]

Thanks a lot, now I decrease my budget a bit and still go for a more expensive pair of headphones than if I were to buy the Fiio E11K, but I still want to have the ability to play for many hours without emptying my phone, so are there any affordable amps or items that I can connect my phone to to extend the playtime?

 

[Solrighal]

Save your money. Buy a Sansa Clip+ & a pair of Sennheiser PX 100-II's.
 
No need for a separate amp, doesn't eat your phone battery & if you lose or break either they are easily & cheaply replaced.
 
It just so happens they sound excellent too.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

Save your money. Buy a Sansa Clip+ & a pair of Sennheiser PX 100-II's.

No need for a separate amp, doesn't eat your phone battery & if you lose or break either they are easily & cheaply replaced.

It just so happens they sound excellent too.

Or that. Sansa clip+ is outrageously good for how little it costs

 

[fourrobert13]

  Save your money. Buy a Sansa Clip+ & a pair of Sennheiser PX 100-II's.
 
No need for a separate amp, doesn't eat your phone battery & if you lose or break either they are easily & cheaply replaced.
 
It just so happens they sound excellent too.

The PX100-II has good bass, but lack little in the mids.  I use them daily at work.  I too listen to metal (all forms).  With the OP's budget, perhaps he should check out M50x or even Sennheiser momentum headphones.  They would leave room in his budget for an amp (Amazon has a M50x/FiiO amp package deal) and he could get a bass boosting amp as well.

 

[Psytex]

I'll be playing most of my music through Spotify, so an MP3 player will have to wait until I've increased my music collection some more, and I don't want to illegally download music just to get the variation I want, so Spotify will have to do for now even though I'm restricted to MP3 files. (If only Spotify decided to support WAV or FLAC files...)

 

[Solrighal]

  I'll be playing most of my music through Spotify, so an MP3 player will have to wait until I've increased my music collection some more, and I don't want to illegally download music just to get the variation I want, so Spotify will have to do for now even though I'm restricted to MP3 files. (If only Spotify decided to support WAV or FLAC files...)

 
Ah, fair play. It was just an idea because I went down the same road you're on.
 
You could maybe buy a phone with a user-replaceable battery. This would allow you to carry a fully charged spare. That's what I do with my SGN3.

 

[Psytex]

   
Ah, fair play. It was just an idea because I went down the same road you're on.
 
You could maybe buy a phone with a user-replaceable battery. This would allow you to carry a fully charged spare. That's what I do with my SGN3.

I really appreciate the suggestion, buying an MP3 player didn't really cross my mind until you suggested it, so I might do just that sometime in the future.
I'll see if Samsung sells batteries for my Galaxy Alpha, it would be weird if they didn't, but if I don't buy an amp I might just buy one of those handy portable chargers.
 

  The PX100-II has good bass, but lack little in the mids.  I use them daily at work.  I too listen to metal (all forms).  With the OP's budget, perhaps he should check out M50x or even Sennheiser momentum headphones.  They would leave room in his budget for an amp (Amazon has a M50x/FiiO amp package deal) and he could get a bass boosting amp as well.

Sadly they don't ship to my location