[biggbenn74]

1. AKG Q701. Perfection... Well, it is for me anyway. I listen to a lot of dubstep, but what surprised me at first was the bass. Sure, some might say it is lacking that heavy hitting bass, but oh my goodness, that's not what a nice pair of headphones is truly about. They produce an accurate, very detailed bass. So, there is quality, not quantity. Exactly how it should be. To me, these headphones are just "Game Over" in just about every way possible. I enjoy listening to music with these on every day. Or, at least the days when I have time. Highly recommend these.
 
2. Modded Monoprice 8323. It seems very weird having a pair of 25 dollar headphones ranked right next to the 10x priced AKG Q's, but bear with me here. These are no ordinary 25 dollar headphones. These, in my opinion, are the best 25 dollar headphones on the market today. If you do not have a pair, get one. Simple as that, and here is why. In their stock state, they have quite a bit of bass, but that can be fixed by ordering some nice Beyerdynamic Velour Pads. So, more comfort and more sound quality. (It's kind of funny, the pads cost as much as the headphones themselves.) There is also headband padding you can buy on amazon, and it does wonders. They are now about as comfortable as my Q's. So, pretty comfy. Not only that, compare the sound to just about any 100-200 dollar set, and be amazed.
 
3. Numark Red Wave. Portability, price, sound, comfort, looks and bass all packaged into a set of headphones. That's what these headphones are all about. If you like bassy music, these are a great start for an upgrade from your iThingys you got with your portable iSomething. Also, a nice step up from the XB500's, in my opinion. Yeah, the Red Waves don't have as much bass, but they make up for it in more sound quality. I often tell people to start here on their headphone journey, as well as the 8323's.
 
4. Sony XB500. Bass, bass and more bass. What more do you want to know? These headphones are like Beats on steroids, except for a fraction of the cost. Why pay 300 bucks for sound that you can get in the 50 buck XB500's? It makes near no sense to me. But, whatever, to each his own, I suppose. And, that's about all I have to say, other than I can't believe I just made a Beats reference in a Head-Fi post...
 
5. Sony V700DJ. This was my first pair of headphones that I purchased because I just wanted something... different. You know, almost everyone around me had the Skullcandy's and the iThingys, I was a "Rebel." The V700's are quite nostalgic, I guess you could say. They look like 1990's all the way. Just my style (90's kid.) They just come with a certain nostalgia... Anyway, Not the greatest sounding pair of headphones, especially around 125 bucks. Yes, I know, that's outrageous. But, anyway, They sure do grab attention, as if they were plated in gold. But, hey, I like them. 
 
I'm really enjoying reading these posts and all of the stories that go with them. Let's keep them coming for a long, long time.

 

[Z06_Pilot]

Sennheiser HD800(with Black Dragon cable)-Accuracy defined.  Soundstage as wide as the Grand Canyon.  The ones I reach for first every time.  The veil is gone forever with these cans. No other phones can put me into a state of aural nirvana as these can.
 
Audeze LCD-2.2.  Great for creating an intimate, small club setting.  Small, tight soundstage with a slightly enhanced low end compared to the HD800's. Vocals are clear, crisp, and so close you would swear the vocalist is actually inside your head.  I have a weakness for the airy openness of planer technology as I have been using Magnepan Speakers for my 2 channel stereo and home theater for many years.
 
JH Audio JH-16 Pro IEM's.  I use these exclusively when on the go with my FLAC files through my Cowan portable players.  They sound great equalized from the Cowans.  Eight drivers per ear with 4 of them dedicated to low end reproduction-simply astounding bass response and extension while maintaining crystal clear mids and vocals.  Absolutely no harshness in the upper registers.  Jerry Harvey is simply an amazing sound engineer and IEM designer.

 

[obobskivich]

Wow, some of you guys have such crazy setups. I only have a pair of Grado SR225's that are currently being modded atm with new cables/drivers...I sent them to Chris_Himself directly after ordering from Amazon so I haven't even been able to listen to it yet. Super excited as I have never listened to a real pair of headphones. The only pair of headphones I have listened to were Beats, =/

SR-225s are fine headphones - they hit well above their weigh class.

 

[Focker]

Quote:

1. AKG Q701. Perfection... Well, it is for me anyway. I listen to a lot of dubstep, but what surprised me at first was the bass. Sure, some might say it is lacking that heavy hitting bass, but oh my goodness, that's not what a nice pair of headphones is truly about. They produce an accurate, very detailed bass. So, there is quality, not quantity. Exactly how it should be. To me, these headphones are just "Game Over" in just about every way possible. I enjoy listening to music with these on every day. Or, at least the days when I have time. Highly recommend these.
 
 

 
Great point about the bass. I feel the same way and I always enjoy seeing others who appreciate this distinction. Very cool that you've also found headphones that are perfect for you. It's a great feeling to know you have phones that you just connect with in every way. 

 

[MadMike]

1. V-Moda Crossfade M80
2. ATH-M50S
3. TDK BA100
4. Koss KSC75
5. Koss A130

 

[disastermouse]

1.  HE-500 
 
Truly a great sounding headphone!  The instrument separation is amazing and the mids are chilling.
 
2.  HD650
 
My first truly great set of cans.  That mid-bass hump is seductive.

 

[biggbenn74]

Quote:

 
Great point about the bass. I feel the same way and I always enjoy seeing others who appreciate this distinction. Very cool that you've also found headphones that are perfect for you. It's a great feeling to know you have phones that you just connect with in every way. 

Well put, sir. And thank you.

 

[Xaverian]

1- Sennheiser HD598 - The first time I've ever spent over $100 on a pair of headphones. Besides some strange design issues, (3.5mm adapter?) I love them. Compared to the my other headphones they have such a warm sound. And the style? I feel like a classy gentleman with them on and I think I should start smoking cigars and drinking scotch while wearing them.

2- Shure srh440- Clear, detailed sound with no colouring. These served me well for over 2 years. Incredibly durable! I mean they're built like a hummer. Lacking in bass impact though, which can make some music less fun.

3- Grado sr80i- Broke before I really got a chance to use them, no warranty. I haven't worked up courage to take them apart yet. I'm sure I would've liked them though.
 
4- Koss porta pro- Before I knew anything about head-fi I bought these for SQ and the style (I liked them it at least). Overwhelming but fun bass. I really forgot how fun these were until I tried them on a while back. Really flimsy cables, have had to replace jack twice and have given up.

 

[pichu]

Ultrasone Pro 900 - Most clear bass...... best soundstage.... confortable, great build quality. dig the s logic : ) highs slightly harsh
Ultrasone HFI 580 - Good tight bass..... power chords in songs sound.muddy , good build quality. great acoustic, electronic phones.. harsh highssoundstage is great
M50's - harsh highs, recessed mids, decent lows, decent soundstage, good build quality.... eh

 

[novusordo76]

Sennheiser HD 25-1 II by Adidas
My first $100+ closed cans. Wow. The first time I plugged these babies into my E9 I had a multiple eargasm. The sound is flawless. Balanced, clear, with tight punchy bass, crystal clear mids, and sibilant-free highs. Great soundstaging for a closed can. The PRaT factor is strong in this one--sound is very exciting. From classical and vocal to mod jazz and funk to hip-hop and house these babies deliver with clear imaging and accurate sound. They are comfortable and isolate superbly. Ruggedly portable enough to carry in a knapsack. I think one would be hard pressed to find any significant issue with HD 25. If I had to live with one headphone for the rest of my life--this would be it.
 
Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass PFE 022
A bit anemic on the bass response even with the green filters, but a very warm and engaging sound with absolutely stunning mids. Vocal is where these really shine. Listen to some Adele or Sharon Jones and the nuanced sound brings out such details you can practically hear their hearts breaking. Not bad with electronic or rock but the lack of bass takes much of the fun out it. Classical suffers from a relatively small soundstage and they are hungry little canalphones--a good amp or some compression is needed to get sufficient volumes out of the quiet parts. Fit is comfortable, one of the the most comfortable IEMs I've used. Microphonics are low, durability is good. Not for everyone, but a quality product.
 
Samson SR850
This is how entry-level cans are done right. Big 50mm drivers, great quantities of bass, huge soundstaging, classic AKG-type styling. The sound is remarkably clear and accurate. Fast moving sound can sometimes be a bit of a challenge and the bass doesn't extend down quite as far as I would like but they're still the best can I've heard for <$50 new.

 

[Oderi]

Now that I have had some ear time with the MD's... No A/B'ing so far though, so just very general impressions.
 
1. MrSpeakers Mad Dogs - clearly faster than D5000's and either more linear sub bass extension or less forward mids makes the sound have a more solid base, so to say. Which I found surprising because D5000's are so bassy; would think that bass provides base but for me not. The bass quality and texture is also superior. Actually, the SQ and texture is superior throughout the spectrum. More linear FR. The MD's make good recordings sound very life-like, something I did not achieve with the D5000's.
 
2. Denon AH-D5000 - loved these until I got the MD's. Still a great pair of cans but MD's seem to do everything a bit (or a lot) better. Acoustic, intimate recordings sound quite nice with these, together with electronic and hip hop music due to prominent bass and worse detail (if the recording is not very good) than MD's.
 
3. Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - my first venture into higher quality headphones. Not necessarily bad headphones, but there is no soundstage, detail retrieval is fairly bad compared to my other ones and the mids are too recessed.
 
4. SteelSeries Siberia V2 - for gaming.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I am revisiting this thread because most of my "good" headphones are either in storage or being sold. In addition, my primary music listening is now from an iPhone 3GS. I do not use my PCDPs any more, and only listen to my home system through loudspeakers (and only occasionally, at that).
 
Of those headphones that I put through the iPhone lately, my ranking is as follows (in terms of my personal enjoyment, not in terms of absolute sound quality):
 
1) Skullcandy Aviator (bought this only because I needed a headphone with iPhone controls and a mic, but surprisingly good sound for a celebrity-endorsed headphone that doesn't cost as much as you-know-whom's Beats)
(tie) Sennheiser PX 100-II
3) Sony MDR-7506 (a bit thin in the upper bass/lower mids and a bit harsh up top)
4) Sennheiser HD 280 Pro (rather dull and boring)
5) Sony MDR-7509 (overly warm sounding)
 

 

[Supertoaster]

1. Superlux HD681 (RIP)  First pair of 'good' headphones. Good build quality, More comfortable then the pannies (I had bent the metal headband and installed custom pads). Bass was good enough. Detail and clarity blew me away.
2. Panasonic RP-HTF600-S - Nice smooth sound, easy on my ears, relatively comfortable without pads/bending, Sound is warm thick and rich vs the Superlux

 

[Chaoturbo]

1.Shure 940
2.Akg k550
3. Yuin pk2
4.Grado Ms1
5.ath- m50
6. Ath Cm700

 

[ivanrocks321]

K1000
HP1000
HD800
HE500