[vansoul]

 
Hello.  I am looking for headphones for mainly rock/hard rock. Classical metal stuff like van halen, extreme, ozzy, some more recent stuff like collective soul, creed, alter bridge, and some newer A7X, bullet for my valentine. 
 
I'm not sure whether i would prefer open or closed headphones, and am not really sure of the difference between the two. I may use them in class or the library while studying but mainly at home. 
 
I'm willing to spend around $250. Any advice? thank you
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

[ObeyurMaster]

Let me start by differentiating between open and closed cans.
 
Open headphones, as the name suggests, just have an open grill kind of covering the back. This results in a lot of sound leakage both ways, meaning people close by can listen to what you are hearing and you can hear noise from outside. But the SQ is better with a wider sound stage among other things. Not practical for outdoor use.
 
Closed headphones are totally covered at the back, there by giving you a better seal and very less sound leakage. Noise isolation will also be good. Good for outdoor use like while traveling and the library.
 
 
With my limited headphone knowledge, here are some suggestions:
 
Grados are great for hard rock but they are open cans. Forget about using them in the library.
I've read that Senn HD25 1- II are good closed cans for rock.

 

[fateicon]

I listen to a lot of that stuff and really like my K701 with it. Moreso than Grado, Beyer DT990, Sennheiser, or any of the stuff I heard at Can Jam before like Denon, Audio Technica, and Ultrasone. It really depends more on what kind of sound you want. I like the K701 because it's got a very wide soundstage where everything can be clearly heard. There's enough treble energy to be exciting and not fatiguing. Bass is adequate. Vocals really come alive and it represents dynamic range well.I really don't find a big weakness. 
 
RS-1 is sorta like that, but a lot more congested. DT990 has a lot of bass and impact without sounding bloated. Good soundstage too.
 
Sources are really important. At Can Jam '10 I heard the K701 on different sources and liked it a lot less than I do with my Arcam 73 and Darkvoice 332. I imagine if I tried some other headphones on my setup, I may feel differently about them. I don't because I don't want to trade the wide soundstage. I like them the best with every genre, not just hard rock. It's very rare for me to listen to another headphone.
 
Haven't really tried many closed headphones. I love how loud sounds fly out of open phones like Grado and AKG. You might want to consider getting a K701 or a Beyer headphone and then something like Koss KSC 35 for portable use. That headphone has a huge sound and is very good for $40 or whatever it costs. Grado SR-60 isn't a bad choice either. I use that with my PSP.
 
 

 

[Gwarmi]

 
Shure 840 ~ nice balanced sound, reasonable isolation via the closed cups. Won't put up with physical neglect
or abuse though for a daily trip to school.