[HiFiRE]

Here's the story to date:

sr325i, hd650
-so long ago I forget what I didn't like

ksc75
-fragile
-small soundstage

hd595
-lack bass, otherwise nice

px100
-fragile
-small soundstage

k701
-favorite so far (i know, you think I'm crazy)
-lacks bass
-too much detail
-can listen all day, not fatiguing

k81dj
-sounds like i'm in a vacuum
-bass a touch boomy
-fatiguing

hfi-650 trackmaster
-don't like closed sound
-otherwise sound good

dt990
-way too bright
-sibilant

I could use some advice on where to look to next. Here are some that I'm considering:

dt770
-concerned about closed sound

dt880
-concerned about bass quantity

An open Ultrasone
-don't know much about their products

Alessandro ms-2
-concerned they're too similar to sr325i which I didn't dig

So, what are your thoughts head-fi community?

 

[sweetwilly]

What sort of metal are you listening to with these 'phones?

 

[HiFiRE]

Metalcore, Melodic Death Metal. I'm listening to Kataklysm right now, up next Mastodon.

 

[qazwsx]

For the K81DJ--the bass isn't really all that boomy IMO, it's a good quanity of punchy bass instead. The mids are pretty recessed and highs aren't terribly fatiguing.

And you forgot to add the PX100's sound like crud.

 

[Lad27]

I found my perfect metal cans in Denon AH-D2000. They beat Darths V3 the way drums sounds thru them. I prefer Darths for different type of music.

I like Denons with this kind: Opeth, Evergrey, Kamelot, Vanden Plas, Therion, Sonata Arctica, Angra, Pagan's Mind, etc.

I put Darths on for: Kansas, Noel Morse, Porcupine Tree, Pain of Salvation, Transatlantic, John Paul Johns, Bela Fleck, etc.

 

[HiFiRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lad27 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I found my perfect metal cans in Denon AH-D2000. They beat Darths V3 the way drums sounds thru them. I prefer Darths for different type of music. I like Denons with this kind: Opeth, Evergrey, Kamelot, Vanden Plas, Therion, Sonata Arctica, Angra, Pagan's Mind, etc. I put Darths on for: Kansas, Noel Morse, Porcupine Tree, Pain of Salvation, Transatlantic, John Paul Johns, Bela Fleck, etc.

You seem to prefer closed cans. I've never heard one I liked. There's loads of buzz on both those phones but I think I'll try to avoid closed cans.

 

[Lad27]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiFiRE /img/forum/go_quote.gif You seem to prefer closed cans. I've never heard one I liked. There's loads of buzz on both those phones but I think I'll try to avoid closed cans.

Any particular reason for avoiding closed cans?

In my case closed vs. open is irrelevant. My listening den is as quiet as one can get, no computer fans, air condition, telly or fridge going on in background, no other people getting annoyed by cans leaking sound. None of it.

And so it seems like you believe in the myth (as I did when I joined Head-Fi) that closed dynamic cans are somewhat inferior to the open dynamic cans.
The couple of recent threads about AT A900 vs. AT AD900 would illustrate the point.

Look at Darth Beyers - originally always closed cans by design (DT770 being the donor), just recently coming in screened/open design. Some members will swear that open Darths sound better, some (including The Darth Creator) would prefer closed ones. Jury is out there (read: listen yo your own ears).

I owned and listened to my share of open cans (DT990..... etc). If any of these were as good as the ones I have now, I'd keep them. Closed, or open, or anything in between. Sound is what matters. Denons 2000 happened to be closed cans, I love the fast prog-metal presentation they deliver, if there is D2000 (open) equivalent that can deliver Kamelot & Co. better than that - I will get them and won't look back.

Might happen sooner than I think, seriously considering getting JVC DX-1000 (damn, closed cans again

).

 

[Sovkiller]

You need a fast headphone, Edition 9, CD3K, PROLine 2500 (open), I do not think that there are too many open cans that can give you what you re looking for, but honestly the 701 are one of the most bored cans out there...

 

[Grey Massacre]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiFiRE /img/forum/go_quote.gif Metalcore, Melodic Death Metal. I'm listening to Kataklysm right now, up next Mastodon.

The 770 pro are great with metal, I find they smoothen the cymbal shrillness which is really present in metal. They sound more relaxed, I also love how they punch when listening drum heavy bands, but they must be properly amped. I have a set of Darth Beyers opened and they are currently my audio nirvana, metal never sounded so good with them.

See my music taste.

Charles

 

[carlosgp]

I recommend Grado RS1 with flats. Flats are key here. I enjoy my Darth Beyers too, but RS1s are much better headphones for metal, specially with guitars and impact.

 

[eruditass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lad27 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I found my perfect metal cans in Denon AH-D2000. They beat Darths V3 the way drums sounds thru them. I prefer Darths for different type of music. I like Denons with this kind: Opeth, Evergrey, Kamelot, Vanden Plas, Therion, Sonata Arctica, Angra, Pagan's Mind, etc. I put Darths on for: Kansas, Noel Morse, Porcupine Tree, Pain of Salvation, Transatlantic, John Paul Johns, Bela Fleck, etc.

*thumbs up* for musical taste, but how could you! its neal morse! his last cd was kindof dissapointly similar though.

 

[Cousin Patty]

Huge metal head here. I listen to a wide range of bands in the genre. Nothing I've heard beats the RS-1 for metal. Period.

Anything from Metallica to Opeth to In Flames to death and black metal, it all excels on the RS-1.

 

[Blackmore]

SR225
PS1

 

[maladjustdeath]

Interesting, following few similar threads, it seems that a typical metalhead headphone journey would be
1. Start with a grado sr-80/60/ms-1 or stumble upon it a bit later.
2. Branch out into other brands in search of better bass, soundstage, less sibilance or suitablity for non-metal genres.
3. Eventually come back to grado, only settling on a more expensive model.
(I'm in stage 2)

 

[Fitz]

AKG K240 Sextett