[LucidTortoise]

Hello people.
 
I am ready to purchase my first set of decent headphones since I sleep-broke my Sennheiser 598 -- or some earlier champagne colored model -- about 3 years ago.
 
Going through the forums, I realized a few things that may allow you to better help me:
 
1. I am not at all familiar enough with audiophile jargon to really benefit from reviews, so I don't always know what qualities described I would actually enjoy for reviewed headphones.
 
2. Sound quality and enjoyment is incredibly subjective, so recommendations can only go so far. However, I am willing to trust this forum more than any other place, so people reading this post should recommend something they own or would want to own.
 
3. My current headphones are the Monoprice 8323 and the Superlux  HD 668B, so any new headphones will definitely be better than those and I would probably love it regardless of my experience with good sound.
 
I am willing to spend up to $500, but I am open to any suggestions over that price. 
 
My criteria has changed wildly since I first started looking, and my candidates have been just as wild as I read through the Innerfideliy wall of fame and the various buyer guides on here. 
Still, these are the qualities I am looking for:
 
1. Durable. I want these headphones to last. This is the kind of quality that keeps me from fully considering the NAD HP50 and the FOCAL Spirit line. 
 
2. Closed. Circumaural. Since I desire to use these headphones anywhere my head goes, I want the sound to only be heard by my head, and not by some other annoyed head that may pass me by.
 
3. Close to neutral. I don't really know yet what the Harman curve is supposed to mean to me, but I like the idea of hearing music as it was recorded. Obviously that means buying the headphones my favorite albums were mixed in, but for now I want something more generalized. Any deviations are okay, as long as you think they sound good.
 
4. Can be driven by a phone. I know I am setting myself up for some major drawbacks for not having an amp, but given what I already own, my best upgrade is the headphones. I can worry about getting a DAC and amplifier later as I achieve my priorities.
 
5. Preferably, but not a dealbreaker, comes with a detachable cable.
 
My sources right now are an iPhone 4s, a Galaxy Note 2, and soon a Galaxy Note 4, [EDIT: 2010 MacBook Pro. Hah]. Currently I listen to music using Google Play All Access, high quality stream, with downloads on the albums I like. However, I do have like, 500 gigs of FLAC in a hard drive somewhere.
 
So, as evident by the title, I am now considering the Shure SRH1540 and the MrSpeakers Mad Dog Pro.
 
They both seem comfortable and probably isolate well. Also, the detachable cables are a plus.
 
Mad Dog Pro's seem to be the most comfortable of the two, and have the advantage of being upgradeable, which is cool. My only concern is the durability of the parts, but that is probably not a concern because I can always send them back for a tuneup, which is exciting. Like, there is always a warranty.
 
The Shure's have the advantage of multiple vendors with decent return policy and warranty, ie. Amazon. Also, the quality control is probably more consistent, and they seem built to last.
 
The music I listen to is quite diverse, but maybe I can name a few bands off the top of my head: of Montreal, Designer Drugs, Chairlift, Shinseikammatechan, Ratatat, Theory of Relativity(Japanese band), Architecture in Helsinki, Cut Copy, Oomori Seiko, Miami Horror, Tofubeats, Les Paul, Django Reinhardt, The Fiery Furnaces, The Decemberists, Air France, Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, HALCALI, David Bowie, Dinosaur Jr, April March, Feist....
 
I don't know, I am always looking for new music, that is why I bought all access.
 
Lastly, if anyone thinks I can get a better deal by spending less on the headphones and getting a DAC+AMP to pair with it, I am open to that to. Ultimately, I don't want to spend much more than half a grand on this. Anyways, this is a life long hobby, and I was doomed the moment I discovered this forum.
 
I hope this is enough information. I certainly do not want to limit myself to thinking only about those two headphones, but that is a start.
 
PS: I don't think I will be buying headphones until Christmas, I just want to start thinking about it now because it is November, so I may be able to score a good Black Friday deal on the recommendation I settle with.
 
 
PS++: I saw that the CrackHeadphoneKit was basically a modified Monoprice 8323. Are there any good resources on making similar modification? I like DIY projects, and I would love to get good at making those kind upgrades. MrSpeakers is a huge inspiration to me right now.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

Welcome to the forum. I have the 1540 and its a damn good headphone. Not exactly the most portable, its kinda big, but much lighter than it looks. And supremely comfortable for me. Love the sound, like really really love the sound. Can be driven by a phone, listening on a nexus 5 as i type this on that very same phone. Id still recommend an amp for these however.

I have zero experience with any mad dog headphone, and have only read about them. From what i gather they are even less portable, and are notoriously hard to drive, and amp is necessary. Hopefully someone who owns them can chime in on this, but since it looks like youve done your research you probably know more about them than me.

As to stuff i actually have and would recommend quickly, Shure SRH 1540, Sony 7520, Momentum, NAD Visp HP50. Those are my favorite of the lot, now it just comes down to preferences. I am unfamiliar with your music, and i personally like a bass and mids focused headphone with rolled off highs. I have the 668b too, and if you like the presentation then the Momentum automatically gets thrown out of the list. AKG 550 would take its place, its more similar to the 668b but A LOT more refined. I dont like it due to aforementioned preferences, but i still like keeping it around. NAD Viso is impossibly balanced but is laid back enough to not be fatiguing but i agree about the construction, my pair creaks quite a bit which is disappointing. The Sony 7520 is outstanding and IMO sounds better than the Shure with the huge caveat that it is nowhere near as comfortable and doesnt have the large open sound of the Shure. But in terms of resolution, balance, detail, dynamics, the Sonys are special but the Shure are no slouch. Sony is the better value because its cheaper and also more portable, build quality is top notch as well.

Anyways hope that helped, and good luck

 

[LucidTortoise]

Thank you for the reply, man who is excited by Lady Gaga. 
 
By brain has definitely adjusted to the 668b, so I really think they sound good. Saying that, maybe I would not mind a different sound, like what you suggest in the AKG K550? I don't know what reviews really mean when they say the AKG has artificial sounding treble. I might think of it as feature.
 
Also, my head has adjusted to the comfort quality of the Monoprice 8323, so any anything is definitely an improvement, hah!
 
One of the alternatives I have in mind, instead of dropping 5 bills on a set of headphones, is to buy an AMP and DAC combo for home, and buy a cheaper set of headphones that sound good outside, and better inside.
 
Thus I am considering getting the Schiit Modi and Schiit Magi solution, and pairing it with a cheaper headphone.
 
The Sony MDR 7520 looks to be a good deal, and if someone likes it over the Shure's, I am inclined to make them my new pair!
 
 
One of the things that I like to emphasize, though I am sure it is an ignored quality on this forum, is that I don't care how the headphones look like. The Sony's to me look just as handsome as the Shure's. 
 
So, is the Schiit + Sony a good combo? The Sony's do look nice and they seem to fit all of my criteria.
 
I have realized that headphone listening outside of the house is rarely ideal, so the benefits of a portable amp alone might be good, but spending on a DAC with AMP product just might not be worth it.
 
Plus, the Schiit, or some other recommendation, will surely improve my current headphones.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

I love the look of the Sonys, no nonesense professional rugged design, they have incredible build quality with their magnisium build. Also, they are some of the easiest headphones to drive, so an amp isnt even necessary but will certainly scale very well. And yes the Modi Magni is an excellent impedance match for the Sonys. I havent tried it myself but i use an objective 2 and all systems go, it also plays just fine from my phone, ipad and little sansa clip.

I dont know what neutral really is, and i dont think anybody really knows either with regards to headphones, just a lot of speculating which is fun. But the Sonys are the most accurate headphone ive heard in terms of this mythical neutrality, a lot of music sounds like it was mixed specifically on these headphones (which of course it probably wasnt) but it means to me that these translate incredibly from nearfield monitors. There wasnt a lot of info on here when i got mine, so i did a lot of research on these on music producer forums and everyone raved about how neutral they were in regards to their monitors, so there ya have it. The Focal Spirit Pro seems to have a very good following as well but they arent as comfortable.

 

[lofthanza]

OMGLadyGaga
Do you consider the shures a worthy upgrade in sound quality to the nad hp 50s and momentums?

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

OMGLadyGaga
Do you consider the shures a worthy upgrade in sound quality to the nad hp 50s and momentums?

Hard to say, they all sound different signature wise, so preferences come into play. But i would say yes, the soundstage and imaging advantage over the Momentums is not small. And the comfort and bass impact, and clarity advantage over the NAD is also noticeable.