[EternalEmpire]

I've been using my Sony V6 for quite a while now, I like their sound but the flaws (e.g. the harsh highs) are beginning to become increasingly obvious to me the more I listen to them so I figure it's about time for me to upgrade. I tried the MS1i about 2 weeks ago and really didn't get along with them that well, they were better than my V6 in some aspects (the highs were clearly superior) but I also found them to feel kind of congested and they were horribly uncomfortable. I ended up selling them after only a week's use. This most likely means the Grado sound signature isn't my thing, so please don't recommend them to me, Grados also retail for around double the price in England too so they're pretty much a no-no regardless.
 
I'm not really swayed one way or another between open and closed; open allows for a wide soundstage but limits the bass and of course effectively eliminates isolation whereas closed usually allows for more bass (not always a good thing) and of course increases the amount of isolation. At this point in time, closed would probably be marginally better for me, the main use of my headphones would be at home which is frequently a fairly noisy environment and my main source is my PC which means lots of noise from all the fans.
 
The primary use of the headphones would be for music (primarily metal but would also see a fair amount of use with other genres such as electronica), though they would also be used for gaming (though not as much) and occasionally for watching movies.
 
TL;DR - Main requirements:
- Under £150 (around $230) Under £200 (around $300) including an amp or £150 (around $230) for just headphones which don't require amping.
- Circum-aural (I find supra-aural near intolerable in terms of comfort)
- Good with a variety of genres
- Good for gaming
- Don't require amping
 
Thanks for any and all help.

 

[1Time]

Most prefer headphones with better amplification. I suggest considering the ATH-A900. 

 

[EternalEmpire]

Quote:

Most prefer headphones with better amplification. I suggest considering the ATH-A900. 

I've been seeing a lot of threads saying how good the A900 are lately but it seems the retail price is a lot higher in England (around £250/$385) unfortunately :/
 
Would I be better to up my budget to £200 and look for headphones + an amp?

 

[EternalEmpire]

Okay, budget is now £200 (roughly $300) which includes headphones and an amp or £150 (roughly $230) for just headphones which don't require amping.

 

[EternalEmpire]

Sorry for the triple post, nobody has replied yet though so it's sort of impossible to add info without triple posting...
 
I've narrowed down my choices to:
- Sennheiser HD 595 (Unamped)
- Beyerdynamic DT770 (Unamped)
- AKG K271 MKII (Amped... though I don't know which amp yet since I don't know much about amps)
 
I've heard some complaints about each. I've read that the HD 595 are really anaemic in terms of bass, the DT770s bass is apparently too boomy and the AKG are also fairly bass dry (though this is apparently cleared up with a good amp). Can anyone validate this or recommend which would be best for my requirements?
 
Any other recommendations are welcome.
 
Thanks again.

 

[nickchen]

Be patient a few weeks and wait for the new HD558/598. They sound sensational compared to the HD555/595, and suit ideally for your needs.
 
The A900 is very midfi-ish and suffers from recessed mids, the DT770 has a very narrow genre bandwidth, and the K271 is very uncomfortable and a bit thin in the lower registers. And reputed sound improvement through amplification tends to get way exagerrated among us nerds, don't expect more than nuances.

 

[EternalEmpire]

Quote:

Be patient a few weeks and wait for the new HD558/598. They sound sensational compared to the HD555/595, and suit ideally for your needs.
 
The A900 is very midfi-ish and suffers from recessed mids, the DT770 has a very narrow genre bandwidth, and the K271 is very uncomfortable and a bit thin in the lower registers. And reputed sound improvement through amplification tends to get way exagerrated among us nerds, don't expect more than nuances.

The HD 598 definitely look nice enough to keep me interested, any idea when they're going to be released?

 

[nickchen]

Can't be long. EQ & enjoy your Sonys till then.