[tydus]

I have done A LOT of research on this. I originally was just going to get the ath-m50, but once I really looked into it I found out that the m50 might not be the best buy. There are just so many competing headphones that I'm not sure what to choose!  
 
Some of the headphones:
 
Srh-840
V-Moda Crossfade
M-Audio Q40
Ath-m50???
And there's probably more -_-
 
 
Deciding is just so hard. All I'm looking for is a nice all around good headphone. Preferably neutral, but I could live with a v shaped sound signiture. Duribility would be nice too.  I'm upgrading from an XB-500 so I don't have much experience with headphones like this. I was thinking about trying a closed back headphone this time, for the sound isolation, but thats not as important as sound quality.
Thanks!

 

[Amorgan]

Besides the Q40, the HFI-580. 

 

[NA Blur]

The ATH-M50 is a great headphone.  They receive my vote.  If you do end up with a pair be sure to give yourself at least a week or two to allow your brain filter to understand the new sound signature.

 

[Tsujigiri]

I'd add the Beyerdynamic DT770 to the list.
 
On a side note, are you sure you want neutral? If you're coming from the XB500's, which are anything but neutral, anything else might sound too light on the bass for you.

 

[Aaron94]

If considered my vote goes to the DT 770.

 

[lukEM22]

I'm listening to my 580s now and they get my vote

 

[tydus]

Quote:

I'd add the Beyerdynamic DT770 to the list.
 
On a side note, are you sure you want neutral? If you're coming from the XB500's, which are anything but neutral, anything else might sound too light on the bass for you.

The Beyer DT770 is probably a no go, I don't think my creative x-fi 5.1 soundblaster can handle 250 ohms. I'm sort of growing out of that bass phase that you get when you first get into headphones, so I think leaning towards the higher end is probably a good idea. Although I still want there to be a good bass.

 

[Tsujigiri]

If you're getting out of massive bass but still want bass presence, you might want to get a pair of headphones with a slight but not excessive bass boost. Fully neutral headphones are not for everyone, although you may end up liking them eventually. The 80 Ohm version of the DT770's is the one with a bit of a bass boost, perhaps those would be to your liking. They would be easier to drive than the 250 Ohm version. You may not be driving them to their full potential, but you can always get an amp later. An unamped DT770 is quite a step up from even an amped XB500 IMO. They're also one of the more durable and comfortable headphones out there. You listed some other good choices, though, so find one that seems to fit your needs the best.

 

[lukEM22]

Also something like the m50

 

[Aaron94]

Fostex T50RP maybe?

 

[Amorgan]

Quote:

Fostex T50RP maybe?

 
Better to get the modded version, i think. 

 

[Tsujigiri]

Or he could mod them himself, considering that it would be much cheaper and the information for modding is pretty easily available.

 

[tydus]

I'm leaning towards the m50 or the srh840 needs wise. The srh840 is the better of the two I think, but I'm concerned about durability. The V-moda looks very durable, but does it stack up against the two in sound quality? How durable exactly is the srh840?

 

[tydus]

Adding more information, I'm quite a fan of the Vmoda Crossfades because of the looks and the duribility, but I'm not sure how the sound is compared to the others. The ultrasones and q40s I'm concerned about duribility as well. I listen to mostly rock and indie, if it helps.

 

[zardak]

Man, you're way off the mark, and there's some old-fashioned fanboys in here who just won't let go of the past, they stick with classics that are not really classics, the Audio technica ATH-M50 is crap, it's OK, but nothing like they hype surrounding it, especially by todays standards. I've owned both the Shure 840 and the 440's and they both suck big time, stop believing the hype man, honestly. Forget V-Moda, they are junk, honestly, i've heard them all, and not just in a horses-for-courses type of way, my ears listen for good balance and accuracy of the overall frequency spectrum.
Just recently, after i have bought many pairs of headphones, i bought the Shure SRH550-DJ; you want a nice neutral headphone with excellent frequency balance and accurate bass and exceptional overall clarity, these are it, no joke, don't say you weren't told, they crush the others. Talk about accuracy, just give them 20 hours burn-in and you won't believe your ears, just make sure you amp them for even better sound, but they still sound good without amping which is a bonus.
 
If you want an alternative, which is also top-notch, the Ultrasone HFI-580, i'm not playing games here man, i have both of these because i kept upgrading my headphones inching ever closer to perfection, these two are as close as you'll get, believe me, not Sennheiser not Grado not nothing can match these two, they are the Bomb. I even done the A/B thing between them for one hour between the latest Beyer&Wilkins (so-called state-of-the-art) and the series II Monster Diamonds (Beats by Dre) and the Shure 550dj beat both of them, i even confirmed it with three friends, they all agreed, the clarity and accuracy of the Shure550 and the Ultrasone HFI580's simply Rocks! Hopefully you will take some good advice and save yourself the time and hassle and money, i've already made all the mistakes, so i have saved you the trouble. Message me if you wish to know more. Cheers.