[200poundsofamp]

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In regards to the Ultrasones, the midrange is recessed, so vocals will seem really distant and buried by the instruments. I have a hard time listening to rock music on Ultrasones, especially because of their metallic timbre. I've not heard the 680s, though so I'm not sure if the same holds true for those.

 
With the 680s if you put it all on a stage  the guitar and lead singer are definitely at the back, but to my ears they're more present than the m50 and hp700 which both have that distant sounding midrange you're talking about. The metallic timbre is true though, I like it for guitars but it hurts it a bit for vocals.
 
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My advice to you, look at your listening habits, and see which genres you spend the most time with -- and then pick headphones which suit those genres conceding that they may not work fantastic with genres you don't listen to as often. If you listen to equal parts rock and hip-hop, I'd personally take your $200 budget for the SR225i, and then buy a $80 SR60i and a $130 Ultrasone HFI-580. All bases covered. 

 
That's a really good suggestion. OP if you want one headphone to do it all I still recommend the 680, it's the "more toned, less bassy version of the 580's" you're looking for. I've never regretting getting it over the 780s, they aren't lacking bass or treble at all to me.
 

 

[Coleb]

Because like someone else said, that a headphone won't work great with all genres and I can't choose one over the other, I am going to go with the option of buying two different headphones, one for each genre. So I will get the Ultrasone HFI 580 for electronic music and most likely a pair of Grado's for rock/alternative. So that brings me to the question of which Grado's to buy? So would the SR 225i's be a good choice for that or are there better Grado's that don't drown out certain instruments? Or should I just look at a different pair/brand all together? BTW, thank you everyone for all of the positive input and support!

Edit: Or should I go with what someone else suggested, and just get the HFI 680's?

 

[killmurer]

Quote:

 
My advice to you, look at your listening habits, and see which genres you spend the most time with -- and then pick headphones which suit those genres conceding that they may not work fantastic with genres you don't listen to as often. If you listen to equal parts rock and hip-hop, I'd personally take your $200 budget for the SR225i, and then buy a $80 SR60i and a $130 Ultrasone HFI-580. All bases covered. 

This. Plus, be sure to vent and damp the drivers on the SR-60i to really know what sound 80 bucks can get you.
 

 

[Chris_Himself]

For peace of mind, resale value, and overall absolute value, I feel the SR225i comes a little bit closer to showing you why Grado is one of the world's best headphones. The SR60/80 to the right tasted individual blows away any headphone up to like $150 if you prefer that tonal signature, but that SR225i sound better to me than a lot of $300 and above cans... this is purely unmodded, stock cable, stock everything.
 
For well produced rock and indie music, the SR225's will rule, no doubt about it, they've got enough bass to impress too, but not any bassheads. I feel Grados are actually better at acoustic than they are at rock actually, it's so weird how I found that out.
 
My email is at Tranceaddict.net so it's not like I'm shy away from that stuff, but I'd rather get a more accurate and detailed headphone that I enjoy wearing for a while than go for the absolute bass quantity. The build quality despite looking just as plastic-ey in pictures on Ultrasones is absolutely superb though. 
 
I literally am in possession of every thing from the 60 to the 225 right now, and any one of them would be great, but I favor purchasing the best Grado I can afford comfortably. After a while when I can squeeze it, I can move up the line.
 
 

 

[Coleb]

So again I'm in a bit of a pickle.  I think I am for sure going to get the Ultrasone HFI 580's and then a pair of Grado's.  So I hear really good things about the SR225i's but then I looked a step higher and wondered about the SR325is's.  So would the SR325is's be a significant upgrade and be worth the extra cash?
 
Or again should I just settle for the single pair of Ultrasone HFI 680's?

 

[Chris_Himself]

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So again I'm in a bit of a pickle.  I think I am for sure going to get the Ultrasone HFI 580's and then a pair of Grado's.  So I hear really good things about the SR225i's but then I looked a step higher and wondered about the SR325is's.  So would the SR325is's be a significant upgrade and be worth the extra cash?
 
Or again should I just settle for the single pair of Ultrasone HFI 680's?

I don't think the SR325 is an SR-80 better than the 225 if that makes sense. I've only heard the goldies though, I don't think they're any different.
 
It's definitely good though. I'm not a fan of Ultrasone's sound but I still remain objective when I make recommendations. I'd say the SR325 is about 50 dollars better, and the other 50 is probably just in looks or something, the 325 cable and headphone is also quite a bit heavier. On the "i" models the 125 and up have that really heavy garden hose cable. It feels really nice though despite being about guitar cable thick haha.
 

 

[Coleb]

Thank you everyone for all of the help!  I have made my final decision of getting the Ultrasone HFI-580's and Grado SR325is's with G-Cush.  I know its a bit pricy, but this way I get some great Grado's for my rock music and some lively Ultrasone's for electronic!
 
If anyone knows of any good Amps that would go great with these, then please do tell.