[MohawkUS]

Hello, I've posted before, unfortunatly only for recommendations, I would like to help and post more, but I only have expeirance with my SR-80is, I'm still very much a headphone noob despite joining months ago.
Any way I have begun to feel the upgraditis mainly because I feel the SR80s may be too bright for my tastes, and because I just decided I might as well try out the amp in my Essence STX card, I had originaly figured an amp wouldn't make much difference, but boy was I wrong, really really wrong.
So here I am now, I tried to study up on audio terms and I've been trying to figure out what my tastes are, which is kind of difficult with only one pair of headphones, and I think I can describe my perfect pair of headphones now.
 
Lets just say there is no budget here, which there is kinda, I as a high school student am broke right now, I currently get about $100 a month and I need something to stop me from wasting my money on games and stuff I won't use, so I want to set a goal to save up for. I'm figuring on doing a massive expansion to my music collection and then saving up for an upgrade.
So here I am begging for help, as I am completly clueless to what I should upgrade too.
 
Ok, My setup is currently Foobar>Xonar Essence STX with high gain on the amp,(the very high setting distorts the bass)>Grado SR-80i
I guess I will list my opinion of the SR80i and what I like and don't like quick, to help you understand me,
It seems to be very forward, with bright, a little painful highs, it has a medium soundstage and is very light on bass
Pros:
Bass never distorts, I hate distorted bass
Bass is not the main focus in the music, does not take enjoyment away from mids
intimate, very good for my music
seems forgiving of my music(your see why I care about this a lot in a second)
does not hurt like some say, but it is definatly not comfortable either
Cons:
Not enough bass for electronica music which I'm just getting into
Can't hear bass in most metal
"ear bleeding" highs on many of my favorite songs, I have to avoid certain genres(my favorites) after about an hour
 
 
The genres I listen to are:
Black Metal: Darkthrone, Emporer, Burzum, Immortal, Bathory, Dimmu Borgir, Mayhem
Power Metal: Iron Maiden, Alestorm, Keep Of Kallesin
Folk Metal: Korpiklaani
Thrash Metal: Anthrax, Swashbuckle, Ares Kingdom
Heavy Metal: Venom, Celtic Frost
Avant Garde Metal: Sigh, Acturus, Borknagar
Death Metal: Atheist, Cattle Decapitation, Sodom
Dubstep: Rusko, Mistabishi
Post Metal: Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Funeral
Crust Punk: Darkthrone(newer)
New Age: Yanni, Yiruma
 
As you can guess lots of my music is really badly recorded, some of the artists I listen to ask for the worst recording equipment when they record their music, so my first priority is getting a headphone that will not show all the flaws, pops, hisses. I think this is called a "fun" sounding headphone.
Also almost all of my music plays best with an intimate soundstage, everything except the Folk and the Post Metal, so I am not looking for a huge soundstage, but my SR80s are obviously lacking in gaming and with Post Metal when it comes to this, so I want an improvment. 
Another thing that really bugs me is any distortion in the bass, I want to hear the bass perfectly, but I also want/need more than my SR80s are capable of producing, it is lacking for every genre.
I want very detailed and forward/ neutral mids, I do not like the laid back sound as I like to feel that the music is surrounding me, or right in front of me, the whole "six-rows back, concert hall" laid back style does not appeal to me at all(I tested this using Dolby headphones with the large room setting, not sure if this counts)
My final requirement, at least that I can think of now, is that it must work with glasses, my grados do fine here, for what thats worth, but I would prefer something more comfortable.
 
I have been looking at the Denon AH-D 5000/7000 headphones along with higher end Grados Are there less bright Grados? Also as you might have guessed I like the wood cup look, but I am in no way going to be buying headphones for astetics, so anything goes.
Please include recommendations from many price ranges, I have not decided on budget yet, also feel free to recommend me amps, but keep in mind all I know is that Tubes are better for high impredance headphones and SS for low impedance phones( I hope I didn't mix that up)
Also if anyone can explain the difference between open and closed headphones, I would be thankful, I covered the grills on the Grados with my hands to try to see how closed phones would sound, but it was so terrible I'm guessing its because they were built for the open design.
 
And a big thank you to anyone who got through all that text, I just started typing and couldn't stop 

Also a big thanks to the audiophiles of Amazon.com for saving me from buying a pysko audio headphone.
 
EDIT: How can I change the thread title, I just realized it doesn't even mention upgrading, also I forgot to mention I'm considering the Syphones Magnums, but I'm not too sure on them.

 

[cck5]

let me see if i can help, i listen to similar genres of music, i own the 225I while the harshness has been taken out of them, the mids are amazing, its clear as day, the bass is still slacking, the kick drum on my grados doesnt hit nearly as hard as i want it to, but theyre is definately more bass than the sr80I, also take in mind the 225I use bowls which do change the sound, they also dont get scorching volume out of an ipod.
 
i have been contemplating also buying a nice amp for these and see if it could produce more bass and volume out of them because they do everything else perfect besides a still lack of bass.
 
this might also might be a new idea to me because my IEMS the pro golds are bass hitting and slam hard. so it is two diferent worlds.
 
hope i helped some what.

 

[MohawkUS]

Thanks it did help, also it reminded me that I forgot to mention I bought and use bowls with my sr-80s, which from what I have read contributes to a larger soundstage and harsher highs. I am looking higher end than 225s right now, as I do not know if it would be worth an upgrade that small, but like I've said I'm broke currently, so they are a definate possibility, and lots of people seem to love the 225.

 

[MidgetT]

Dubstep (at least the style you mentioned) is basically ALL distorted bass, but i digress....
 
do not buy grado bowls if you want more bass.  They improve soundstage and clarity, but at the cost of bass.  I only want to recommend headphones that I've actually auditioned so i guess the ath-m50 might suit you, but that might be too much of a bass boost.  You can also try Shures, which are NOT bass heavy, but any closed headphone is going to feel like a bass boost from the open grados.  Decent closed headphones will NOT sound like grados with the grills covered, but they will have a distinctly different sound signature.

 

[cck5]

well i was just told the dt990 600 ohm edition, is good for what i mentioned as well as what you mentioned. i honestly dont think you should look higher for this type of music, because lets be honest, its recorded cheaply and by bands that are broke and just wanna put something out with minimal funds, and dubstep the same applies some times. the 225I has been my friend for a long time, its not till i was introduced to the bass monster, no pun , the golds that i felt that these cans didnt do it for me bass wise. other wise if i had my way, my perfect can would be the 225I with more bass. end of story.

 

[MohawkUS]

That might be true, but even so, I want something that can shine with the well recorded music(new age, and post metal, along with the power metal), but still something that "hides" the flaws of the poorly recorded music. If I only listened to black metal, or my older Venom/Celtic Frost then I would have to agree it would be foolish to spend too much as I know that I've already reached the limit to what I can get from that music. That is why I need help with this, if I screw up it can only sound worse.
Anyway I will add the 225s and 990s to my list of potential upgrades, may I ask why the 990s are good for this kind of music? Most people seem to prefer the 880s.

 

[amp2xpand]

If you're not completely happy with the sr80, I don't know if you'll like the sr225i. Its true that they do have alittle more bass, but the sound signature and characteristics is very similar the sr80s. I have a hard time distinguishing the sound of the 2. When I went from the sr80 to ms2, i thought the sound got better, but have a very similar sound signature. There is extra bass; even though they have cleaner highs and mids, it sounds very similar. It took me a while to differentiate the 2. 
 
I also have the dt880 (2003). its one of the most neutral headphones i've ever heard. I think its neutrality makes it more popular than the dt990. I think they would work good with metal. 

 

[cck5]

i can tell between the 80 and 225 but, yes it still has the grado house sound.. i was told the 990 had more bass than the 8 thats why

 

[Bigrock2150]

Your Genres are perfect for Grados so I'd stay in the grado line for an upgrade.
 
I'd definitely say go for the Grado 225i. It's everything the SR80i has but everything is so much improved. 
 
On to the bass problem. The best thing to do for Bass is to get yourself some woody cups. I might sound kind of bias because I sell grado cups but I can tell you with all honesty that both Bass and Soundstage is greatly increased with woody cups (especially with deep cups). 
 
Good luck in your journey. 
 

 

[MohawkUS]

Thanks for all the recommendations so far, I'm not sure what it is, but this past week I've really started to appreciate wood cups. Can someone explain to me the differance between wooden, aluminum, and plastic air chambers? I'm going to guess that wood is best for wooden instruments and aluminum is best for metal instruments like flutes and trumpets. The max I am willing to save up is $1,000 for an amp/dac/headphone combo, but I don't think I need to upgrade anything except the headphones because I have the Essence sound card(please tell me if I'm wrong) Also just wondering why no one is recommending Ultrasone and Denon, when I previously posted I got only Denon recommendations, I'm guessing they are not forgiving enough of source for the black metal and punk. Also one more question, can you have a large soundstage, but still have intimate mids? For gaming I would like more sound stage, but for music I like the front row or on stage feel.
 
I am looking at RS1i, MSpro, GS1000, PS1000, Denon AH-D5000, and AH-D7000, I would have no problem going used as long as nothing is damaged, that is why I included headphones way over my budget.
 
Also if I go Grado, I may want to buy the salad bowl pads, how would that affect the RS1 or the MSpro, I have a feeling it may get rid of the front row seating feel?

 

[Bigrock2150]

I think wood has the most natural sound compared to metal and plastic. Metal isn't too bad but plastic is just absolutely horrible for sound signatures. The thing about wood is that it's able to absorb certain resonances that normally bounce off of metal and plastic causing havock on the drivers and an anemic sound signature.
 
Denon's and Ultrasones are nice headphones and would definitely due your genres nicely but they can't hold a candle to Grados for Rock. I think it's almost an absolute necessity to use open headphones when gaming to get that nice and airy soundstage. Stock grados (SR series) don't have the best soundstage for gaming, however Grados with deep wood cups have great soundstage. It's my understanding that as you climb the Grado ladder you get better soundstage, but they'll never be soundstage monsters.
 
Stock denon's are nice but the mids can be extremely recessed in comparison to something like grado or Audio Technica where the mids are more present.  
 
You may also want to consider an AD2000, They do great with Rock and have a good enough soundstage for gaming as well. 

 

[MohawkUS]

When you say rock, metal is included in that too correct? I don't listen to anything any big metalhead would call rock. Also can you possibly list the brands that are more forgiving of bad recordings, I know Senn and AKG are not forgiving at all. 

 

[Bigrock2150]

Yes Metal is definitely include, I'd say metal is the strongest suit of Grados.
 
I don't think certain brands as a whole are better with bad recordings than others. Usually it's particular headphones within just about every brand. Anything with a bright and analytical signature with be more unforgiving than a headphone with a warm and less detailed signature. 

 

[EddieE]

There are a few things I could suggest you do to your existing phones to increase bass.
 
1. Put some electrical tape around the edge of the bowls
2. Turn the bowls upside down
3. Buy some TTVJ flats.
 
All reversible, and except for point 3, all free as well.
 
There is another, but it's not easily reversible and could affect sale-ability of your phones - but man does it work.
 
Open up the Grados and punch through the paper felt which covers the holes between the air chamber and driver. 
 
If you decide to do this - go easy - one at a time and listen to a track you know well after each hole punch to get the levels right for you.

 

[amp2xpand]

Metal is definitely Grados specialty. Grados excel in speed, and thats whats needed to play metal. They also have the tight punchy bass, that isnt boomy or flabby, that makes is excellent for "prat". I recently got the D2000, and though i think they are excellent headphones, I don't think they can compete with Grados when it comes to metal. The D2000 have really deep bass that has a lot of impact, but it may feel too loose for metal. Its not necessarily horrible for metal, but the grados handle metal effortlessly. 
 
I haven't had the chance to listen to the wood chambered grados, but I do own the alessandro ms2's and it comes with metal chambers. To me, the ms2 plays rock and metal better than the grado sr80. Even though I say "better", it still shares a lot of the same qualities as the sr80s. Don't expect day and night differences. 
 
So if its metal that you mainly listen to, I have no problem recommending any of the higher end grados. But grados will never be bass monsters, if thats what you're aiming for.