[X2Eliah]

Hello folkses - been lurking around for nearly a year now, reading and absorbing the knowledge of the boards. Still, feels like I'm at a point where I'm at a loss for decisions.
 
So far, I have the Sony ZX700 headphones, driven directly from an X-Fi HD external soundcard. These are.. well, I'd say good, from what I can tell, very precise and clean. Make no mistake, I love the fact that they are clean (and good isolation), but lately I've been looking for something to complement these.. An alternative, something that's more fun and interesting - I think the term is "coloured", no?
 
Going through the reviews available here, well, it's hard to specify. From some points, beyer-dt880 / 990 seem nice, but then again people say they are not resolved enough, or have recessed mids.. Well, you get the idea, differing opinions with no baseline. Therefore - let's take the "neutral/dark monitor headphone" as a baseline. What I'm looking for would ideally need to keep a clear, resolved sound (so that I can hear the details), offering a good mid-section balance so that guitars and vocals do not disappear, definitely needing a rich, enjoyable bass (though - of course - nothing obscene, none of that XB500's "extra bass" over-the-top-ness), and a treble that doesn't grind the ears.. Oh, and the cans would have to be large-sized over-ears, I don't like supra-aurals at all (had a few Senns like that.. pain to wear for more than an hour or two). Since this is for home use, I suppose open-backs are perfectly acceptable (but not mandatory)..
 
Bottom line, I guess, is that I'm looking for something that's a music-listening headphone instead of music-monitoring one.. It would have to handle slow detailed stuff (e.g. Radiohead's first albums, or Alice In Chains' Unplugged stuff) along with messy, overcompressed rock (Anything of Muse's selection, really). Ear-grinding highs would be a definite turnoff, though - have a low tolerance for that, and the ZX700's are already skirting the limit on that.
 
From what I've heard of Sennheiser's (anticipating suggestions of HD598 and similar - though I've only ha the experience of listening to lower priced HD2xx series), they are a bit too dark/clinical, I'd like some warmth to the sound textures. 
 
Well. Yes. I'm rambling.. I trust that all you experienced headphone-veterans will have good suggestions, so thanks in advance for all that. If you've any questions, just shoot.

 

[Ra97oR]

If you don't mind over the top bass, the Denon D2000 is rather fun. Beyer DT880 is very good if driven well, who ever said Beyer DT880/990 not resolving enough is either insane or comparing them to something totally a different range.

Right now, I have a pair of Beyer DT150 next to the ZX700 and I can say the DT150 is a upgrade in all sound department to the ZX700. Whether the X-Fi HD can drive it to good level is another matter.

 

[X2Eliah]

Aha, thanks for the advice. And you're spot on - it's often hard to judge, on single-product reviews, what the measurement bar is.. Thus my (apparently false) impression of Beyers. The driving issue, well, that's a fair point - the card's own descrip says it can drive headphones up to 330Ohms, so I guess the 250Ohm beyers should be fine.. Then again, who kows how much of that is reality and how much - marketing exaggerations.
 
The Denons I have had a look at.. They are a bit beyond what I'd be willing to spend, to be honest. Only used ones seem to fall within the price limit, and I'd really not want to buy used headphones, if at all possible.
 
EDIT: Okay.. a few hours of even more digging through other threads.. I think I've narrowed down to four headphones, but I'd really like to know which ones would be the best of the lot.. Keeping in mind that I'm looking for something that's not really a "monitor neutral" and I really can't stand any sibilance on the highs.. And they should be wearable for hours upon hours non-stop.. so big, deep, soft pads.
 
-Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250ohm. These are the cheapest (could leave some money for a portable amp later down the line), but a lot of users here say they are very sibilant on highs.. That might be an issue, no? Then again, lot of people like these, and they seem to have amazing pads.
-Sennheiser HD598. Don't know what to say. Price, design seem perfectly spot-on, but I wonder if they are interesting/different enough from the sony monitors.
-Ultrasone HFI2400. Okay, with these I really have trouble even finding much information.. I've seen one or two threads where these pop up, and that's about it. They *look* shallow, but I can't really judge it from pictures now, can I? They also seem to cost almost as much as the denons, so.. Idk.
-Denon AHD2000 (are these the D2000 or is the AHD something else?). Welll.. Pricey. Very, very on the edge. Not sure I actually can spend that much just yet. But, still keeping an eye on them. Thing is though - if these are also closed, won't they sound similar to what I already have? I'd like to try something that's not as much "in-your-head" this time.