[NewbieAudie]

Starting to get tired of the M50s I bought 6 months ago, mainly because of the clamping force, sweating ears, and somewhat fatiguing signature. Recently got a $200 bonus from the company I work at, and was wondering if there's a headphone at or below 200 that is unequivocally and significantly better than the M50s, especially in terms of comfort level and a more "sustainable" sound signature, one where I could listen for hours on end without getting a headache or sweating ears.  Would also greatly greatly prefer one that doesn't need any amping to sound as good as the M50s.
 
Any recommendations?

 

[wind016]

Sennheiser HD598. Refer to my review in sig. Can be had at $180 regularly.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
The answer is unequivocally yes.
 
The questions are, do you need it to be portable or not, do you need strong present bass, or do you want a more neutral headphone, does it need to be closed or can be it be open air, what's your source, and what music do you listen to most often?
 
Very best,

 

[tdockweiler]

Check into the KRK KNS-6400 with the 8400's memory foam pads. It's very non-fatiguing and the memory foam pads keep my ears cool and I can swear these things all day if I wanted.
 
The HD-598 is also quite good. I never thought about this, but if I had to pick between the two for music, I don't know if I could do it!
 
Of course when it comes to comfort, closed headphones can barely compete with an open pair, but the KRK is still extremely comfortable.
 
Going from the M50 to the more neutral 6400 might be a bit of a shock at first.
 
I've owned the M50 before BTW and I'd much rather take the KRK despite a lot less bass impact.
 
They run about $99 and the pad upgrades are $30, but worth it.

 

[NewbieAudie]

Portability isn't that big a concern for me. Just needs to be light/small enough to stuff it into a backpack. Won't be bringing these for outside listening, only in my bedroom.
I'm not a basshead, so the bass only needs to be capable and potent, not overpowering. 
I don't quite understand what a "neutral" headphone means.
I would prefer closed headphones, although open ones are acceptable if the volume they leak isn't audible beyond 1-2 meters. Again, I'm listening in my bedroom
Music wise, I rely entirely upon my HP laptop with Realtek integrated soundcard. I tried to listen to 320 kbps mp3s or FLAC sources.  Genres I listen to are mainly electronica (all shapes and sizes!), dance, house, indie rock, indie pop, some jazz and new age. I guess the headphone I'm looking must be able to excel at electronica, from hard hitting trance to the softest, most subtle ambient tracks

 

[TMRaven]

I'm actually in the progress of writing a long-winded comparison and review of the M50 and D2000, and the basic theme is that the D2000 is a natural upgrade to the M50 in every way-- especially fit and comfort.  They retail for 350, but it's not uncommon to find them used-like new for around 200.
 
You're basically getting the same sound signature, only more refined across the board, and considerably more clear and spacious in sound.  Comfort wise, they compete head to head against comfort kings such as beyers and HD598.  They're closed and pleather padded, but because they don't clamp tight and the pads are true circumaural compared to the M50, they don't really get sweaty if you're in a well-circulated room.

 

[roma101]

I recommend the Sony MDR-V6, since they're light and comfortable, cheaper to get (although watch out for fakes). and these days, I prefer them over my M50's. A very versatile headphone.
 
Edit: Just read your genres - maybe you might want to look into an Ultrasone. I've read some good things about the HFI-580 and HFI-680 and generally, Ultrasones are known to excel in dance/electronic/house. 

 

[tdockweiler]

Why would an HFI-580 or HFI-680 be good when he wants to get away from the M50 sound signature? From my understanding the HFI-680 is more of a side-grade and has just as much bass and treble as the M50.
Then the HFI-680 was far more uncomfortable.
 
The V6 is also a more aggressive headphone when it comes to it's treble IMO. Well, to some. I might have suggested this, but those pads made my ears sweaty.
 
You read the part about wanting a more non-fatiguing signature right?

 
The D2000 MIGHT be OK. I do believe it's an upgrade, but I never liked it without an amp. It did have better controlled bass than the M50 and is less bass heavy, but some people find it's treble fatiguing. I don't and I'm sensitive to treble.
 
HD-598 is the safe option I think.

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

HD-598 is the safe option I think.

BAM!
 
 
Thank you.
 

 

[roma101]

Quote:

Why would an HFI-580 or HFI-680 be good when he wants to get away from the M50 sound signature? From my understanding the HFI-680 is more of a side-grade and has just as much bass and treble as the M50.
Then the HFI-680 was far more uncomfortable.
 
The V6 is also a more aggressive headphone when it comes to it's treble IMO. Well, to some. I might have suggested this, but those pads made my ears sweaty.
 
You read the part about wanting a more non-fatiguing signature right?

 
The D2000 MIGHT be OK. I do believe it's an upgrade, but I never liked it without an amp. It did have better controlled bass than the M50 and is less bass heavy, but some people find it's treble fatiguing. I don't and I'm sensitive to treble.
 
HD-598 is the safe option I think.

Yeah I missed that part. I was a little to quick to type when I saw "upgrade/sidegrade" and comfort that I missed the non-fatiguing part. My bad 

 
Anyway, speaking of the HD-598, I just saw one in the FS forum recabled and modded for a decent price. Might be worth looking into that. They do look comfortable with those velours too.
 
 

 

[NewbieAudie]

How well does a Sennheiser 598 do without an amp? As good as M50?
 
How loud does it emit music? Audible within 1-2 meters?

 

[TMRaven]

It's open so it's going to emit some music.  The distance at which that's audible entirely depends on your listening volume.

 

[NewbieAudie]

Can anyone comment on how well the Senn 598s do unamped straight from a laptop? Can it at least reach ~90% potential from that? Or is it one of the situations where unamped its only at 50% power and amped it turns to 100%?

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

Can anyone comment on how well the Senn 598s do unamped straight from a laptop? Can it at least reach ~90% potential from that? Or is it one of the situations where unamped its only at 50% power and amped it turns to 100%?

If you don't amp it properly, you'll hear some flabby low range as from this graph.

 
However, I liked it fine out of my Cowon J3 mp3 player so maybe they don't require that much voltage.