[Navyblue]

I have been away for a while, the landscape seemed to have changed quite a bit and I don't think I know everything that is out there.
 
I want a closed headphone that is comfortable to wear for long period, so I guess it has to be circumaural. My sound preference:
 
- I don't like edgy or aggressive sound, I like a relaxed and non fatiguing sound.
- I hate recessed midrange.
- I like good texture and micro detail in the midrange, and slightly warm and lush if possible.
- Portability is a plus.
- Relatively cheap.
 
From what I have researched, there is no such thing , so I'll settle for one that meet the most criteria.
 
Btw I listen to mostly vocals and acoustic. I also like AKG Kx01 range and Sennheiser HD650.

 

[DVDRey]

Maybe the SRH940 but can have some harsh treble sometimes.
 
SRH840, but slightly less gorgeous midrange.
 
Even the srh750DJ is somewhat mids centric, very good bass, not too punchy, but less details, the SRH440 have also good mids. Well, all shure circum aural headphones are, imo, more ou less mids centric and i love beautiful mids,lol.
 
My best mids for a closed headphone are obtained with the W1000x, really beautiful and warm mids.

 

[Navyblue]

Hmmm... I have not heard a single Shure. they don't have headphones the last time I looked for one.

 
I see that you have the HD380, I guess it doesn't fit my description? Do they sound like typical analytical studio phones?
 
As you probably can tell, midrange is most important to me too.
 
Thanks.

 

[DVDRey]

 
Quote:

Do they sound like typical analytical studio phones?

 
Well, the HD380 is a good headphone for the price but for me, they can't be used like studio headphones. Too much bass, unnatural soundstage (huge soundstage for a closed headphone), but good midrange, detailled and relatively fast headphone. The biggest problem is the clamping force, too huge. The headache come quickly,lol.

 

[bmeat]

void

 

[Greggo]

Phiaton MS 300 checks most of your boxes except not really circumaural...but close for some and still comfortable for many.  Only other thing that comes to mind is AKG K550, but those have yet to settle in to a consistent review personality as reports are still all over the place (or I should say, a bit more than usual even for this site) but you always want to use posts as general guidance and listen for yourself if possible before buying.  I just ordered the latter since I get an industry accommodation (work in retail) price break and I am a big AKG fan, but if I didn't, I would have ordered the former.  I have little listening experience outside a few Beyer and Senn models, and I am not a big fan until you get near the very top of either range but others will rightfully take exception to that. So the only reason I am posting here is because my research check list matches yours exactly except for the portability thing, which I did not care about, but bulk and weight are issues for me as well.  Other contenders were Denon AH-D2000 and Sony MDR-Z1000 but both were just out of my range street price wise.
 
Good luck.

 

[Navyblue]

Thanks guys for your responses.

With the bass on the HD380, does it make the midrange sound recessed? Is the treble sharp?

K501 is my main headphone for quite a while. Presentation wise I think it is close to perfect. I might get the HD650 for a different flavour, but that hasn't happened for a few years. The thing with open headphones is that when I am listening in my living room, the sound can be heard in the bedroom even with the room door closed. Thus my quest for a closed phones.

I have heard the W1000, but not the A900. My impression was it was pretty flat and not textured. For the D2000, the midrange is recessed, and lack refinement and texture in general. I also heard the Z1000 yesterday, it was quite good in general, largely inoffensive in presentation and reasonably textured, but there is a peak in the midrange that bothers me.

I hope I can audition the Shures someday. Also, how legit are they on eBay? In case the local prices aren't pretty.

 

[bmeat]

void

 

[Greggo]

Based on your responses to responses.... you really owe it to yourself to check out the AKG K 550
 
Unfortunately, mine is back ordered, otherwise I would post a short review in a few days...but it will be 4-6 weeks before I get mine.

 

[bmeat]

void

 

[nc8000]

FischerAudio FA-003 if you can find a place that have them in stock. Btw. the Brainwavz HM5/Lindy Premium Hi-Fi combo are supposed to be the same oem phone just cheaper.

A great unknown could be TakStar PRO80.

 

[Navyblue]

Thanks people.
 
As mentioned in my first post, I do realize I can't have everything and I need to make some kind of compromise.
 
I'll try to audition the followings:
 
- SRH840
- SRH940
- K550
- A900
- W1000
- M50
- D5000
 
As for the other suggestions, I am afraid I have no way of auditioning them.
 
Some of those are not cheap, I'll see how good they are. If they are worth it to my ears I guess I'll save up for a while. If even the expensive ones don't satisfy I'll save some money and go cheap.

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

I'm in a similar boat with a budget around $350 max and preferring a closed phone that doesn't need exotic amplification to sound good. I was looking at the SRH940 for a bit but opinions differ wildly from almost as good as a Sennheiser HD800 to overpriced junk. AKG K550 looks interesting but I haven't seen enough reviews, from what I understand these don't impress you much when you first listen but grow on you over time. You might also check out the CharterOak SP-1/GMP 450 Pro thread a page or 2 or 3 back. They are German made high quality studio headphones that compare very favorably to the K701 and HD650 and some say a little better. They just aren't as well known because not many people here have them compared to the others. There is also the newer Audio-Technica A900X or if you spend a bit more the A2000X.

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

Found a good review of a few headphones that might help, mostly focuses on the K550:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/588230/akg-k550-vs-some-others-denon-d2k-akg-k271-ed8-shure-940-dt770-an-informal-review

 

[bmeat]

void