[frostz]

Hi, I am willing to spend up to $530 on a solid pair of headphones and so far the best choice seems to be 
[size=1.7em] Sennheiser HD 650. What are some other top notch headphones I could get for that price? I have little experience with great quality headphones but I want to join this audiophilia thing. [/size]

 

[Graphicism]

Hi, welcome to head-fi!
 
Well what music genres do you listen too, do you have any preference towards bass, highs or neutral for instance. Are they for home use, do you plan on buying an amp, what's your source?

 

[frostz]

I listen to a wide range of genres. Rap, Dubstep, Rock, Electro, House, Pop, Trance, and grunge. I loooove dubstep so I would love some bassy cans but I don't want them to overpower the mids and the highs. They are for home and travel. I am not buying an amp.

 

[Graphicism]

With those genres in mind I would suggest something like an Ultrasone HFI-780 for home and travel. They don't require much power and sound quite good directly off a portable music player. For an increase in sound quality you would have to look towards the 600Ohm DT990 with an OTL tube amp, however it would be the very top of your budget and wouldn't be mobile.

 

[frostz]

Okay, thank you for the suggestion. I really don't have much experience in high-end headphones so maybe in the future I'd consider getting an amp.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Quote:

Hi, I am willing to spend up to $530 on a solid pair of headphones and so far the best choice seems to be 
[size=1.7em] Sennheiser HD 650. What are some other top notch headphones I could get for that price? I have little experience with great quality headphones but I want to join this audiophilia thing. [/size]

 
Quote:

I listen to a wide range of genres. Rap, Dubstep, Rock, Electro, House, Pop, Trance, and grunge. I loooove dubstep so I would love some bassy cans but I don't want them to overpower the mids and the highs. They are for home and travel. I am not buying an amp.

 
Denon D2000
Panasonic RP-HTF600
Beyer DT770 PRO
 
No amp needed.
 
Very best,

 

[frostz]

I like the Denon D2000 a lot. What do you guys think about Ultrasone Pro 900?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I like the Denon D2000 a lot. What do you guys think about Ultrasone Pro 900?

You said: "but I don't want them to overpower the mids and the highs."
 
Therefore, no PRO900 for you. It's mids are on vacation. Permanently.
 
Very best,

 

[frostz]

Thanks for the help! I'm definitely getting the Denon D2000s!! Can't wait.

 

[Saintly]

The mids are quite recessed on the D2000s as well, although some EQing will mask the issue.  
 
This problem is quite noticeable in female vocals.  Adele sounds like she's 2 rooms down from the piano and mic in her songs.

 

[Graphicism]

Yeah unfortunately the D2000s were one of the worst headphones I've owned, the mids are very recessed to make way for the synthetic bass and the reverberation just kills it. The Pro900 are more forward than the Denons, but as I suggested the HFI-780 would work better without an amp. Pro900 without an amp sounds cheap.

 

[FasterX]

The mids may not stack up to T50RPs but hey, the bass and highs are sweet and sharp. Just got mine, LOVING THEM.

 

[TMRaven]

You don't really need forward mids to have good mids, either.  The mids are every bit as resolved and detailed as my DT990.  

 

[eucariote]

Quote:

Yeah unfortunately the D2000s were one of the worst headphones I've owned, the mids are very recessed to make way for the synthetic bass and the reverberation just kills it. The Pro900 are more forward than the Denons, but as I suggested the HFI-780 would work better without an amp. Pro900 without an amp sounds cheap.

 
X2.   This is the case all they way up to D7000.  Vocals are terribly recessed, guitars are muted and deafening bass and screechy highs overwhelm everything else.