Looking to maybe buy some good headphones b/c aparently all of mine are crap...

[jaffy]

May be a matter of taste... what cans did you hear to reach that comparison?

 

[banGerprawN]

May be a matter of taste... what cans did you hear to reach that comparison?

Well, in the circum-aural part of my collection, closed is DT770, ATH-500, HD201 and I once owned a pair of HD280s. I hated them, they sounded so...dead. Lifeless. I can't explain it. Words often fail me. Using at the moment the DT770 for gaming and general music, the ATH-500 for comfort and great sound in classical. The Senns are there for easy transport and decent sound and looks.

The open part contains HD595, HD555, AD500, ATH-AD700, DT440 and I've trialled for 2 weeks a pair of DT990Pro.
I found the DT990Pro to be quite a lot like the closed DT770, but not quite as comfortable, and the mids seemed to be slightly lacking in comparison. The sound was also only slightly better than that of the DT440s, but the extra cash didn't justify getting it, so I kept the 440s and sent the 990s back.
The ATH-AD700 were probably the best open cans that I've listened to in the broadest range of scenarios, but they fall fairly flat in gaming and sound positioning, which is where both Beyer models excelled, hence why I have both. The open Senns I kept for their great comfort level and looks, and also because they seem to be perfect (to me) for jazz music.
Using a Perreux SX-H1 amp for all phones. Also used some with a MINT amp.

 

[jaffy]

Agreed about the HD280 They are just too flat.

If you get a chance, try out a pair of Senn HD580/600/650 or any of the Grado cans sometime. Your opinion might change I feel that open cans (580/600/650/Grado/K501/etc) are the best with my Jazz tastes (Thelonius Monk/Miles Davis/Weather Report/Pat Methany).

A lot of closed cans have strange reverberations because of the closed design, and some people seem to like that.

 

[banGerprawN]

he

Agreed about the HD280 They are just too flat.

If you get a chance, try out a pair of Senn HD580/600/650 or any of the Grado cans sometime. Your opinion might change I feel that open cans (580/600/650/Grado/K501/etc) are the best with my Jazz tastes (Thelonius Monk/Miles Davis/Weather Report/Pat Methany).

A lot of closed cans have strange reverberations because of the closed design, and some people seem to like that.

Awesome. I'll give those a shot, if I can. Skip the 650, though. That's escaping even my enlarged budget for a single item, though.
Thank god for this awesome place in Oz. 2 weeks trail on headphones, just deposit and pay shipping .
I've sort of tried Grado cans, and by that I mean I had a shot at a pair of Alessandro MS-2s. They were absolutely brilliant, incredibly clear, awesomely defined mids and highs, but the lows were not as clear as the rest of the range. It tended to get very slightly sloppy in certain songs (Powderfinger songs, noticeably...*shrugs*). Comfort level left a little to be desired as well, too, but that's not a huge deal. Being essentially Grados, they couldn't be used for gaming at all, but that's reasonable too.
And Koss I prefer not to touch, or I stay away from as much as possible. Something of their build just spanks of cheapness, to me. That, and every single one of Koss cans I've tried have always had something missing. It was just undefinable, but totally noticeable.
Thanks for the suggestions, though. Will definitely give both a try, but I've got the distinct feeling this may be my personal taste, unfortunately.
Are there any opinions on different amps I might try, or is the one I have fine? And what's the general consensus on Beyer DT880s (flagship)? I might look at a pair of these stratospherically-priced monsters if there's some positive feedback on them.

 

[mustang_steve]

Grados get more comfortable over time. The cool thing about thin metal bands is they eventually wear in to your head.

As for the bass, that is the weakness of the grados...they are not bass monsters. Amplification can help remedy this to an extent, but they will never compare to other brands for bass.

 

[banGerprawN]

Grados get more comfortable over time. The cool thing about thin metal bands is they eventually wear in to your head.

As for the bass, that is the weakness of the grados...they are not bass monsters. Amplification can help remedy this to an extent, but they will never compare to other brands for bass.

That's a real shame, it's the only thing that stopped me from jumping up and yelling out in extasy at finding the perfect pair of cans. *sob*

 

[jaffy]

The old MS-2 (and the MS-2i) is very lean on the bass, I know because I have owned them. They were great, but there just wasn't enough bass there to keep me entertained. Check out the Grado 325i if you want more bass and a bit more treble than the MS-2, but still want the Grado sound. I found the 325i to sound leaps and bounds over the MS-2.

 

[banGerprawN]

The old MS-2 (and the MS-2i) is very lean on the bass, I know because I have owned them. They were great, but there just wasn't enough bass there to keep me entertained. Check out the Grado 325i if you want more bass and a bit more treble than the MS-2, but still want the Grado sound. I found the 325i to sound leaps and bounds over the MS-2.

Can't buy Grado in Oz, damnation. That's why I've only tried Alessandros.

 

[AdamW]

I think most people would agree with the closed / open thing, and I believe manufacturers agree it's harder to make good closed phones than open ones. But it's not insurmountable, and it seems to be changing a bit. Take the HD201s, for example...before they came out a lot of people wouldn't have believed you could make a $30 closed phone that sounded that good, but hey, you can.

 

[omega-x]

i have HD-590, and now a pair of ATH-a900's.

since the a900's block out my case fans, i prefer them, but the hd-590's have SLIGHTLY better sound.

they're both worth the same for the most part (got the a900's for 135 USD, new, in akihabara (200 to buy them in the US))

 

[_Korruption_]

If you want bassy, consider the HD212 Pros. Low-impedance so it'll be driven by your MP3 player nicely, and the closed design does a decent job with sound isolation. Removable cables FTW.

 

[antishatter]

I just received my first pair of quality headphones the sennheiser 495's for my birthday. I am very suprised at the difference they make. I can literally hear the difference its like night and day.