[acme15]

hey guys, i'm a bit lost deciding on what headphones i should get with my budget of 50 to 70 pounds. 
 
I would describe myself as a 'newbie audiophile', i can tell when headphones are bad or have highs that are too harsh, mids that are too forward etc, the slightest bit of distortion annoys me, and an unbalanced soundstage also annoys me, however i am relatively new on the scene and i have ZERO experience with good headphones/earphones as prior to now i have just been using a phone and some bundled earphones or integrated PC audio like most people. (yes it is horrible)
 
I listen to most types of music including blues, country, alternative, indie, rock, metal, heavy metal, death metal, dance, trance, dubstep etc etc. I mostly listen to rock, metal and dubstep (but i would want other genres to sound as good as possible as well)
I enjoy the bassline of my music but i do not want the bass to distort or drown out the mids etc, i want a clear sound which is as true to the original recording as possible with this budget, i prefer a warm sound to a harsh sound, and i would like to be able to have heavy booming bass if i change the EQ settings.
 
The only semi-decent earphones i have are my CX300-II's, but i think that they are overpriced and the high's are too harsh, the mids are too weak and the low's are WAY too forward. Its nice hearing the bassline in music which isnt particularly bassy, but the bass distorts at higher volumes and on bass heavy music etc. (i use with a cowon mp3 player and various eq's)
 
I have been looking at quite a few cans online, all of which have mixed reviews, so i thought i would bring this here
 
I have looked at mainstream cans like:
 
Sony MDR-XB700/500 = have the bass i'm looking for but i'm worried that they are TOO focussed on the bass.
 
Sony V700DJ = seemed to be a good option, but i read some negativities more recently
 
some less mainstream cans like:
 
Koss Pro DJ100 = reports of bad build, and many people say that DJ cans arent good for casual use
 
Audio Technica ATH-T500 = like the look of these, but some people say that the high's are harsh and the mid's/low's are muddy.
 
Grado SR-60i = getting into budget audiophile territory, but there is apparently not much bass due to the fact that they are focussed more on quality and clarity. also my budget is no longer this high
 
I am looking into beyerdynamic, sennheisser, bose (yes i know they have bad rep), and a few other manufacturers at the moment.
I currently have some XB700's on order, but they are out of stock and i think i might cancel as i feel like ive been sucked into the MEGABASS community who just want BASS BASS BASS...
 
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated
 
 

 

[Kerry56]

The XB700's are going to have quite a lot of bass, and probably not as much clarity as you'd like.  One headphone set within your price range that has a warm tone, and reasonably good bass is the Creative Aurvana Live!, which sells for 58 pounds at Amazon UK. 

 

[Rayzee]

I came across a classified that may be of interest to you, the AD-700 is a well respected headphone for it's price.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/588382/audio-technica-ath-ad700

 

[acme15]

The XB700's are going to have quite a lot of bass, and probably not as much clarity as you'd like.  One headphone set within your price range that has a warm tone, and reasonably good bass is the Creative Aurvana Live!, which sells for 58 pounds at Amazon UK. 

Sorry I forgot to mention, I almost bought a pair of Aurvana Live's haha. I somehow managed to miss them off. Thanks for thee suggestion, I had forgotten all about them.

 

[Cheapy]

The Goldring DR150 could be a cheap alternative to the Grado SR-60i as it is meant to have a similiar sound signature to the Grado.The  Grado are very highly priced over here compared to the states.
 
Havnt heard any of the others so carnt help more.

 

[anoobis]

I've heard two current models that may fit your budget: Denon AH-D510 and Lindy Premium Hi-Fi.
 
To put the following into context, I've also heard the CX-300 briefly (I or II, can't remember) and I thought the bass was too emphasised.
 
The Lindy fit these criteria: bassline present without large emphasis; never harsh; neutral to warm. The bass will not obliterate the mids but if it is emphasised on the recording, it will come through. On the downside, they are smooth and you may want something 'faster' for your genres. They also creep over your budget (£75) but far as can be determined, they are very close to the Fischer Audio FA-003.
 
If you want more bass, the Denon may be better. They're not in the realm of 'megabass' but their bass signature is present on everything. That's not to say that there are no mids or highs but those can be overshadowed at times. The good news is that while they were originally around £70, I've seen them in the £30-40 range recently, so may be worth considering.