I ordered a pare of http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMAN-HE-400-Planar-Efficiency-Headphones/dp/B007ZG32I4 these a day ago. My second option was a grado, except it seems that one supposedly causes discomfort over prolonged periods of listening. I'm lucky. I know a guy through my brother who supposedly has tested many headphones through the 20 day return policy through amazon. My headphones didn't come cheap obviously. Listening to metal has got to be more important that owning metal though, which is what I probably would have spent the money on anyways

I highly recommend this guide here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootou ... d-12-02-12

Thorough reviews of various headphones, complete with pictures and specs, arranged by price range, rated on build quality, comfort, isolation, sound (of course) and overall value for the money. The fellow who put this together appears to be a fan of metal, prog rock and such based on his profile and so makes him all the more relevant a source.

For the record I'm using these, the AKG K518 LE's, which have very good sound and isolation (I got mine for ten dollars less than the current Amazon price) but for me are too snug a fit and can be uncomfortable wearing them after an hour or so. Not enough to be a deal breaker but just be warned (this is a complaint I've seen from other people too, including that very head-fi link above). Supposedly you can stretch the headband out a bit by resting some books or other heavy objects on it for a while but I haven't tried that yet.

I've been looking into V-Moda's Crossfade line for general everyday use...they seem pretty tough and more versatile sound wise than Beats or whatever. Anybody here ever tried them?

Sennheisers are VERY bad for metal. Metal records usually is recorded with emphasis on the higher-pitched sounds, and therefore you will need some bass-heavy headphones to balance it out.
Sennheisers are, whether you like it or not, quite highpitched. They are technically made for electronic music, bass-heavy orchestral music, and maybe jazz if you have the higher-end ones.

I would suggest Denon for listening to metal. I personally own the Denon AH-D2000's with a Creek OBH-21SE amp, and it sounds great for metal, because they are bass-heavy, with a soft treble and a huge soundstage (they sound almost like a real stereo).

That setup costs 2000 USD with a good CD-player, so it might be too much for some.
The AH-D510's are perfect for the price. They cost only around 100 bucks, and they are 100x better than any consumergrade computer-headset, trust me.

Just keep away from Beasts by Dr. Dredge, and Böse. They are severely overpriced - even the top-end from those brands can't compare with 200-300 dollar headphones from other brands.

I just picked up a set of AKG K44s at Guitar Center for $44.99. Not the loudest, but they sound great. Nice sound field, good bass, good high end. Well worth the $.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/AKG-K-44-He ... 1469833.gc

So, hifiman he-400 are the headphones I ordered, and the DAC I ordered arrived today. I was trying them out for the first time today. I was expecting a sort of dramatic difference in sound compared to the Logitech G35 headphones (http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-7-1-Chan ... gitech+g35). However, It was difficult to notice a difference. And at the price of 400 dollars, plus 100 dollars for a DAC for the hifiman he-40, I'm not sure if it's really worth it. I'm totally on the edge about if I should keep these headphones or not.

What kind of difference do people notice in their headphones when they have upgraded to higher quality equipment? Apparently it's all preference. Can anyone testify to the purposefulness of high end gear, such as the stuff I just invested in?

I was thinking, maybe high end headphones aren't for me. I discovered that perhaps with metal the music isn't made with quality sounding production. Headphones like these he400s I just got could actually make the music sound worse than my old beater headphones because they make flaws in production stand out. That being said, I'm questioning whether or not high end headphones are for me in the first place.

Has anyone in Europe gotten the chance to use Lemmy's Motörheadphönes? Are they actually good for metal or are we bettter off sticking to our Grados and Shures?

The best from the cheap ones are the JTS HP-535. They're basically a clone of the Sennheiser HD-280 (I like plain response in headphones, that shit of ultra bass and stuff is for gangstas who like to hear only the beats).

I returned my hifiman he-400 headphones, DAC and amp for a refund. I realized that the headphones make low quality music sound worse, because it makes faults in the recording stand out. It actually hurt my ears when there were high pitch frequencies.

I also learned from visiting headfi.com that so called 'audiophiles' care more about production and sound quality than they do about music. That, and the fact that the headphones I bought sounded worse than my old ones was my incentive for my decision.

I feel like I couldn't have made a better decision. My old headphones never sounded so good, and that's the last time I fuck around with new headphones. The difference in quality past 100 dollars is more than likely a placebo.

Reviving this thread for a more specific question:

My left in-ear just stopped working so I need new ones. I'll pay up to maybe 60 € (or $ 80) because I figure I can expect them to break after a few years of keeping them in my pocket. I listen to all kinds of metal, hardcore punk, classic rock, ambient and classical music.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

Klipsch S4. Balanced sound for ear-buds, great fitting and isolation, after using many Sony, Sennheiser and AKG
models found these and been using them for about 2 years(third pair going). Only bad thing is that sound quality is degrading over time, maybe because of crap getting inside or something like that.

For home listening/gaming i have AKG K 272 HD, good price/quality, i can wear these for whole day without any discomfort, very natural sound without usual pronounced loudness. Much better than Beyerdynamics DT880's i used to have, which my buddy broke by sitting on them while we were drinking and listening metal.

Those AKG's look amazing. I currently have a different model of AKG's that has sound leakage and doesn't exactly isolate sound very well but damn the sound quality is great.

I use Zebronics Brio with both my cellphone and laptop. I have the one in military blue. Surprisingly good for 10$. Powerful bass and it has active noise cancellation, so great for outdoors.

AKH K121

Are great haedphones, I am using them in my studio and For the price I am imprest

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k121_studio.htm
But they are 85 $

If the price is to much then check ot some other headphones on their website

Just dont go with T-bone they are great for drumers for recording but for just listening or recording uitar/vocals/ bass they hurt your head

2nd try: Can anyone recommend some good in-ear-phones up to $80 ?

I really need them for public transit.

^ Sennheiser MX470

sehr gut

They look not like the usual in-ears. Are they comfortable?

When the larger rubber pads supplied are used they're very comfortable.
I don't use the usual foam ones as they make the sound very poor, and don't sit in the ear so well.

I have tried many brands, and for me these are unbeatable.

I ordered Denon AH-C360 because they were only 20 bucks
If the sound sucks I'll just return them, but reviews are pretty positive and if they break after the warranty runs out it's no big loss.

I found a pair of Panasonics that have monitor quality but with more kick than my sennhiesers had. We've been soul mates ever since.

I'm looking for a pare of headphones for metal. I made a thread on headfi, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me which one of these suggestions is best http://www.head-fi.org/t/661676/portabl ... headphones

Please and thanks.

Look no further and get the 550's, you won't regret it

Marshall Major is highly compatible with heavy metal. My first taste was listening to it with Asphyx's "Last One On Earth".
The Motorhead headphones may seem gimmick, but it actually sound good, not better than Marshall imo, but it sure creates quite a "live performance" atmosphere.

I just looked into the Marshall headphones, had no idea that such a thing existed but those are bad ass! I've got a boner for the Monitor ones, I think I might have to buy em...

I just got a pair of "Trigger" In-Ears. They were only 30 bucks. To me they seem like a quality product in every regard, and the sound is pretty good too. It's hard to find earphones these days that have qualities other than "bass", but these were obviously made with metal/hard rock sensibilities in mind. Big recommendation.