I just bought a pair of Sennheiser 600's last week for $250.00 new from hififorless!
I compared them directly to my Grado 200's (now discontined, close in sound to the hp-2's). The Sennheiser's are very sweet sounding in the top end, and are way less colored than the Grado's. On certain dynamic music, I sometimes prefer the Grado's, but I am always aware that this is a false and colored rendition of what the recording actually should sound like. Ironically, I was not aware of the Grado's shortcomings, until I purchased the 600's. The 600's are a true reference product, that at $250.00, are unbeatable for the price. (Note: The 600's also improved dynamically after about 48 hours of continuous playing)
I should also note that I owned a pair of Stax pros years ago, and miss them much more than I ever had imagined. These were $1200 headphones (at that time), that were not perfect in terms of ultimate low bass slam, and their highs could be a bit overbearing at times (this is why I eventually sold them).
Unfortuntely (and ironically) , neither the Grados or the Sennhesiers are as ultimately enjoyable to me. There was something about that electrostatic midrange purity, maybe it was the speed, that I really, really miss (regardless of the other pitfalls).
Good luck on finding the best headphone.
I compared them directly to my Grado 200's (now discontined, close in sound to the hp-2's). The Sennheiser's are very sweet sounding in the top end, and are way less colored than the Grado's. On certain dynamic music, I sometimes prefer the Grado's, but I am always aware that this is a false and colored rendition of what the recording actually should sound like. Ironically, I was not aware of the Grado's shortcomings, until I purchased the 600's. The 600's are a true reference product, that at $250.00, are unbeatable for the price. (Note: The 600's also improved dynamically after about 48 hours of continuous playing)
I should also note that I owned a pair of Stax pros years ago, and miss them much more than I ever had imagined. These were $1200 headphones (at that time), that were not perfect in terms of ultimate low bass slam, and their highs could be a bit overbearing at times (this is why I eventually sold them).
Unfortuntely (and ironically) , neither the Grados or the Sennhesiers are as ultimately enjoyable to me. There was something about that electrostatic midrange purity, maybe it was the speed, that I really, really miss (regardless of the other pitfalls).
Good luck on finding the best headphone.