I need a list of closed back headphones to try for heavy music.

Well, if you want heavy you should listen to the latest Beats. Ya folks, hold your negative comments, the Beats are hardly a balanced sound but they do hit clean and the OP did ask for HEAVY. There is also a Skullcandy "Crusher" set with an extra transducer that seems to vibrate your head, felt a bit like a Bass Shaker strapped on. Accurate? Well not really-but FUN, yeah, rather.

Or OP, if you have like a spare $100k or so, I'll move in to your place and whack you with a big lead filled sock in time to the beat of the music...

OR you could just strap a small subwoofer to your head, giving new meaning to "near field"

 

I forgot to add that these headphones can be had for a hair over $100, and they're pretty much indestructible.
If you don't like them, it's not like you spent $300+.

Give them a chance! I played LZII (MFSL vinyl) thru them just now and was very pleased.

 

Lead filled sock? Yikes! I just want something that will isolate me from background noises (besides the ones in my head) and maybe do a better job at reproducing intense metal than my HD600's.
Tonight was a blast, wife is out and home alone, played Probot, Testament, Shadows Fall, and finished up with some Tool. Loud as hell too! Not with headphones though. Damn that was fun... Who knew Harbeth's could kill it?
Um, yeah, in the market for a small subwoofer now. LOL
Now that I think of it, I have Polk speakers in my garage Another fun place to kick out the jams, at least I'm always alone out there

 

Crazy basshead people have actually made vests that have actuators in them that vibrate to the bass in the music. You plug in your headphones, plug in your vest, and enjoy the feel of bass while listening to headphones. A vest like that would be cheaper than hiring head_unit to hit you with a lead filled sock.

There are also Bass Shaker (and similar devices) that you can attach to your headphone listening chair to be able to feel the bass.

 

I had some of those NAD HP-50. I agree they sound exquisite, I had to send mine back though as they gave me a headache. They just fit too tightly. I might have a fat head though, so please try them out, just make sure they are comfy for you.

 

My go to set is the Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs. Comfy as hell and sound great. They are planar magnetic instead of dynamic like most. Check them out. I think they are a little under $300. He has some higher priced set ups, too, but $300 was my limit.

 

I also had the Denon AH-D600 which fit way to loose, had extremely bloated and sloppy bass and mid phantom mids...Gilmour's guitar disappeared in middle of Comfortably Numb. Avoid.

 

liking my AKG k550 still after a few years

 

X2 for the Fostex TH-X00, I just got my pair today and they are really amazing with Metal music.

 

I found a cool site called innerfidelity.com and spent a couple hours reading reviews and watching his videos, then I went and listened to V-Moda M-100 headphones and I did not care for all that bass after all. I gotta admit I never like bass heavy speaker rigs so it might just be me, as soon as the bass sounds out of proportion I don't like it, even live it is my least favorite part of the sound spectrum. It got me thinking that metal is usually mastered with the bass and drums very present in the mix anyway. And the high end sizzle from the cymbals and distorted guitars can be really tiring on a lot of metal if it is too forward in the mix. Harbeth speakers are not generally considered good for metal but they actually sound great playing loud heavy music and you can still hear every detail if you want, plus you can play for hours on end and it doesn't get tiring. Then I started to really think about what was most important in this purchase, ultimate sound or isolation? I decided isolation and so I only want to consider closed back phones. And I decided that when I reach for these closed back phones to listen without being bothered by background noise I might want to listen to just about anything depending on my mood. So I ordered a pair of new NAD HP-50's for 225 shipped which was about 1/2 my budget. If I like them then I can see about replacing my HD-600's with a kick butt pair of open back phones like the Fostex or others mentioned, somewhere down the line. If I get those open back cans now I will still have the problem of the damn TV noise in the background all the time. LOL I always liked the sound of open phones better for most listening so why spend a ton on closed back?
I'll let you know how I like them now that the deed is done (and I got the Christmas present I really want)! My next thread start will probably be for a set of phones for heavy metal period. A few of the ones listed here may do the trick.

 

You may want to check out German Maestro GMP 8.35D. They are not particularly exaggerated in the bass but are plenty punchy when the music calls for it. Any time someone is looking for a pair of closed cans -- on any budget -- I can't help myself but recommend at least giving these a listen.

Virtually an uknown brand in US. I generally prefer speakers to headphones for listening at home but enjoy occasional listen on headphones, too. I do use heaphones for work all the time, however. I've had all sorts of headphones and headphone amps over the years as a result, so have a reasonable frame of reference. I find these unpretentious-looking headphones to be rather amazing. For the sake of comparison, I'll give my take on them against the DT770Pro, as they are in the same price range and because I used the Dt770Pro for years and also know them very well.

8.35D are accurate without being harsh and have VERY clean mids -- in contrast to the 250Ohm DT770Pro. They isolate better. They are very easy to drive, are unbelievably rugged and fairly compact -- all this makes them a great headphone for portable use and location recording as well. All these qualities together are normally found in headphones that are not necessarily best to listen to casually for enjoyment but here is the amazing thing about these: they are fantastic to just listen to music on as well. Accurate without being clinical. If there ever was a do-all headphone, these are the closest I have seen.

Don't know if these would work for you but they may be well worth checking out. Especially for $250 they are a small miracle, in my opinion.

 

It is amazing to read reviews of headphones. They are just all over the place. Pick any headphone and you can go from people loving or hating the looks, comfort, or sound.

 

That is so true. Part of that is due to people having different sonic preferences. Part is due to people having different levels of experience and expectations with headphones. It's difficult and largely futile to try to pick a headphone based on reviews. The best way to make a decision is to listen for yourself. Sometimes that means jumping and buying a headphone that you think may work out but aren't sure. Buy it to try it. Which is what you did with the NAD HP-50 choice. Sometimes that's the only way to find out if the headphone will work for you or not.

 

Yup, for sure. I am taking a chance but the reviewer ticked all the boxes for me to think I may like them. Going to find out soon enough.

 

Best headphones I have ever had are my AKG K550s and I listen to a loooooooooooot of heavy music. You will hear a lot of complaints about missing bass but upon listening you will realize that the bass is where it should be, where the artist intended it to be. I don't like headphones that over accentuate the bass so the K550s are good for me.

 

Got the NAD VISO HP50 today and just having a listen. I think I am going to be happy with these, they sound fantastic! Comfortable but a little warmer and slightly less comfy than the HD600's. Two hours and no fatigue or discomfort FWIW I have a medium size head and ears. My Creek OBH21SE headphone amp has two outputs so A/B'ing was very easy. The NAD's just sound "fatter", instruments have more body, but detail's are not obviously missing. The HD600 just don't do the wall of sound thing, they are more analytical and lean sounding than the NAD, very open sounding though. But I immediately started missing the rumble of the bass or kick drum when switching back to the HD600's. Listening to Mudvayne or 3's excellent Wake Pig CD there is no contest. The NAD's hit harder. Again, everything in the mix is present in equal measure too. There is a great 12 string acoustic piece on the 3 CD. Really intense! Well, the sound was more satisfying and definitely more lifelike through the NAD's. I play guitar and really notice the lack of guitar "body" through the HD600's. It was all string and fret. But the NAD's sounded fine. I put on 10cc's Soundtrack LP just for fun and while I could revel in the HD600's beautiful and spacious presentation the NAD were still a little warmer and fuller sounding, if a bit less "hi fi". For isolation obviously there is no contest. The worst thing about the NAD is the supplied cord is a joke, maybe 3' max. You have to sit with your head next to the amp! Epic fail there but I did a quick search and apparently V-Moda cords work with the NAD's. Twelve bucks for a 79" cord. So all in all I got lucky and they should only get better with some playing time. I'll let them play for a few days.

 

A different headphone amp would likely give the Senns more oomph and body than the Creek amp. The Senns are capable of doing guitar body sound with a suitable amp.

 

I should add that acoustic guitar songs are one of the tests I use when auditioning an amp with the HD600 or HD650. Acoustic guitar sound is a tough one to get right for the Senns. If the amp doesn't have enough oomph, the right style of oomph, and enough body in the sound the acoustic guitar will not sound right. One artifact with under powered amps or amps with the wrong style of oomph is that steel strings will end up sounding a bit like nylon strings. You lose the pluck and attack of steel strings. That can happen with some OTL tube amps and with under powered solid state amps. Tube amps with transformers tend to do better on the acoustic guitar attack than OTL amps.

So if you do go amp shopping sometime in the future for the HD600, bring along a selection of acoustic guitar tracks to demo the amp with. If the amp gets the HD600 to do acoustic guitar well then a lot of other things will also fall into place.

That's a drawback for the Senns. They do need a good suitable amp to get them to sound good.

If you don't want to go amp chasing for the Senns, then look at other headphones that are easier to drive. Your NAD HP50 and headphones like the Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 would be examples of easier to drive headphones. The Massdrop Fostex are able to do acoustic guitar body. They do it a little too well. They actually add a little bit of coloration in the sound that sort of enhances the guitar body sound.

 

Cool. Component matching is always a big part of the sound and I was always a little perplexed at why those HD600's didn't sound better given their popularity. My whole front end is on the cool side actually. So the NAD may just be a great match. I will still be looking out for the Fostex. BTW I just got new bluetooth cellphone devices for my wife and I on Massdrop so thanks for turning me on to that, got a great deal.

 

I tried a lot of the ones mentioned in the thread earlier this year, aside from the Fostex, and I'd personally go with the Focal Spirit Pro over the NAD, but comfortable they ain't (neither of them). The AKG553 did most of what the others were going for at a much lower price point, and was much more comfortable, but the Final Audio Design (FAD) Pandora Hope VI blew me away in terms of detail, and are just at/over your price limit. They're now called Sonorous instead of Pandora, but you can still get the Pandora branding. FAD has a specific sound though, so I'd try them before jumping in (I did an Amazon return no problem). You can buy from japanese drop-shippers to save, or they've been on massdrop for $500 recently.

 

Actually I am finding the NAD to be quite comfortable. Only they get warm which the Senn's don't. I do shy away from on ear headphones. Anything pressing against my ears usually bugs me eventually.

 

I hear ya. The NAD's weren't totally over-ear for me, my elephant ears and all. If you're ever looking into open back, the Fidelio X2 is a great contender.

 

I guess I will have to wait for another Massdrop if I ever want a pair of those Fostex TH-X00. I just bid on pair that ended up selling for $600 plus shipping (i wasn't even close LOL) and now another pair is starting at 600 with a buy it now of 800. This hype stuff really works! But I am sure they are nice cans. I really should go to a headphone meet before I spend any more anyway

 

I wonder how the new Massdrop AKG K7XX (I think that is it) would work, looking at the description the don't seem to be targeted at audiophiles but at the price it might be fun to try. Could probably flip them pretty easily. They seem popular.

 

I think that you should wait for the next drop of the TH-X00. They are really amazing with Rock and Metal music.

I'm not a big fan of the AKG headphones with Rock music.