Headphone upgrade recommendations!

[SaitanMar]

Hey folks,

So I've decided to get me some new headphones, I've become an audiophile these past few years and getting the right headphones as become important to me. I've decided to think it over properly before making any purchases, trouble is I'm a little lost. Now my mind was awoken to superb sounding headphones when I bought me some Sennheiser HD215 which I absolutely adored. They lasted a while until part of them broke and things were never the same, now I also have some Sennheiser PC350's which I've been mainly using, but while they do offer great sound they always feel more orientated to offering me good quality voice chat rather then ultimate musical bliss.

So I've decided to consider buying a new pair, now as you can probably tell I'm a big fan of Sennheiser (also a fan of the Sennheiser CX300 II Precision ECO headphones). But that doesn't mean I wish to stay exclusively to buying only their products, I'm willing to consider some other brands just as long as the audio quality is as epic. Now as I said, I was a fan of the HD215's and was wondering if there as been any updated version or newer iteration of those headphones. Sennheiser have a bucketload of headphones out there alone not to mention the other types, so it's hard to really find ones I'll like.

Like to stay away from Skull Candy, tried some out a few months back and I thought they were garbage compared to others I've tried but I can't decide. I'm willing to pay up to £100 (and maybe a little over) for great sounding headphones. If I can't decide I'll probably pick up some HD215 again as I know what they will be like. But I would like to consider some other brands and other types.

Some recommendations and advice would be great! Not exactly sure what are the best brands or phones right now.

Thanks!

[SaitanMar]

Here is a few I have been interested in, the prices vary but I'm looking for opinions on them really more then anything right now. If I feel the headphones are worth it, then I probably would be willing to save up and pay it:

Sennheiser PXC 450 - NoiseGard Active Noise Canceling Headphones
These seem like the normal upgrade for me and are currently my favourite, a brand I have great trust in and although the price is a little high they look fantastic. I'm hoping to hear them at some point soon as well for clarification.

Denon AH-D7000 Review on CNET UK
Have some experience with these and they do sound amazing, but it's the price that will probably make me say no to these. For the quality of these (after all, these are probably some of the best headphones you can get) I have seen some reasonable pricing but still a little high.

Those are the two main ones, and then of course I have the HD215's which I'm still considering getting again.

[StevieDvd]

It depends on your taste in music and what equipment you will use to drive the headphones.

The Senn HD595 have been offered at around £90 recently at Amazon, these are pretty good for normal equipment. The Senn HD650 of course but you may not benefit from them unless your equipment can drive them or unless you also invest in a headphone amp.

I've just ordered a Denon D5000 as I wanted a good closed headphone too, most of mine are open, and I found a price of £360 but waiting for stock (hopefully next week).

As good as the Senn PXC450 are thy are mainly orientated as noise reduction so although they excel at that you can get better 'bang for bucks' from cheaper headphones (not inferior) even Senn equipment.

Then there is the Grado line of course.

[Drubbing]

Wireless are expensive tech in lieu of sound quality.

Grado are worth checking out, but don't expect slabs of bass, they're an open phone and sound is more natural. But you get bright punchy sound and good detail and clarity, you don't always get that with low end Senn's.

Senn floods the low end market and not all their stuff is good value. The audiophile end of the market isn't often plug n play; you need decent ancillary gear too. But those sorts of phones generally kick in around 150+ quid.

Phones worth looking into around your budget are Audio Technica AD700, Shure 440/840, Grado SR125/Alessandro MS1 just for starters. Depends on how you like your music and whether open or closed phones is your preference.