Grado - GS1000i

I've tried for years to like the HD600s including forcing myself to listen only to them and nothing else for a month. Still no go. I liked the HD800s just fine. But I love Grados. I have the RS1i, RS1x, 325x and original GS1000s. I like them all better than either of the Sennheisers.

I experimented with a few studio monitor headphones. Had some cheap Grado's that weren't good for anything, tried Sony 7506's which are good for vocals but not good for guitars, had some ATH-M50's that I liked for everything from vocals to guitar to music enjoyment, but then I got a DT 990 Pro and use that for everything they are open back headphones, so there's more sound leakage than a closed back headphone, but if that's not a concern then I'd recommend the DT 990's > can only get them to sound good with bass response if I physically hold the earpieces over my ears So the thing here is with "studio monitor headphones" we're aiming for flat and neutral, not bass boosted like you'd find on the 'music enjoyment' side of consumer headphones (Apple, Bose, Beats). With dialing in tones you need to hear where there's problems like lacking in frequencies or too much at that frequency. If the headphones are pumping the bass for excitement then your guitar tones won't translate well to other headphones/speakers.

i really can recommend my ie600 for this record, enjoying it with my Grados and Maxwell as well.

The headband on Grados are made from thin metal inside the faux leather exterior and you can bend it out of shape really easily to make it as tight or loose as you like. Mine pretty much sit over my ears and don't squeeze at all.

went from Grados to HD6xx and to this day I wanna return to my grados but can't find someone local to fix my grattle issue.

That’s why you need AT LEAST 10 sets of headphones! The only over/on eras I can wear individually are my 25 year old Grados. The only thing that prevents me from gluing AirPods Pro permanently to my head is battery life.

I have some budget headphones, grado open back and m-audio closed back. I love the grados for almost everything (especially vocals!) and find them non fatiguing and super lightweight so easy to wear for a long time. But, I often want more bass and/or privacy so then I'll pull out the closed back. OP, why not get one of each and still stay in your budget?

I'm a big fan of Sony. The WF 500 earbuds are a very solid budget option, have used mine constantly for well over 3 years and still hold a charge well. And the 1000 xm5 are great over ear noise cancelling headphones that have decent aftermarket support, like cooling ear pads. I love my Grado open back headphones too, but theyre more for dedicated stereo music listening, and don't think they offer anything Bluetooth anyway.

For rock music, there is nothing else like grado, try to find a secondhand one to fit your budget better, but you really need to try it on your own at least once before buying anything else. It's open back, which mean it will leak sound everywhere and much more suitable for home usage. It also doesn't sound that good for most other genre, but man they do the meanest guitar shred I've ever heard