Headphones? Anyone?

I had Grados and just recently went with the Ultrasone HFI-2400. Totally different sound and each has its positives and negatives but I'm very happy with the Ultrasones.

Do you like the Grado sound? I have SR-225is and they get fatiguing pretty quickly for me. I find the treble and overall presentation is too forward, though not piercingly bright. I much prefer Sennheiser HD-600s. The sound is darker with more balance in the mids and lows with a deeper presentation, but very detailed as well. I used to run these with an Antique Sound Labs MG Head DT OTL Mk III and the sound was sweet and engaging.

I also recently had the Audeze LCD-2 and those were real stunners! Very refined and deep with remarkable timbre and texture. Much more pricey than the aforementioned, though. If you are looking to treat yourself the Audeze should definitely be on your list.

It seems to me with headphones that sound quality and fatigue are two big things to consider independently.

Headphones and in-ear buds in particular can easily become fatiguing, even in many cases where sound quality is technically excellent. In the case of in-ear buds, you are pretty much injecting the sound directly into your ears. Very efficient but correspondingly also potentially very fatiguing!

For this reason, I am a fan of dynamic speakers but of eletrostat headphones, like the Stax and a few others. The dynamics of eletrostat drivers tend to be less fatiguing in general when done well. Much better suited for direct exposure to the ear IMHO in terms of low listening fatigue and longer listening sessions.

For under $150 you can get a pair of AKG 400's. These are smooth, Austrian made cans that give excellent dialogue response. I use them for both music and late night movies. They come with an extra cord and 1/8" and 1/4" gold connectors.

I'm listening to Jethro Tull "Benefit" on some audio-technica ATH-A700s I picked up used locally on Craig's List as I write. I have enjoyed them to compare with my KRK KNS 8400s. Both are pretty nice sounding, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. But now I feel it is time for something a little different or maybe less mainstream.
Perhaps modified Grado sound from Alessandro. Or the German Maestro GMP 8.35d? Or the Mad Dog modified Fostex orthodynamic phones seem very intriguing.
Then what about tube rolling for my Little Dot...
This has definitely been worth the effort, enjoying phones for the first time in many years. Music hobby while sitting at my desk.