Find yourself some AKG K1000 phones, they were supposed to be incredibly nice. Unfortunately, they're discontinued and only findable on ebay and stuff. Sennheiser's higher-end headphones are all nice, but they have a very laid-back type of sound, with not very much punch or aggressiveness, and a very large soundstage. If you want headphones that you can keep on for LONG periods of time with no fatigue, Sennheisers are good for that; they are comfortable, and the sound is very soothing. They're very good with classical music, as well. The HD650 is very nice, but needs an amp. Grados are almost the opposite of Sennheiser; they have a very small soundstage, giving the impression of being on stage with whoever is performing. Their sound is a bit more aggressive, with emphasis on attack. They have very retro styling, with crazy wooden housings. Grados are nice for rock and other "loud" music. Their pads are also a but less comfortable than Sennheiser's, and the two types [flat and bowl] can have pretty big effects on the sound. Some people swear by flat pads, saying that they give Grado a distinct sound. The best Grado is the GS1000, which is representative of its $999 MSRP. With Grado, the higher the number is the better the headphone is; I've heard good things about all of their phones, and if you like Grado style [both visually/sound-wise] then you can't really go wrong. I believe Alessandros are designed by Grado as well. AKG's headphones are somewhat bassier than both Sennheisers and Grados, and I've seen the K701 recommended as a trance/techno headphone. AKGs are very precise and detailed, and good with vocals. Their K1000 was a revolutionary headphone, but was discontinued very soon after introduction. Do some research and you'll see why; nothing like the K1000 had ever been made before, and afaik nothing has since then. The K701 is a competitor with the Sennheiser HD650. Denon is even bassier than AKG; you can't go wrong with the D2000 or D5000, with the D5000 being slightly better according to what I've heard. Basically, each brand and model has its distinct characteristics; you would be best to go somewhere and try out each phone side by side, to see what you like best. You should also know that the sound of a headphone is strongly influenced by both the source and the amp; a lot of higher-end headphones absolutely require amps to produce good sound, since most DAPs and soundcards can't handle their high impedance. Headphone mods can also significantly change their sound, just from things as little as getting new pads, new cups, or putting the driver another 5mm farther away from the ear. A place to get some more information and recommendations would be Head-Fi, but remember that their slogan is "welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet!" http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/
Not quite; There's the plastic ones (igrado to sr225), metal ones (325i, ps1, hp1000), and the wooden ones (rs2, rs1, gs1000), in addition to the Alessandro ms1/2/pro. The best grado is widely thought of as the HP1000, which commands >1500. PS1 is pretty highly thought of also. Again, not quite; AKG's aren't too bassy. The K701 has precise bass with next to no impact. Also makes everything sound airy, and shrilly highs. I really don't like it. The K1000 wasn't discontinued very soon after introduction; 2002 to 2006, iirc. I wouldn't say the K701 is a competitor to the HD650, maybe the 580. Pretty much true; Tons and tons of bass, reasonably well controlled and precise, but the D5000 is almost the same as the D2000, except with a better cable, and wooden cups.
