I don’t think you need to expand the budget at this juncture. Rectilinear XI are a contender if you want bookshelf.
Maggies would be a top recommendation, but your room might be a bit small and I’d need a dealer to try to validate otherwise.
I think it’s okay to use your non-USA made gear to the extent you already own them. Maybe consider a $1k Decware tube amp or a turntable / CD player as conversation pieces with your budget?
The hard parts are deciding how to handle wires. I am pretty sure the office is big enough for the Maggie .7. I talked to a helpful person at Underwood, and I very much like the fact that they don’t look like speakers. Once everything is placed, I could look for some wire guides, cable concealer, baseboard type solution. Or I could run things up to the drop ceiling, but that might be goofy. Because I’d still have to get to the floorstanding speaker.
I have a back file section that I could place bookshelf speakers on, but then the sound would come from in back of me, which I don’t care for.
Hey…was looking at a pair of headphones geared towards metal for under a $1000.
I have a Schiit Modius and Jotenheim to connect them to. I have a pair of beyerdynamic DT 770 right now but want to go big on an upgrade. Thanks to the pandemic my job moved the entire IT staff to work from home so I dont need closed back anymore.
Thanks
This one. I dunno if its sold worldwide. It was the most confortable one I ever had, but wasnt enough.
Philips Shp2500
Sony MDR Z7 or Z72.
Retails for 899.99 $
I think it is awesome. The Z7 2
Has a more refined treble response, however both models are great! 
I don’t think this question can be answered effectively based on music genre. Metal has 1,000 variations and each person has different tonal preferences.
Can you clarify whether you want an overall bass, neutral, or treble emphasis? Metal tends to carry its bite or edge in the treble. But, headphones can deliver too much of a good thing. Similarly, a basshead won’t enjoy bright headphones (e.g., Beyer or Grado) with any genre. Do you want a lot of bass even if its loose and boomy, or precise bass that may not be as strong?
Similarly, do you like the punch of a dynamic driver or the more diffuse delivery of many planar models?
My now sold Audeze LCD-2 planar was the most “rock & roll” headphone I ever owned. I heard it as “V” shaped, with a lot of treble presence and good-to-strong bass. This shifted everything to resemble the bright 1980s Van Halen or Def Leppard tone. However, guttural demon-voice metal may not match its tuning.
What I listen to is usually downtuned. I listen to stoner rock, doom, death metal. I dont necessarily need it to rattle my brain just keep up with the downtuned guitars and bass.
I dont know a lot of the terms with headphones and stuff. I’ve never tried planars. I wish we had a shop that you could walk into and try stuff out. Complete noob
here is a list of songs that could help
Monolord - Empress Rising
Electric Wizard - Funeropolis
Sleep - Dopesmoker
Conan - Hawk as Weapon
That’s a great start. Do you have any headphones now? If so, which ones and what do you like or dislike about them? How will you be listening and powering them? From a phone or mobile device? Will you be moving around or in one location?
We were all noobs once. Welcome to the the headphones.com forum. We’ll help you spend your money. Wisely, we hope.
The more info we know, the better our advice can be. Beware of any answers that come from people who haven’t made an effort to find out what’s important to you and where you are now.
I’m just going to shut up and watch for a while while I hear your answers and see some of the other regulars take over responses. I’m a noob with Death Metal - we have a discussion here for it and I’m learning. I’m old, so I did see some precursors like Blue Oyster Cult when they were just starting out.
I gave 'em a listen. For others, these songs brought to mind Tool and Pantera – atmospheric and slower heavy dirges. I’m hearing a lot in the mid and low range, but not much high frequency content (treble). For this I don’t think you’d want a bass-focused headphone (e.g., Beats), for all the details would likely get lost.
Beyond that, your personal hearing sensitivity plays a large role. If you’ve listened to a lot of live music or been exposed to loud noises, you may prefer a bright tone. Sennheiser, Koss, and Focal are good examples of middle-of-the-pack tuning that’s not too bassy or too bright. As I mentioned above, Beyer and Grado are brighter and would capture the highlights.
The original Focal Clear is currently on closeout around $1,000 on Headphones.com, and a neutral-to-bright standard. The new Clear MG is $1,500.
Focal Elex or original Clear, or Audeze LCD-2 Fazor. I listen to bands like Haken, Mors Principium Est and Nevermore, and all sound great on the Focals; jazz, EDM and synthwave sound great too. The dynamic driver Focals have better bass slam and texture, but the planar Audeze maintains better composure during busy guitar passages and won’t have too much upper mids bite.
As you know, metal isn’t the best recorded genre, so be aware that a good headphone won’t mask recording flaws. If metal is your primary, try to find something with a natural bass rise, or at least a headphone that can handle a bass shelf added via PEQ. Stay away from overly bright headphones.
I just flipped through some of this to get an idea for the music.
To me, this is music that needs a controlled, articulate and present bass presentation.
Have you considered iems? I have found it easier to get articulate and somewhat elevated bass in various iem models.
I am an “impact head” which essentially means I want to feel bass, but I don’t really want it to be excessively elevated.
For me, I would want closed backs or iems that have some bass impact listening to this. How much bass vs other preferences will guide you where to go.
Basically, if you want bass to be felt, go closed back dynamic. If you want absolutely astounding clarity in bass, but little impact, go open back planar. These are generalizations and there are exceptions.
I would make specific recommendations, but, I would like to hear more about what you want.
Any other uses? Gaming? Movies? Anything you don’t like and want to improve about the 770?
I had a pair of beyerdynamic DT 770 that I used with a magni/modi when I was in the incredibly noisy office. Now I bought a Schiit Jotenheim and Modius recently. The DT770s are decent but instead of buying another guitar I dont need I’d figure getting a big upgrade with my headphones.
I think that the idea of the Focal is probably pretty good. I don’t have experience with that headphone myself. It’s enlightening that you have the Jot and Modius, and that you have experience with the Beyer.
I can’t find the interior pad dimensions for those, so I don’t know which would be larger or not.
I bought the Jot and Modius from my buddy who upgraded. He went to a crazy tube setup.
I am running Primephonic → Bifrost 2 → JotR → SR1a with convolution filters. I am almost exclusively interested in classical music, opera, etc.
I really love the SR1a’s. The question is what to spend on next to improve them. I’ve tried the HSA1-b, and while I did notice some small differences, noticeably in the bass, a $4k premium vs JotR seemed too rich. (I am, however, a neophyte and only had limited time to compare the amps.) Also, I couldn’t hear any improvements with the silver cables.
Where, then, should I put my money? Am I likely to get a better bang for my buck upgrading my DAC (Holo May, Hugo TT2, or the Dave) or switching to the interface box and an amp? I see, for instance, that @Torq likes the Chord Ultima V, which admittedly would be a major expense.
Also, a stray question, I see lots of people have racks for their DACs and amps. Is that recommended for SQ vs stacking the schitt?
I suggest a listening chair. We have whole threads about listening chairs. While I prefer a heated, massaging recliner (Catnapper), some of the real TOTL folks are partial to Herman Miller. For a classical setup, consider a vintage Kittinger tea table and perhaps some Hepplewhite or even Regency chairs by Biggs. Perhaps a bit upright, but then, so is the music.
It sounds like you’ve got some nice synergy with your gear, so remember that you do have the option of not buying anything else. 
Seriously, as someone who’s stopped upgrading (at least since March), I have to tell you how much fun it has been to sit back and relax, listening to music instead of trying to hear miniscule differences between pieces of equipment. But I don’t have a proper listening chair, so @pennstac has rekindled the upgrade fever in me.
Since your system is so well balanced, the problem with upgrading is that you may have to buy both a new DAC and a new amp to really hear any major benefits. If you only upgrade to a better DAC, you may find the JotR isn’t revealing enough to expose all the benefits of the DAC. If you upgrade the amp first, you may find the BF2 isn’t quite good enough. I’ve never heard a JotR, but I’m basing this on my own experience of upgrading from BF2 to Yggy and from various other amps to Nautilus, and it wasn’t until I had both that my system made a huge leap in SQ, at which point I decided to be content with what I have.
Regarding your question about a rack, I have one primarily for airflow, to keep my stuff cool.
I personally prefer to put extra cash into triple tax free muni bonds, lest the money burn a hole in my pocket. Alternatively, I believe that physical gold discourages spending and will always retain some value.*
*Opinions only, I am not a licensed or registered financial advisor.
Yep!
