Headphone upgrade for $500

[_thelaughingman]

Hey all,

I have the urge to splurge for an end all headphone at $500 or below price range. I currently own the Hifiman He400se and Sennheiser HD560s. Both are great headphones and I got them to mod and tinker with. The end all headphones are solely for purpose of listening with my desktop setup of Schiit Modi+SMSLHO100. Aside from Hifiman offerings of Sundara or Arya, what else is there that would be an upgrade worth splurging on. Obviously I prefer open backs more than closed backs.
Thanks

 

[usersky]

EQ HD560, keep the money and have a drink listening to it and reading ASR!

 

[Dunring]

I've had the whole Hifiman line up to the Arya, and now I'm here listening to the HE5XX I got for $90 on eBay and really happy to use it for a daily driver. The Arya isn't worth the money. The Sundara has a tight clamp, if you have have any larger than normal head it's going to be a squeeze. The Ananda would be a great choice, and you have the power for it (the Arya takes 2 watts into 32 ohm and recommend a balanced DAC for it to sound good since you need headroom to equalize). Can't go wrong if you find an HE5xx in the $100-$120 range. The Ananda under $400 would be a win also.