If not stax, then the grado stylized take, with the RS woodies being the sweet spot. The HD800 would be up there, but it's prone to tripping up in the upper registers.

I think we should start a petition here for Senn to bring back a 'stat.
I should make a dedicated website for it.

I would rob the red cross to fund it. Two versions: new orpheus in classic hd598-type bling for the statement and a sane-priced version done up all techno-fantastic a la 800.

Man, I wish you could hear some Yamahas.  I often think they are (in many ways) like a Grado done right. 

X2!

Noting that there are quite a few pairs of top-end cans I have yet to try:

009
4070
LCD-2 r1 (but this is probably because they made vocals sound more syrupy with their particular FR)
HD-800 (obvious caveats apply)
R10

I felt the senn650's had sweet vocals and midrange. About the nicest I've heard but the phone didn't do much else right for the music I listen to unfortunately. I've been trying to mod grados/magnums/koss to get that midrange, with moderate success.....I see alot of you mention orthos with nice mids. But from the few i've heard, they suffer similar as the senns, in that they do mids nice but not much else. But I've never heard the higher end orthos though. Do they have that same thick/dark ortho sound of the less prices ones?

whose RD?