Help in choosing headphones

According to my opinion, Sennheiser's headphones are always the best, both as high end as in ear. I used the MX 440, the CX 330 and now I purchased the IE 60. I have also Phonak Audéo PFE 012. These need an amplifier and have not a crystalline sound as Sennheiser. In the site of the German label you can find headphones for any price.

Best,

                                                 davide

I've been quite pleased with the Stax Classic system 3170, which comprises of a separate amplifier and headphones (or "earspeakers" as Stax likes to call them). In my setup the amplifier is connected to a Linn SneakyDS streamer which is my primary source for 2 channel music listening.

If you can find a Stax dealer in your area, I would encourage you to audit their range of headphones.

Personally, I think doing anything outdoors wearing isolating headphones is asking for trouble, but it's your life. I agree with Naupilus that Headroom's advice and recommendations are generally very reliable. 

I own about a dozen headphones, five used regularly for different purposes. To my ears Grado makes the best, i.e. most accurate and uncoloured, headphones for home use. I own a pair of RS1s for sit-down, home listening, and switch to a pair of Sennheiser PX100s if I'm moving around indoors, doing odd jobs. Travelling I take a pair of Etymotics, my only isolating phones. They're great on planes, light, keep out much of the cabin noise and save you having to listen to the life stories of boring people. But you need an amp to drive them. I carry a Headroom Airhead which is the size of a cigarette carton, runs for ever off 4 AAA batteries.

Outdoors I listen to either Koss KSC75s or Sony MDR W08Ls, both secure enough to stay on while skiing, walking or kayaking, both allow enough ambient noise that I don't end up under a bus, bear or ferryboat. They're cheap like borscht but give incredible sound for the price and if you lose or break them you're not heartbroken.

Cycling, I never wear phones and shake my head at those who do.

Short summary, can't go wrong with Sennheiser Hd 600's.

I find my Grados, 325 is, can get caught out on some recordings by their exaggerated treble, which is confirmed in FR plots on Headroom etc. Listen to applause, it sounds like static, often, and the exaggerated overtones can turn bass singers into bass-baritones etc, only on some recordings, superb on others.

I have a couple of headphone amps, but for opera blu-rays/DVD's, for which I must use headphones, because it is often in the early hours, I just use a Pioneer or Denon receiver depending which room + TV I am using.

The Senn Hd 600 is good on everything.  The Hd800 is superb, make that stunning, on most, but harsh on some, on the Pioneer,maybe slighty trebly even at its best. It is very patchy on the Denon, terrific on some recordings but hard toned with too little treble on others.  The Hd 650 is excellent on nearly everything, but can sound veiled on a few recordings, unless on a low impedance ( headphone amp ) outlet.

I cannot be bothered with the head amps for TV( blu-rays ), I like the remote volume control of the receivers. Can wire the amp to the receiver and use the remote, but not worth the hassle, have done so in the past but use the amps elsewhere.

The AKG 702 is usually excellent,stunning even, on the Denon, but if there is a problem with the recording quality, these, and of course the Hd 800 will let you know in a hurry.

The Hd 800 on a good headphone amp, is nirvana. Most of my listening is actually on the Hd 800 on the Pioneer receiver however, and very enjoyable 80 % of the time.