[jpscool4u]

I am in the market for full-size headphones. They will be mainly used at home, but also sometimes portable, with an iPod Classic, and I will buy a portable amp to go with it.

I have limited my choices down to the following, but i need help figuring out which one would be best for me. I have written the lowest prices i could find (new) in parentheses, if you've seen it for less, please let me know

Sennheiser HD 650 ($280)
Sennheiser HD 600 ($250)
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro ('03) ($260)
Beyerdynamic DT 880 New ('05) ($206)
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro ('03) ($200)
Beyerdynamic DT 990 New ('05) ($270)
Denon AH-D2000 ($200)
AKG K701 ($263) (or the K702 when it's released)
Grado SR325i ($288)

So basically, i've found them all new on websites for less than $300. I was surprised by some of the pricing (the 990's being so much more than the 990 Pro's, yet the 880's were considerably less than the 880 Pro's)

Ok, so here is my criteria for the headphones.
I will be mainly listening to them at home, plugged into a 24/96 sound card (Creative X-Fi Expresscard), with mainly FLAC music, and some MP3 (mostly V0/32), and if necessary, for some of them with high impedance, I can use my powered speakers/monitors as a pre-amp/amp (M-Audio AV30's). I actually have no idea whether they would do a good job of that, since they're not really designed for use as a headphone amp.

I will also sometimes be using these portable. I don't mind wearing huge headphones on-the-go, and to those who say "full-size requires full-size amp", is that really true? Will i really not be able to power them (specifically the higher impedance ones like the HD 650's etc.) with a decent portable amp?

Speaking of amp, what would be the best portable amp, less than $150 (preferably less than $100 if possible) about the size of an iPod Classic? I want to be able to strap them back to back (the amp and the ipod). (And no, I can't build myself a Mini^3 or a cmoy) I don't mind going on ebay for the amp, or buying off the forums, as long as my purchase would be reliable (can they break or have problems easily, where I would need a warranty?) After searching for a while, the 2 that I like a little are the iBasso D2, and the Practical Devices XM4. Which is better for me? And are there any other good ones for my price range?

What about a DAC? (For portable, or at home use) Are they necessary? I know it means digital-to-analog converter, but I'm not really sure why it is, or whether it is necessary. Why can't it stay digital? Does a DAC take a FLAC CD rip and make it sound more like vinyl or something? I don't really get it. I think it has something to do with just changing digital sound into line-level, but i'm not really sure what that means/what that does, and don't most sound cards (at least the good ones) do that themselves? I know a DAC is part of some desktop amps, but i don't know whether they're in any portable amps, and if they are, those are probably way out of my price range.

Also, i don't have the slightest idea why these 6 inch interconnect cables used to connect ipods to amps, whether they're mini-to-mini, or LOD (dock-to-mini), cost $50! Is it a high quality cable? Or is it because they have stitching on them to make them flexible? If would figure they should cost 5 or 10.... seems kinda outrageous to charge $50 on a little cable - they aren't cardas's or anything!

So as for my music taste - i only listen to music since 1960. So no classical music for me. Most of my library is rock, with some other genre's mixed in (pop, reggae, a little hip hop) with bands ranging from 60's (Beatles, etc.) to 70's and 80's (let's see - The Who, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Foreigner, Journey, The Clash, Queen, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Don Mclean, Dire Straits, The Eagles, U2, Bob Marley etc.), to newer stuff (Red Hot Chili Peppers, White Stripes, Raconteurs, Linkin Park, All-American Rejects, Black-Eyed Peas, The Offspring, Coldplay etc.)

I like a good thump in my bass - as in heaviness. I like to "feel" my music. I own the Shure SE530's (E500), and i like the bass response in those, but I know that with full-size cans, I can expect a lot more "oomph". I want a big "oomph". I know that the HD 650's are considered to have the strongest bass, but there may be a problem with the whole portable-amp issue. I need that cleared up. (whether it'll be loud enough at all - i don't need "full-potential" as people say, as long as it still sounds heavenly. I have seen many people here reccommend the HD 600's for the sole reason that the 650's are just too hard to power, but I have also heard that the 600's are nothing compared to the 650's in sound quality. If the 650's with a portable amp sound better than the 600's with an amp, even though the 650's may not be at their full potential, then it's still worth it for me to get the 650's for the $20 price difference based on prices that I found). I've also heard that of the Beyerdynamics, the 990's have good bass, and the 880's don't. But then i read one reviewer here that said they don't agree with that at all, and he thought that the 880's did have good bass. Also, i did read the thread explaining the differences between the Pro's and the new ones, but i'm not really sure which would be better for me. Also people say that for some people the 880's are better than the 990's.

As for the rest of the sound - I don't just like bass. I want "well-rounded" range. I want good mid's and high's too, but not too bright. When I listen to music with my SE530's, I generally use a custom EQ similar to "rock", which has the low's (bass) and high's (treble) boosted the most, but that doesn't mean I want the treble "bright". Kinda hard to explain since i don't know all the terminology. I like the sound of powered speakers with a small tweeter and 5 - 8 inch woofers. I like the whole feel of the music from them, the soundstage, stereo spread, and the balance of the low's, mid's and high's. I assume that a good pair of full-size headphones will be like strapping a monitor on each ear, and that is what I want (other than the weight of course.) And regarding the quality of my music, about 20%-25% of my library is lossless, about 60% is V0/320 MP3, and less than 15% is V2/192 MP3. Are the MP3's "imperfections" (especially the V2/192) going to be "overexposed" with full-size headphones? As in, once I start using these, will the only music that sounds good in it be lossless (or high bitrate MP3)? In most of my music I can always tell when I'm listening with my SE530's or my M-Audio monitors, what format i'm listening to (low bitrate MP3, high bitrate MP3, or lossless), but it doesn't bother me too much. Will it be even worse with the headphones? I want my music to "sparkle"!

As for comfort, that will be a biggie for me. I looked at pictures of the beyerdynamics, the sennheisers, and the AKG's, and they all seem to be pretty cushion-y. When I look at pictures of the grado's, they look incredibly uncomfortable. I'm not sure if it's just me. Also i'm not sure how the Denon's feel, so if someone knows that would be helpful.

Finally, the whole portable thing doesn't mean I need the Denon's, because they're closed. Portable may mean that I will be using them in a car, or in a quiet room in school, it just means that I won't be able to make a proper audio setup with my computer, so I will need a portable amp. It's not like I'm going jogging or anything.

Also, if anyone knows anywhere that has lower prices than what I listed (They were all J&R and amazon, except the Denon's) please let me know. I assume that what I found for the HD 600's and the beyer's aren't the lowest.

Thank you SO much for your time and help.