Here's another one you can try:   http://www.toneboosters.com/tb-equalizer/   I have not used the equalizer, but I have tried their TB Isone product for crossfeed purposes.

If the signal passes through the device (passive or not) then there's opportunity for the sound to be affected.

Maybe something like the SHURE PA235 Level Attenuator (passive volume control) ?

I'm sorry to say I haven't listened to enough headphone gear to make any educated recommendations. All I can recommend is you listen to as much stuff as you possibly can and be patient. $1K is not a small purchase so you want to get it right the first time. I got into hi fi stuff when I was 23...

Sounds like a mighty fine start into this crazy world. I have been out of the hobby for quite and just getting back in myself. Starting out with headphones as a 'cheap'  means of testing the waters.

Sounds like a good plan. You already have money invested in the Musiland so you might as well keep it. I suspect you'd have to invest quite a bit more in Dac/Source/amplification to hear much of a difference. On the other hand you will probably hear an immediate difference between the HD555's...

Quote: I'd be careful about making broad statements like that. There are no definites in high end audio. It is all purely subjective. As for the OP's original question, my personal philosophy is to spend the most amount of my budget on the speakers, headphones, etc as they are the...

When I was into gaming I used the Grado SR60i headphones. Don't own it, but the ASUS Xonar seems to be a pretty good sound card. The Grado Xonar combo should keep you within budget. One thing you want to be sure of is comfort. Back in the day I could sit and play games for upwards of 4-5 hours...