Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new pair of headphones and I was looking for some suggestions.  I listen to a little bit of everything, but mostly classic rock, and these would be strictly be used at home connected to my computer as my main source of audio for music, games and movies.  I haven't had too much experience with buying headphones before to be honest.  I've mostly stuck with Sennheiser over the years but would be willing to look at other products of course, and I've mostly bought earbuds.  I've had the Sennheiser CX-300, CX-300 II, Sennheiser HD-555, & the Etymotic ER6i if that helps at all.  I'm looking to spend $150-300 and in particular I was looking at the Beyerdynamic DT-770 (80ohm), Shure SRH840, and Sennheiser HD-650.   Closed headphones might be best for me to be honest, but if it sounds great enough I don't mind open either.  Also a quick question on amps.. do I need one to power some headphones if they're being connected directly to my X-Fi sound card on my computer?  Is there any additional equipment I'd need to get the best out of my headphones considering they will always be hooked up to my computer?
 
Any help would be appreciated!

I believe sound cards are able to drive low impedance headphones, so if you have a Beyerdynamic DT-770 (80ohm) it should be fine.
But if you have one of those higher version (e.g. 600ohm), you might need one.
You can also try Beyerdynamic DT-880 (600 Ohm) or Denon AH-D2000.
 
If you want the best, you can try this setup:
PC --> soundcard --> external DAC --> external headphone amp
 
Cheers...

Check out the Ultrasone HFI-2400's I just got mine and I'm so happy they sound better than many headphones that are amped, Ultrasones in general are low impedance so check out their line

Do I really need an external DAC and an amp for the SRH840 and HD-650?  If so, is there any in particular you could recommend?

Not sure about SRH840, I believe that your soundcard "should" be sufficient enough to power it.
But for HD650, I believe that an amp is require to bring the best out of it.
 
And if you are going to get one, the maverick D1 should be a good start to begin...
 
Cheers...

Quote:

meh said:

Do I really need an external DAC and an amp for the SRH840 and HD-650?  If so, is there any in particular you could recommend?

Click to expand...

For the SRH840's, they will be fine without amp. They sound good. 
 
HD650's, Yeah...you need some power. There are different options (amps), depending on your budget.