Hello everyone!
 
I am a long time reader and new audiophile let me tell you a little about my journey
 
Initially I cared very little about sound reproduction and clarity and mainly used ipod headphones and cheap sony headphones. I did not have a music collection and mainly played fps games. After going through several cheap gaming headsets I decided to make a bigger purchase. So i purchased the Razer Barracuda HP-1.
 
 
I was thoroughly pleased as they helped to pinpoint footsteps and such. I still wasnt into high quality music files or looking at any decent equipment.At this point my source was the onboard audio from my computer. Eventually they broke so I looked into upgrading my equipment. I decided to buy the asus xonar dx 7.1 along with logitech g35's. So I hit the order button. The next day I stumbled upon an audiophile website  telling me to not do what I just did. Instead it recommended the sennheiser hd555 or audio technica ad700 for gaming as well as an intro to good listening equipment for music. I made the decision that is ultimatly going to cost me a lot of money throughout my life. I cancelled my order and got the senns since they were the easiest for me to aquire. So they arrive I plug them into my motherboard and was like "that's it?". I let them burn in for a few days this time after installing the asus xonar. I listen to them and my jaw drops and I recieve my first dose of holy crap, and this was before my discovery of lossless files. So after a long time with that setup I did the 595 soudntage mod and while it was an overall improvement the bass went anemic. So I did some more research and ended up getting the Ultrasone hfi-680 for bass and clarity. It was also recommened by a review on youtube by dave rat the series is called te mighty headphone quest. Out of the tested headphones the ultrasone hfi-680 and the Denon AH-D2000 came out on top. I bought the ultrasones as the denons were more then twice as expensive. So I got my ultrasones for about $150. When I recieved them and played some lossless tracks, still coming from the asus xonar I recieved my second dose of holy crap. So it has been a few years and 2400 lossless tracks since that day and am now doing an engineering internship in toronto so I am willing to spend a few dollars to finally get some decent stuff. My budget is roughly $800 for dac/amp and headphones. I live in canada but have no problem with shipping since I travel to the states often for work and can get them shipped to the hotel. 
 
So I have done some research and came up with a list of headphones and why I chose them
 
Ultrasone pro 900                       Step up from hfi-680 and excellent base
Ultrasone pro 2900                     Better soundstage and base then pro 900
Sennheiser HD650                     Classic headphone but needs a good amp
Beyerdynamic dt1350                 Portable and recommended by headfi video
Beyerdynamic t70/t70p               In similar pricerange and also got good reviews
 
Don't hesitate to suggest something else.
 
I will also provide a small sample of the type of music I enjoy listening to. If I am not allowed to post this sample let me know I will take it down as I am only trying to get get a better understanding on how to spend my money.
 
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3NN7JBPY
 
As for a dac/amp I am not sure about. The nuforce hdp and Yulong D100 get mentioned a lot but I am sure someone will know of something better or of better value. The same goes for the headphones
 
Thanks a lot 
 

Short and to the point:
 
Actually, nope. There isn't anything of better value unless you DIY, (especially with amps). There are other competitors in the 300-450 pricerange, but those are the best. (Both are worthwhile).
 
You can start anywhere you like, but I'd agree HD 6XX series is a great headphone you'll probably keep for a long time unless you're lusting after something bigger, but all are viable choices. Modifying Grados is very rewarding and the Fostex T50rp amazes once modded... I think HD 600 is best under $400 though. Unless you're into DIY of all kinds, tweaks, and mods.

Heya,
 
Suggestion: Denon D2000 (closed) or Hifiman HE-300 / Sennheiser HD600 / BeyerDynamic DT880 (open) with Matrix Cube or Maverick Tubemagic.
 
Well under budget.
 
Very best,

http://www.head-fi.org/t/452404/just-listened-to-some-fostex-t50rps-today-wow/2610#post_7763699
 
Check out last 10 pages.

Quote:

malveaux said:

Heya,
 
Suggestion: Denon D2000 (closed) or Hifiman HE-300 / Sennheiser HD600 / BeyerDynamic DT880 (open) with Matrix Cube or Maverick Tubemagic.
 
Well under budget.
 
Very best,

Click to expand...

Did you even bother to read the post?
 

Quote:

skinnypuppy said:

Did you even bother to read the post?
 

Click to expand...

Yes.
 
He didn't get the Denons initially because he didn't like the price initially. Now his budget is wide open.
 
Did you bother reading the post? Or are you simply here to criticize me instead of helping him?
 
Very best,
 

I am absolutly open to getting the denon 2000s maybe if others can back it up as well?

Quote:

malveaux said:

Yes.
 
He didn't get the Denons initially because he didn't like the price initially. Now his budget is wide open.
 
Did you bother reading the post? Or are you simply here to criticize me instead of helping him?
 
Very best,
 

Click to expand...

I apologize, I thought that he wanted something new.
 
 
TO OP:
Why don't you go somewhere to audition some headphones?

^^ go to RMAF! Or a local meet. You'll likely get to hear everything. And meet some great people / have a memorable time.

Thanks for the quick replies. I can audition the denon d2000 in town tomorrow. I will trust your suggestion on the matrix cube any idea where I can order one?

The Yulong D100+Sony SA5000 or Pro 2900 are highely recommended, Matrix Quattro DAC(AMPs section is strong).

Are the pro 2900 worth $200 more then the denon d2000?

Hello Puffery,
 
Shopping for headphones is fun.  If you have a budget for headphones/dac/amp, first pick the headphones then take it from there.  Yes, I did read your opening post, but do you still have your 680s?  I really could not tell?

Yes I still have them, does this change something?
 
thanks

Quote:

puffery said:

Yes I still have them, does this change something?
 
thanks

Click to expand...

Well, you had two "wow' moments so I'm guessing you like the Ultrasone sig.  My question was mainly, do you have to sell the HFI-680s to maintain an $800 budget or will you be adding the new headphones?