[layums]

I liked the HD600 with the Gilmore Lite.  It wasn't thin like the HD600 is prone to sound when underamped, and there was decent depth in the soundstage.  You can find used Gilmore Lites in the $230 range.  It's solid state which is nice, too, and pairs well with a pretty wide range of headphones and IEMs.

How is solid state nice?

 

[Elysian]

Solid state is nice because you don't have to deal with tubes, which can be a headache (shorted tubes, should not leave tubes unsupervised, tubes eventually wear out, tubes get really hot, tubes are another cost to factor into gear, etc.).

 

[layums]

But they sound so nice and natural and soft and sound tops all other requirements. Or?

 

[Warrax]

Quote:

How do you think the schiit asgart + HRT MusicStreamer II compares t the NFB15 or 12.1? While I was looking for an open can inder 400, I was a bit skeptical about the srh1440 because the highs are said to be very bright while I prefer forward mids and smooth highs. do you think the dalethorn mod will fix this problem with the treble and make the sound smoother? There's also something else I would like to ask, I have no idea how to dismantle or customize a headphone at all, so will modding possibly ruin my headphone if I don't do it properly? What if I dismantle it and can't put the pieces back together? I wouldn't want to risk ruining a 400 dollar headphone....

Sorry, I didn't have asgart and HRT MS2, so I cannot compare it. Yes, SRH1440 are very bright, but that's the problem almost all shure headphones. SRH1440 are even a bit brighter, than 940, and that's not for everyone. The problem is, as mentioned in some 940 mods, the driver is too close to the ear, there's almost no space between... in fact, velour pads are very soft and shallow, so your ear basically touch the foam, and right under that foam is driver, like 1mm away.
You can eighter move headphones in other position, to make more distance. There are several tricks to reduce brightness for 940, but it works also on other shure headphones, just search of it. Then, there is a mod, that will make more space in earpad, but putting some cotton buds under earpad. It will make more space there (help basses), and make driver to be more distant, which reduce brightness.
Lastly, you can make that foam mod... I've just finished it yesterday, and it worked. One layer of foam will reduce only a bit of brightness, keeping most of details. Two layers of foam (as suggested in dalethorn mod) cutted the brightness significaly, and it is not anymore agressive in any way. But it dumped a sound a little bit, in my opinion. The highs are like distant, some clarity and detail in mids is missing. Basses stood pretty much untouched, I didn't noticed, it helped them. What help basses on shure headphones, is to make more space inside earpad, to make earpad less shallow.
I'm still not convinced, if I like dalethorn mod, and i need to play with it a little. Maybe, 1,5 layers of foam would be better, but unfortunately, it's not possible.
 
One advice, do not take NFB12.1, I would go for NFB15, which has better transmision over USB, and a little bit imrpoved sound.

 

[Elysian]

Quote:

But they sound so nice and natural and soft and sound tops all other requirements. Or?

 
That's a distorted perception based on people who haven't heard a wide range of gear.  A lot of cheap tube amps probably have a similar signature, but once you start seeing better SS implementations, they bring a lot of interesting things to the table.
 
For example, in speaker land, the recent First Watt units sound more SET-like (Single Ended Triode) than many 45 SET amps, and many people sold their beloved 45 SET amps after getting a Nelson Pass JFET, Mosfet, or SIT amp.  I'm probably going to get a beta22 later this year, and it's impressed me with the warmth in its tonality.  The Headamp GS-1 is a good example of a SS amp which has great speed and precision but doesn't come off as harsh and edgy like inferior SS designs.
 
Conversely, a tube amp like the Woo 6SE can sound dramatically different based on the tubing.  Even with one of my preamps, when I use a NOS Sylvania 6SL7 in the input stage, the low-end is very extended and it gives a bassy undertone to everything, yet when I switch to an ultra low noise 6SU7, it sounds almost as clean and transparent as my Vishay-based SS preamp.
 
My point in all this is that you really need to hear the gear before making a judgment.  Not only are tube designs not all the same, but the tubes used, and the chain you're putting the tube gear into, can sound significantly different.
 
For someone new to the hobby, I'd recommend starting SS, since SS gear tends to be fire and forget.