HD600 or HD580.You'll love them.Or AKG K601      P.S:I didn't think about your budget!

    For about 70 or 80 bucks you can get the ER6i.Soundstage is not exceptional but the clarity is phenomenal.Almost everything sounds muddy after having listened to some Etymotics.

Same here.^^

If you want portability,IEMs.

Quote: Originally Posted by Gamerphile Valid point Not so valid,in my humble opinion,because you cannot choose what amp to use with the Stax earspeakers,and you can buy a Presonus HP4 for an HD600 and have a more than satisfactory sound,believe me or not.The two of them together...

Here in Finland the price of the cheapest STAX system is 890€,about 1273 $.

Quote: Originally Posted by krmathis Sorry, but I do not get this... * Stax SR-007MK2 = ~$1800 <-> Sennheiser HD800 = $1400. * Stax SR-404 = $450 (Price Japan) <-> Sennheiser HD650 = $380 (Amazon). A price difference, but nothing I would call ridiculous... Are you...

I've listened to a couple of Stax headphones in a shop,and they didn't impress me at all.I don't know about the top of the line Stax,to be fair,but the difference in price is just ridiculous,so here you are: Sennheiser 13 Heal STAX 7 Hurt

Indeed...

Quote: I've always found the 555/595 to be way underappreciated in this forum, and always assumed it was because it does better with classical/orchestral music, which few here listen to. But in this thread we had a classical enthusiast--a violinist no less--condemning the 595 to...

....and just to guide some lost souls here,both phones sound miles better than lower impedance(and price) Sennheisers,whether amped or not.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich Are the pads on your 580 and 600 the same? One having ear pads that are more worn than the other could affect the sound in such a comparison. If there is a sonic difference between the 580 and 600 it is beyond my ability to hear or care about...

Everybody keeps saying that the HD600 and the HD580 are the same phone,but I own both and they sound definitely different,but not very different.There's a gradation in brightness between the three Sennheiser brothers,and the HD580 are the brightest and leanest.

HD600,HD580,or AKG K601.

I have to add that I happen to like classical music above all other genres,so my choice of headphones goes in that direction.