So that's why so many of you have your audio gear on cutting boards! ;)

The K240 MKII/Studio is one of the least bright and fatiguing headphones I've every heard. They're mid-centric and a little soft. After all, they're nicknamed "The Groovalizer". I can't imagine anyone finding them bright or fatiguing.

I'm not generally a big believer in burn-in, but I did find that the KRK's got better after the first few hours. Let them play for 24 hours; if you don't like them after that, they're probably just not the headphone for you.

That doesn't match the D2000. Good bass kick: yes, but the overall frequency response is U-shaped with recessed mids. It offers little isolation. I wouldn't describe the SHR840 as warm exactly, but it's much more balanced sounding than the D2000. Bass kick is present, and the isolation is...

The M50 cable is not detachable. If you're listening mostly to instrumental guitar and piano, you probably want a balanced sound signature with good mids. The Shure SRH840 or the KRK KNS-8400 would be better for that than the M50 or Ultrasone. The Koss ProDJ100 might also be worth consideration.

In any given price range, there are a few stand-out headphones. Which one you find best comes down to your preferred sound signature. That's the reason we always recommended to try before you buy if possible. You won't find a ~$100 headphone that's clearly better than the M50. I happen to like...

Unless you have some sort of processing or EQ on one of the interfaces, it shouldn't matter which one you use.

Those AKG's are no more portable than your DT150.

The K701 will be much more resolving of fine details, but it's sound signature is completely different than the K240 series. They sound totally different. The K240 is warm overall with a slight mid-bass hump. It's a little fuzzy, and forgiving of bad recordings. I find it a very pleasant...

Foldable with isolation and not in-ear is pretty tough at that price point. Have a look at the AKG K81dj. The head-fi thread for them is here.

Cambridge Audio also makes a few nice all-in-one systems.

You can buy direct from Alessandro.

Somewhat. I've owned the SR60, SR80, SR225, and RS2. I found the RS2 to be the least harsh sounding of the bunch. Many people find the RS2 more lush and laid-back than the RS1 even, but I haven't had a chance to A/B them myself. You may simply not enjoy the Grado house sound, but you could try...

Welcome to head-fi. There is the general recommendation thread. The SR225 would be a decent choice for your genres. (It's preferred that posters not bump their own threads more than once a day.*)

d2000 or k240.

I was being sincere. You're obviously concerned you might be listening too loudly, or you wouldn't have asked the question. $25 could save your hearing, and it will at least give you peace of mind. If you're really set against buying a meter, here's a rough indicator: a finger snap at arms...

An SPL meter is $25. How much is your hearing worth to you?

Read up on the Fiio E11, or maybe the JDSLabs Cmoy.

Neither the M50 nor the K240 are totally neutral. The K240 is groovy with a focus on warm mids. The M50 is a little bassy with recessed mids. The K240 is more comfortable. A blackberry may not have enough juice to drive the K240, unless you add an external amp; my iPhone needs to be at 80-90%...

Percentage-wise, what's your normal listening level from your computer? If your computer gives sufficient volume, and you don't notice any distortion, the benefits you'll get from an amp with those headphones will be at best subtle. So, if I were you, I'd either return the amp, or keep it and...

A DAC won't necessarily help your distortion problem. With only 50 pounds to spend, you should probably throw it all at an amp rather than a combo unit.nI'm not sure if the E7 would be enough of a improvement power-wise over the E5 anyhow. Try going used. Check the for sale forums here, Ebay...

If what you're hearing is actually distortion, then you may need a more powerful amp. I have found that the KNK headphones are somewhat harder to drive than their specifications on paper would suggest. Their sound signature is perhaps a little bit on the bright side, but pretty close to...

Try the Sony V6 or MDR-7506. They're nearly the same, so get whichever is cheaper. For your particular application, the MDR-7509HD might be better, but it looks like they're discontinued and I'm not sure your source files would be of a sufficiently high fidelity to make a practical difference...

They're both very rugged headphones. The K240 has a detachable/replaceable cable, which is nice. The gold bits on the Studio look a little cheesy and very plasticy, so the MKII is better without them (but I don't find such a cosmetic difference enough to justify spending the extra cash). You...

To be clear, the K240 is not bass light. It's known as "the groovalizer" because of its punchy slightly fat bass with a mid-bass hump. The M50 has a little more bass quantity than the K240. The K240 has great mids, while the mids of the M50 are somewhat recessed. Both headphones have pleather...