Quote: Originally Posted by ranz_blacker hd25's are not available at 100$ !!! cmonn.. I was just going by this 13-page thread cryptically titled " NEW Sennheiser HD25-1 II for CHEAP! (~$100 shipped)."

In my opinion the RP21 is superior to the HD280 in terms of sound quality and comfort. They both do fine without an amp. The other contender that has now dipped in price to equal your budget is the HD25-I. I haven't heard them so I can't recommend them directly and don't know how they do...

Quote: Originally Posted by douglasjboehme <quickly getting out my wanker dictionary> OK . . . 1) Ewww 2) I didn't know anyone wanked to the dictionary - though I probably should have known that every inanimate object has its inappropriate fan base. 3) It should say a...

The amp in the 0404 is not the greatest but it's a great and flexible addition that you can easily build on later.

Quote: Originally Posted by jinx20001 . . . the triport ie were astonishingly bad . . . For the love of Pete, would you people stop the Bose-bashing.

You probably hit the checkout button but reassurance after-the-fact never hurts. For $200 (or $150 if that deal is still floating around) it's hard to imagine a better deal. You can finder cleaner DACs but $500 would be a bargain to beat the 0404 IMO. Enjoy!

* finds 10-foot pole, considers briefly, shakes head, drops pole, runs fast despite advancing age and girth *

I forgot . . . anything by Tom Leher

richierich: I'm also in the Bay Area. If you haven't heard it yet, we could arrange for you to hear the LBII with the RP21 before you start a new amp fund.

Here's another take on the issue . . . if you expect to add something to your system right now with the HD555 that will make the sky open up and angels descend then other posters are right who say to save your money. However, if you appreciate subtle improvements and will probably always have...

The DT880s are great, you would love them with your musical preferences and they can be snagged pretty regularly in the FS forum for under $200. However, you will want/need an amp to power them, which would then put you out of your price range. I'm not sure that even the low impedance Beyers...

I always find it hard to respond when people stress the portable aspect for mid-cost cans. I think the opinions on what makes a headphone portable are more diverse than the opinions about actual sound quality. You mentioned that small and light is not a big deal for you . . . this helps. Some...

If Equation is reading this, then allow me to summarize one man's opinion of the RP21s: Pros 1) Great headphone overall 2) Amazing synergy with the Lunchbox II amp makes for a real budget yowsa! For improvement 1) Stock pads could be more plush 2) Foam could be less dense 3) Resonance...

Step Right Up - Tom Waits

The RP21s sound great but are not great portable phones and would probably leak just a tad too much for library use depending on how loudly you listen. I've heard the Denons are not great isolating cans either but that they don't leak too much sound out and are probably a little better SQ-wise...