Umm you might wanna try a full Sony combo, like the 1ADAC with a Walkman. I'd personally go for the Oppo PM3 and HA2. If you wanna go for broke, get the HD630VB and a Peachtree Audio Shift.

The amp that apparently gives it the most life and energy is the Bottlehead Crack with the Speedball upgrade, yes, if you don't mind building it yourself. The amp other infamous pairing for the HD6-- series is the Schiit Valhalla+Bifrost, thought I'm guessing that's out of your budget since you...

Personally I'd have just gotten an LCD-X and a Schiit Bifrost + Valhalla 2 and let that be my endgame, or something like a HE400i with an m900 or a K712 with the Aune X1S (wow I'm getting lower and lower) I'd never go past like $2.5k tbh, but if you really wanna spend all your money then get the...

Try the V-Moda ZN. They have basically all positive reviews (that is to say, I just haven't found a negative one), and V-Moda's CEO himself claimed that they've been 'benchmarked to outclass models ranging from $300 to over $1000', despite the fact that they're only $180. EDIT: Here ya go...

I found that with the O2, low frequencies were nowhere to be found, and mids felt like they were extremely distant. Only higher frequencies seemed to be portrayed with any accuracy. With the LittleDot MK II, note that I am using Voshkod's 6ZH1P-EV tubes burned in four about 100+ hours, the...

So I don't know, I own an ODAC+O2 combo from Massdrop that's great with my K7xx's, and my Little Dot Mk II is brilliant with it, but I got these T70's a while ago for free off a friend. With the OCombo, it sounds tinny as anything, the mids are sooo far out there, but with the LD, everything...

Refund get the HD558 buy an Antlion Modmic. If you don't think it sounds better, try listening to good tracks and not expect huge quality breakthroughs with games? With the Game One, not much point to a DAC. If you get the HD558's, get a FiiO E10K (anything else isn't worth it).  For the...

The VModas are distorted in the mids but have great bass. The Sennheisers here are very punchy and nice with their bass but it's also an unbalanced headphone. The M50x's are an okay choice for beginners, the quality isn't too bad and the bass is tight and clean for it's price. In comparison to...

The HE-400i is a favorite of mine, and its predecessor, the HE-400's, are also exceptional. The DT990's (especially the 600 ohms) are indeed exceptional in their own right as well - I think they sound amazing, but for you (and myself personally) I'd recommend the HE-400's. For rock and rnb...

P.S. I personally set mine at 50%. The reason is because, I've read up (and heard for myself) that the AKG K7-hundred series benefits greatly from turning up the gain and having more 'power' flowing through the headphones. The high gain option on my ODAC+O2 would be too loud to control...

So to me, I think it's always best to turn your computer volume to 80% (or even 50%) and then control the rest from your amp. There's this harsh sibilance that can occur when at maximum volume. As an example (though maybe not a great one), try playing music from your phone's speakers and...

From you mentioning how you have a small amp/DAC, I'm already thinking that's the issue. Certain headphones, for example, Sennheiser's HD6xx and AKG's K7xx lineups, have extremely good scaling, and (more so with the AKGs) they are rather amp-dependent.  For example, if you bought Phillips...

If you want earbuds and want to listen to your environment, you can buy Apple Earbuds. Jkjk, all jokes aside, Bose has a good lineup of Earbuds oriented towards sports (they still sound great), meaning that they're open so you can hear a car coming at you if you're on a jog.

Without a doubt, the HD600 has a more refined sound in every aspect. People would only choose the HD598 for lighter sound, or due to budget restraints. HD600's are far more full-sounding.

Either get the Sennheiser HD600 with a Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 2, or get a HiFiman HE400S with Focus Pads and an ODAC.