Entry-level: 272 Alien (1) AOL Picollo DAC (1) Apogee Duet (6) Asus Essence STX (7) Audio Alchemy DDE v1.1 (1) Audio-gd Compass (21) Audio-gd Compass - FUN (4) Audio-gd Sparrow (2) Audiotrak DR.DAC2 DX (2) AUNE mini DAC + amp (1) Bantam (1) Behringer DEQ2496 (2)...

Michael Hedges - Live on the Double Planet

I have to agree with Asr, the mono box set is the best introduction. I also agree with rhythedevils, Abbey Road and The Beatles (aka The White Album) are two of their best releases. On a budget and with your specific situation, I3eyond, you might enjoy Revolver with songs like Eleanor Rigby and...

The DiMarzio Big Red headphone extension ($125 for the 10' size from HeadRoom) is an incredible value, no signal loss or degradation, really nice sound. It is, however, thick, heavy, has large connectors and is very red (hence "Big Red"), but sonically you can't beat it for the money.