The Pioneer SE-305 can be had for as little as £10 off ebay. There is a regular stream of them for sale. With their super build they last well. They are closed backed, leak only a little sound and isolate well from outside noise. The cable is a coil type and prone to the usual kinks. Although, according to the specs the coil goes to 15 feet, the tension makes that impracticle.
 
Sound wise they are the most bassy vintage 1970s headphones I have heard. They are ideal for rockers. Detail through the frequency range is good, but the treble can be a bit recessed. With mid frequency emphasised music, they shine and cope well with all genres.
 
Their weight at 435g (16oz) is higher than usual, but the wide padded headband makes them comfortable.

Made between 1987 and 1995, these headphones are big. Big to wear with a big sound. Overall they are warm, lush, but still keep the details. That detail means so far I have found them a bit source dependent where poor recordings sound poor. If anything treble is the week partner, but I would guess they have a pretty even frequency response.
 
Stereo effects can sound amazing and there is an all around the ear sense of space. The way the four drivers interact, it is seemless and totally together.
 
Recommended.

The Grado SR80 is a classic headphone. It has a classic style, like a old radio ham. It has been around virtually unchanged for donkeys years. It is a superb entry to audiophile headphone listening.
 
Often overshadowed by the baby of the range, the SR60, which has won numerous awards. The SR80s can be had for only £20. When I auditioned for my first headphones, the first to go were the SR60s. The SR80s had more dynamics, detail, everything really. I preferred them to some similarly priced Sennheisers, which did not retrieve the same detail.
 
They are know as the rock headphones because of their dynamics and attack. Attack is the speed that a note is started. So if a track goes quiet and then starts again, the Grados can startle with how suddenly the new passage begins. This also creates strong dynamic swings, which work well for rock and orchestral music. Their open backed design makes for a wide sound stage, where instruments feel as if they are around you and not trapped inside your head.
 
Some may find them too bright and not a relaxing mellow listen. I think that they do acoustic and vocals in such a way that you feel you are there, with the singer.
 
The only, issue and it is for some is the foam pads sitting on the ears. There are two types, bowl with an open centre and flat, like Mickey Mouse ears. I prefer the latter. They also leak a lot of sound and let in a lot as well. So they are no use as portable headphones to be used on public transport.
 
The cable is fixed and goes into both sides and is prone to twisting. I hang mine upside down every so often, so the weight of the headphones (which is not much) helps to pull out any twists.
 
By the SR80s with confidence that you are already 90% of they way to serious audiophile headphones. Classic.

Can you have too much of a good thing? Going by the various threads and reviews of the K702s, yes. These cans give you so much detail it is not true. Sounds appear that have never been heard before in the background of familiar tracks. That satisfies some and manages to irritate others. i did not understand that until recently.
 
When I first got my K702s I only had open backed headphones. But the demands of family life and travel meant that my next few purchases were closed backed to limit noise leakage, of which the K702s have loads.
 
I then got used to the deeper more bloomy bass, in your head sound and echo like resonance of closed backed cans.
 
Returning one day after a few months of no use, when home alone to the K702s, I realised how dry then can sound. The lush sound had gone, replaced instead with 'put you in the recording studio' levels of detail and clarity. I kept taking them off because I thought I could hear noises in the house. That was caused by the big sound stage and that detail flooding back again.
 
For me that is superb, But I can understand why for others it is too much.
 

Top ratings for this small, cute and very well priced DAC. My sound comparison is with a Musical Fidelity V-DAC and the Fubar2 has more detail, dynamic and greater clarity. It can be easily upgraded with a change of the opamp and the addition of a power supply unit called The Supplier at $144. 
 
It is beautifully made and some of the older versions have a cute comedy dog logo on the front of them. Otherwise they have been available in black, silver and red.
 
Operation is very simple. Just connect the supplied USB cable to your PC and the DAC downloads its own proprietary driver and it is ready to go. 
 
There is only a USB connection, but do not be put off by stories that USB is somehow inferior to other digital connections. This, and other USB DACs are designed to work within the parameters of USB. (It does not take its power from the USB connection). 
 
Please note, Firestone Audio is often referred to as Audiophile Products, however that is the name of a seller in the US. Firestone Audio is the manufacturer based in Taiwan.

 
Popped into the Apple Shop today and gave these a right good first listen……..
 
SOUND 
 
 I listened to a variety of tracks from The Rolling Stones to Lilly Allan. The P5s were straight into an ipod nano. I have no idea what EQ if any setting was on. I have no idea, but suspect that the files were probably itunes downloads and so lossy. Kicking off with The Rolling Stones and Street Fighting Years and there was great rhythm, clarity and detail. The sound was quite forward and bright (the file and EQ setting?) and the cymbals sounded odd and a bit flat. I then tried some Talking Heads and this was superb. David Byrne was crystal clear and the bass and drums very good without overwhelming. If that was not a lossless file then boy would lossless be a treat. Dance fans may mistake that bass clarity for a lack of bass. 
 
Jamie Cullum is not my usual, but I wanted something different and it was a track Grand Torino off the film with Clint Eastwood. The piano and his vocals were stunning and I got goose bumps.  Another more mellow track I tried was one form REM. I felt there Michael Stipe’s voice was too to the fore and it drowned out the plucked mandolin guitar of Peter Buck. 
 
Next a bit of metal and Queensriche and American Soldier. It had great attack, dynamics and a good bit of menace came over with the spoken vocals. I finished off with Lilly Allan for a bit of compressed pop and that is exactly what I got, dance along compressed pop. Again, it was a very bright and forward sound, too much for me. But, these are being marketed as portable headphones and to the ipod generation, so maybe that is the best I can expect in The Apple Store.
 
Overall, very promising and I am going to have another try with my own portable set up. If the volume needs to be maxed out of an ipod, the headphones need amped to really make them sing. They are a good equal to my similarly priced AKG K702s. So, many cheaper cans will also come close in the overall sound, which means how can they be £250?
 
BUILD
 
They are beautifully made. They are quite small. The headband is thin and well padded. The drivers are tucked away inside the very comfortable lambs leather and memory foam pads. They are held on with magnets, one side so you can access the changeable cable. What was very clever was neither side was marked left and right. The metal adjustment looked very solid and well made.  I tried them both ways and got an equally comfortable fit. That means you can have the cable either left or right hand side. I am not sure if that is intended or not, but they work both ways round.
 
They have a tight clamp on your ears to get the pads to stay on your ears. There is very much a sweat point to where you have them on your ears. If they move you noticeably lose volume and sound quality.
 
They are closed backed, but did not isolate as well as my Goldring NS1000 or the Bose QuietComfort 15. There was a not bad soundstage with the P5s, which could be down to them being closed backed and on ear, as opposed to over ear. They appeared to leak very little sound. I got a sales person to tolerate The Cure at full volume and whilst I got intimately close to them. All I could hear was the tizzz of the cymbals.  But, it really needs a listen in a quiet room to properly judge them. They definitely leaked less sound than the Bose.
 
The metal back with its B&W logo makes these cans very classy.  Will I buy them? Not at the moment.  There is no doubt that you are paying a premium for the name and build. The sound is promising, but needs a trial with an amp and some lossless files to see if it improves to really impress. At the moment, for closed backed cans, the half the price AKG K271MkII remain my top of the list to get.
 

 
Got myself a FiiO E5 portable headphone amplifier for a long bus and ferry trip. It was £14.44 delivered,  including a car charger from mp3amplifier on Amazon.. I then went a bit daft (maybe, read on) and also bought a line out dock (LOD) to connect the ipod to the amp from ebay seller saradam62, search iphone line out dock with cable, for £19.99 including delivery. 
 
The E5 is tiny, seriously tiny and very light, see the pictures. It has a solid metal casing and a clip which fits nicely through the belt slits on  my soft ipod cover.
 
The built in lithium battery charges with a supplied USB cable to connect to a PC or via the car charger. A charge should last 20 hours. There is a mini jack in for the two different shaped supplied cables to connect  from the headphone out on an ipod into the amp. On the other end of the amp is the mini jack out to connect to the headphones. On the same end is the tiny volume control , bass boost switch and on/off button.  The instructions  are in English and Chinese and the translation is perfect and very clear.
 
I tried it with the supplied mini jack cable from the ipod’s headphone out. With  Sennheiser PX200s, Grado SR80s and AKG 702s it boosted the volume without distortion,  particularly benefiting the larger headphones. In terms of SQ there was not a huge difference for the PX200s, with and without bass boost. The difference was clearer for the SR80s and AKGs. I find that the sound directly out of a ipod for both is a bit insipid, light and neither has any energy or drive. The FiiO made both listenable and  provided the power boost both need. Bass boost was noticeable, but not significantly so.
 
I then tried the very nice LOD with its very tightly fitting connector, flat cable and pailiccs mini jack. It bypasses the ipod’s volume control and is the best way to connect an ipod to anything. The increase in SQ was exceptional and makes this extra expense to get the better connection very worthwhile. The volume goes even louder than before and still with no distortion. The  AKGs in particular benefit from the additional power provided, just wish I had remembered to turn the volume back down on switching to the PX200s, ooh me ears! 
 
All three headphone now sing and are shown to their real potential. Again it is the SR80s and AKGs that really benefit. The overall sound of the  FiiO is bright and dynamic, particularly with bass boost on. There is not the soundstage, clarity and detail of an X-CAN full sized amp. But considering the price difference the FiiO puts the others to shame.
 
The Sennheiser PX200s sound full with a good bass and a slight treble. The SR80s added a full treble, depth, detail and more rounded midrange. They sounded a bit light and bright without bass boost and to my ears very much benefited from adding the extra bass.  The AKGs added clarity, a crisper smoother treble, more detailed midrange, but less bass depth. So the FiiO is quite a neutral amp as all three headphones retained their ’house’ sounds and individual character.
 
In conclusion the FiiO E5, with a LOD to connect to an ipod is startlingly good and very good value. How long it lasts with its rechargeable battery and tiny plastic controls, I’m not sure. But at £34.43 for both amp and LOD? I’ll just get another one.  There is an E7 coming out which is ipod specific, but no other details at the moment. If you connect any headphones to an ipod the E5 will give benefits, but more so full sized ones. Highly recommended.

Made from a Neutrik jack and mini XLR and Proel headphone cable, this is an easy means to replacing the stock AKG cable with something more robust. Neutrik and Proel are widely used in pro-audio. The cable will flex very easily and is very hard to get tangled.
 
Sound wise there is no difference from the standard AGK cable.

Using Neutrik Rean phonos and Van Damme cable this interconnect lays bare the claims that you need to spend money on esoteric cables to get any audio performance. This cable has not been cryogenically treated or had any flashy sheathing added. It has been breathed upon by angels, a new means of ensuring the very best in sound. Chrystal clear highs and dungeon deep lows make this the very best cable, ever!

This is Musical Fidelity's top of the range headphone amp. It includes a pre-amp and a USB DAC. The two headphone outputs do not have individual volume controls. So there are a lot of features, but it would be rare to actually need them all.
 
Antony Michaelson, the owner of MF and a classically trained musician himself, describes the amp as powerful enough to drive any headphone, including the AKG K1000 ear speakers. But that power belies its detail and ability to control the dynamics of music. At first, he says, the amp will sound as if it lacks dynamic. That is because of the desire to replicate the true fidelity of an original recording. 
 
In effect, what that means is the the V8P will do bass with tons of detail, but it will not do BASS, unless the original recording has it. Bass is to provide rhythm and not to overwhelm the midrange. Fans of dance music or metal may miss the oomph of BASS, but could come to appreciate the sound of true bass when they can pick out individual strikes of a kick drum, or plucks of the bass guitar.
 
The emphasis on detail does not mean that poorly recorded music is rendered unlistenable. The hybrid design of solid state and two ECC88 valves means that it should retain its musicality.
 
The USB DAC uses the same DAC chip as in the V-DAC but it is not that well regarded. I think that it sounds absolutely fine, keeping the detail and midrange emphasis that is the MF house sound. It loads a proprietary driver on connecting it to a PC and needs a USB type A to type B cable.
 
Audio and build quality are superb. The design and price less so as you are can pay a lot for functions you will not need.
 

Goldring are a long established company who make headphones and phono cartridges. Originally German the company moved to the UK in 1933. The NS1000s have been consistently rated as one of the best NR headphones by What Hifi. 
 
The RRP is £150, but Play.com have been regularly selling them for £50 and at that price they are excellent.
 
The pros outweigh the cons of these headphones. The sound is dynamic and detailed and closer to my Grado SR80s than my AKG K702s, but without the sound stage as they are closed backed. The travel case is great and fits an ipod classic and lod and spare batteries, so it makes an idea prospect for travel. I prefer the sound with NR off, it is a bit too bright with NR on and there is a slight hiss sound with NR on. Isolation with NR on and off is excellent.
 
I find them comfortable, but large ears wont fit into the cups. The 1m cable is too short for me, but works for travelling. I also find that the head band, which allows the cups to swivel for packing can creak. They also leak too much sound to be used in a quiet environment and they would annoy other travellers.

I wanted some cheap cans for a bit of fun and got the K44s. I am delighted with them.
 
They are very plastic, very light, fit very well around the ear with the clever AKG self adjusting band. The leatherette pads are sweaty and I keep lifting them to air out my ears.
 
They are good for classical and jazz and retain that AKG strength of detail. The bass is tuned quite high and can be muddy and dull. Kick drums are a thud with little detail and the dynamics are OK. But that means they can also be considered for dance and heavy rock and they can rock when required. The midrange is lovely and clear with a nice dynamic to it. I would guess some would find them a bit too forward, but I like that. Single cymbal strikes are clear, but other cymbals can become one big tizz. If something is well recorded in the first place, it will shine through thee headphones. So they are all rounders with no major weaknesses and a nice midrange strength. I find them very musical and tap my foot and get goosebumps when listening to my favourite tracks.
 
For the £11 I paid off ebay they are great. I would rate them over the Sennheiser HD201 and 202 which are also over ear, closed back and cheap.
 
It is a shame they are quite large as they work really well unamped out of an ipod. Sensitivity is high at 32ohms and 115 dbV SPL. Add a FiiO and if anything they can be too much and the FiiO needs to be turned right down, losing some of its dynamic. Out of a X-CANV8P they really sing, again majoring on clarity. Their isolation from outside noise is OK and they do not leak much sound at all.
 
So for sound they are the best cheap cans I have heard. They are mainly let down by the sweaty ears problem.