[spindex]

Sennheiser HD598's seem to sound better than DT880s *without* an amp, pretty passable IMO.
 
Even at low impedence, Beyer headphones just seem to need a lot of juice.
 
Anyone else have experience driving medium-range open capsules in this range? Words of wisdom? Suggestions?

 

[Shazb0t]

I would say you should buy an amp if you're looking at headphones in that price range.

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Sennheiser HD598's seem to sound better than DT880s *without* an amp, pretty passable IMO.
 
Even at low impedence, Beyer headphones just seem to need a lot of juice.
 
Anyone else have experience driving medium-range open capsules in this range? Words of wisdom? Suggestions?

i have the HD558 modded, and it drives pretty well unamped. you gotta spend some real money to get an amp to notice a significant quality difference though (like as much as the headphones themselves or more) what's your source? macbook? lappie? phone? desktop with bad/badass soundcard?
Quote:

I would say you should by an amp if you're looking to headphones in that price range.

true that, but he probably wants to reduce clutter or maybe for portable reasons

 

[syryanyang]

Without an amp, ath-ad900x beat them all

 

[obobskivich]

Better is highly subjective (there's no "1-10 scale" at play here) - what you like may not be what I like, and vice versa.

Anyways, I like the Grado SR-225 and Ultrasone HFI-2400, which are both around $200. If you have an extra hundred bucks, either spend it on music/food/etc or consider the SR-325. They aren't similar though, and which one is better for you is really dependent on you. I think the Ultrasone are more likely to appeal to a wider audience though, just because of their fit (I personally don't have any comfort issues with Grado headphones, but some people do - and that should be considered).

Depending on what you mean by "unamped," the AKG K701 should also be considered. They're usually around $250, at least last I looked they were. I haven't heard the ATH-AD900 or 900X, but if the ATH-A900X is any indication, they're probably also a very good candidate in this price range.

 

[NicoCat]

I think it really depends on your preference of music when talking about the 'best headphones'.
 
For headphones in this range, which are mostly 'serious' headphones, not being amped is a great disadvantage. So there are less choices and you might to do more give-and-take - this is when your music preference kicks in.
 
HD598 are universally good, but they are not the best on all genres, e.g. if your are a dedicated classical music listener, a pair of German Maestro gmp435s are very likely to be a much better choice; for some jazz, bossa nova or folk music, the cheaper SR125i could be a strong rival. 

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

I think it really depends on your preference of music when talking about the 'best headphones'.
 
For headphones in this range, which are mostly 'serious' headphones, not being amped is a great disadvantage. So there are less choices and you might to do more give-and-take - this is when your music preference kicks in.
 
HD598 are universally good, but they are not the best on all genres, e.g. if your are a dedicated classical music listener, a pair of German Maestro gmp435s are very likely to be a much better choice; for some jazz, bossa nova or folk music, the cheaper SR125i could be a strong rival. 

and for rock the grados/alessandros would give the senns a serious whipping

(though the senns are more immersive than the grados/allesandros in slower genres like maybe classical)

 

[XxDobermanxX]

Quote:

and for rock the grados/alessandros would give the senns a serious whipping

(though the senns are more immersive than the grados/allesandros in slower genres like maybe classical)

and your ears will get a whipping too (ear fatigue alert) 

 lol

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

and your ears will get a whipping too (ear fatigue alert) 

 lol

depends on how loud you play the music too

 

[AmberOzL]

german maestro gmp 435s. no amp needed, over ear, open back, very different experience than Senn's and Grado's and Beyer's. Give it a try, you would like it.

 

[AmberOzL]

I said gmp 4.35s already but also new philips fidelio x1 is really dominating, I heard people compare it with hd600. Also no amp needed. Consider this seriously.

 

[AHorseNamedJeff]

My vote is for the SR325i/225i's. I love my SR80i's to death, I prefer them over my more expensive HD518's, for everything except classical. Grado's also run extremely well unamped, although it seems like they'd scale to your amp. For $300 id either get SR225i's with a FiiO E7/E07K amp or plain SR325i's.