[semaj8james]

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I'm rather new to the world of audiophile headphones so I'm rather confused all over the place. I don't mind if the headphonesare open or closed. I listen to Classical and Dubstep,DnB,Electro stuff of that sort. One of my concerns is that I plan to stream games and I'm not entirely sure if going with closed would be better considering the lesser amount of leaking and it being picked up by a Blue Spark.  I would prefer circumaural headphones. I wouldn't mind picking up a DAC + amp ( It doesn't have to be under $200-250 ) are there any suggested ones to pick up? I know some headphones don't get any additional sound quality with DAC + amps so I suppose it would be better to get a pair of headphones that need/should to be used with a DAC/Amp combo.

You sound pretty much like me. EDM, Classical, Dubstep with some gaming in there too. I suggest to you what I had around that price range which are Ultrasone HFI 580's. Audio Technica ATH-M50 are also a good choice. DT770's also are a good idea. I prefer HFI-580's over ATH M50's because of the tight, very present bass, and the very crips highs, which so nice with classical music such as Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. I feel like ATH M50's bass are very very close, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less, as the HFI 580's. I'd say the bass is on par. On both sets of cans the mids are recessed (I fixed that by using an EQ and boosting 250 Hz to 2,5k Hz by 1 dB. As for DT770's, I have no experience with them, but I plan to try them out some time soon. 

 

[MrViolin]

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is the MA900 isolation really that bad?I am also thinking of buying a small on ear headphone with a good isolation, so I just want a good open can for the price of 250 max

ye the ma900's are open cans. Offer no isolation/containment of leakage. Pretty much hear everything around you + your music/show/games.

 

[roguegeek]

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is the MA900 isolation really that bad?I am also thinking of buying a small on ear headphone with a good isolation, so I just want a good open can for the price of 250 max

 
Well I went back and read your post and didn't see anywhere of you mentioning whether you needed open or closed cans (unless I missed that). The MA900 is a fully open can, so isolation is not going to be there. Sound from the outside world is going to leak in and your music will be heard by others around you. All open cans exhibit this effect to some extent. At least far more than a closed-back headphone. So open or closed?

 

[Shikarikato]

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What's your budget for the headphones? Since you mentioned the DAC/amp doesn't have to be under $200 to $250, is that it?

Yeah the headphone budget is $200-$250, DAC/amp isn't included in that.
 
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You sound pretty much like me. EDM, Classical, Dubstep with some gaming in there too. I suggest to you what I had around that price range which are Ultrasone HFI 580's. Audio Technica ATH-M50 are also a good choice. DT770's also are a good idea. I prefer HFI-580's over ATH M50's because of the tight, very present bass, and the very crips highs, which so nice with classical music such as Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. I feel like ATH M50's bass are very very close, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less, as the HFI 580's. I'd say the bass is on par. On both sets of cans the mids are recessed (I fixed that by using an EQ and boosting 250 Hz to 2,5k Hz by 1 dB. As for DT770's, I have no experience with them, but I plan to try them out some time soon. 

Oh thanks, yeah highs are pretty important being a violinist and listening to a lot of violin solo pieces, if they're bad the listening experience gets fatiguing fast.

 

[semaj8james]

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Yeah the headphone budget is $200-$250, DAC/amp isn't included in that.
 
Oh thanks, yeah highs are pretty important being a violinist and listening to a lot of violin solo pieces, if they're bad the listening experience gets fatiguing fast.

I got my HFI 580's for $120 off Amazon many months back, now they're up to $170 though. For an amp I started with a Fiio E6, didn't do much for trebles though. Maybe if you pick up a used E7, E11 or E12  that would be optimal. Or even save up for a good desktop solution. As for isolation, HFI's outclass the ATH M50's a lot. Comfort goes both ways and is normally dependant on the user. I feel that the M50's were more comfortable as the intial clamping force of the 580's are really tight, however that also depends if you have a big/small head. I noted the 580's got a bit shrill with higher notes, however with violin pieces I notice nothing that displeases my ears.
 
If you can, go out to your local audio store if you can and test some things out! 
 
I forgot to mention, look into some Grados headphones. My mother is a professional pianist and I got her some Grados SR80i's for mothers day. I'm eagerly waiting for her reaction to those! However they are supra instead of circum and are open back, so I'm not sure how much you'd like those. Grado Sr225i may be down you path aswell, however I hear they lack a bit on bass. They are a colored set though.

 

[slytherin]

Well I went back and read your post and didn't see anywhere of you mentioning whether you needed open or closed cans (unless I missed that). The MA900 is a fully open can, so isolation is not going to be there. Sound from the outside world is going to leak in and your music will be heard by others around you. All open cans exhibit this effect to some extent. At least far more than a closed-back headphone. So open or closed?

both, I am planning to by a closed can for 70 dollars or cheaper and a open-back can for 250 or less, or a closed back, with the same confort and quality as a the MA900 if it does exist

 

[Shikarikato]

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I got my HFI 580's for $120 off Amazon many months back, now they're up to $170 though. For an amp I started with a Fiio E6, didn't do much for trebles though. Maybe if you pick up a used E7, E11 or E12  that would be optimal. Or even save up for a good desktop solution. As for isolation, HFI's outclass the ATH M50's a lot. Comfort goes both ways and is normally dependant on the user. I feel that the M50's were more comfortable as the intial clamping force of the 580's are really tight, however that also depends if you have a big/small head. I noted the 580's got a bit shrill with higher notes, however with violin pieces I notice nothing that displeases my ears.
 
If you can, go out to your local audio store if you can and test some things out! 
 
I forgot to mention, look into some Grados headphones. My mother is a professional pianist and I got her some Grados SR80i's for mothers day. I'm eagerly waiting for her reaction to those! However they are supra instead of circum and are open back, so I'm not sure how much you'd like those. Grado Sr225i may be down you path aswell, however I hear they lack a bit on bass. They are a colored set though.

Thanks for the reply. Talking about the 580s having a rather tight fit at the beginning I'll have to look around considering with glasses frame and moderately large head it may be annoying for a while until I break the ear cups in and get used to it.

 

[cel4145]

Yeah the headphone budget is $200-$250, DAC/amp isn't included in that.

Oh thanks, yeah highs are pretty important being a violinist and listening to a lot of violin solo pieces, if they're bad the listening experience gets fatiguing fast.

A lot of gamers use open headphones, so I would wonder whether or not open phones would be conflict with your mic. Open headphones have a bigger soundstage, and that's a plus for positional audio. So it might be worth trying a pair to see how they do.

I'd pass on the Ultrasone 580s. You can do better with your budget. If you really want an Ultrasone, the PRO 900 is only $236 on Amazon at the moment. But both of these are bass heavy phones. Depends on whether or not you want that.

Since you like Classical and bass heavy genres, too, you might look into the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro. It's a fairly neutral phone with good sounding bass, just not emphasized--you can always boost it up if you want a little extra bass. In this battle of the flagship review of top headphones, the DT880 scored very well in price/performance value: http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-ultimate-ears-uerm-added-4-14-13#user_DT880. If you want more bass than that, the DT990 Pros are cheaper than the DT880s on Amazon at the moment. The Beyers are also extremely comfortable headphones, and work great with glasses, in my experience.

 

[3ternalDr4gon]

Considering the fact that I like the A900X more than the K550, which should be my next upgrade in regards to open cans?
 
Also, can someone recommend a good portable DAC/amp for an iPod Classic that goes well with the K550's?

 

[dakanao]

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I would say no, the Xonar U3 is only recommended for headphones up to 150 Ohms, it would drive the 32 and 80 ohm variants though

Hmm alright. Are there any differences between sound quality between the 250 ohms and the 80 ohms? And I've read that the Xonar U3 has a frequency response of 20 hz to 20.000 khz, does that mean that the bass lower than 20 hz will not be a heard on a headphone with good sub bass?

 

[KG Jag]

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The Sony is a very good can, but also much different from what you have.  It is not a heavy-in-the-bass type of can.

what would you recommend though?

I need to know a great more about the sound signature you are seeking and what will be driving these cans.
 
We can can start with why you are attracted to this Sony can?

 

[MrViolin]

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Hmm alright. Are there any differences between sound quality between the 250 ohms and the 80 ohms? And I've read that the Xonar U3 has a frequency response of 20 hz to 20.000 khz, does that mean that the bass lower than 20 hz will not be a heard on a headphone with good sub bass?

a majority of humans hear 20-20,000Hz, so the rest is quite useless unless you're one of the few. Depending on your age and your luck, it may be more or less. 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more the guide.

 

[KG Jag]

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I got my HFI 580's for $120 off Amazon many months back, now they're up to $170 though. For an amp I started with a Fiio E6, didn't do much for trebles though. Maybe if you pick up a used E7, E11 or E12  that would be optimal. Or even save up for a good desktop solution. As for isolation, HFI's outclass the ATH M50's a lot. Comfort goes both ways and is normally dependant on the user. I feel that the M50's were more comfortable as the intial clamping force of the 580's are really tight, however that also depends if you have a big/small head. I noted the 580's got a bit shrill with higher notes, however with violin pieces I notice nothing that displeases my ears.
 
If you can, go out to your local audio store if you can and test some things out! 
 
I forgot to mention, look into some Grados headphones. My mother is a professional pianist and I got her some Grados SR80i's for mothers day. I'm eagerly waiting for her reaction to those! However they are supra instead of circum and are open back, so I'm not sure how much you'd like those. Grado Sr225i may be down you path aswell, however I hear they lack a bit on bass. They are a colored set though.

Thanks for the reply. Talking about the 580s having a rather tight fit at the beginning I'll have to look around considering with glasses frame and moderately large head it may be annoying for a while until I break the ear cups in and get used to it.

The bass oriented cans (e.g. M50 and DT770) you are considering are bad for classical.  They have the wrong sound signature and a very small sound stage.  If you want a can that is good or even just decent for classical music, you need something more neutral and certainly a can that does not have recessed mids.  If you are not OK with an open can, then a good studio type can is probably your best choice if listening to classical music is important to you.

 

[KG Jag]

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Considering the fact that I like the A900X more than the K550, which should be my next upgrade in regards to open cans?
 
Also, can someone recommend a good portable DAC/amp for an iPod Classic that goes well with the K550's?

That's a very open question that is subject to your budget; equipment that will drive these cans and sound signature that you prefer.  Have you studied the buying guides linked in the opening post of this thread?  After you have done that you should also take a look at this--and focus on cans like the HD 600 & 650, DT 880 and HE 400:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-ultimate-ears-uerm-added-4-14-13

 

[dakanao]

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a majority of humans hear 20-20,000Hz, so the rest is quite useless unless you're one of the few. Depending on your age and your luck, it may be more or less. 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more the guide.

But what about headphones with serious sub bass, that can be heard even at 10hz, like the M Audio Q40?