[Duser]

Whenever I listen to music at home I listen through speakers, but I want to gain some experience with headphone.
So... I'm looking for some advice to buy a headphone (an open/closed over/on ear headphone, no earbuds).
 
I own a iFi iDSD nano, using deadbeef as music player (it's similar to foobar2000, but for linux).
I listen mostly to jazz/blues and yes, my music is from a good format (flac 16/44 and up).
So I'm looking for a headphone with realistic sound and a good soundstage.
 
My budget is 200-$250 max.
 
Hope you guys can give me some advice.
 
Thanks in advance

 

[KG Jag]

Don't know your system.  Does it have an amp?  If so what will it drive?
 
What sound signature do you prefer?

 

[Duser]

  Don't know your system.  Does it have an amp?  If so what will it drive?

My first post explained my system, iFi iDSD nano.
http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/nano-idsd/
 
I guess this is enough information?

 

[Duser]

Sorry, double post

 

[KG Jag]

It's not clear to me.  Hope you can get some help from someone who knows your specific equipment.

 

[rsgladwin85]

Without knowing more my recommendation will be something that's not hard to drive and is reasonably well rounded.  I'm going to recommend the NAD VISO HP50.  
 
If you can fill us in with a bit more detail as to what you're looking for we can probably help give you more specific things to look at.

 

[Duser]

  It's not clear to me.  Hope you can get some help from someone who knows your specific equipment.

Ok, what's not clear to you exactly?
 
Music goes as flac (16/44 or up) through deadbeef (software package to play music files) as bit perfect. Then it goes via USB to the iDSD nano.
iDSD is a DAC (digital to analog converter) with a "headphone amplifier" built in (see the website for specs: http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/nano-idsd/)
 
So now I only need the final step, a headphone, and therefore I need some advice
 
Maybe some further info, I'm looking for a natural sounding headphone with a good soundstage a instrumental seperation.

 

[Duser]

  Without knowing more my recommendation will be something that's not hard to drive and is reasonably well rounded.  I'm going to recommend the NAD VISO HP50.  
 
If you can fill us in with a bit more detail as to what you're looking for we can probably help give you more specific things to look at.

I don't have a lot of experience with headphones and the detail you're looking for, please let me know what you need to know and I'll fill in the details

 

[KG Jag]

Many of us here donate our time to provide free advice here.  We (the vast majority) are not willing to also research the equipment feeding and powering your headphones.  You need to do that. 
 
If your equipment has an amping feature, we need to know what type of cans it will properly drive.  Headphones are rated in Ohms (the lower the number the easier to drive) and sensitivity ratings (the higher the number the easier to drive).  Without knowing what your equipment can handle, the best we can do is recommend cans that virtually anything can drive.  In almost all cases this seriously cuts into your options.
 
We also need to know what sound signature you seek--neutral, warm, bright, bassy, etc.  If you don't know what this means, you need to do some homework using Google, etc.

 

[rsgladwin85]

 
I don't have a lot of experience with headphones and the detail you're looking for, please let me know what you need to know and I'll fill in the details

 
What kind of sound signature are you looking for?  Do you like a lot emphasized bass or would you prefer a neutral sound?  Are you sensitive to sibilance?  Do you prefer a large soundstage, or are you ok with a "standard" headphone soundstage?  
 
With your budget we should be able to recommend you something that will get you hooked and leave you wanting more, lol.  

 

[Duser]

Ok, I hope I can fill in the details now. I want a neutral sounding headphone with a (by preference) large soundstage.

As far as the specs go for the amp:
Dynamic Range: >104dB
THD &N (35mW) < 0.005%
THD &N (Line) < 0.005%
Output Power (16R): > 130mW
Output Voltage: >1.65V (>100Ω)
Output ImpedanceZout): <1Ω

Sorry, I did not know this was needed, and I really do appreciate your advice.

 

[rsgladwin85]

You might want to try something like the AKG K702's.  They are widely loved.  AKG has gotten quite a bit of negativity around here recently, but that's mostly because people are complaining about them releasing new models, without changing much in comparison to their predecessors.  They've got a large soundstage.  The price has come down recently due to the release of new models, so I think they're very reasonably priced.
 
 
 
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K702-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW

 

[KG Jag]

My recommendation is the 250 version of the DT 880.  See:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparison-beyerdynamic-dt-880-32-ohm-dt-880-250-ohm-and-dt-880-600-ohm-headphones
 
and
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_DT880
 
The Q701 (younger sibling of the K701 and K702) is an excellent can if you want to trade for more sound stage and less slam.

 

[mgh24]

I am also new to hi-fi (or mid-fi is a term I have seen applied to headphones in this price range) headphones.  I just received Soundmagic HP150, and they sound fantastic - keep in mind, I am an extreme noob, and have had these for less than a week.  These are often described as being very neutral.  They have a lot of bass compared to what I was accustomed to, and go very low.  I have a pair of AKG Q701 on the way, should be here Wednesday. I will let you know what my comparison of the 2 are, or link you to my threads.  Again, I have very little experience.  The folks here are very helpful, with an amazing amount of experience.

 

[fidelity9]

try akg k550, they are essentially a closed back k702 if you are looking for some type of isolation