[cannarymburns]

I'm looking to upgrade my hd280 pro headphones, and I have a few questions. I'm looking for the best cans strictly for music (ambient, indy, drone, jazz and a bit of edm) so movies and games aren't really considerations. I don't have a headphone amp, but I do have an old sony reciever from a htib that I'm currently using to drive my speakers. I don't know how useful it could be for headphones that benefit from an amp. My soundcard is an asus xonar d2x, not the stx unfortunately which does have a headphone amp.
 
I need tthem to be decently comfortable since I listen for pretty long stretches at a time, but on the other hand I've heard that my hd280s were tight, and yet I haven't had any issues with them. I'm willing to consider open cans, but I've never used open ones before, so I'm not sure how much sound leaks out from them since I live in an apartment. My max budget would be about $250-300 if they're really worth it, but right now I'm liking the Fischer FA-003 cans. I want to hear some suggestions before I order them though, as I'm far from an expert on headphones.
 
Edit: How safe is it to buy used ones? There are some rather cheap d2000 on amazon used.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Used headphones are a great deal. I buy used whenever possible and have only had positive experiences. Head-Fi'ers tend to take care of their gear and only sell to fund upgrades, rarely because something is broken.

For a wide variety of genres, the Sennheiser HD-600 is one of the best. I loved mine, but sold them to finance a HD-800. But they're great headphones and one of few that work with all genres. Another worth considering is the Beyerdynamic DT880. Another headphone I loved and similarly sold for the HD-800. Both have been around for years and have lots of fans. Give them some thought.

Also, both should run fine from your receiver. Don't buy anything you don't have to. Use what you already have.

 

[droido256]

For budget i'd have to say the Grado Labs Sr60i, the Sony MDR-V6, the AudioTechnica m50.

 

[zeron]

with above post, HD 25-1-II's good and cheap(more exensive the sr60i) but way within our budget(160~). great closed cans, good for portable and home use. doesnt need and amp but bass improves with one.