[NickFox]

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  And contrary to some opinion, I personally find the 300 ohm HD600s relatively easy to drive.  They scale well with better amps - but the E10 again would do fine as a starter.  To give you an example of how easy they are to drive - they are quite loud straight out of an iPhone4 (no amp) at 60% volume - and the dynamics aren't totally missing.  Are they driven well out of the iPod ....... not anywhere near as well as they can be - but for someone on a budget, the HD600 is one heck of a headphone which you can then scale up with better dacs and amps later.

I guess my real question is should I get the HD 600s and an e9 OR e10 or the HD 598s and an e10? I will probably never upgrade; I couldn't justify spending any more money on a setup unless I was super rich. Maybe, just maybe if I got the e9, I would buy an e17 in the distant future; but if the HD 600s will sound good with the e10, then I will not buy better headphones, an amp, or DAC for many years.
 
 
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Sorry if I missed this, but what is the source of your music?  A PC with a sound card or a laptop?  If all you have if a headphone out then having something like an E17 that you can connect by USB will result in a cleaner sound.  If you have a PC with decent onboard audio, then for your purposes the DAC wouldn't be so important and you could put more of the money towards the headphones.   

Well I stream from Spotify (ogg vorbis 160kbps) and I'm on a 2011 MacBook Pro. I heard macs have good DACs. So if I don't need a DAC, I'll definitely get an e9.

 

[Brooko]

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Thanks.. is the DT 880 $80 better than the srh840 though? I like that beyer seems to be way more comfortable and the company has a little more history?

 
They are two very different headphones - and I don't think it would be constructive to try and say which one is better.
 
The Beyer is technically better - but if you prefer a closed circumaural that is relatively transportable (think flights, trains etc) - then the SRH840 would better.  It also doesn't need the same amping.  The SRH 840 also has a more forward and engaging mid-range.  Bass can be a little boomy at times and doesn't extend as well as the Beyers.
 
OTOH - if you're looking for more of a reference sound with better sound-stage and spatial positioning, cleaner bass, and flatter sound - the Beyers are great.  They do need more in the way of amping.  The only real issue I have with them is that the mid-range is just a little recessed - although this can be countered with a slightly warmer amp - tubes work very well in this regard IMO.
 
Although I personally found the SRH840 very comfortable (quite a few don't) - it is no match in comfort with the Beyers - which I still find to be one of the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

 

[Brooko]

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I guess my real question is should I get the HD 600s and an e9 OR e10 or the HD 598s and an e10? I will probably never upgrade; I couldn't justify spending any more money on a setup unless I was super rich. Maybe, just maybe if I got the e9, I would buy an e17 in the distant future; but if the HD 600s will sound good with the e10, then I will not buy better headphones, an amp, or DAC for many years.
 
 
Well I stream from Spotify (ogg vorbis 160kbps) and I'm on a 2011 MacBook Pro. I heard macs have good DACs. So if I don't need a DAC, I'll definitely get an e9.

 
Personal opinion only - others will disagree .......
 
If it was me I'd get the HD600.  It will be slightly more forgiving of lower bit-rate music.  I personally found the HD598 (while more engaging/fun at times) could be a little grainy in the top-end - while the HD600 remains very smooth.  And if you get the HD600, you wouldn't need to upgrade your headphones for a very long time.  But when you can afford it, by getting a better dac and amp - you can scale your whole system without having to worry about the headphones.
 
Quite simply IMO, the HD600 will scale better than the HD598 long term.
 
As far as amps/dacs go - if you are happy with the DAC on your Mac at the moment -  the E9 will do the trick.  Like you said, you can then add the E17 (or something else) when you're ready.
 
Whichever way you go - both the HD598 and HD600 are very good cans.

 

[betavince]

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Well I stream from Spotify (ogg vorbis 160kbps) and I'm on a 2011 MacBook Pro. I heard macs have good DACs. So if I don't need a DAC, I'll definitely get an e9.

 
Since your budget is limited to $300 I think you'll be fine with the MacBook Pro DAC.  You can always improve the sound later with an external DAC.  Since the e9k (I'd go with that model so you could pair with the e17 later) costs about one hundred, that leaves you, if my calculations are correct, with $200 for the headphones.  
 
I'm in the minority here, but I find the SRH840's to be too dark for my tastes.  The HD600 are over your budget new and seem to have shot up in price recently.  But from what I've read they would meet your needs and are not as veiled as the 650's.  The HD598 to me are ugly as sin, but supposedly fine all around headphones, though I'd always worry that somewhere an entry level luxury sedan was missing an armrest. But if you're spending that much I'd recommend what spinxvc suggested, the AKG 701.  Or the K702 or Q701, as they're basically the same.  I have the k702 and love it and, truth be told, would probably even recommend it to heavy metal and hip hop lovers, but it would fit your musical preferences.  It definitely requires an amp though. I've read that the AKG's are not necessarily difficult to drive, just picky about amps.  From a quick search, the E9 would be fine.  
 
To stay within your budget, spinxvc's suggestion of an IEM is also worth considering.  Something like the Brainwavz B2 or Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 and a Fiio E17 would come in around $300 and sound terrific together.  The Brainwavz HM5 is well regarded and is currently on sale for $100 on pre-order at mp4nation.net and might be worth considering if you don't want an IEM.

 

[NickFox]

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Since your budget is limited to $300 I think you'll be fine with the MacBook Pro DAC.  You can always improve the sound later with an external DAC.  Since the e9k (I'd go with that model so you could pair with the e17 later) costs about one hundred, that leaves you, if my calculations are correct, with $200 for the headphones.  
 
I'm in the minority here, but I find the SRH840's to be too dark for my tastes.  The HD600 are over your budget new and seem to have shot up in price recently.  But from what I've read they would meet your needs and are not as veiled as the 650's.  The HD598 to me are ugly as sin, but supposedly fine all around headphones, though I'd always worry that somewhere an entry level luxury sedan was missing an armrest. But if you're spending that much I'd recommend what spinxvc suggested, the AKG 701.  Or the K702 or Q701, as they're basically the same.  I have the k702 and love it and, truth be told, would probably even recommend it to heavy metal and hip hop lovers, but it would fit your musical preferences.  It definitely requires an amp though. I've read that the AKG's are not necessarily difficult to drive, just picky about amps.  From a quick search, the E9 would be fine.  
 
To stay within your budget, spinxvc's suggestion of an IEM is also worth considering.  Something like the Brainwavz B2 or Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 and a Fiio E17 would come in around $300 and sound terrific together.  The Brainwavz HM5 is well regarded and is currently on sale for $100 on pre-order at mp4nation.net and might be worth considering if you don't want an IEM.

I can buy the e9, but nobody has really given me a definitive answer as to why I should get a DAC. Does it have a very large impact on sound quality, or is the amp more important? The decision is between e9 or e10, and I am probably buying the HD 600s from Dakmart for $230 (incl. shipping). Although people have been saying the e10 would be fine with the HD 600s, the e9 is a far superior amp and as I said, I don't know how much of a difference a DAC even makes. Maybe the e9's superiority as an amp would make it better than the DAC/amp together in the e10.

 

[betavince]

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I can buy the e9, but nobody has really given me a definitive answer as to why I should get a DAC. Does it have a very large impact on sound quality, or is the amp more important? The decision is between e9 or e10, and I am probably buying the HD 600s from Dakmart for $230 (incl. shipping). Although people have been saying the e10 would be fine with the HD 600s, the e9 is a far superior amp and as I said, I don't know how much of a difference a DAC even makes. Maybe the e9's superiority as an amp would make it better than the DAC/amp together in the e10.

 
I think in your case to hear a difference between the MacBook Pro DAC and an external one you'd probably have to go to something like an ODAC, which is $150 assembled without an amplifier.  I'd go with the e9 and just use the built-in Mac DAC.