[farfelshtein]

Hi there, head-fi! I am a budding audiophile looking for an upgrade to an around-ear set of cans from my current Hifiman RE0s. I love them for travel but I feel like their lacking in fullness and especially in bass. I listen to all kinds of music, but nothing really bass heavy (no rap or dubstep, a little rock) but I especially love classical and orchestral music. Trying on other people's headphones while listening to Mozart, I really noticed how much range I was missing with these in-ears. My price range is about $250-$300 max. I am not sure exactly when an amp is needed or what a preamp is necessary for or even what source I should be using. Some help would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[aiaiaimaster]

Are they supposed to be stylish?Where are you going to use them?

 

[farfelshtein]

Stylish is not a requirement. I plan on using them wherever possible and my in-ears wherever not. In other words, portability is a plus but not required.
 

 

[aiaiaimaster]

in that case i would recommend the akg q701's but... sony studio headphones are known to be good at classical music and isolate pretty well.another option (the stylish one) is the nixon master blaster headphone.it's very good at classical,jazz and isolates very well.the only problem is it creates a little pressure on the ears but is worth it and is competetively priced.

 

[farfelshtein]

I appreciate the response. Is there any recommended equipment for these headphones? Amp? DAC?

 

[aiaiaimaster]

Quote:

I appreciate the response. Is there any recommended equipment for these headphones? Amp? DAC?

Q701 impedance is 63 ohm so it definitely sounds better amped.Sony:depends on the model.Check the impedance and if it's over 40 ohms it could use an amp up to around 80 and over that an amp is necessary.The Nixon Master Blaster is said to be a little quiet when used with portable music players,so if you listen to the music at high volume,you may want to buy an amp. 
P.S.
I recommend closed back headphones for "all around" headphones.