[sarahkho]

Hello -
 
Thank you for opening the thread and looking and my request.
 
So far I have been using earbuds from Logitech Ultimate Ear and Thinksound and a wireless headphone from Creative, the sound blaster omega 3d. Now I decided to buy a new headphone and possibly a portable small amp. I searched for some long hours and narrowed down my options to the following:
 
Amp: 
I couldn't find another amp which is small enough to carry around and use with Android phones and tablets so I decided that this might be the best option for me. Of course any other suggestion in the same price range (less than 150$) is very welcome.

1. FiiO E12 Mont Blanc Portable Headphone Amplifier, The reason I chose it was good review here on head-fi and also on amazon. I will be using it with my headphone when I listen to music on my phone or tablet.

 
Headphones:
Just to give an overview of what I want to do with the headphone; 

1. I mostly listen to classical and melodies and movies sound tracks, from time to time I may listen to Bluz, Pop, Rock and NewAge but most of the time it will be classical.
2. I want to be able to listen to music on my MacBook pro, on my Android phone and also on my Android tablet. 
3. The headphone should be comfortable for long listening sessions and that basically means it should be relatively light and not a 1 pound heavy craft that hurt my head and neck.
4. I have some experience with on-ear headphones and they sorta hurts my ears; although that might have been result of using cheap headphone but I am skeptical about them.
5. The headphone should not bother someone sitting next to me in the plane or train by what I am listening to, so it should be closed and not open.
6. Answering phone calls (on the phone) and talking on Skype (on MacBook pro) is an advantage (which I believe can be provided using an alternative cord, if an alternative cord is available). 

 
Now, the alternatives I found so far are as follow (no order)

1. Sennheiser Momentum Headphone
2. V-MODA Crossfade M-100
3. Bowers & Wilkin​s P7 
4. Bowers & Wilkin​s P5 
5. AKG K702 
6. Sennheiser HD 650 (I believe that this headphone may bother and annoy other people around me as they can head what I am listening to so I am reluctant about it unless people with more knowledge and experience say I am wrong about it)

 
If you see that I placed a headphone in the alternatives list which is not suitable for my music taste please let me know so I remove it from my list and 
I am sure there are other alternatives with similar features and price range which may fit better for my requirement, so if you know some other headphone that fits the description please let me know.
 
 
Thank you.

 

[money4me247]

For your portable amp using w/ android devices, you might want to consider E18 which as a DAC (think of it as external sound card) as well that works with android devices. Goes for $150ish. Heard a newer version Rev B just came out. A dac/amp combo would be nice for you as many portable devices don't have the best internal sound card. For the headphones you listed, you don't actually need an amp. An amp can improve the sound quality a bit as it provides extra power to your headphones, but I've personally found the difference very small. You don't "need" a amp/dac, but if you want to try it out, I would suggest going for the E18 since you use android devices.
 
sounds like you want a closed, portable headphone for primarily classical. the k702 & hd650 are both open. the m100 is pretty bass-heavy & they wouldn't be my first choice for classical. their comfort is also a bit lacking unless you get the XL ear pads. the P5 is on-ear, which would leak more sound than over-ears. the p7 is over-priced (in my personal opinion).
 
that leaves you with the Sennheiser Momentums on your list. they are extremely light. sound quality is excellent. slight point tho is that real world fit may be more on-ear for you if you have larger ears. you should demo them at best buy if you have a chance.
 
the choices for closed portable over-ear would be the akg k545 at $200 and the nad visio nad at $300 (which I have not heard). also, there is the sony mdr-1r's at sub-$200 which I really enjoyed, but I never used them with classical music. the mdr-1rs are insanely comfortable (most comfortable over-ears I've tried).
 
edit: the mad dogs ortho headphones often get recommended at the $300 and I've heard they are quite comfortable, but they are also heavier than most headphones as they are planar magnetics.