[peter312]

I'm hoping someone can help me start again and get me back into headphone listening.
 
It's been a while since I've haunted these pages and to be honest, I lost interest in headphones etc for quite a while. I have been using a set of Klipsch Image X10 in-ear phones with my iPod Touch (playing either lossless or MP3 v0 files) and am happy with that as my portable rig. (The X10s narrowly beat the SE310s I also had - I just preferred the extra warmth to the crystal clear clarity of the SE310s).
 
For home use though, I gave up trying to find the right system as I was losing money making the wrong decisions. (Not helped by the fact it is very difficult to try before you buy in the UK).
 
My Hi-Fi is made by Arcam and that sounds superb (to me) through my Wharfedale Evo speakers. I was trying to use my Arcam CD Player as the source for a variety of headphone amplifiers but in doing so, I found that having a headphone amplifier plugged in (either to the CD players 2nd phono out or the tape out of the amp) had a detrimental effect to the sound coming out of the speakers. I felt the answer would therefore be to buy another CD player for headphone duties, but as I couldn't settle on a pair of "at home" headphones or a headphone amp, I instead chose to give up, sell the headphones and amp and forget it for the time being.
 
Ignoring a number of minor "try outs", I had the following headphones for a reaonsable length of time:
 

1. HD595 - I found them a little veiled and not that clear(transparent?), regardless of whether I used them with an amp.
2. HD555 - I found my son's HD555s slightly better than the HD595s but basically found them the same.
3. SR60 - I found them too bright (lower treble) but also did not have the treble extension or quality to make them feel "airy".
4. HD650 - These were much better (through a variety of amps, culminating with a Little Dot III) but were not quite airy enough and a little laid back.
5. HD600 - Were more airy than the HD600s but still laid back and actually lost something to the HD650s - a bit boring.

 
Whilst ideally I would simply like to find a set of headphones that didn't need an amp, I guess that will not be possible as I seem to have developed expensive tastes (in my ears, if you see what I mean).
 
So what am I looking for?
 

• I want to build a CD (and ultimately turntable) based system with amp and headphones for "critical" listening. (Ignoring the CD player, my budget would ideally be up to £600). As the HD650s were my favourite of the headphones I tried, would it be worth looking at something like the K702s with a decent amp, or do I just need to get a better amp with the HD650s.
• I also want to find a reasonably priced pair of headphones that I can use for day to day stuff, e.g. plugging into my laptop, an MP3 player (maybe) or an old cassette deck, for example. (My budget would be up to £150 for these headphones) - closed might be advantageous but is not a prerequisite. I wondering if something like K240s or M50s would suit?

 
I mainly listen to either rock (ELO, Queen, Tom Petty, Beatles, Bon Jovi), classical and orchestral soundtrack (e.g. John Barry).
As you can see, I have completely lost my way and would appreciate some help "seeing the light" again.
 
Any help greatly appreciated.
 
Many thanks
 
Peter

 

[Uncle Erik]

If the Senns didn't impress you, how about the Beyerdynamic DT880? It might be what you're looking for. A dark horse might be the Sony MDR-SA5000. They don't get a lot of love around here, but I've always enjoyed them.