I need a recommendation for the best Headphones (for me).
I'm planning on spending between $300 and $500 for the phones. I'm also planning on spending between $100 and $500 for a headphone amp. I am hoping that in addition to recommending headphones that might suit me I might also get a recommendation for an amp that would compliment those headphones.
I will use the phones for listening to Movies and music. I have a broad range of musical tastes, including Beethoven, Hendrix, Miles Davis, Electric Skychurch, John Prine, Pink Floyd, String Cheese Incident, etc. Pretty much everything, but leaning toward psychedelic rock.
I will also use these phones for recording, editing, mixing, and mastering electric guitar based music via software recording programs like Adobe Audition and FL Studio. I have an Echo Audio Darla 24/96 soundcard and a Soundblaster Audigy in the PC. The Adobe audition program can go as high as 192/24. I record in 96/24 as that is as high as my soundcard will go. I would like to have a DAC/Headphone amp that can translate this resolution for playback through the phones.
So I need phones that are good at movies, music, and recording.
I have been reading about various phones and a few seem to stand out: Sennheiser HD650; Beyerdynamic DT880; AKG 702; Grado RS1.
From what I've been able to gather, the Sennheiser kills at classical or acoustic music, but is week, lazy, relaxed, or unexciting for rock and roll, like Led Zeppelin for example. The Grado sounds like the best for rock music, but there is a near universal agreement that it is uncomfortable to wear and that is a deal-breaker for me. I want to be comfortable. The Beyerdynamics are reputed to maybe be the most comfortable. There is also talk of them having sound that is a contender for the best of its class (pricewise). One poster on this forum laughed at another who recommended the DT880 for rock. Thoughts about that? Finally, the AKG appears to be very precise and highly detailed without being shrill. To be honest, it's very hard to know what people are describing sometimes and whether what one says is even vaguely related to what another says. It is highly unlikely that I will be able to audition this equipment in vivo.
As far as amps, I have read that the Headroom Micro Amps are good. And I read quite a bit about the Zero DAC/amp from China. It sounds like people are less hepped up about that one across time. It also sounds like the AG Compass is well liked. The website even gives a shout out to the Head-fi forum people for their input to its current incarnation.
If you can give me any suggestions or guidance, it will be greatly appreciated.