[obsesivegamer]

Hello audiofiles,
 I am a newcomer to your community and find myself in need of some guidance and wisdom from the masses at Head-Fi. I have just recently thrown down the shackles of apple earbuds and purchased my first quality pair of headphones and earbuds. I bought a pair of Phillips uptowns and RHA-m30's and I am really enjoying them. As time has progressed I realized that while I had made a quantum leap from audio garbage to good quality music, there was still so much room to enhance my music. Here in lies my dilemma, I am completely inexperienced and audiophile quality music equipment confuses me.
        While my music has mainly been focused around my iphone and computer I realized I needed a better source to truly utilize the investment I made in headphones. So I also bought a Rocoo P audio player which is on the way as I write to you. I have also committed to buy an Apogee Duet 2 to use as a desktop amplifier and DAC. I now need advice on which direction to go, I want to upgrade my headphones to match my upgraded source components.
          Below I have listed the different headphones I am considering and I need your help deciphering which is best suited for me. I like to listen to many different genres of music (Rock,Pop,Rap,Classical,Electronica) Though the first two genres are my favorites. I am not really looking for the most accurate sound, I much prefer very lush and warm sound thats fun to listen to. So coloration is not such a big issue. I like bass but I don't need to have my head rattled I'm not into dubstep so I don't need bass heavy headphones. Again my sources are a Rocoo P mobile player(class A amp), and a Apogee Duet 2. I am upgrading my music library to FLAC files to further improve the quality of my music. In terms of mobility I wouldn't mind restricting my purchase to home use only, however it would be nice if on occasion I could pair one of my headphones with the rocoo for office and light commuting use.

 
 
 
 
Headphones I am considering:
AKG Q701

Sennheiser HD 650

Beyerdynamic DT 880

Denon D-5000
 
Afterthought: Hifiman 300's
 
IEM's:
Clarityone's
Hifiman RE-262

 

[obobskivich]

I would suggest having a mobile set and a home set; and imho the mobile set can be cheapies (but some people don't agree, and that's fine - I just don't commute for a long enough period of time to be able to justify the purchase).

For what you're describing, I'm liking the Sennheiser HD 600 or the Kenwood KH-K1000. Both are right at $400.

What is the purpose of the Apogee? Seems like a lot of money for a lot of features you don't need at all. Your iPod/iPhone is fine for mobile use, and at home I'd say let's look at what you're using (CD player, computer, etc) and what it needs (if anything) - I'm not trying to denigrate you here, I'm just seeing money going in the potentially wrong direction.

 

[obsesivegamer]

While it is a lot of money It does feature a good quality Dac/amp combo, I am using a imac at home with lossless audio files, and I have a rather long commute and thus want a good quality mobile rig. Also from what I understood the hd-600 was significantly more neutral than the 650's and I tend to enjoy a slightly colored sound.
 

 

[obobskivich]

While it is a lot of money It does feature a good quality Dac/amp combo, I am using a imac at home with lossless audio files, and I have a rather long commute and thus want a good quality mobile rig. Also from what I understood the hd-600 was significantly more neutral than the 650's and I tend to enjoy a slightly colored sound.

It's not worth the money for the features you're using; plain and simple. Trust me on this. You asked for input - and you got it. If you're convinced you know better than don't ask for input.

As far as the HD 600 vs the 650 - have you heard either? Do you understand that coloration is not a 1 to 10 kind of thing?

Anyways, none of those full-size open cans make sense for commuting, nor does lugging along a full computer and the Duet. IEMs are a good choice there, run from your iPod or whatever else. Simple is perfectly fine, and can mean high fidelity - you don't need to buy ten thousand dollars of gear to use your $300 headphones. :rolleyes:

 

[obsesivegamer]

I don't mean to be confrontational but I did ask for help I think you simply misinterpreted my post. I want headphones to use at home. I was going to buy iem's to commute or just keep the buds I have.
I do understand that coloration is different for everyone and relates to personal taste but I infered that for similiar price the headphones were no identical and many people have stated that Sen's 650's have a more prominent base, which is something I want.
 

 

[GL1TCH3D]

If you want a prominent bass, I'd stay away from the Q701.
The Q701 are very bass light and I wouldn't recommend them for a bsashead.

 

[TMRaven]

HE-300 seems to be like the most reasonable of your selection.

 

[obobskivich]

I don't mean to be confrontational but I did ask for help I think you simply misinterpreted my post. I want headphones to use at home. I was going to buy iem's to commute or just keep the buds I have.
I do understand that coloration is different for everyone and relates to personal taste but I infered that for similiar price the headphones were no identical and many people have stated that Sen's 650's have a more prominent base, which is something I want.

 

Yes, I've been advocating IEMs and separate headphones. My point is that the Appogee is probably a mis-use of your funds. Regarding the two Sennheisers - I've heard both sides of the argument; that the HD 650 is the darkest and bassiest, and that the HD 580 is v-curveiest and bassiest. For $100 less, I'd take the 600 over the 650. And return the Duet for something more appropriate. I wouldn't be making comparisons/arguments between headphones you haven't heard - it'll confuse the issue for you (this isn't meant as an attack, just friendly advice - it's very easy to get confuzzled by reading lots of reviews of a lot of gear you haven't tried; once you have a frame of reference, those reviews starting making a lot more sense).

If you really want prominent bass (two s'), the KH-K1000 are a better choice.

 

[rgallows]

I really like Sennheiser HD 598s. I use those at home and Sensaphonics 2-Max mixing monitors at work.  For IEMs, the 2Max are really comfortable for long wear, provide incredible isolation and deail at lo-volume. Shure se215s are also pretty awesome for a cheaper IEM alternative. I've heard good things about he 315, adn 535, but haven't tried them myself. I've

 

[blueangel2323]

The Apogee Duet is primarily an interface for recording instruments and microphones, so you are paying for that functionality for the most part. Yes it has very good DAC and amp sections, but you can get a DAC/amp without all those features that sounds better and costs less. Some fine examples come from Audio-gd, Grant Fidelity, and AudioQuest. This is assuming that you're not a musician, of course. If you will be recording your own music, the Duet is an excellent choice.  
As for headphones, if you like lush and warm, AKG and Beyer are probably not for you. HD650 and D5000 are good choices. Also consider the Philips Fidelio X1.