Audiophile Headphone Recommendations

[essjay]

try head-fi .org they will set you straight but for 500 clams you could get a set of Grado rs1i's second hand , throw some woo magic at it i.e a woo audio 6 and you would be in heaven but this is not a portable amp.

[Eisener Bart]

Originally Posted by benmoree

I'm looking to purchase a set of headphones but I'm new to the whole audiophile headphone world. I've got a budget of approximately $500 dollars to play with and my musical tastes run primarily toward rock and blues. I care more about musical reproduction and want to avoid headphones with excessive bass response. I'll be using this with the Mcintosh D100 DAC at home and hopefully through an additional external device at work. If anyone has suggestions or experiences with particular brands/models that would be appreciated. Thanks.

You can find plenty information on Inner Fidelity reviewed by Tyl Hertsens.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by benmoree

Thanks everyone for the responses. I knew this was the right place to ask that question. As a follow up to my original, does anyone have a recommendation for a portable headphone amp. I would like something that I could use at the office and connect to my laptop via USB for playback. Thanks.

Easy. Audioquest Dragonfly...it's a world-class DAC AND a headphone amplifier!

[adhesiv]

Light harmonic geek USB.

[HiFiGuy528]

Hi Ben,

May I suggest looking into the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro? Don't let the price fool you. I found this headphone to perform very well with most music genres and especially good at Rock and most likely Blues as well. There is a passive bass level adjustments to taylor your desire for bass on the fly. It's very well done for a headphone at only $199 retail. While an amp is not necessary, a good DAC will improve on the sound. I suggest the Meridian Explorer at $299.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-C...Custom+One+Pro



http://www.tonepublications.com/macr...dios-explorer/

[longbowbbs]

Originally Posted by benmoree

I'm looking to purchase a set of headphones but I'm new to the whole audiophile headphone world. I've got a budget of approximately $500 dollars to play with and my musical tastes run primarily toward rock and blues. I care more about musical reproduction and want to avoid headphones with excessive bass response. I'll be using this with the Mcintosh D100 DAC at home and hopefully through an additional external device at work. If anyone has suggestions or experiences with particular brands/models that would be appreciated. Thanks.

I would go for the Sennheiser HD650's. I have a pair for many years and they are able to scale up as you improve your HP amplification and DAC choices.

I second the Audioquest Dragonfly recommendation for a portable Amp/DAC. I am using mine now with the HD650's from my MacBook Pro.

[gerzom]

I just picked up a Grado SR-325is and a Schiit Asgard2 and for me this combo works really well.

[brazil-nut]

If looking for closed I've used these two:
Denon AH-D2000 with D7000 cups and silver balanced cables: sound awesome with great detail, but a bit heavy on the bass.
Audio Technica ATH-W1000: very detailed yet laidback. A great headphone for long listening sessions.