~400ish for Headphones + amp or just headphones

EndersShadow
EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
edited August 2012 in Headphones
So here's the deal.

I am looking to get a nice portable system. When I say portable I dont mean ride on the subway type thing, I mean small easy to transport setup. I can either get a set of headphones and an amp for ~400 or just headphones.

If I go with just headphones they need to be able to plug into the iPhone or Zune and just sound GREAT with no other amplification. I dont mind going with headphones that need an amp to sound their best provided the overall cost of the suggested system is ~400.

For a headphone amp I honestly am pretty sure I should go with the Schiit Asgard if I go with a headphone amp. I am open to other suggestions but it seems to be the king in the price range I have. It doesnt need to be fit in your pocket size or anything like that. I plan to put it on my desk at work or use it at home.

I am hoping to find some good isolating headphones, but at the end of the day if I just have to keep the volume down on em at work, I can deal with it provided they sound good.

These are going to be a set that last me for years so I am open to many suggestions. I am not looking for IEM's. I would like to keep this to over the hear or on ear sets. I do wear glasses 24/7 so clamp force can bother me.

I listened to a set of Grado RS2i and RS1i's and they sound awesome, but are obviously out of the budget. In reading about the 325i's they lack some of the punch the RS's have so I am not sure on them.

So lets see what suggestions/combo's folks come up with.

Assimilated I will just already post your suggestion of the PSB M4U 2. I need to read more on them, but they do seem like a good option. My only concern is my ears starting to sweat.

I am excited to hear the Polk UltraFocus 8000's which should hopefully be arriving this upcoming week.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
Post edited by EndersShadow on

Comments

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited August 2012
    Schiit Asgard... are you sure this is an amp and not a new product of incontinent old farts?:cheesygrin:
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • izafar
    izafar Posts: 814
    edited August 2012
    I would recommend Ultrasone Pro 900. These are closed and at 32ohms can be driven reasonably good from iDevices. Add a Tube amp and you get yourself a very good mid priced setup.

    http://www.amazon.com/Ultrasone-PRO-900-Professional-Headphones/dp/B001F00F0E
    -izafar

    Goldenear Technology Triton 1 - Benchmark AHB2 - Benchmark LA4 - Auralic Vega - Auralic Aries Mini - Marantz TT-15S1 - Clearaudio Nano
  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    edited August 2012
    Schiit Asgard... are you sure this is an amp and not a new product of incontinent old farts?:cheesygrin:

    LOL :lol:
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
  • coolsax
    coolsax Posts: 1,824
    edited August 2012
    You could look at sennheisers hd600 and a fiio e9
    Main 2ch -
    BlueSound Node->Ethereal optical cable->Peachtree Audio Nova 150->GoldenEar Triton 2+
    TT - Pro-ject Classic SB with Sumiko Bluepoint.

    TV 3.1 system -
    Denon 3500 -> Dynaudio Excite 32/22