Headphone Recommendation?

Yup, yup - Head-fi is highly recommended for your journey.

One (more) thing to think about up front is desired and/or required separation from the outside world. My son needed headphones @ college that wouldn't bleed too much - early-to-bed roommate and all that. Wound up w/ the HD580s (for much, much less than $159) and he's thrilled. I spent most of a week after the holidays listening to them on & off before he went back to school - and they sure do sound quite OK for inexpensive sound blockers. Oh, and think about ergonomics & fit on/over your ears - for long term use that does make a difference.

>>the HD580s (for much, much less than $159)<<

Stinkfish -- where did you get them? I'm thinking about giving some
more away as gifts. Thanks.

A little while ago I was looking for a headphone set for the bedroom. I borrowed a pair of Sennheiser 600 and an Xcan2 from a local dealer. Not having been much exposed to headphones, I was blown away by the Senn. After a couple of days, though, I got tired of that "too much in my head" sound.
I then tried the Stax Sr-404 with the Srm-006t amp, and found them to be very pleasant to wear and listen to. While they're not dynamic headphones, every sound is reproduced accurately and lively enough to be true to the recordings without that "too much in my head" that made the Senn a little tiresome for me.
I was fortunate enough to find a used set from a dealer in Ny for a very reasonable price. AudioCube from Japan also carries the whole Stax headphone line. I've recently ordered an extension cable from them and the service is recommendable. The Stax are great if you listen to headphones on a regular basis or long sessions. I've also seen them used here on Audiogon, highly recommended.

Great responses all. The Senn 580's may be a budget champ for many a folks' tastes. And it gets even better with aftermarket replacement cords (Cardas, Stefan Audio Arts, Zu, Moon Audio, Clou, Jan Meier, etc etc).

Regarding the "in your head" thing, sometimes crossfeed circuits can help with this. I personally have never heard one, so I can't say for sure how well they work. But some of the DIY's, Headroom's, Meier's, and more have this standard or as an option. But this is a good overall point: you give up certain speaker/room type of sound, but gain some detail and purity (IMO) with headphone listening in general.

Classicjazz: I also have an XP-7. I use it in my bedroom with closed phones (Sony CD-3000's or AT A900's) so as not to bother the better half. Wmcmanus: $500 is the cost of the unit battery-powered; the AC power supply adds another $200.

I also give a vote for the Senn 650; I use it (and a soon-to-come AKG K-1000) with an Audio-Valve RKV Mk II in the "main" system.

Dang, I love this stuff ! :-)

Todd.

HD 580 are great headphones,the HD 600 has more open top end but dollar for dollar the HD580 is unbeatable..