You can, indeed, get great sound from a set of headphones. The experience is quite different, and I personally don't think it is worthwhile trying to chase similar imaging with phones--I accept that phones will present sound as coming from inside my head rather than imaging like speakers (crossfeed circuits, binaural recordings, headphones with drivers that are placed to mimic speakers, etc. really aren't convincing).
I have Stax 007 (Omega II, Mk.1) phones and a Blue Hawaii Special Edition amplifier/energizer. I like this premium combination a lot. I have also heard the 009 phones with this setup. The 009s have better bass, better dynamics, and a more extended top end. But, this comes at the price of sounding brighter and somewhat thinner in the midrange than the 007. Hence, there are tradeoffs and I would not declare one better than the other sonically. Both are reasonably comfortable (the 009 is heavier). The Blue Hawaii amp driving Sennheiser HE60 phones (discontinued) also sounds quite good--smoother and more natural tonal balance, but slightly duller in dynamics than the Stax phones.
For a quite different sound--much warmer, but lacking in the clarity of the Stax phones--I like the Audeze LCD-XC. This closed-back version of the Audeze planar magnetic phones is very nice sounding to me. Audeze phones with a really good amp, such as the Viva headphone amp, would make a killer system. The Abyss planar magnetics sound good too, but, I did not think they warranted the really high price and they are somewhat uncomfortable to me.
For a much cheaper alternative, I liked the top-of-the-line Mad Dog headphones (closed back).
To me, Stax phones border on being too thin and bright and are quite demanding of upstream components. But, apparently, many other listeners demand even brighter sounding phones. If you are one of them, the Sennheiser HD800 headphones will deliver a brighter sound. I personally don't like these phones at all, but, like everything else in audio, this is a matter of taste. You should at least audition these phones and their sonic opposites (Audeze) to get a measure of the range of choices.
Good regional audio shows present great opportunities to hear a wide range of gear. Most shows have a big gathering area dedicated to headphones. This is usually one of the highlights of the show--everyone is friendly and helpful, everything is available for personal trial and the whole scene is enjoyable.
I have Stax 007 (Omega II, Mk.1) phones and a Blue Hawaii Special Edition amplifier/energizer. I like this premium combination a lot. I have also heard the 009 phones with this setup. The 009s have better bass, better dynamics, and a more extended top end. But, this comes at the price of sounding brighter and somewhat thinner in the midrange than the 007. Hence, there are tradeoffs and I would not declare one better than the other sonically. Both are reasonably comfortable (the 009 is heavier). The Blue Hawaii amp driving Sennheiser HE60 phones (discontinued) also sounds quite good--smoother and more natural tonal balance, but slightly duller in dynamics than the Stax phones.
For a quite different sound--much warmer, but lacking in the clarity of the Stax phones--I like the Audeze LCD-XC. This closed-back version of the Audeze planar magnetic phones is very nice sounding to me. Audeze phones with a really good amp, such as the Viva headphone amp, would make a killer system. The Abyss planar magnetics sound good too, but, I did not think they warranted the really high price and they are somewhat uncomfortable to me.
For a much cheaper alternative, I liked the top-of-the-line Mad Dog headphones (closed back).
To me, Stax phones border on being too thin and bright and are quite demanding of upstream components. But, apparently, many other listeners demand even brighter sounding phones. If you are one of them, the Sennheiser HD800 headphones will deliver a brighter sound. I personally don't like these phones at all, but, like everything else in audio, this is a matter of taste. You should at least audition these phones and their sonic opposites (Audeze) to get a measure of the range of choices.
Good regional audio shows present great opportunities to hear a wide range of gear. Most shows have a big gathering area dedicated to headphones. This is usually one of the highlights of the show--everyone is friendly and helpful, everything is available for personal trial and the whole scene is enjoyable.