What headphone amp to buy-Sennheiser HD 600?

I do like Headfi.org as a resource too. My only reservation about it, and this is a gross generalization (I hope), but in reading many posts there it seems to be a much younger crowd, and or a crowd that has different musical tastes than my own. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I don't read them much. It seems to be a much smaller crowd than Audiogon, which is understandable given the narrowed scope of the subject. The types of music used as resources for Headphone reviews there are often nothing I'd listen to much myself. Just to be sure, I just went over there and right away found this recent thread on what folks there used as source material to test out their new cans. There are currently 47 responses, so it is a pretty wide sampling, yet the general trend is toward music I rarely listen to (rap, electronica, pop, the occasional typical audiophile recordings...Krall, DSOM, blah, blah...but mostly much more dynamic, poppy, rock electronic stuff). Is this a fare reflection of headphone use in general at this level, or just those who choose to spend time writing about it on online forums do you think? BTW, I mean no offense at all to those who have different musical tastes, they simply are not mine. Speakers/Headphones that sound great with Electronica, Pop and Rap are not necessarily going to sound superior with Accoustic, Folk, Vocals, for example. Bottom line is, like with what I read here, I take what I read with a large grain of salt and do try to read as much as I can elsewhere as well. I still would not hesitate to recommend Headfi.org as a good resource. But it is a different crowd in general than those I see posting here. I'm sure there's crossover, but I get a strong impression that it the two camps are quite different nonetheless.

Marco

Quick update: Stax Lambda Pro headphones and some sort of a matching Stax Tube headphone amp to be dropped off at my house for auditioning on Monday evening, 1/9/06. Swampwalker, or anyone else--->any thoughts? Thanks.

I had the Lambda Pros with a Stax 006t and liked it very much, except for the aforementioned sweating problem. Be aware that if you tube-roll the 006t, the biasing is a rather complicated procedure that involves iterative adjustments. If you decide you like it and want a near new hp extension cable, let me know. I can't remember why, but I think I preferred the Lambda Pros to the newer 404 series phone. I prefer my AKG K1000s driven by a Cary 300sei, but thats quite a bit more $. You will find the Stax to be more detailed and more forward than the Senns, but I found the Senns to be much more comfortable.

Swampwalker,

Hey, thanks for the quick reply! You said:

Be aware that if you tube-roll the 006t, the biasing is a rather complicated procedure that involves iterative adjustments. If you decide you like it and want a near new hp extension cable, let me know.

I know this is an ignorant question, but what the heck is TUBE ROLLING? I'm assuming it's different than "cow tipping"......

Cow-tipping-- you're not from CT are you? that was rumored to be a hoot of a prank back in the 50s at UCONN! a bit b4 my time, but not that much. Tube rolling is switching to different brands of the same type of tube (and there are often numerous "equivalents" that may or may not be exact matches, to try and tailor the sound to your liking. In a power amplifier, that often requires manually adjusting the voltage to the tubes because they have slightly different electrical characteristics. NOS (New Old Stock) tubes are often considered superior in sonics and longevity, and command a high (sometimes exorbitant) price. There are many counterfeit/rebranded tubes out there so sometimes, it is a bit of a crap shoot.