Best headphones you've ever heard/used

It is discomforting when one adds up all of the extra money spent on the adapter, case, etc. that is spent by the time the purchase of the ipod is completed. $250.00 becomes $450.00.

Still, a really good set of headphones should not be ignored.

I own the Stax Omega. They are amazing phones, but they can also be very very demanding as far as upstream components are concerned. I have really heard them at their best in someone else's system, specifically, a system with an Audionote M-8 linestage and DAC-5 signature digital source and Verdier/Allaert phono setup. In my own system, I am a bit bothered by the dry sound of my solid-state stuff (Levinson Ref. No. 32 and Naim CDS3). For detail, speed and complete freedom from resonant overhang, the Stax are hard to beat.

I have not heard the Qualia phones, but I am sure they are very good. I really liked the dynamic phones Sony use to make about five years ago that cost about $500. I expect that a $3,000 version of a Sony would be an improvement.

Forget the adapter, you will need a headphone amp to get the Ipod to drive the relatively high impedence Senns to anything close to their full potential. W/o an amp, I would recoomend the Etymotic 4Ps which are designed to run off a "p"ortable player.

EX71SL's/Fontopias by Sony are exactly as Sonance said. However, they can be obtained for $30 on Amazon.com and come in a good Apple matching white. For the price, they offer a fair amount of isolation and bass and are pretty fashionable (not something to say around audiophiles) look. They are short plug which makes for good usage with the iPod remote, white to match and have asymmetrical lengths so you can wear them so the right can be worn w/ the wire behind the head. You probably don't care about aesthetics or matching, but given that you own an iPod, you just might. Matching earbuds offered by Apple are $40 and matching earbuds by Shure are $110. If money is no object...

As for home headphones. I honestly think nothing has better bang for buck than Grados. I like them better than any in ear or isolation headphones because I think they sound more natural and I prefer the open sound. I think it's weird listening to music that gets piped directly into your head. If you could put aside the need for wireless, they could be a good pick.

If you really want to learn about headphones, you should go lurk on headfi.com

Swampwalker: I already own the XCan headphone amp. Will this work w/ the Hd600's and 40g IPOD w/ adaptor?