Whats the Story w/ Headphones?

Grado RS1 is definitely overpriced ones. They're uncomfortable to wear and sound not too much better than Senn HD600. I use Stax SRM1 and SR5 headphones and adore that drive and instrument separation. For regular stereo-finger headphones I like AKG K240. You can get them for arround $100 and they surely can compete with Grado and Senns.

i really enjoy mine. it's great for listening when you don't want to disturb anyone. i would recommend a decent headphone amp though - check the archives here there's tons.

The March 15 issue of "Forbes" has an article about headphones in which the highest rating for sound quality (I know...what does "Forbes" know about sound quality), and comfort goes to the Ultimate Ears UE5c earbuds. The UE5c are a consumer version of Ultimate Ears' pro earbuds used by a number of pro musicians (think Rolling Stones and Brittney Spears). They are custom molded to your ears and provide isolated, two-driver sound. They run $550 a pair. The top-of-the-line model runs $950 and is a three driver earbud.

I don't know about the Sennheiser's or the Grado's, but i basically agree with Marakanetz' statements. If you can find a good set at a reasonable price, electrostatic headphones or electret condensor headphones are the way to go. For E-stat's, look for Stax or Koss. For Electret's, look for Signet or Audio Technica. If shooting for dynamic type headphones, i've always liked the AKG K240's too, although i haven't listened to any newer offerings for a LONG time. Obviously, personal preference and the various styles ( over ear, on ear, in ear, etc... ) all come into play, so only you will know what you like. Sean
>

PS... For all of you "old timers" out there, i've still got a pair of Lafayette ( remember them??? ) E-stat headphones (!!!) from the early 1970's that work GREAT. I've also got a pair of Audio Technica ATH-6's too. Don't use either of them too much, but after thinking about it, they would both make for a great computer based audio system for late night listening. Thanks for bringing this up Rsa !!! : )

I bought a pair of HD600's about 4 months ago and what a whole new world! Even though I have a good set of speakers, there is no room interaction to deal with. Amazing level of "musicality". As far as an outboard amp, Musical Fidelity puts out the Xcan for ~$300 or, of course, Headroom amps for more money. I believe that the consensus is that most CD player/preamp manufactureres add on headphone amps as somewhat an afterthought and are not that good. My Sonic Frontier Line 2SE preamp has the Headroom op amp with the "imaging processor" in it. Very good, however, I have not compared it to others.